It Gets Better with Good Governance, Not Time
Reflections on leadership, public policy, and my ten-month journey at the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) as I graduate with 286 others.
I would like to believe that my SPPG journey began long before I submitted my application. Perhaps it began when my interest in government as a subject first piqued in senior secondary school, which led me to study political science at the University of Ibadan. I wanted to understand how political institutions worked, why governments made the decisions they did, and why those decisions so often failed to translate into better outcomes for ordinary Nigerians.
The more I learned, the more convinced I became that Nigeria’s problems could not be separated from the quality of its leadership. There is a dire leadership deficit, and its consequences extend to virtually every aspect of our lives: the quality of education we receive, the infrastructure available for use, and the management of our public finances.
I vividly recall how some of my mates who attended public secondary schools went an entire term, sometimes two, without mathematics teachers. Now, I understand that this was more than an unfortunate experience of public education. It was a governance problem. Somewhere between agenda setting, budgetary decisions, resource allocation, and implementation, a system failed the students who depended on it.
My decision to attend the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance was never about accumulating another certificate. It was both strategic and deeply personal. It was a deliberate step towards a conviction I hold dear: we cannot outsource the solutions to Nigeria’s problems. Nigerians must be equipped to understand, interrogate, and transform the systems that govern their lives.
We desperately need a generation of people with the knowledge, competence, and courage to build the Nigeria we want to see. For me, SPPG was an opportunity to become better equipped for that responsibility.
April 2025: Counting the Cost
My friend, T, sent me an Instagram post announcing SPPG’s call for applications to its ten-month program. My immediate thought was how challenging the journey would be after reading through the requirements. I counted the cost, as one must before committing to something demanding. Looking back, I am grateful that I chose to take that leap.
I completed my application, asked my big friends to write me recommendation letters, and paid the application fee. I also applied for a full scholarship from the Gerrad Olisa-Asher Foundation, but I was unsuccessful. That pushed me to approach my workplace’s human resources department for financial assistance. Thankfully, I received 50 percent support towards my tuition.
The support made a significant difference. It was more than financial assistance; it was an opportunity to pursue something I believed would shape my capacity to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s governance landscape.
I remember meeting Amirah Hassan at a Learn Politics event in Lagos in October 2025. I noticed a journal bearing the SPPG insignia. I struck up a conversation with her, and she encouraged me to get started and remain committed. She did not sugarcoat the challenges ahead, but she urged me to look beyond them and imagine the person I would become at the end of the journey.
Soon, Zulu, Praise, and Ella joined the conversation. They, too, had experienced the program and understood what lay ahead.
November 2025: The Journey Begins
The acculturation segment began on 17 November 2025. I remember rushing from my father’s convocation ceremony to make it in time for the 6 p.m. start. I logged in, and the founder, Madam Oby Ezekwesili, congratulated us on our admission while preparing us for the journey ahead. She described SPPG as disruptive and unconventional. The CEO, Madam Alero Ayida-Otobo, offered us affirmations, including the words, “I will finish well.”
And, indeed, I did.
Every class opened up a new line of inquiry. The faculty members consistently challenged my assumptions, pushed the boundaries of my thinking, and encouraged me to interrogate issues beyond the surface. The acculturation segment continued through December 2025, setting the tone for what would become an intellectually demanding and personally transformative experience.
I was assigned to the mentorship of Ms. Yetunde Durang alongside Victoria Adebisi, Madam Winifred, and Madam Benita. Ms. Yetunde is so warm and welcoming, with a positive spirit, as she always ignites the spark in our interactions even beyond the confines of the SPPG; she would inquire about my well-being and work, too. In fact, she would ask about my relationships with the opposite sex.
What I know better?
One of my most important lessons at SPPG is that leadership is not defined by positions or titles. It is a posture: a test of character, competence, and capacity — the infamous three Cs, but now I would make it five, infusing conviction and courage.
I have also come to appreciate more deeply that good governance requires good citizens. The vitality of our democracy depends on citizens who are informed, empowered, and willing to hold public institutions accountable.
SPPG allowed me to interrogate problems I was already encountering through a policy lens. It taught me to move from observation to diagnosis, from diagnosis to evidence, and from evidence to policy questions.
There is a difference between identifying a problem and understanding the systems, incentives, institutions, and decisions that sustain it. There is also a difference between expressing frustration about a policy outcome and developing an evidence-based argument about what should change.
When we talk about poor education outcomes, for instance, it is not enough to say that public schools lack teachers. We must also ask what the evidence reveals about teacher recruitment and deployment, the allocation of public resources, the institutions responsible for implementation, and the accountability mechanisms available when public services fail.
The same principle applies to public finance. It is not enough to ask how much the government spends. We must also ask whether the spending reflects public priorities, whether allocated resources reach their intended beneficiaries, and whether public institutions can account for the resources entrusted to them.
These questions matter to me as a researcher and public finance enthusiast. They reinforce the importance of examining not just what is wrong, but why it is happening, who bears the consequences, and what institutional or policy changes could produce better outcomes.
For me, this is one of the most valuable shifts SPPG has fostered: a deeper appreciation of the intellectual rigour required to move from identifying governance failures to developing practical, evidence-informed solutions.
