Quality Governance, National Image and the Diaspora Community.
8 min read
Being the Text of an Address by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at the Inaugural Launch/Gala of the Igbo Lawyers Association of South Africa on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at the Country Club Johannesburg, Wood mead.
The world has been shrunk by technology into a small community of movers, dreamers and goal-getters. While it is true that transport and communication technology systems have contributed greatly in expanding our capacity to move and dream beyond the boundaries of our birth places, the one fundamental truth we must never forget is that since time immemorial, man has always been a migratory being, constantly moving from place to place in search of food, pleasure or for safety. We were not created to be eternally rooted to a spot because we believe that there is always something better to pursue outside our present location. So, we move, sometimes permanently, at other times just for a moment.
Over the past four decades, particularly in the last few years, young and talented Nigerian professionals have been pushed to seek greener pastures ashore by the unpleasant socio-economic realities of our country. The steep decline in the value of the naira, sky-high inflation rates, insecurity and consistent questions over the political trajectory of the country have forced many of our best minds to move away from the country they so dearly love. I understand how difficult it is to pack and move to a new place where you will face difficult struggles to settle in and understand the dynamics of your new environment. So, for many, travelling is not an easy choice but again, the alternative may not be easier either.
Migration has become a major political issue across the world because the developed societies where most people migrate to feel threatened that unchecked influx of people into their country may harm their economic and service delivery systems. While many of us may see those who hold this position as narcissists, it is more appropriate to reflect deeper and begin to ask questions about the state of affairs in our own country and how we can attack the foundational issues spurring mass migration of professionals from Nigeria to other societies where things are working. My estimation is that we are the real victims when our best doctors, lawyers and scientists leave the country and take their skills to other places, denying us the chance to benefit from the professional competences of our best brains.
It is common to stereotype Nigerians living abroad as generally less inclined to abide by the laws and conventions of their host countries but this is something many of us will never accept. Yes, there may be a very tiny percentage of Nigerians who engage in unlawful activities when they travel but the truth, and there are endless data to support this argument, is that Nigerians bring great value wherever they go — whether it is in the service of humanity, dedication to duty or our friendly disposition — our people cannot in the broad scheme of things, be regarded as liabilities by any standard.
Nigerians are known all over the world for our innovative spirit, energy and willingness to embrace the culture of their host communities. Some of the most accomplished names in several professional areas in the developed societies are Nigerians. Our best brains are breaking barriers and raising the stakes on multiple frontiers of human interests. The paradox that has continued to confound many, and this was noted recently in my engagement at Harvard University, is why a country so blessed with abundance of human talents, will be struggling to get its acts together as a nation.
This brings us to the question of governance. How do we reset our leadership selection and administrative processes to support the dreams of our people? There is no denying that fact that within us is a yawning desire to contribute our quota, to be part of the development process at home in our individual and collective capacities. This is why even when you live thousands of miles away, you will still spend heavily to build and maintain houses in your native communities, support relatives and community development projects through regular remittances. The task before us is to explore the possibility of making sure that if you choose to return home when you retire, you will come back to a better, safer and more prosperous community.
On this note distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me join the leadership and the organising committee for this event to welcome you to the inaugural launch and gala dinner put together by the Igbo Lawyers Association of South Africa (ILASA) here in the beautiful city of Johannesburg. I want to thank the organisers for inviting me to be part of this epoch-making event because gatherings like this present great opportunities to interact, learn and build new relationships. For us, this is a very important platform to interact with our brothers and sisters practising and working as lawyers in South Africa, share our programmes with you, and get your feedback now or much later.
As a government, every opportunity to meet and engage with our people is always an important moment because leadership is about the people, seeking ways to create an environment that unleashes the creativity of the general population. When we travel to any city outside Abia State, I always make out time to meet our people and hear their perspectives on developments to learn how we can serve them better. I can tell you that every feedback has been helpful although we are strategic in our choice of projects in view of resource constraints and the immediate priorities of our local population.
