The role of Institutional Mechanisms
Institutional mechanism refers to operational modulation of processes, managed by people toward achieving a set of goals within a corporate organisation bearing a brand identity. The aim of each corporate entity determines the factors that are inalienable to its workability. In all circumstances, people remain the force of drive for such mechanisms’ strength. This condition shows that the nature and capacity of leadership is a very important factor in driving institutional mechanisms. It suffices to state that institutional mechanisms are strengthened by character and adherence to observing the rule of law. My view is that institutions are the custodians of moral, regulatory and justiciable rights to shape societies by their statutory mandates. They, in turn, mould sovereign society through cultural and moral orientations. Strong institutions depict strict adherence to the rule of law and regulatory statutes. The essence of strong institutions is to carry out optimum functionality through prescribed duty discharge in order to meet the state demands of organised human-spatial space. Such statutes must not be designed for or against any particular segment of society or person(s).
There are obvious instances of people who made rules based on their privileged favourable circumstances but got caught up by the same rules afterward. When rules are skewed in favour of persons, the outcomes are only capable of endangering society and its members.
The instance of the last amendments to the Electoral Act and the rejection of removing immunity clause from the Nigerian constitution remain fresh in memory as a classical example. Some of the politicians felt like using the clauses against their strong governors when they felt that they were denied places in democratic contests. Whereas institutions are established for the benefit of humanity, they have to continually amend their operational roles and rules in order to fit into the evolving dynamic societies. Institutional mechanisms must be seen to have the capacities to perform their mandates. These capacities include personnel of knowledgeable and courageous character. There should also be a legitimacy that can be derived from observing the objects of their establishments; ranging from personnel recruitment to satisfying the collective will of society.
Strong institutions should be able to outlive any particular regime and show enough reasons for their continuous relevance. However, some of the setbacks besetting the strength of institutions are sometimes extraneous to the highlights above. By the nature of the dominant operating industry in the region, the oil sector; issues of legislative and justiciable considerations are at play. In certain instances, it may be difficult to exercise full legal enforcement when perceived violations are recorded. The global political economy is largely directed by the global corporation and trade. Implicit in this is the security implications and energy significance of this sensitive industry that operates in the region. Sovereign compromises are often registered in exchange of some remote but strong interests of centres of global governance. Security, energy, trade and investments govern sovereign regimes these days. This is why China can place conditions of engaging Chinese companies in order to benefit from their EXIM bank loans. It accounts for why national governments advocate the interests of corporations of international representations.
Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Development
Poverty is a condition of lack, deprivation and inability to meet up with basic needs. It is a state that calls for progression in economic and development conditions, which sometimes motivates enterprising minds to engage in gainful vocations. Albeit, poverty is not necessarily antithetical to development, it is an indication of lack of development. Development, though relative, when enhanced signifies accession of primary needs and enablement to have minimum comfort. The concept of development is a continuum whose meanings and definitions are varied but suggesting a similitude of consensus for improved living conditions. It is as old as the philosophy of man’s economic evolution and social transformation. The philosophy of Immanuel Kant upholds the basis of development as improving human welfare, which was heralded by the post war speech of President Woodrow Wilson of the United States. Whereas development addresses continuous quest for improvement in human conditions, poverty specifies a certain condition of living with a characteristic lack of some sort, sometimes assuming proportions of absolute destitution. Society’s evolutionary trend has transcended several levels of human needs like Maslow’s human hierarchy of needs. From Needs approach through Dependency Theory, Poverty Strategy Papers, Human Development Approach to the Rights Based. In each of these, the underpinning continues too desire a form of better conditions of living.
The sum of these various approaches and strategies underlying principles of development and poverty reduction underscore the following:
The desire to improve human standard of living;
The need to develop capacities that guarantee one’s chances of making choices due to acquired capacities that can be gained through education and good appropriate disposable incomes;
Meaningful development must be non-discriminatory, which as a corollary suggests inclusiveness.
Development implies reduction of poverty through accession of facilities and amenities, while securing liveable incomes for daily needs.
Inclusiveness is a fundamental requirement of poverty reduction and automatically commits the process of development to the expansion of spaces in the human habitat.
The current policy drive places a critical focus on the following aspects of the regional economy:
The training programmes are now intended to secure actual engagement of trained persons through provision of start-up packages;
Household economies are being given due attention through empowering married women and vulnerable single parents;
Payments for projects will be based on reference to the current report of our project audit committee to ascertain claims of work done.
The ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is assuming a refreshed approach focus to address the issues that are waste curbing, human centred programmes, and engagement of skilled trained citizens and mapping every activity for vivid appreciation of planning needs.
Every Nigerian laments the decadence of moral and ethical content of our citizenry. Poverty is the enemy of human comfort. Human beings are the primary beneficiaries of development processes. People are equally the managers and custodians of the processes of development and equally custodians of the demands of institutional capacity strengths. From where we are to where we desire to be, a change of attitude and preferences are fundamental. Change is thus inevitable in the quest for the region’s development. CHANGE begins with ME.
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