The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has blamed the absence of strong institutional systems and the preference of the status quo by the political class for the inability of government to deliver on its promises to the people.
He stated this in his remarks at a public lecture, which was organised by The Kukah Centre in Abuja on Thursday with the theme “How to make Democracy Work for Africa’’
Osinbajo said that people expect those charged with governance to deliver on their promises which included delivering social goods, ensuring that the growing youth population got jobs, ensure rule of law and security.
He, however, stated that “it was clear that socio-political inequality, weak justice system, absence of rule of law, lack of state capacity to maintain law and order put nations constantly under threats.”
He noted that Nigeria had anti-graft agencies yet could not boast of the number of people it convicted due to the system’s manipulation by the suspects who are mainly elites and their counsel.
Osinbajo said people could be put on trial but the trials could go on forever because the system enabled people to employ diverse legal tactics to delay conviction.
Accordingly he said “the elite preferred the status quo which set the lowest bar for political advancement, being ‘identity politics’ of where one comes from or which religion one belongs.
He said that many elites follow the path of such division to analyse real development issues thus diminishing the real issues concerning the people such as good governance, job creation, poverty alleviation, peace and security.
He said real development issues hardly formed themes in public debates towards elections.
“The perception of people on the efficiency and fairness of the justice system is affected always by the slow pace of trials and manipulation of the systems by those who can afford superior legal representation.
“Many of the ethnic and other parochial tension that tended to create insecurity and outright conflict, time and time again, are largely on account of failure to deliberately undertake nation-building efforts.
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