Governance for the benefit of those who Govern!
According to official sources one of the main purposes of our President travelling to Japan to attend the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) is to “seek broader Japanese assistance in areas of science and technology, innovation, human resource development, education, agriculture, power, health, and disaster risk reduction”. In simpler English he has […]
According to official sources one of the main purposes of our President travelling to Japan to attend the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) is to “seek broader Japanese assistance in areas of science and technology, innovation, human resource development, education, agriculture, power, health, and disaster risk reduction”. In simpler English he has gone to beg the Japanese to help us out of our dismal circumstances. As he jets back and forth inside one of the Presidential Jets he pledged to get rid of, he will have ample time to reflect on his several broken promises over issues which contribute to the nation’s dire economic situation. While campaigning in 2015 he promised to cut his salary by 50%; reduce the number of cars in the presidential convoy; run a leaner and more cost efficient government; reduce the number of Ministers; ban overseas medical treatment for political office holders; and dispose of the fleet of presidential aircraft. These were never done. Despite incessantly blaming former governments, it’s no secret that the nation’s fortunes have declined under his leadership.
The nation’s inability to get out of the mess is firmly rooted in the sort of people appointed into high office. A President isn’t expected to be a know-all who has all the solutions but he is supposed to appoint those who know. It doesn’t help when he appears enamored with clueless expired political actors, while harboring a dislike for technocrats and experts. Most Nigerians believe that nothing positive can come out of his new cabinet because too many Ministers have previous records of gross incompetence, or have previously been indicted for corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Ironically the sums of money being mentioned in the trending FBI investigation of a Nigerian fraud syndicate in the USA is merely a drop in the ocean compared to what some of those currently serving in the highest levels of government were accused of stealing before joining the APC and being “forgiven”!
Nigerian governments habitually commend themselves for maintaining “national unity”. This time worn phrase implies that unity is an end within itself rather than a means to an end. Unity without justice, security and prosperity is meaningless. There is a mistaken belief that land mass alone makes Nigeria important no matter what, but truthfully it’s nothing short of self-conceit to continue referring to the nation as the “giant of Africa” when it’s no longer an economic force, the talents and potentials of its teeming youth aren’t being tapped and its educational and medical facilities are shameful. The handwriting has long since been on the wall that Nigeria is a failed nation. Years ago the first black American President Barrack Obama came to West Africa, left Nigeria out of his itinerary and visited Ghana. When queried as to why? a US State Department spokesperson speaking off the record replied by asking why a US President should visit a nation which is a prime example of the sort of failed democracy and poor governance which blights the African continent! As our President visits Japan to “seek assistance”, it defies logic that government seriously expects increased foreign investment when American Billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates laments that he has invested $1.6 Billion in the Nigerian economy with no tangible result.
Nigerian governments continue to beg for loans and handouts because of inefficiency and incompetence at the highest levels. What’s more the anti-corruption war has long since been unmasked as a hoax designed to deal with political opposition. That ongoing corruption is exposed with monotonous regularity is hardly surprising because in a situation where salaries are inadequate and pensions aren’t paid it’s naive to think corruption will end simply because a few high profile people are indicted and end up plea bargaining.
Another major cause of the nation’s inability to cut its coat according to its cloth is that the President’s hands are tied in trying to put an end to entrenched “official” treasury looting by the National Assembly. Most developed nations with strong economies don’t offer luxury or privileges to political office holders. In Sweden they expect them to live the same as other citizens. In spite of their GDP per Capita being $52,311 as compared to Nigeria’s $1,986, Swedish Ministers and Members of Parliament don’t have official cars, jumbo salaries and allowances, or a retinue of aides leeching off the treasury. Only their Prime Minister has the privilege of using an official car. At the lower level Swedish Councilors don’t earn salary, have no offices, work from home and use the town hall for meetings! Compare this to Nigeria where despite excruciating poverty and deprivation the Senate President appallingly attempts to justify spending N5 Billion to purchase top of the range vehicles rather than invest in education, hospitals, infrastructure or the environment. Abysmally he tries to explain the “need” for Senators to take home N13.5 Million every month! Given the legendary greed of Nigerian politicians there really is no reason to expect him or his colleagues to make changes to a system which makes them super rich. Nigeria is in deep trouble and the outlook is bleak because after nineteen years of “democracy” it’s still a case of government for the benefit of those who govern rather than those who are governed!