Anambra’s Soludo advocates mainstreaming of private sector ethos into governance

Anambra’s Gov. Charles Soludo on Monday in Lagos stressed the need to mainstream private sector principles in governance to move Nigeria forward within a short time.

Soludo said at the Institute of Directors (IoD) 2022 Annual Conference that adopting private sector ethos in governance was pertinent because Nigeria was going through a transition to get on the path of sustainable development.

He stressed the need for purposeful leadership and productive partnership between government and the private sector as the country transitions to a post-oil economy.

“If we are serious about moving forward with this disruptive agenda with a deadline, we must stop clapping with one hand.

“Part of the leadership must be driven by the private sector as the public sector must learn from private sector principles and run government as business with emphasis on execution, financing, and evaluation.

“Nigeria is a land of opportunities and has everything to become one of top 10 economies in the world in the next decade, but everyone has to volunteer to serve pro-bono and agree to run government as a business.

“Execution is key and this is the missing link and the private sector needs to become much more activist in seizing the space in the public sector,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, noted that huge misconceptions existed already about Nigeria’s national airline which he described as a public-private effort aimed at creating a seamless aviation industry for Nigeria.

He said the partnership with Ethiopia Airlines to kick-start Nigeria’s national airline was a good move because Nigeria needed a strong and dominant airline to partner with it to bring up the economy of Africa.

He added that he had asked airlines operating in Nigeria to partner with the well-structured national carrier to enable Nigeria to take advantage of the volume of trade on the African continent.

“We are excited that there are a lot of interests.

“Partnership with Ethiopian Airlines is not a bad thing as the volume of trade and tourism within Africa is huge and Nigeria must take advantage of the fortune.

“Ethiopia and Qatar airlines were the only ones that posted profits during COVID-19 and Ethiopia’s investments in its national airline would seamlessly take us to the world of aviation.

“Shareholders structure is 5 per cent for government with no management control or board membership and I am glad the airline is taking off,’’ he said.

Earlier, Dr Ije Jidenma, President, IoD, said the conference provided the opportunity for the business environment to interact with government to foster close and beneficial relationships.

She stressed the need for a cross-fertilisation of ideas between both sectors to build the new Nigeria that Nigerians deserved.

“As Nigerians, we must always celebrate what is right with us such as government’s efforts at developing infrastructure as seen in the completion of the Terminal Two of the Muritala Mohammed International Airport.

“No private organisation would thrive without great collaboration with government and the IoD is committed to forging relationships that would drive public-private partnership so that businesses can thrive,’’ she said.