PHOTO; Hon. Masari giving his keynote at the 2025 confab organised by the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
By Our Reporter
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and ex-Governor of Katsina State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, has expressed concern over the widening gap between campaign promises made by politicians and the realities of governance in Nigeria.
Masari made this observation while delivering the keynote address at the 9th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) held in Lagos. The conference had as its theme, “Reconciling Campaign Promises with Governance Realities: Challenges and Prospects.”
In his address, Masari identified four key conditions necessary to bridge the divide between electoral promises and actual governance outcomes: responsible campaigning, strong institutions, honest communication with citizens, and informed civic participation.
According to him, political actors must campaign with responsibility, ensuring that their promises are realistic, costed, and achievable within available resources. “Unrealistic pledges made merely to capture the mood of the electorate should be challenged and exposed. Only then can we begin to elevate our political culture and make sure that the process justifies the end,” he stated.
He further emphasized that governance must be anchored on strong institutions capable of implementing policies consistently and transparently. The third requirement, he said, is honest communication between leaders and citizens. “Leaders must explain trade-offs—why certain promises take longer, why resources must be reallocated, and how progress will be measured,” he added.
Masari also underscored the role of citizens, civil society, and the media in promoting democratic accountability. “They should track promises and demand transparency instead of creating sensational headlines to attract followers, especially now that followers translate into monetary gain,” he said.
Highlighting the challenges that hinder the fulfillment of campaign promises, the former Katsina governor cited limited resources, competing demands, and unforeseen crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which often force governments to reorder priorities.
“Many manifestos are aspirational, not grounded in the reality of available resources or institutional capacity. Fiscal constraints are a major factor. In many African nations, budgets are still heavily dependent on a single commodity—oil—whose price is volatile and shaped by global market forces,” Masari noted.
He added that insecurity, corruption, bureaucracy, and inefficiency also undermine governance and delivery. “Even when funds are available, weak institutions derail implementation,” he said.
Masari warned that repeated failures to fulfill campaign promises erode citizens’ trust in democracy. “If citizens repeatedly see promises made and broken, they lose faith in the system. But if they see modest progress explained honestly and delivered consistently, they will continue to believe in the promise of democracy,” he remarked.
He urged political leaders to make realistic promises, maintain transparent governance, and strengthen accountability, saying this would “transform hope into progress and democracy into a vehicle of real change.”
Commending GOCOP for its consistency and contribution to national discourse, Masari described journalism as an indispensable bridge between leaders and the people. “You shape narratives, hold leaders accountable, and track progress,” he said.