By Bukola Olamona

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The immediate past Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko has charged the incoming administration at the Federal level unity and managing diversity for a fair, just, and better nation.

He  gave the remark at the Change and Development Forum powered by the Dare Adeboye Foundation on the theme, “Good Governance and Accountability: Setting the Agenda for Nigeria’s Incoming Administration.”

In his address, Mimiko emphasised steps to help the nation become better developed. “We must manage and confront our diversity. The ultimate management of diversity is to be fair and just to everybody. You must see this as your number one priority.”

He also strongly recommended that  efforts must be made to make the public space more inclusive while recalling the incident of bigotry and nepotism during the 2023 general elections.

According to the former governor, the new administration must be creative, innovative, and deliberate. He added, “We must plan and target. We must protect our local and adire industry; begin patronizing made-in-Nigeria products.”

Mimiko reiterated the need to improve the quality of law enforcement agents and secure the nation

“Without security, we are talking about nothing. There is a consensus that a centralised policing system cannot secure Nigeria.

“Since all the major presidential candidates have ascribed the evolution of policing to the sub-sectional, the government should quickly ensure that they place state police among other measures in securing Nigeria,” he added.

On measures to develop the nation, he charged the electorate to hold the leaders accountable. “You must know the mechanisms available to you. That is where freedom of information comes in. It gives access to everybody to demand any information from any government agency.”

As the keynote speaker, Mimiko underscored the need for Nigerians to know what to expect from the leaders. “We must be aware. If the leaders don’t know their responsibility, we must hold them accountable.”