Colonial System Bane of Africa’s Development, Says Ford Foundation Director

Ford Foundation’s Regional Director for West Africa, Dr. Chichi Aniagolu-Okoye has identified the Colonial System of administration as the bane of development across Africa.

According to her, the legacy of the colonial administrative system which was inherited by the African government and which no administration has had the political will to address is responsible for setbacks in the continent.

Dr. Aniagolu-Okoye made the observation while delivering a paper titled, ‘Social Media Regulation: Insecurity and Elections Accountability in Nigeria, at the 4th annual anniversary lecture of Penpushing Media, held in Abeokuta.

She said that the colonial system was rigged against the people; that everything was done to protect the colonizer and subjugate the citizens, stressing that no arm of government was created to serve the people.

Her words: “The continued legacy of the colonial administrative system which we inherited and which no administration has had the political will to address, is mostly to blame. The colonial system was rigged against the people. Everything was done to protect the colonizer and subjugate the citizen.”

 Aniagolu-Okoye added that many might wonder why government often seemed to be on the other side of the people, and why good governance had been elusive in most of Africa.

She said, “No arm of government was created to serve the people. They were all created to subject the people. The colonizer never questioned itself. It only ever questioned the people’s audacity to complain or demand rights and services.

‘’It doesn’t matter if the administration is military or democratic, the inherited administrative system has remained the same. The government is, therefore, more inclined to suppress the people than it is in strengthening its own systems and processes.

“The piecemeal reforms undertaken now and again by different administrations are only cosmetic. The whole colonial administrative system will have to change for government to become responsive to citizens and for trust to be built with citizens.”

According to Aniagolu-Okoye, until that is done, social media regulation in whatever guise will continue to be resisted by the people and will be viewed with suspicion.

She said, “Until that is done, social media regulation in whatever guise will continue to be resisted by the people and will be viewed with suspicion. Government can only function effectively when it is trusted by citizens.

“All of the government’s efforts should, therefore, be geared towards building a new administrative system that engenders trust so that the results of this very crucial election and other acts of government will be accepted by the majority of Nigerians.”

The Chairperson Planning Committee of the anniversary Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi earlier in her welcome address said the gathering provided the opportunity to contribute to the discourse, adding that the aim of the lecture was to use unconventional means to provide a roadmap for Nigeria. She assured that the outcome of the event will be passed on to policymakers at the state and national levels

The Chairperson noted that social media has become a very important tool of political activism and it has recently served as a diva of political debate, noting that existing data confirmed that thirty-three million social media users in Nigeria as of January 2021 with cellphone access figure of over 48 percent and internet access of 36 percent

The Founder of Penpushing media, Prince Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji in his speech said the lecture has become an annual event aimed to address a number of issues as it affects the world and proffers solutions to them.

He said the platform was an idea robustly nurtured through the journalistic ideology of the need for credible sources of news, and painstakingly created and designed to add value to journalism worldwide

The Founder added that, in a similar vein, pen-pushing positively moved forward in the area of corporate social responsibility, using the platform to address and show concern for the plight of the less privileged and special people in society, citing examples of two beneficiaries of the platform gestures with a promise continuity in adding values to life of the less privileged at all time.

The panelist at the event included Lanre Arogundade (Founder International Press Centre), Rt Hon Kunle Oluomo (Speaker Ogun State House of Assembly), Toun Okewale-Sonaiya (Founder WFM Radio), retired DIG Abdulmajid Alli, Bridget Osakwe (National Coordinator, West African Network for Peace Building) and CSP Muyiwa Adejobi (Force Public Relations Officer).

Dignitaries at the event included: Chief (Mrs) Bola Obasanjo (wife of former President); one-time Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, represented by Oba Adebisi Layode, the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Iyalode Alaba Lawson, Chief Niyi Adegbenro, Oba Olufemi Ogunleye (Tiwalade of Owu Kingdom), Maureen Chigbo (President Guild of Online Corporate Publishers) and Engr Diran Kayode-Adedeji among others.

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