by Niyi Akinnaso

 Compared to his predecessors since the late Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Mimiko has done very well on many characteristics of good governance, particularly participation, responsiveness, inclusiveness, equity, effectiveness, and efficiency.

Ever since Michel Foucault developed the concept of “governmentality”, that is, “the art of government”, including organised practices (mentalities, rationalities, and techniques) through which subjects are governed, the term “governance” has become a buzzword in development studies and international relations. The currency of the term has been enhanced in the last decade as the focus shifted to development and sustainability, especially in Africa, where poor leadership, corruption, and rising violence have hampered development and successful execution of state projects.

Essentially, governance involves the dual process of (a) decision-making and policy formulation and (b) the implementation of the decisions and policies. When major decisions and policies that would enhance the people’s life chances are formulated and well-implemented, we tend to speak of good governance. We speak of bad governance when this situation is reversed.

Although there is a correlation between good leadership and good governance, one does not always translate to the other, because governance is much more complex than the twin processes mentioned above. Certain key features must be sufficiently present before we could confidently speak of good governance. They include participation, consensus, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, inclusiveness, equity, effectiveness and efficiency. These features emphasise the need for appropriate linkages or synergy between the government and the governed, between government programmes and citizens’ welfare, and between government structures and social structure. Good governance thrives where these linkages are maximised.

More recently, an even more elastic concept of good governance has emerged in response to the vagaries of modern society and the corrupt tendencies of the political class. Today, the security of lives and property and effective anti-corruption institutions and practices are necessary ingredients of good governance. Moreover, key international measurements of national standing, such as the Human Development Index, the Failed State Index, and the Corruption Perception Index, are often used as indicators of good or bad governance, depending on the ratings.

Nigerians will not hesitate to rate the Federal Government poorly on the characteristics and indicators of good governance as outlined above. But what happens if they were asked to rate their state governments along the same criteria? This was the task for presenters and the audiences at a 3-day conference on governance, titled, Four Years of Mimiko-led administration: Prospects and Challenges, organised by The Leadership Institute for Public Policy and Sustainable Development of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, which took place on March 25-28, 2013, at the ultra-modern Jojein Hotels and Resort, Airport Road, Oba-Ile, Akure.

In my lecture during the banquet on the opening day of the conference, I discussed the theory of governance and examined the political, ideological, philosophical, and spiritual trajectories of Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s governance paradigm. I then evaluated his achievements during his first term relative to those trajectories. I concluded by challenging the audience to assess him on the characteristics and indicators of good governance. The first person to comment on my lecture threw the challenge back at me. The characteristics of good governance, I quickly responded, should be regarded as an ideal set, which no leader or government has been able to uphold exhaustively. Certain leaders do very well on a cluster of characteristics and do fairly or even poorly on others, depending on the “health” of state institutions and political culture.

Compared to his predecessors since the late Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Mimiko has done very well on many characteristics of good governance, particularly participation, responsiveness, inclusiveness, equity, effectiveness, and efficiency. Some political opponents have raised questions about transparency and accountability, while others have complained about inclusiveness and equity. The data and findings presented at the governance conference indicated that such complaints arose from communication gaps between the Mimiko administration and the public rather than from a lack of attention to these factors.

Another way to evaluate Mimiko on governance is to examine the various innovative projects or programmes for which he has been adjudged by his peers and international agencies to have come first in Nigeria and even Africa. Four such projects will suffice.

First, the combination of the Abiye (Safe Motherhood) Programme and the Mother and Child Hospital is not only the first of its kind in Nigeria, it is rated by the World Bank, UNICEF, and the Centre for Strategy and International Studies as a benchmark for Africa and beyond in attaining reductions in maternal and infant mortality rates. In less than three years of operation, the MCH, the only tertiary health care facility in the country, which provides totally free health care services for mothers and infants up to age five, has already reduced maternal and infant mortality rates by over 50 and 25 per cent, respectively.

Second, also rated as unique by international agencies is Mimiko’s participatory rural development initiative, which allows communities to engage with government-trained “change agents” to prioritise their development wants and participate in project conceptualisation and execution, while the state provides funding and overall supervision. So far, 645 such projects have been completed, ranging from school buildings, local markets, and town halls to bridges, bore holes, and rural electrification. Mimiko’s rural, urban, and housing development projects attracted an award from the Habitat for Humanity for their participatory quality, prompt payment of appropriate compensation, and the quick resettlement of displaced traders, artisans, and property owners.

Third, the recently launched Kaadi Igbeayo (Residency Card), developed in consultation with appropriate international agencies and experts on biometrics data, is the first multi-purpose transaction card, not only in Nigeria but in Africa, if not in the world. Far from being an ordinary Identity Card, it provides reliable and up-to-date personal and transactional data of all state residents, which will be used for effective planning and the allocation of scarce government resources. In essence, Kaadi Igbeayo provides a necessary interface between the Government and Ondo State residents. It not only allows residents equal access to government social and welfare services, it also allows the government to monitor the distribution of such services even to the remotest parts of the state.

Fourth, the Quality Assurance Agency established by the administration is unique in conception, structure, and operations. Unlike similar agencies elsewhere in the country that are affiliated with Ministries of Education, Ondo’s QAA is an independent agency with full autonomy in its operations. It is an institution unto itself, with full regulatory powers to monitor and evaluate curricular activities and make recommendations for improvement.

As indicated earlier, good leadership is a necessary but not sufficient condition for effective governance. That Mimiko provides good leadership was confirmed by a recent report of an independent panel of Nigerian and international experts. He was said to have outperformed other Nigerian Governors in fostering leadership to eradicate polio and improve immunisation outcomes by scoring 91 per cent, on a 12-criteria assessment matrix, at the conclusion of a year-long Nigeria Governors’ Immunisation Leadership Challenge, sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The panel concluded: “The Governor demonstrated an exceptionally high level of leadership oversight and commitment, including personal participation in a review meeting on the eve of the last gubernatorial election in the state. He also personally chaired and facilitated all meetings with Local Government Chairmen and traditional leaders on immunisation … (He also) initiated an immunisation outreach programme. An ultra-modern cold and dry store was built and equipped solely by the state government”.

To dismiss these facts as propaganda is to put politics before citizens’ welfare and to miss important lessons in governance.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.