Political parties in Nigeria have been asked to emulate the Communist Party of China (CPC) by modelling their ideology around the collective welfare of the people.
This was the consensus at the end of a roundtable on the “20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC): Outcomes and Significance for Nigeria and Africa,” organized by the Center for China Studies in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday.
Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun in his keynote address said Nigeria needs strong political parties with sound people-centered ideological base to drive development for the good of all.
“I have talked to the party leaders, we believe that the two major parties and all the 18 parties can benefit from the CPC 20th National Congress. I have the opportunity to share the ideas.
“Really, we believe that CPC can do a lot for the party building Nigeria because I believe a party is not only about power, it is really about people.
“It is about development, it is about how to lead the nation to achieve the good vision.
“We are continuing to do the information sharing next week. We think that we need a strong party in Nigeria, we need a party to lead the nation.
“The Chinese philosophy is that the party is not only for the platform, the manifesto of the campaign but most importantly, how can we implement the manifesto of the party.
“Chinese lessons, Chinese experience can be shared with the Nigerian side,” Cui said.
Also speaking, Mr Charles Onunaiju, Director, Center for China Studies said party congresses in China are focused on providing solutions and not a jamboree. According to him, it is a moment to reflect on the journey made in the last five years and the plan for the next five years.
He stated that political parties in Nigeria can take a cue from China’s Communist Party and be more focused on solving problems and achieving a tangible outcome.
His words “Party congresses should be focused on solving problems. It should not be jamborees.
“Party congress in China draws up a roadmap, it is not about candidates wanting to be this, wanting to be that.
“These are the lessons from the congress of the Communist Party of China. Each time it is held, it is a sober organisation, and it is the most important political festival in China. It develops new paradigms, and new critical roadmaps on the way forward.
“Party congresses should be defined by concrete deliverables, what has it delivered, how are our people engaged, are people more excluded, are people more involved, in what ways can the people be more involved.
“How can we assess how far we have gone, what are the policy options we have executed in the past, how has it impacted on the people?
“If you read the general secretary of the party, he catalogues everything that has been achieved, also underscores the challenges ahead and then defines a roadmap.
“Party platforms should be more tailored to deliverables, to practical tangibles, this is the lesson from China which also has many things in common with us, a developing country, from third world to first world.
“Forty-five years ago, Nigeria was richer than China, today, it is a different story. So we can do more not to make our party congress just jamborees, our political party more than music.
“Let it be a defining framework for launching ourselves to the new phase of development,” Onunaiju said.
