Governors Forum Plans Perception Audit

Disturbed by the negative image that has continued to trail the governorship institution in the Country, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has resolved to conduct a perception audit to determine the reason why Nigerians have negative impression about the governors.

In a statement after the assessment of Kano State recently, Director-General of the NGF, Asishana Okauru, stated that the perception audit became necessary following the governors’ dwindling rating among Nigerians despite their performance.

He claimed that the current crop of governors across the nation has performed creditably well and deserved commendation rather than the condemnation that had greeted them.

Okauru stated that the perception audit would aim to reveal the root cause of the negative image of the governors and correct people’s perception in the interest of development.

He said: “The governors of this dispensation have been outstanding in their delivery of projects and their commitment to democracy in their respective states. That much we have seen in the dispassionate examination of what they have been doing using scarce resources at their disposal.

“Our governors have made highly impressive inroads in the areas of intra-state roads, free healthcare delivery to children and pregnant women, rural roads construction, urban renewal, internal revenue generation, massive investment in education and development of international sports facilities among other important investments in human resources development and building of institutions. They deserve more credit than they are getting.

Okauru said there was need for Nigerians to begin to perceive their governors according to their performance, rather than rating them on the basis of stereotypes that are no longer true under the current dispensation.

The director general of the NGF added that the time has come for Nigerians to change their entrenched belief that the governors are not patriotic in their administration of the states.

He stated that the Kano State government has made efforts to revive the economy of the state, observing that it has invested in pro-poor programmes aimed at catering for the masses.

Okauru stated that the projects being executed by the state would benefit most residents, especially in commercial agriculture, which he said is impacting positively on the standard of living of the people.