A former member of the Oyo State House of Assembly and ex-aide to Governor Seyi Makinde on Community Relations, Hon. Femi Josiah, has said the governor’s proposed ‘Reset Nigeria’ agenda will reposition the country on the path of socioeconomic development envisioned by its founding fathers.
Josiah said the agenda was designed to address Nigeria’s deep-rooted economic, security and governance challenges through structural reforms, improved public accountability and targeted interventions aimed at improving citizens’ welfare.
The former lawmaker stated this on Sunday while featuring on Crossfire, a live political programme on Fresh FM in Ibadan, where he outlined the major components of Makinde’s proposed national development blueprint.
The Ibadan NorthWest stakeholder identified economic recovery, security, education and infrastructure development as key pillars of the agenda, stressing that Nigeria could not overcome widespread poverty without deliberately building a productive economy capable of generating jobs, supporting industries and reducing the cost of living.
“If we examine Nigeria’s present condition, there is no doubt that poverty is widespread. We cannot effectively address poverty without building a productive economy. That is precisely what Governor Makinde is proposing,” he said.
According to Josiah, the Reset Nigeria agenda seeks to move the country away from the socioeconomic difficulties confronting it by creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, industries to expand and citizens to enjoy improved living standards.
He said the proposal was also intended to bring greater technocratic expertise into governance, with policies driven by practical solutions to the country’s developmental challenges.
“How do we improve productivity? How do we support industries so that they can generate employment? How do we reduce production costs through interventions in energy and business support? These are some of the questions his agenda seeks to address,” Josiah said.
On security, he explained that Makinde was proposing a review of the country’s security architecture, including greater responsibility for state governments in addressing local security challenges and improved intelligence coordination among relevant agencies.
He argued that the persistence of insecurity despite substantial public expenditure on the sector already pinpoints the need for stronger coordination, effective oversight and accountability.
“When security failures occur, there should be mechanisms for identifying the source of the problem and determining who is responsible. There must be effective coordination among security agencies, rather than the gaps we currently experience,” he said.
Josiah added that the proposed reforms would require a system in which security institutions worked more effectively together and those responsible for lapses were held accountable in accordance with the law.
He also stressed the importance of investigating allegations of complicity involving public officials and security personnel, insisting that corruption and weak accountability were among the major obstacles to Nigeria’s progress.
“One of Nigeria’s major problems is corruption. The challenges confronting the country cannot be attributed solely to subsidy removal or insecurity. Corruption and weak accountability are also central to the problem,” he said.
On infrastructure, the former lawmaker said the Reset Nigeria agenda recognised the need to connect centres of production with markets to reduce transportation costs and make goods more affordable.
He explained that agricultural communities needed efficient links to market centres, while industrial estates required reliable transport infrastructure to facilitate the movement of raw materials and finished products.
According to him, reducing the cost of transporting goods would ease pressure on producers and consumers, particularly at a time when rising production expenses were contributing to the high cost of living.
Josiah identified energy costs as another critical issue requiring urgent attention, noting that the removal of petroleum subsidies and changes in electricity subsidies had increased the financial burden on households, farmers and businesses.
He said Makinde’s proposal included greater transparency in petroleum pricing, arguing that Nigerians deserved to understand the costs underlying the prices they were required to pay.
“Government should not simply announce a price and expect citizens to accept it without explanation. It exists to serve the people and must be accountable to them,” he said.
Josiah cited a report in which Professor Pat Utomi reportedly discussed the cost of refining petroleum products, suggesting that petrol could be refined at about ₦500 per litre.
He said that, if the figure was accurate, the government should explain the factors responsible for the substantially higher retail prices being discussed in the country.
“If that figure is accurate, Nigerians deserve an explanation of why they should continue paying prices as high as ₦1,350 per litre, as cited in the current debate,” he said.
He maintained that transparency should extend to the landing cost of petrol and the other components that determine its final retail price, adding that citizens should be able to scrutinise government decisions affecting their economic well-being.
On education, Josiah said the agenda sought to tackle the out-of-school challenge by expanding access to learning and introducing alternative educational pathways that would equip Nigerians with literacy, numeracy and practical skills.
He argued that education should be assessed not only by the acquisition of certificates but also by its capacity to prepare people for productive employment and self-reliance.
“Education should not be limited to acquiring theoretical knowledge; people should be able to translate what they learn into practical skills that improve their livelihoods,” he said.
The former aide noted that Makinde intended to draw on experiences and lessons from his administration in Oyo State to develop policies that could be adapted to Nigeria’s national circumstances.
He said the objective was to identify workable approaches to governance at the state level and explore how they could be expanded to address the country’s broader socioeconomic challenges.
Josiah further highlighted accountability as a defining feature of the proposed agenda, saying Nigerians should have access to information about public expenditure and be able to demand explanations from those entrusted with managing public resources.
He said the country needed a governance system in which public institutions were more transparent, public funds were properly accounted for and allegations of wrongdoing were thoroughly investigated.
According to him, addressing corruption and strengthening accountability would be essential to restoring public confidence and ensuring that government policies delivered tangible benefits to citizens.
He also drew attention to Makinde’s proposed tax philosophy, which he described as an effort to protect vulnerable Nigerians while placing greater emphasis on taxing prosperity rather than poverty.
“Nigerians should be able to hold his administration accountable, understand why they are paying taxes and know how public funds are being used,” Josiah said.
He added that the principle of taxing prosperity rather than poverty reflected the broader intention of the Reset Nigeria agenda to improve citizens’ welfare without imposing an unfair burden on those already struggling to meet their basic needs.
Josiah maintained that the proposals collectively represented an attempt to recalibrate Nigeria’s development trajectory through productive economic policies, improved security, accessible and practical education, infrastructure investment and accountable governance.
