From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, has identified commitment to democratic governance, rule of law and a just society as a recipe for a new Nigeria.
In his keynote address at the 44th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society of International Law, held at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) headquarters in Abuja, Prof. Gambari outlined the direction that Nigeria should take.
The Chief of Staff, who is a patron and a Fellow of the Society, spoke on the theme of the conference, “Realising the Nigeria of our Dream in Global Governance: The Challenges of Institutional Corruption, National Insecurity, International Law and Democratic Governance.”
Gambari emphasised his firm confidence that a democratic Nigeria could be established with a commitment to democratic governance and the transition from representational democracy to participatory democracy.
He said, “In truth, Nigeria is no more complex than most large developing countries, the adaptive challenge is to fashion a progressive, forward looking ‘Grand Narrative’ as an approximate for ‘our dream’. Presently, there are multiple fractious sub-national plots that have not been woven into a consensual story of who we are, what we are and where we want to be in this fast spinning interdependent future.
“In this regard, promoting a Nigeria of our dreams must begin by a commitment to democratic governance. We have to somehow create consensus on a rational way of governing ourselves. This requires three main elements: Establishing the rule of law, evolving from representational democracy to participatory democracy, and building a just society.”
He further emphasised the need for concerted efforts globally to address institutional corruption.
He disclosed that Nigeria, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as other countries such as Canada, Ecuador and the Netherlands are part of a growing international coalition advocating for the establishment of an international anti-corruption court.