Mark Harps On Good Governance, Sustainable Dev At Book Launch

A book, entitled: Governance Towards Sustainable Development In Nigeria, authored by a legal practitioner, university lecturer, environmental assessment and management expert, Aseme-Alabo Edward Bristol-Alagbariya has been launched in Abuja, with the Senate President, David Mark describing it as a template for good governance.
The 318-page book examines how governments tailored by chief executives in Nigeria, may be able to achieve their laudable aspirations and initiatives by properly or more meaningfully executing their policies, programmes and projects in the interest of the governed.
The book emphasizes the fact that Nigeria is making efforts towards good governance and sustainable development and prescribes that sustainable development should be considered not as a destination but as a dynamic process of adaptation, learning and action. “ Sustainable development is a way of life. Only good governance can convey Nigeria and Nigerians unto the path of sustainable development, and Nigeria is not yet on that path”, the book noted.
In an address entitled: Shifting perspectives in SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment)  The role of governance in strategic thinking, the Guest Speaker and renowned Portuguese Professor of Strategic Assessment and Sustainability, Prof Maria Rosario Partidario  noted that governance is an essential dimension of most problems that are complex, multidisciplinary and global, and that is the nature of environmental and social problems, dealing with communities and with future expectations.
Prof Partidario who is a former president of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) regretted that “…we have not been addressing complexity sufficiently in Impact Assessment. Particularly at strategic level of  decision-making, the role of governance is increasingly recognized because of all the dimensions that are lacking in IA, adding ”as Edwards (the author) talks about in his book : strategic vision  (should be) in the exercise of authority , equity and inclusiveness, clarity, coherence, democracy, solidarity, accountability, transparency, decentralization, etc.”
The Special Guest of Honour and Senate President, Senator David Mark who was represented by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh describd the book as “a conceptual template for good governance” as well as “ an intellectual masterpiece to the public at large and especially to the three arms of government” and commended it to all.
The book reviewer, Dr (Mrs) Modupe Taiwo-Odubela, Director of Environmental Assessment, Federaal Minstry of Environment, Abuja said the author discussed Nigeria as a country with generous resource endowments where the resourses became a curse, that the main problem with Nigeria is a failure of leadership and bad governance, while he justified the need for governments to introduce and institutionalize Strategic Environmental Assessment alongside  the prevailing EIA processing in  Nigeria.
Chairman of the occasion, Prof Nimi Briggs, Emeritus Professor of the University of Port Harcourt who unveiled the book said in his opening remarks that the book emphasizes the need to pay attention to the environment as a deliberate and tactical policy of sustainable development while the author in a welcome address observe that the idea of sustainable development is an expression of equity, noting that development is primarily a domestic responsibility that leaders should deliver to their followers.
About N7 million was realized at the book launch , with the Chief Launcher,Mr Sokipiri Graham-Doughlas, CEO, Blissfield Energy Ltd giving the lion share of N5 million, followed by the Chairman of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) who donated N500,000 while R    ivers state Economic Advisory Council launched with the sum of N200,000 through Mr. Sunny Dike, and Rivers state former Information Commissioner, Barr. Emma Orka bought a copy for N100,000, among others.