For us in Abia, governance is a social contract between the leaders and the people. Quality outcome cannot be generated where input is non-existent or sub-optimal. The most critical raw material for the conception and delivery of quality governance realities is the intelligent input of members of the community, especially the educated, exposed and patriotic ones like the lawyers and professional groups in this auditorium. Individually and collectively, the quality of your inputs, or lack thereof, in the holistic governance architecture, determines the quality of leadership in our society. The message I must immediately pass across is that you are a body of very important stakeholders and must quickly rise to the responsibility of contributing your ideas and intelligent criticisms in the decision-making process in our respective communities.
My idea of community is broader than the dominant, narrow understanding of the word in regular conversations and popular texts. Your community is not just the village where you were born or where your parents live. It is a lot more. You become a member of any community you find yourself resident in, conducting your professional activities or have acquired property, pay your taxes or have some noteworthy connections to.
You may all be Igbos of Southern Nigeria but you are also members of the South African society by virtue of your residence in this country where I am sure you also conduct your professional activities with fidelity to the local laws, pay your taxes and are raising your families. It won’t also be out of place to believe that many of you have acquired property in different parts of this beautiful country. For these reasons, you should have an interest in the continuing progress and prosperity of the South Africa society because whatever happens here would ultimately have an impact on your livelihood and dreams.
I would like to stretch the argument further by inviting you to also pay close attention to events in our fatherland because ultimately, that is our origin and whatever happens in the land would also affect us in several ways. While many of us may be fine in South Africa or anywhere overseas, there will always be relatives, friends and loved ones living at home. It is therefore impossible to completely divorce yourself from the social and economic realities at home.
I know for a fact that majority of you are the economic pillars of your families and communities in Igboland, and across Nigeria where you are raising money to rebuild your old schools, provide boreholes and build new health centres to improve healthcare delivery system. May I encourage you to continue in this regard because as Ndi Igbo, we are always guided by the age-old philosophies of aku ruo ulo, onye aghala nwanne ya and onuru ube nwanne a gbala oso.
We must now go beyond the regular philanthropic activities and begin to think of how we can directly influence the quality of public sector leadership in our great country. This we can do by encouraging the best of us to get involved in the political process, sensitizing our people on what to look out for when choosing candidates in electoral contests and regularly engaging those who hold public offices on our behalf.
Our victory in the 2023 election could not have happened without the support of our people at home and in the diaspora. You all did the leg work made very important material contributions and supported our long journey to victory. I know that some of the people here were part of that movement and I want to say thank you to everyone for your commitments.
As you are aware, I hold monthly interactive sessions with the media and the larger population of Abians who connect to the program using virtual platforms. I would encourage you to be part of these interactions this November and share ideas or ask questions to get our insights on development challenges in the State and our strategies for tackling them. I may not know the answer to every question, but I always go home at the end of each session fulfilled that in Abia, many are coming to a better appreciation of the spirit of democracy, beyond just voting.
I am sure that many of us are disappointed with the way democracy has evolved in Nigeria but again, we must never lose hope. I would be the first to admit that truly, democracy has not gone exactly as it ought to, having been a victim of its failings many times before now. Even then, the fact that I am governor today reminds us that we need to bring our traditional attitude of resilience in our interactions with the democratic processes and institutions. We just cannot afford to give up because for me, there is no alternative to democracy.
Let me end by encouraging you to visit Abia when next you are in Nigeria to see the steady progress we are making in transforming the socio-economic landscape of the State. We seek to expand the frontiers of opportunities for everyone and would be glad to partner with you to drive our vision of making Abia State a major hub for agriculture, ICT and technology-driven manufacturing.
Whatever your investment dreams — real estate, agriculture, ICT, fashion, education and all, please look to Abia because we are creating a destination hub that grows your funds and also provides opportunities for everyone to prosper legitimately.
Thank you for listening and may God bless you all.
Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR.
