CIDSAN denounces the lack of adherence to ethical standards in governance

Lack of adherence to ethical standards and best governance practices has continued to pose a serious challenge to Nigeria’s development progress over the years, especially in the aspect of innovation and governance.

This was the observation of the Chartered Institute of Development Studies and Administration of Nigeria, CIDSAN, at the national conference held in Abuja.

CIDSAN, in a statement issued at the end of the three-day conference, denounced what it described as an excessive concentration on producing strongmen rather than strong institutions, which it said makes it difficult to control the behaviors of strongmen.

The communiqué, signed by the President of CIDSAN, Dr. Elijah Ogbuokiri and Prince Ihendu Okoro, placed strong emphasis on developing strong institutions rather than developing people who, according to him, would in turn develop things to exploit the teeming population of the country.

“Failure to strictly adhere to ethical standards and best governance practices is a very serious issue that hampers the country’s development progress over the years.

“Excessive concentration on producing strongmen rather than strong institutions makes it very difficult to control the behaviors of strongmen. “Consequently, this leads to an intense power struggle in the country’s leadership sphere at the expense of the well-being of citizens.

“The introduction of the term ‘prebendalism’ into the political landscape of the country is another disturbing factor in the political system. This practice is devoid of ethical practices, but leads to state capture and economic inequality in the system.

“The immoral indulgence on the part of the ruling class has created a very serious level of poverty which has given rise to conflicts and other forms of insecurity in the country today,” the statement read.

The institute further noted that Nigeria’s development journey must be properly planned, evaluated, carefully monitored, ethically managed and accounted for.

“It has become absolutely imperative to start training leaders who improve ethics in public institutions, so that strong institutions emerge to regulate the behavior of the ruling class.

“People should be properly developed to enable them to develop things in return for the growth of the nation,” he added.

CIDSAN argued that for development to be sustainable, it must be people-centered with a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down approach, adding that the principle of service to the nation rather than state capture and corrupt practices in the distribution of the country’s economic resources should be promoted.

The conference, themed “Innovation, Ethics and Governance: The Role of Development Studies and Management Professionals”, provided a platform for in-depth discussions, knowledge sharing and networking opportunities, focusing on key issues and challenges in managing, monitoring and supporting development for the country’s overall economic progress.

Different perspectives on the issue have been presented by individuals, professionals and scholars in development studies and administration.