The Classroom That Followed Me Everywhere
This was, without a doubt, one of the most demanding commitments I have undertaken in recent times. Three-hour classes, for over ten months, were no small feat. But just as gold is refined by fire, I believe the SPPG experience sharpened my intellectual capacity.
It is called an unconventional school for a reason. The experience was a departure from the conventional classroom model I grew accustomed to in Nigeria. It demanded more than the passive absorption of information; it required critical engagement, rigorous thinking, and a willingness to defend one’s arguments.
As Madam Oby Ezekwesili often reminds us, “In God we trust; let everyone else bring data.”
That statement captures the intellectual culture I encountered at SPPG. Conviction matters, but evidence matters too. Passion matters, but it must be matched by the rigour needed to understand a problem and propose credible solutions.
Get Victoria Saanu’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
And then there was the reality of fitting classes into everyday life.
A ninety and five topics taught by one hundred and twenty-eight faculties later, I can tell you some of the places from which I attended: my room, Bodija Market in Ibadan, locations within and outside Ibadan, church, public transport on my way home from work, my kitchen while preparing dinner, Lagos streets as I walked through UNILAG, and even Abuja during work trips.
For those months, this was my life.
My mother knew better than to call me between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Those hours belonged to SPPG.
There were days when showing up required deliberate effort, careful planning, and a willingness to make the most of imperfect circumstances. But I showed up. And looking back, I am proud that I did.
My Highs
One of the highlights of my journey was being voted deputy team lead by members of my Community of Practice (CoP), the Naija Renaissance. It was an honor, but more importantly, it was a call to responsibility.
Working alongside Somto and Nsikak was a rewarding experience. It reminded me that leadership is not always about being the person at the forefront; sometimes, it is about supporting others, coordinating efforts, and helping a team move towards a shared goal. We were awarded the 3rd top-performing CoP in the cohort.
In December 2025, we were assigned two projects: a spotlight video reflecting on our experiences so far and a manifesto document.
A special shout-out to T, who directed my video, and Cheemar, who designed my manifesto. Your contributions made the process much easier.
For the manifesto, I developed a policy document for the position of Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion in Oyo State. This required extensive research into issues affecting women, children, and other vulnerable groups across the state.
The process pushed me to think more critically about social inclusion, public service delivery, and the policy interventions required to address the challenges facing these groups. It also challenged me to move beyond identifying problems to articulating what a public officeholder could realistically do about them.
My CoP voted my manifesto as the best entry to represent the group. That recognition advanced my work to the next stage: competing for a place among the top eight manifestos amongst the twenty CoP groups, from which I later emerged as part of the top eight.
The selection process involved scrutiny by a panel of judges, including Mrs. Bunmi Lawson. I eventually made the top eight, revised my work, and re-presented before Madam Oby Ezekwesili, the founder and CEO; Madam Alero Ayoda-Otubo; and the Dean, Dr. Abiola Akiyode.
It was a surreal moment. I received both corrections and commendations, and I appreciated the opportunity to have my ideas examined by people with extensive experience in leadership, policy, and governance.
The experience reinforced an important lesson: good ideas must be subjected to scrutiny. We must be willing to revise our positions, strengthen our arguments, and learn from constructive criticism if we want our work to stand up to real-world challenges.
I also served as the finance lead for my capstone project, Project V.A.L.U.E., which focused on food security and women’s empowerment in collaboration with NAFOWA.
The project was particularly meaningful to me because of my M.Sc. dissertation on the politics and policies of United Nations resolutions on food security in Nigeria. It offered an opportunity to connect my academic interests with a practical intervention and to consider the realities of translating research into action.
It was an eye-opener for my research work. It reinforced the importance of understanding the people affected by policy decisions, the institutions responsible for implementation, and the resources required to turn well-intentioned ideas into tangible outcomes.
Is This the End?
Oh, not at all. This is only the beginning.
I came to SPPG convinced that Nigeria’s challenges were rooted, in large part, in the failures of leadership and governance. I leave with a sharper understanding of the work required to address them: asking better questions, interrogating evidence, examining institutions, and thinking critically about the policies that shape people’s lives.
My time at SPPG has reinforced a conviction I have carried for years: policy is not merely theory. It is lived reality.
Behind every budgetary allocation, every public expenditure decision, every social intervention, and every policy failure are people whose lives are shaped by decisions they may never have had the opportunity to influence.
This is why the work of governance must extend beyond the corridors of power. It requires capable and accountable leadership, functional institutions, informed citizens, and a willingness to confront the evidence even when it is uncomfortable.
I know completing a programme does not automatically make one a better leader, just as acquiring knowledge does not guarantee meaningful impact. The real test is what we do with what we have learned.
For me, that means continuing to interrogate public policy, contribute to accountability efforts, and pursue the kind of governance that makes public institutions work better for the people they serve.
I am grateful to everyone who made this journey possible: my organisation for its financial support, the SPPG faculty and leadership for the intellectual challenge, my colleagues for the shared experience, and my family and friends for their encouragement.
I leave with more questions than I arrived with, but also with better tools for asking them.
And perhaps that is the point: we cannot leave the work of building a better Nigeria to time alone. We must be deliberate about the institutions we build, the leaders we develop, and the accountability we demand.
If you’re interested in enrolling in the programme, I encourage you to visit the SPPG website for more information. It promises an intellectually stimulating and transformative experience.
It only gets better with good governance, not time.
