Gambari to Academics: Be bold to speak truth to power
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Former Chief of Staff to the Nigerian President, Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, has charged Nigerian academics to rise beyond the confines of the classroom and play a more assertive role in shaping governance, policy formulation and national stability, warning that silence or disengagement could worsen democratic and institutional decline.
Gambari gave the charge in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, while delivering a lecture titled “Roles and Responsibilities of Academia in Good Governance” at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Ilorin Emirate Professors, attended by scholars, public intellectuals and senior citizens.
Drawing from his experience as an academic, diplomat, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Chief of Staff to late President Muhammadu Buhari, Gambari noted that governance outcomes are closely tied to how effectively knowledge institutions engage power, noting that academia and government exist in a “mutually reinforcing ecosystem” .
He said: “I have seen up-close where government works and where it fails. In both instances, academia had a role to play in the final outcome. Scholars must see themselves as custodians of truth, fairness and societal conscience.”
Prof. Gambari, therefore, urged scholars to caution the political leaders that power is easily lost when it is not shared, warning governments at all levels against taking people and communities for granted.
He cited Kwara’s political history as evidence, recalling how the ruling establishment in the old Ilorin Province lost control in 1957 to the Ilorin Talaka Parapọ̀ through democratic elections, the defeat of Governor Adamu Atta in 1983, and the 2019 “O to gẹ” movement that swept the opposition APC to victory across state, national, gubernatorial, and presidential polls.
Gambari also warned that Nigeria’s youthful population, growing social pressures and governance deficits require a new approach from universities and research institutions, particularly in evidence-based policymaking, civic engagement and capacity building.
He identified key areas where academia must intervene, including policy testing, legislative research, public sector training, institutional reforms, anti-corruption frameworks, digital governance, crisis management and climate resilience .
According to him, old methods of engagement are no longer effective in a society driven by technology, bold youth activism and rapid political change, insisting that academics must maintain independence while “speaking truth to power” .
He further outlined core governance values such as ethics, transparency, accountability, rule of law, participation, equity, efficiency and sustainability, arguing that governance becomes legitimate only when these principles are visible and measurable to citizens .
Placing Nigeria’s governance struggle within a broader international framework, Gambari said today’s world is marked by geopolitical instability, technological disruption, climate change and resurging nationalism, all of which place governments under pressure to make difficult choices with scarce resources.
He noted that globally, successful democracies rely heavily on academic institutions for policy clarity, data-driven decisions and ethical guidance, urging Nigerian scholars to adopt similar roles to prevent social breakdown and distrust in public institutions .
Gambari also called for stronger interdisciplinary collaboration across sciences, humanities, social sciences and technology, arguing that modern governance challenges are too complex for single-discipline solutions .
He urged Nigerian academics to leave their “ivory towers” and engage the public through constructive dialogue, while remaining vigilant against political compromise and loss of intellectual integrity.
“When this ecosystem between academia and governance is in balance, we see policy effectiveness, democratic accountability and social development. When it is not, the result is chaos, distrust and societal breakdown,” he warned .
The lecture concluded with a call for sustained scholarly engagements at both national and international levels to strengthen governance systems and restore public trust in leadership.