Vice-President Shettima Calls for Transparency and Accountability in Nigeria's Public Service

Strategic Insights -

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in Nigeria's public service, urging public officials to document their experiences and stewardship while in office. He made this call at a public presentation of a memoir by former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), which recounts the story of the $1.3 billion Oil Prospecting Licence 245 deal.

Key Takeaways:

  • Vice-President Shettima called for transparency and accountability in Nigeria's public service, urging public officials to document their experiences and stewardship while in office.
  • He emphasized that public service must be remembered, scrutinized, and preserved as part of national history, and that each public official owes the people an account of their stewardship.
  • The vice-president described the culture of secrecy in Nigeria's public institutions as a form of silence that must be broken, and encouraged public officials to see themselves as custodians of national memory.
  • Adoke's memoir, "OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block," has been hailed as a courageous and therapeutic account of the author's experiences during the OPL 245 deal.
  • The book is seen as a call for holistic reforms in the Nigerian justice and public service systems to prevent similar experiences in the future.
  • The vice-president, politicians, and others have commended Adoke's commitment and hard work in chronicling his account of stewardship as AGF, and have highlighted the importance of policy reforms and the reinvigoration of the culture of documentation in public service.

Statistics:

  • The $1.3 billion Oil Prospecting Licence 245 deal is the subject of Adoke's memoir, which provides an inside account of the transaction.
  • The book is seen as a call for holistic reforms in the Nigerian justice and public service systems.
  • The culture of secrecy in Nigeria's public institutions has been described as a form of silence that must be broken.
  • The importance of preserving the truth for future generations has been emphasized, with Vice-President Shettima stating that the conscience of a nation never adjourns.

Sources:

  • "OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block" (memoir by Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN))
  • Public presentation by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Vice-President of Nigeria
  • THISDAY Newspaper
  • Arise TV