Osinbajo speaks on protests, advises on way forward for Nigeria

Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the immediate former vice president of Nigeria has said that the country must take decisive political action to produce the expected results of good governance.

Speaking at the ongoing Technology, New Media, Citizens and Governance Conference (TNCG) in Lagos, on Thursday, the former vice president said such actions must going beyond protest and the euphoria it presents to see result.

Urging the elites to take steps necessary in nation-building, Osinbajo said a political change that leads to structural reforms must be built in Nigeria.

He said, “Political action must go beyond protest and the euphoria that it brings. It must lead to some measurable or tangible result, otherwise it becomes counterproductive.

“In poor societies, every day of protest is valuable, because it means that the millions of informal workers and traders make a huge sacrifice because they earn on a daily basis,” he said.

According to the former vice president,there must be good reasons for the sacrifices that are made and political action must lead closer to resolving the issues that cripple our societies.

He added, “The role of the elite in political action is crucial. When I say the elite in this room I speak of us, of civil society. The role is crucial. Usually it is the elite that have the facilities to craft the objectives of political action or to clearly articulate the grievance and what would amount to success in the particular political action.

“They have the networks and the resources to build coalition for political change, often leading to structural reforms; the type of change that makes a real difference,” Osinbajo said.