joshuaCitizens’ welfare core purpose of governance – Prof Danlami Musa
The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences in the Federal University Lokoja (FUL), Prof. Salihu Danlami Musa, has emphasized that the whole essence of governance is to provide for the welfare of the people and ensure the delivery of democracy dividends to their doorsteps.
Prof. Musa made the emphasis on Tuesday in his welcome address at the opening session of the first edition of the University’s Faculty of Social Sciences’ National Conference with the theme “Governance and Socio Economic Challenges: Implications on Citizens Welfare in Nigeria”.
Speaking on the impact of the three-day conference on citizens’ welfare, holding at the Main Campus of the institution in Felele, Lokoja, Prof. Musa said: “At the heart of all our discussions today is the well-being of Nigerian citizens. The welfare of our people is not a peripheral issue—it is the core purpose of governance and economic management. Whether we are debating health policy, educational reform, poverty alleviation, or national security, we must always ask ourselves: How does this affect the daily lives of ordinary Nigerians? Are we building systems that allow for social mobility, provide economic opportunities, and protect human rights?
“It is the responsibility of governance to ensure that the dividends of democracy reach all corners of society. This conference will explore how well—or poorly—governance in Nigeria has fulfilled that responsibility. We will interrogate the barriers to effective service delivery and examine case studies of successful policy interventions from across the world, which could serve as models for Nigeria.”
The erudite scholar noted that “As social scientists, we have a unique role to play in this regard. Our disciplines—whether economics, geography, political science, sociology, psychology, or anthropology—provide us with the theoretical tools, analytical frameworks, and empirical insights necessary to examine governance structures and socio-economic policies critically. More than ever, our research is essential in helping policymakers understand the realities on the ground and design interventions that truly benefit citizens.
“This conference offers a platform for us to interrogate how governance systems in Nigeria can be reformed to be more transparent, inclusive, and accountable. It also gives us an opportunity to discuss how socio-economic policies can be re-imagined to promote equity, fairness, and development for all Nigerians, particularly the most vulnerable in our society.”
Prof. Sam Egwu, Resident Electoral Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission, Benue State, in his lead paper, argued that Nigeria’s democracy was designed to favour the political elites, and never meant to cater for the welfare of the people.
Various goodwill messages were given by different speakers at the opening session of the conference. They all applauded the organizers for coming up with such a conference aimed at addressing pertinent issues of governance at this critical time.
The Vice Chancellor (VC) of FUL, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, represented by the Deputy VC Administration, Prof Emmanuel Bala, charged participants to deeply brainstorm to proffer solutions to the challenges confronting governance in the country.
Prof Bala thanked the lead speaker for his willingness to share his idea for the betterment of the country, stressing that the intellectual discourse will expand beyond the university level.
According to him, the VC remains determined, on his resolve to ensure that the university holds two international conferences and four national conferences every year.
In his goodwill message, the Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic Lokoja, Prof. Salisu Usman Ogbo, described the conference as timely, while thanking the organisers for their thoughtfulness in making governance as it affects the people the main focus of the conference.
Prof. Ogbo expressed confidence that the conference, which has participants drawn from Faculties of Social Sciences across Nigerian Universities, will bring about new ideas and innovations and also provide an avenue for suggestions as to how best the challenges being faced in the country could be tackled for the good of the citizens.
The Registrar of the university, Dr. Rebecca Okojie, gave the vote of thanks at the opening session of the conference.
