Peterside seeks stronger institutions for effective governance

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The former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr Dakuku Peterside, has stated that Nigeria’s development challenges stem not from a lack of policies or reform initiatives, but from the failure of institutions to effectively translate leadership, resources and policies into measurable results.

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He said this while delivering the lead lecture at the Athena-Anchoria Junior Fellowship Programme roundtable on “Institutional Reforms Beyond Lagos and Abuja,” which focused on strengthening institutions and improving governance at the state, local government and community levels.

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He noted that institutions and policy frameworks determined how power was exercised, resources were distributed, and public services were delivered. “Where institutions are weak, citizens bear the cost. Where they are strong, responsive and capable, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things,” he asserted.

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The former member of the House of Representatives identified “isomorphic mimicry” as one of the major reasons reforms frequently fail in Nigeria. He explained that the practice involved copying institutional models that had worked in other countries without adapting them to local realities.

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According to Peterside, such reforms often appeared impressive on paper but resulted in compliance rather than improved performance and citizens’ experiences.

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He also identified “premature load-bearing” as another challenge, describing it as the introduction of complex reforms before institutions had the skills, systems, funding and operational maturity required to sustain them.

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“It is like asking a building to carry weight before its foundation has been properly laid,” he said. He advocated a problem-driven iterative adaptation approach to reform, urging policymakers to begin with concrete problems, test possible solutions, learn from implementation and expand interventions that produced results.

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Peterside also emphasised that sustainable reforms required coalitions of political, technical and civic champions, supported by the rule of law, professional competence, digitalisation, decentralised local governance and active citizen participation.

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He stressed that reforms should extend beyond Lagos and Abuja to states, local governments and communities where citizens interacted most directly with government.

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The Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, Mr Osita Chidoka, mentioned that the fellows were privileged to learn from Peterside, whom he described as an accomplished intellectual and public service expert with extensive experience in governance and institutional reform.

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