…the university’s Political Science Department must lead the way, like late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe – Prof. Umeadi.
AWKA, NIGERIA – The iNews Times reports that the 2023 Presidential Candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Justice Prof Peter Umeadi, the former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh and 2025 Governorship Candidate of Labour Party, Dr George Moghalu have stormed Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka for the Maiden International Conference of the school’s Political Science Department.
Held at the institution’s Auditorium, the three-day event brought together scholars, policymakers, and thought leaders from across Africa who brainstormed on the theme “Africa at Crossroads: Confronting Governance, Security and Development Challenges in the 21st Century.”
Setting the tone for the discourse, Justice Prof. Umeadi who was the Chairman of the occasion, urged UNIZIK to live up to the name of late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, under whose name the institution was established, describing him as a political scientist and politician who left indelible mark in African politics.
Prof Umeadi, a former Chief Judge of Anambra State, said Zik was a politician who believed in social progress and stood out among African leaders, saying that his contemporary African leaders owe him debt of where they are and what they did for their countries.
“When it comes to learning, application, maneuvering, scheming, politicking and of course winning, you talk about late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the great Zik of Africa.
“Other Africans leaders who were his contemporaries owe him the debt of where their countries are today, people like former President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.
“On my part as the 2023 Presidential candidate of APGA, am sure you are aware am still the presidential candidate of APGA and it will remain so until 2027, that is what it is, I think we owe Zik a lot in this country.
“I believe in social progress, that is ensuring access to basic needs of human beings, the essential resources like food water, shelter and safety of human beings cannot be negotiated, that is social progress, that was what late Zik, Nyerere and others stood for. And that is my stand in politics.
“It is unfortunate that many African leaders of today are not thinking along that line. The tragedy of Africa like Dr Julius Nyerere once said is that at this age children still go to bed hungry and that is unfortunate.
“In this University, the Political Science Department must lead the way, like late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, I know that the acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi, if given the opportunity, will use Political Science Department to take this University to world recognition,” Justice Prof Umeadi concluded.
Also speaking, the Keynote speaker, Chief Barr Metuh stressed the need to institutionalize good governance in Nigeria through political parties with sound ideology and manifestoes to produce electoral accountability.
While describing political parties as the bedrock to sustainable good governance, the former PDP National Scribe however regretted that state governors have been empowered by the Nigerian system to hijack the powers and rendered parties weak, thereby making sustenance of good governance difficult.
“Power must return to political parties if good governance must return in Nigeria and political parties must not depend on the governors for their financing.
“Nigeria political parties cannot continue to serve as vehicle for politicians to get to power only to dump the party anytime they want. Why will a politician get power in one party and jump to another? It weakens the mandates of the electorates, encourages opportunism and does not encourage merit. There is need for legal prohibition of that.
“We should also institutionalise regional zoning through constitutional provision to create creditability, promote inclusiveness and enhance consensus.
Otherwise in the next 50 years, there are zones within the North or South that cannot rule Nigeria. Same apply in states. So it’s either we go for zoning, or we go for merit.
Metuh therefore had six recommendations:
“One, amend the 1999 Constitution to prohibit party defections by elected officials during their tenure. This will stop rampant defections in our country and align with electoral mandate of our people. Two, Legally required political parties to submit party manifestoes before elections. Three, create an independent party regulatory commission to monitor compliance with ideological and policy commitment of the party.
“Four, institutionalise zoning and rotational arrangement for national elective offices in the Constitution. Five, Inform political party funding mechanisms to ensure financial independence and accountabilities and six, strengthen civic education on ideology, manifesto and political accountability,” Metuh concluded.
Earlier, the Acting Vice Chancellor UNIZIK, Prof Carol Chinyelugo Arinze-Umeobi regretted that many African countries are marred in the quagmire of underdevelopment, bogged down by miasma of security challenges, armed conflicts within and between countries, resurgent jihadist movements, secessionist movements, electoral fraud, leading to bad government and bad governance; the political class exploiting the great divides of religion and ethnic identities in their political contestations to remain in power; a re-emergence of couple d’etats and military governments; nonchalance on the part of the governed and a host of other challenges.
She hoped that the conference of political scientists, within whose purview such matters lay, would chart a way forward towards making Nigerians to hold their governments accountable and responsible while freeing themselves from the yoke of underdevelopment which have crippled African continent.
The Vice-Chancellor commended the Political Science Department, led by Prof Jude C. Okafor and the chairman, Local Organising Committee, Dr Ignatius Ifesinachi Ngini for finally hosting its first international gathering, describing it as “a jinx-breaking milestone.”
The conference featured distinguished guests, including the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Barr Olugbenga Kukoyi; and renowned academics such as Prof Ogban Ogban-Iyam, Director Organization for Popularisation, Popular Control and Use of Physical Resources, and Prof Okechukwu Ibeanu, Political Science Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and former National Commissioner INEC. The later duo delivered scholarly papers.
It later dissolved into panel discussion where five panelists provided solutions to Africa being at crossroads in governance, security and development of the continent in the 21st century.
Metuh later endowed N10m (one million naira apiece) to the best graduating student in the political science department, UNIZIK for the next 10 years.
The giving of awards to distinguished guests including the Ag Vice Chancellor, Prof Arinze-Umeobi, keynote speaker Barr Metuh, Occasion’s chairman Justice Prof Peter Umeadi, among others formed the highlight of the event.
Some dignitaries who attended the conference were wife of former Governors of Kaduna State, Dame Elizabeth Patrick Yakowa, 2017 PDP governorship candidate, Sir Oseloka Obaze, 2025 Labour Party governorship candidate, Chief George Moghalu, his ADC counterpart Chief John Nwosu and his Deputy Chief Ndubisi Nwobu, Prof Alex Asigbo, Igwe Johnson Mbanefo, Prof Okey Orji, Prof. Emma Ezeani, Prof. Godwin Maduka, Prof Jaja Nwanegbo, Prof Raymond Adibe, Prof. Edwin Chukwuma, and many others.
