Nigeria’s Obiageli Ezekwesili has collaborated with Robert Bosh Academy, a Germany-based Academy that offers international decision-makers, opinion leaders, and experts space for confidential exchanges and solution-oriented cooperation on global affairs to launch a new initiative called #FixPolitics.
Ezekwesili, who is currently a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow under the academy, has spent the last six months probing poor quality of politics in a country and the effect it has on governance, sound economic policies, growth and development in Africa and on Nigeria in particular, and has used her findings in collaboration with a Work-Study Group component to design a structural change agenda to #FixPolitics and polity of Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
The initiative was officially launched at a conference live-streamed in Lagos on 16-17, February 2020 with key global players in nation-building, active citizenship, such as Frank Nweke Jr., former Nigerian Minister and Co-Founder, NzukoLabs; Aisha Yesufu, Founder, Citizens Hub; Samson Itodo, Executive Director, YIAGA; Amina Salihu, Senior Programme Officer, MacArthur Foundation, Abuja, Nigeria; Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), present at the conference.
Also in attendance were, Johann Lambsdorff, Professor of Economic Theory at the University of Passau, Germany; Peter Lewis Warren Weinstein, Chair of African Studies, School of Advanced and International Studies, John Hopkins University Washington DC, USA, and Aloy Chife, Managing Partner/CEO Saana Capital, LLC, as well as media representatives.
The Berlin, Germany-based Academy, stated that from the findings of Ezekwesili’s research, politics in Nigeria and other African countries is in dire need of a structural change. “Politics on the continent must be innovated if Africa is to take advantage of the efficiencies that come with the technological revolution to speed up the development ladder, tackle mass poverty, and catch up with other prosperous regions of the world.”
Against this background, the #FixPolitics Initiative will propose innovative ways of empowering and centering the citizens in their countries’ politics before, during, and after the electoral cycle.
The conference also facilitated an opportunity for a wider audience to sharpen the existing groundwork of the Work-Study Groups component of the research and help concretize a post-meeting strategic plan that will mobilize citizens’ leadership to course correct the struggling democracy of Nigeria and ultimately, Africa.
Reference: Business Day
9 Comments
-
Awesome. I’m very curious as to how y’all intend to achieve this through out Nigeria. I keep thinking about it & I get overwhelmed.
It’s beautiful to see that I’m not alone in wanting better & doing something about it.
-
Hello Eze, no need to feel overwhelmed. Let’s start from somewhere and consistently work towards a better Nigeria. We will get there soon.
-
-
It is a good idea and move. Let us keep coming up with different ideas and ways to get things done better in Nigeria.
-
What are the requirements for joining the school. Is there a link to request for the prospectus?
Regards. -
Great idea which its time has come
-
This is great. We shall make Nigeria politically conducive fall.
-
What are the requirements for joining the school. I’m interested.
-
This is highly commendable ….Such a Great and Bold Move to fill the huge destructive Chasm in our philosophy and the way we practice Politics ….I have two concerns relating to sustainability ….the first is that I hope the curriculum will be extended flexibly in its current design, to not only capture the potential / future political actors but also the current/serving politicians , Civil Servants, Legislative Aides, Institutional functionaries and everyone who necessarily work with elective office holders………the second is the sanctity of Non-Partisanship and its Perception….Congrats ….
-
The initiative is absolutely timely as a present continued effort to effect positive values for all forthcoming Leaders.
