The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has criticised the persistent lack of accountability among public officials, particularly at both federal and state levels.
Speaking on Sunrise, a Channels Television programme aired on Saturday, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, said that many Nigerians view state governors as reckless in the use of public resources.
“The reality on the ground today is that most Nigerians perceive the governors as being profligate. It speaks to the level of poverty in Nigeria,” he said.
SERAP seeks o foreign assements
Oluwadare added that the President does not need to rely on foreign assessments to recognise the misuse of resources by governors.
“And the President really doesn’t need the US government to say that before he knows that, and that is why he’s the C-in-C, and that is why he superintends over the governors,” he stated.
He argued that Nigeria’s federal structure grants the President substantial influence over economic governance.
“With the nature of federalism we practise, perhaps we call it the type of democracy we practise, the President has a lot of powers to influence the economy.”
According to him, many governors have fallen short in delivering the kind of leadership that inspires public confidence.
“And that is perhaps because the President has not done enough as well. And that speaks to the infrastructure deficit that we have all over the country,” he said.
“That’s how you see governors will prioritise building big buildings at the expense of building infrastructure that will benefit the people.”
He also lamented that despite the Constitution clearly outlining the responsibilities of public office holders, widespread impunity continues to weaken institutional effectiveness.
Oluwadare stressed the importance of building public trust around the office, rather than the personality occupying it.
He said, public trust “should rest on public office, not the occupier,” in order to enhance accountability and improve governance outcomes.
