Abia at 35: Chidoka challenges Otti, public servants to build institutions that outlive governments

Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has challenged the Abia State Government to move beyond physical infrastructure and build strong institutions, systems and human capacity capable of sustaining good governance beyond the tenure of individual political leaders.

Mr Chidoka, who is the Founder and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, made the call in Umuahia on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at the Abia State Leadership Academy Executive Education Series.

The former minister is expected to deliver the keynote lecture on Thursday, August 27, as part of activities marking the 35th anniversary of the creation of Abia State.

The keynote, titled “Abia at 35: The Rise of a New Abia,” will mark 35 years since the state was created on August 27, 1991.

Speaking at the leadership academy lecture, Mr Chidoka said the sustainability of any government depended on its ability to build institutions that could function effectively even after those who initiated reforms had left office.

He defined state capacity as “the ability of a government to convert intention into execution”, arguing that no state could develop strong institutions without investing in capable people.

Drawing lessons from countries including China, Britain, Singapore and Rwanda, Mr Chidoka identified merit and competence, administrative capability, disciplined execution and accountable performance as critical ingredients of an effective state.

He warned that governments often focus on constructing visible infrastructure while neglecting the systems and resources needed to make such facilities deliver their intended services.

“A government may build a police station without the basic materials required to serve citizens, a school without giving inspectors the mobility to supervise it, or a diagnostic laboratory without reliable power.

“In each case, we have acquired an asset, but not necessarily the capability it was built to provide,” he said.

Mr Chidoka also identified what he described as the “two calendars of government” — the political cycle, which demands quick results, and the permanent public service, which requires continuity and institutional memory.

“The task is not to choose one calendar. It is to align them,” he said.

The former minister, who also served as Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, drew from his experience in public-sector reform to highlight performance measurement, management rhythm, visible results, consequences, capability-building and institutionalisation as essential elements of sustainable reform.

According to him, reforms that depend solely on the personality or determination of an individual leader are unlikely to survive when that leader leaves office.

“Reform changes what government does. Institutionalisation changes how government behaves after the reformer has gone. State capacity is what remains when individual heroism is no longer required,” he said.

Mr Chidoka said the establishment of the Abia State Leadership Academy was an important step towards building leadership capital and developing a new generation of public servants capable of sustaining the state’s development.

He argued that state governments must simultaneously invest in physical infrastructure, strong institutions and people equipped with character, competence and civic responsibility.

“An academy is an intention. Its graduates will be the evidence,” he said.

In his remarks, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, described the lecture as important and timely, saying his administration’s emerging model was built around merit, relentless execution and a strong focus on citizens’ welfare.

Mr Otti cited the abolition of state-of-origin considerations in appointments as well as the appointment of a Head of Service from Edo State after a mandatory examination process as evidence of his administration’s commitment to meritocracy.

Earlier, the President of the Abia State Leadership Academy, Prof. Kenneth Kalu, recalled Chidoka’s commitment to public service dating back to their university days.

Mr Kalu said the academy was established to help “reclaim the next generation” and place Abia on an irreversible path towards good governance.

Mr Chidoka urged the state to ensure that infrastructure development was matched by the systems, standards, personnel and institutional memory required to sustain the facilities.

“Build infrastructure. Build systems. Build standards. Build people. Build memory. Build the state,” he said.

He illustrated the importance of institutional memory with a story about a government commissioning ceremony where preparations for the event had been completed, except that nobody had remembered to provide the scissors needed for the ribbon-cutting.

For Mr Chidoka, the missing scissors represented the gap that often exists between government intentions and actual execution.

He said the ultimate objective of institutional reform should be to create a system in which such basic requirements are anticipated and provided without depending on the governor’s intervention or the pressure of a commissioner.

“The goal of institutional reform is to build a government in which somebody remembers the scissors, not because the Governor asked, not because the Commissioner shouted, but because that is simply how government does its work,” he said.

The Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, founded by Mr Chidoka, is an independent, non-partisan think tank focused on governance challenges in Nigeria through research, policy innovation and leadership development.

Mr Chidoka’s keynote lecture on Thursday is expected to further examine the development trajectory of Abia State and the institutional reforms required to consolidate what he described as “The Rise of a New Abia.”