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Dr. Peter Mbah, the governor of Enugu State, advocates for decision-making grounded in solid evidence and the establishment of robust institutions.
He underscored that these methods were pivotal in enabling states to optimize the functionality of the nation’s presidential democratic system, even in the face of current constitutional restrictions.
Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the Secretary to the State Government, disclosed the governor’s stance in a panel discussion held at the Annual Lecture and International Leadership Symposium of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) in Lagos on Tuesday.
The programme, themed “Democracy, Governance and National Performance: The Mutual Relationship”, was organised to mark the 68th birthday of the Centre’s founder, Prof. Pat Utomi, and also featured the presentation of his latest book, entitled “Power, Politics, Public Policy Process and Performance.”
Read also: Enugu Chamber Of Commerce Hails Mbah Over Improved Security
Responding to the question on whether the states have sufficient powers to be able to drive the fundamental change that they need to meet their social contract with the people, Onyia, who stood in for governor Mbah said: “There are fundamentals we must understand. While the politics is important, the politics of delivery is underpinned by the right policies. Also, having the right implementation culture is important.
“We have been talking about strong institutions for quite some time. So, what the present administration in Enugu State had done through our team was to identify that evidence-based decision making is critical.
“So, there is no way you are going to set out to achieve a level of very fundamental and irreversible change if you do not understand the fundamentals driven by empirical evidence,” he stated.
However, Mbah and fellow panelists, including the Labour Party’s presidential candidate and former Anambra State governor Mr. Peter Obi, former Akwa Ibom Governor Obong Victor Attah, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Senator Aminu Tambuwal, and Nasarawa State Governor Engr. Abdullahi Sule, highlighted the pressing need for additional constitutional powers and increased presidential support to combat insecurity in the nation.
