Forum Seeks Mandatory Professional Clearance for Political Office Holders
A forum on governance and democratic sustainability in Abuja has called on the government to make professional clearance from recognised associations compulsory for political appointees and other public office holders before they assume office. The call formed part of deliberations at the forum themed “Nigerian Professionals and Sustainable Democracy: Issues and Perspectives,” where speakers […]
A forum on governance and democratic sustainability in Abuja has called on the government to make professional clearance from recognised associations compulsory for political appointees and other public office holders before they assume office.
The call formed part of deliberations at the forum themed “Nigerian Professionals and Sustainable Democracy: Issues and Perspectives,” where speakers argued that the exclusion of professionals from governance has weakened policy formulation, accountability and service delivery in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event on Tuesday, Chief Princewill Okorie, National President of the Association of Public Policy Analysis, said professional bodies must move beyond complaints and actively shape governance processes.
Okorie said many professionals had remained passive in politics while “bad governance” continued to affect their sectors.
“It is important we investigate the professional bodies. Let us know the ones that really love this country and the ones that are put together to destroy the country,” he said.
He criticised the appointment of non-professionals to ministries, departments and agencies requiring technical expertise, warning that favouritism and sycophancy had overtaken merit in public appointments.
According to him, professionals possess the knowledge needed to shape political ideologies, influence election management and strengthen democratic governance, but have failed to collectively participate in the democratic process since 1999.
Okorie also questioned the role of some professionals in elections, alleging that certain academics serving as ad hoc electoral officials had contributed to manipulation of the electoral process.
Also speaking at the event, the National Chairman Emeritus of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Nwosu, urged professionals to engage directly with politicians and policy makers rather than remain on the sidelines.
Nwosu said political parties needed the expertise of engineers, doctors, accountants and other professionals to formulate policies capable of driving national development.
“When engineers are sitting with politicians, especially when elections come in, when accountants are around, when builders are conferencing together with politicians, you know society is ready for change,” he said.
He lamented that many professionals only seek appointments after elections despite failing to contribute during policy formulation and campaigns.
Nwosu said professionals must participate in politics to prevent governance from becoming “a criminal enterprise,” adding that Nigeria had enough skilled professionals but lacked leadership capable of harnessing their expertise.
He assured participants that the ADC would collaborate with professional groups ahead of the 2027 elections to deepen policy engagement and democratic participation.
Also speaking, a chieftain of the ADC, Captain-Briggs Teke, said political parties in Nigeria had abandoned ideology for personal interests, allowing politicians to switch parties freely without commitment to governance principles.
Teke described professionals as critical interest groups whose expertise should influence public policy and governance decisions.
“Good governance is critical to sustainable democracy. If the people are not taken care of, then there is no nation,” he said.
He added that the ADC remained committed to reformist and pan-African ideals aimed at restoring Nigeria’s leadership role on the continent.
The founder of Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL), Prof Pat Utomi who was represented by Chief Ephraim Nwoha said professionals must move “from the back room to the front line” in Nigerian politics.
Nwoha argued that democracy could not survive on elections alone but required competent professionals to shape governance and public trust.
He identified unreliable power supply, weak healthcare systems, failing education and revenue leakages as technical challenges requiring professional solutions.
“When policy is designed without input from those who understand the systems, you get white elephant projects and policy somersaults,” he said.
He urged professionals to contest elections at local government and state assembly levels and also reform political parties from within.
“Structure is built by those who show up,” he added.
The president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engineer Ali Rabiu also represented by a member of the NSE, said Nigeria’s infrastructure crisis reflected the failure to integrate engineering expertise into governance and development planning.
Rabiu said political interference, corruption and the marginalisation of local technical capacity had weakened the role of engineers in public administration and infrastructure delivery.
He noted that many critical projects in Nigeria were handled by foreign firms despite the availability of competent Nigerian engineers.
According to him, engineers should play stronger roles in policy formulation, project planning, monitoring and evaluation to ensure accountability, efficiency and sustainable development.
A representative of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Bapigaan William Audu assured Nigerians that the NMA is committed to promote discipline of its professionals across the country ensuring that they also actively participate in Nigerian policy making processes.
Chairman of the event, Engineer Charles Okoro, also criticised professionals for remaining passive while politicians dominated governance and policy making.
Okoro said professionals across sectors, including engineers, lawyers, teachers and medical practitioners, needed to organise themselves into influential advocacy blocs capable of shaping public policy.
“You can’t be in this country and be non-partisan. Politicians sit back and make laws and policies that affect you,” he said.
Drawing from his experience in the oil and gas sector, Okoro argued that Nigerian professionals lacked the level of institutional collaboration needed to compete with established foreign firms dominating infrastructure development in the country.
He urged professionals to unite across disciplines and develop a roadmap for stronger political participation and policy influence.