POLITICS
Institute Urges Africa Leaders to Respect Tenure, other Principles of Democracy
The Director, Abuja school of Social and Political Thought, Dr Sam Amadi, has advised Africa leaders to always respect principles of democracy, especially the tenure of office.
Amadi gave the advice at a discussion on “Tenure Elongation and the Crisis of Democracy in West Africa- A reflection on Sen.
Ken Nnamani’s (book titled) Stand Strong’’ organised by the school on Friday in Abuja.The Abuja School is a collection of scholars, public intellectuals, policy experts and enthusiast and generally, ideas men and women committed to the rediscovery of the reflective life in the classical Socratic sense.
He said that the principles of democracy required leaders to keep to the rules.
“If you come to power with a limited tenure, do not try to change it because you feel that you knew well, you are patriotic, or you have the capacity to change the country. No country exists longer than individuals.
“So, once you are elected, after your first tenure, you can seek for re-election. At the end of the tenure, then leave power so that other people can serve.
“You can still play a role in stabilizing, mobilize and advising. There is no person who is indispensable.
“That is why we say we need strong institutions, not just strong men, who will dominate their political environment and cause their countries to descend into chaos and conflict, as we see in Mali, Guinea and some other African countries,’’ he said.
Amadi added that “constitutional limit on tenure is the best way to guarantee a smooth transition and sharing of power among diverse ethnic groups’’ in countries such as West Africa.
He said that oftentimes time tenure allegation was being driven by the sense that “a particular leader is indispensable’’ because they were strong men.
“Democracy is not about strong leader, it is about strong institutions. Democracy does not mean a particular person is only person that can achieved success. Democracy requires that we build strong institutions.
“If a tenure is four years or five years, you should focus on allowing succession so that when a leader tries his best, other leaders will come and build on that foundation.
“We are a multi ethnic society largely in West Africa, because we have fragile society, with high level of poverty and conflicts (resource conflicts, ethnic conflicts).
“Any attempt to elongate tenure, can lead to ethnic conflicts or warfare. That is what you have seen in Mali and Guinea,’’ Amadi said.
The director of the school the policy dialogue was to reflect on the Nnamani’s book, launched on Thursday in Abuja, which looked at his tenure, particularly issues around the third term for the former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He said that the event was about lessons learnt from Nnamani conduct in the National Assembly and it could be used to protect democracy in the West African sub region.
He said that Nnamani’s book encouraged political leaders occupying important positions in the judiciary, the Legislature and the executive to conduct themselves with courage and ethical behaviour to protect democracy.
A lecturer who was among the panelist at the event, Prof. Udenta O. Udenta, also urged leader to respect democracy and its structure.
Udenta defined democracy as what worked for the people and what response to their inner most yearnings and aspirations.
He said that “the wellbeing of the people is the first criteria of democratic governance, which include jobs shelter and food before others.’’
Another panelist, Princess Hamman-Obels, said that democracy should not been seen as just as a type of government, but must be viewed holistically including the factors that made up the system.
Hamman-Obels , who is the Executive Director of the Electoral Hub listed the factors to include freedom of speech, credible elections and others.
Another panelist, Dr Law Mefor, expressed support for single six years tenure for elected officers and rotation of presidency between the northern and southern parts of Nigeria
“If six years single tenure is done an incumbent elected officials will not be worried about re-election but working for the people,” Mefor said.
A participant at the discussion, Hon. Declan Emelumba, stressed the need for the legislative arm of government at all level to exercise the legal power to checkmate the executive.
“This is what Nnamani did and in his book is challenging his colleagues still serving to do,” Emelumba said.
Another participant of the discussion, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, who was a former Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, stressed the need to look into the recruitment process of the Nigeria leadership.
“I also want us to begin to look at how possible it is to change the general perception that politics is a deity game.
“If we all see politics as a deity game and run away from it, who clean it?’’ Emelumba asked.(NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, extending the implementation period of the 2025 budget from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026.
The amendment was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, before being transmitted to the President for assent.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension will give Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing capital projects.
The statement said the move would ensure that funds already appropriated are fully utilised without disrupting critical government programmes.
“The extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies more time to complete ongoing capital projects,” the statement said.
“It ensures that funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians, without disrupting critical programmes.”
Tinubu also commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for what the statement described as the prompt consideration of the amendment.
The president said the development demonstrated continued cooperation between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in the interest of the country.
The amendment therefore allows the Federal Government to continue implementing the 2025 budget until December 31, 2026, instead of the earlier September 30 deadline.
President Bola Tinubu has submitted the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the House of Representatives for consideration and passage.
This is contained in a letter dated Aug.
20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen and read by the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu at plenary on Tuesday in Abuja.In the letter, Tinubu said that the budget was prepared by the Minister of Niger Delta Development in line with the provisions of Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal was based on the NDDC’s revenue and expenditure forecasts and it aligned with the fiscal and developmental policies of the Federal Government and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said that the proposal also took into consideration the 2024–2026 Economic Recovery Growth Plan as well as key assumptions of the 2026 Appropriation Act of the Federal Government.
The President said the NDDC had prioritised programmes aimed at improving youth empowerment, energy and power supply, education, industrial and enterprise development, health and security.
He also listed increased agricultural productivity among the commission’s priorities, saying the interventions were intended to lift a significant number of citizens out of poverty.
Tinubu urged the House to give the proposal consideration and ensure its timely passage.
“I look forward to the timely passage of the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the NDDC by the House of Representatives,” he said. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to translate the findings of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) into concrete improvements in their operations in order to strengthen accountability and public trust.
He gave the charge while delivering the keynote address at the presentation of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index held at the Auditorium of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
The SGF said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to open, accountable and responsible governance, stressing that public institutions must ensure that their policies, programmes and actions are transparent, visible and understandable to Nigerians.
According to him, the Index has become a vital instrument for assessing accountability, openness and ethical standards across government institutions, while providing MDAs with clear benchmarks to identify areas of strength and gaps requiring improvement.
He urged heads of MDAs to integrate the findings and indicators of the Index into strategic planning, performance management, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training and digital disclosure rather than allow the report to become another document left unused.
“The report should not sit on the shelf and should inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public,” he said.
Akume emphasised that transparency should be viewed as an institutional asset rather than an administrative burden, noting that integrity must be embedded in the procedures and culture of public institutions through clear policies, proper record-keeping, effective oversight, ethical leadership and consequences for wrongdoing.
He further tasked MDAs to take advantage of technology by ensuring that their websites and data portals provide accurate, timely and user-friendly information, including current budget, contract and service information, to enable citizens to effectively engage government and track the utilisation of public resources.
The SGF explained that the 2026 TII assesses public institutions in five critical areas comprising fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption and citizens’ engagement, adding that the initiative complements existing public service reforms, anti-corruption measures and Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments.
He noted that the ultimate objective of transparency and integrity should go beyond institutional rankings to building public institutions that Nigerians can understand, engage with and hold accountable, while safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.
“The Federal Government remains fully committed to this goal. We will continue building institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and responsive to the needs of the people,” the SGF said.
Akume commended the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) for sustaining the initiative, while calling for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, professional bodies, development partners and the media in strengthening transparency and bringing corruption to its knees.
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