Obong Victor Attah
In what appears a scathing rebuke of the weaknesses and failures of Nigeria’s democratic and political institutions in the current system of governance in practice, Arc (Obong) Victor Attah, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, has sensationally declared that if America were Nigeria, President Donald Trump would have remained as President of Nigeria today.
In a swipe that apparently refers to how firm the institutions in America has stood in the face of glaring undemocratic antics of Mr. Donald Trump to upturn the declaration of Mr. Joe Biden, his Democratic Party opponent as President-Elect, Attah dared to take a stand that Trump would have long succeeded if America were Nigeria.
Speaking in a Virtual Public Policy Dialogue last week in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, put together by Ricchezza Initiative for Social Empowerment (RISE), a brain child of Mr. Udeme Etukeyen, Attah was responding to a question by Mr. Pascal Odibo, Head of Strategy for To Build A Nation (TBAN), a co-moderator in the dialogue, on how best to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic and political institutions, including the Judiciary.
“This system is powerless to change what you have just described, that is really the sense of what I am trying to say. I made a statement the other day, the way it was quoted it sounded like I was being.. Where I said even if you bring angels to come and administer Nigeria today I don’t think they would succeed because the system as it stands now, and is being used now, makes it impossible for the kind of strengthening you are talking about. If what happened in America had happened in Nigeria, perhaps Trump would have been President of Nigeria today” Attah said.
This was the second in the series of dialogues by the Ricchezza Initiative for Social Empowerment, (RISE) aimed at engaging public discourse in policy and governance with a view to creating a better society for citizen living and dividends of democracy. The theme of the second public discourse was GOOD GOVERNANCE AND STRATEGIC NATION B
