Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said observance of the rule of law by government was critical to good governance in the country.
Akpabio, who was the Chairman of the Special Session on Good Governance during the 2016 National Political Summit, made this known in Abuja on Wednesday at the closing ceremony.
The summit with the theme, “2015 General Election: Consolidating the Gains and Building Positive Political Culture, ” was organised by the Save Democracy Group, Africa.
He said that compliance with the rule of law was fundamental in delivering democratic dividends to the people in any democratic system of government.
Akpabio said for democracy to be meaningful to the electorate, leaders at all levels should have the interest of the people at heart.
He said the first step toward good governance was proper budgeting.
He said when he was the governor of Akwa Ibom, 80 per cent of the state’s budget was allocated to capital projects while 20 per cent was for recurrent expenditure.
Akpabio also called for the building of strong institutions for the sustenance of the country’s democracy.
The lawmaker commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his attempt to diversify the economy.
In his paper, a political economist, Prof. Ebere Onwudiwe, said that the essence of federalism was to enable states develop at their own pace.
Onwudiwe said that he was privileged to have visited Akwa Ibom when Akpabio was the governor where he witnessed many developmental projects.
