THE NEED FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE By Abdulhamid Ibrahim Biu 30/11/2015 CC: BORNO PROJECT Over the years, I have come to understand that poverty owes its existence to much more than fate in our people. Other factors, cultural as well as structural, contribute to the existence of poverty. Discrimination, a low level of education, and a large population can be listed among the causes of poverty. The government's neglect of the development of rural areas can also be one of the sources. In other words, negative structural factors, such as lack of government support, neglect of educational development, health care, insurgency (as we all witness it in our state) and a poor economic infrastructure have also contributed strongly to the persistence of poverty in our dear State. For several years, there was a conspiracy of silence between the Borno State Government and the people they were engaging. The latter pretended to be developing the state, and the former pretended to be helping us. Government officials could check off on a box that they had made available a loan, built a clinic, or made a grant for a project, and then everyone moved on. Too many public officials in Borno State then took the resources of the State and largely squandered them. Borno State is estimated to have received about N600 billion from 2011 to 2015. Some estimate the real figure to be about N700 billion but yet, many uncompleted projects in the state with tsunami of poverty by its citizens is only what is left to us as dividend of democracy. This is why the prevention of money laundering is crucial in the context of protecting the State financial system from abuse thus promoting democracy, good governance, as well as State security, without which there can be no development. Fortunately, we hoped this game is coming to an end. It is not yet at an end, but there is a rising demand from both the State Government and the citizens of the State, for us all to get serious. I believe the key to ending poverty in Borno State is to improve the quality of human resources through democracy and good governance by engaging our youths positively and help them to be self reliance not using them as tools or political thugs which we bring more harm to the society and liability to the State. In my opinion, without the motivation and hard work of people (electorate), the process of development will not be smooth and rapid. One needs only to look at the lessons learned from developed States, rich States and those newly emerging rich States. They are conscious that their development can only be sustained through the high quality of their people. My argument will be that Borno cannot develop without democracy, and that democracy in Borno ultimately cannot be sustained without development. One of my arguments here is that if democracy is to facilitate and promote development, it must be a responsible democracy. This entails a number of different dimensions of the quality of democracy and the broader quality of governance. Thank you.