A Policy expert and governance strategist, Murtala Adogi Mohammed, has urged governors to develop strategic plans and make adequate budgetary provisions for emergencies, rather than relying on the Federal Government allocation
Speaking during a fireside chat to mark his 50th birthday and the launch of his book in Abuja over the weekend titled: ‘Disruptive Governance’, Mohammed said the Covid-19 experience prompted him to document ideas on strategic planning and emergency response.
‘I began to think that if we’re going to have another COVID-19, it means governors may likely run back to the president again,’ he said.
According to him, he began writing the book in 2019, paused the project andresumed it in 2022 before completing it in February 2026
‘I saw that anything can happen anytime and it’s going to be a big shock to the global world, and we need to develop a strategic plan that captures crisis and emergency response,’ he said.
Mohammed advised newly elected governors to prioritise three areas at the beginning of their tenure: developing a strategic plan, reviewing the budget and assembling a competent technical team.
He said governors should assess available resources against their plans and determine whether supplementary funding, loans or public-private partnerships would be required.
On political appointments, Mohammed advocated a balance between competence and loyalty, while taking into account the political and demographic peculiarities of each state.
He recommended that governors prioritise competence during their first two years before bringing in more political actors as elections approach.
‘In your first two years, you assemble brains to help you deliver; then the second two years, you bring in politicians to help you win election,’ he said.
He also urged young people and political appointees to build strong relationships, create value and prepare for life after public office, stressing that political positions are temporary.
Aldo speaking, Chairman of the Organising Committee, Dr Edwin Edeh, said Nigeria and Africa must move beyond development plans and policies to achieving measurable improvements in the lives of citizens.
Edeh noted that the country and the continent were not short of development plans and strategies, citing Nigeria’s Vision 2020, the Nigeria Development Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
He said the book provides a practical framework for addressing the gap between ideas and implementation, stressing the importance of strong institutions, evidence-based decisions and measurable performance.
‘Good ideas alone cannot produce results. For results to be produced, institutions and systems must work. Decisions must be evidence-based, and every performance must be measured,’ Edeh said.
In the same vein, Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, also highlighted significant gaps in the policy framework for protecting women, children and families, saying many existing policies were outdated and inadequately funded.
Vice-Chancellor of Baze University and lead reviewer of the book, ProfessorAbiodun Adeniyi, said measurable performance, institutional coordination, leadership and resource mobilisation were critical to closing the gap between policy formulation and implementation.
‘The author’s conception of disruption is fundamentally reformist rather than anarchist,’ he said. He said the framework was particularly relevant to Nigeria, where institutional reforms often face political, administrative, financial and organisational constraints.
According to him, strategic leaders can identify points of leverage within constrained institutions and use them to initiate meaningful improvements.
Also, Nasarawa State governorship aspirant, Senator AhmedWadada, also present at the event commended Murtala Adogi Mohammed for his contributions to governance and economic development, urging public officialsand aspiring leaders to study his ideas.