Igbuzor and the Nigeria development imperative

The planning phase at the time was a tripod. The fixed medium-term planning dominated the period 1962 to 1985, the policy oriented phase 1986 to 1988 and the rolling plan running through the 1990s till date. The plans majorly between the 1960s and the 1970s could not be sustained from the 1980s because of their […]

The planning phase at the time was a tripod. The fixed medium-term planning dominated the period 1962 to 1985, the policy oriented phase 1986 to 1988 and the rolling plan running through the 1990s till date. The plans majorly between the 1960s and the 1970s could not be sustained from the 1980s because of their inabilities as it were to deliver rapid growth and development, which primarily was due to faulty institutional framework that pervaded the polity at the time with the resurgence of liberalism and the implementation of short term stabilisation measure that came with the introduction of the structural adjustment programme, predicated on liberalisation and deregulation.

Governments after the Ibrahim Babangida era that introduced the structural adjustment programme also enunciated different policies which also did not lead the country to its Eldorado. The immediate past administration of Olusegun Obasanjo for instance came with the privatisation and commercialisation mantra. The reason was to allow the invisible hands distribute and allocate resources so as to inject efficiency and quality into the distribution of goods and services, and by that gave pep to divestment and transfer of ownership of hitherto government owned enterprises to the private sector. Even when advantages abound in handing over economies to the market as seen in other countries, the Nigerian experience especially with privatization has left us with the sale of our national patrimony to few individuals. Few years after the sales, the much taunted benefits are nowhere in sight. Then came the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), with both its state and local governments’ corollary of SEEDS and LEEDS. The NEEDS document identified Nigeria developmental challenges to include inter alia; low per capita growth, inefficiency, highly volatile and unsustainable public sector spending, domestic debt, low productivity, poverty, dysfunctional educational system and weak institutions. The NEEDS 2 policy document recognised gender inequality, weak institutions, capacity constraints, weak monitoring framework and data management, import dependency and a characteristic slow development of the private sector.

All of these initiatives laudable as they appear to be, have continued to fail because of lack of tactile and workable operational style, which Dr. Otive Igbuzor referred to as the challenge of strategy in the Nigerian system. The social entrepreneur and development expert whose book on the Challenges of development in Nigeria was launched on October 5, 2009 in Abuja, said, “Africa economies, Nigeria inclusive continue to formulate and implement policies and programmes that widens the gap between the rich and the poor nations on the one hand, and rich and poor citizens of individual countries on the other”. The book according to him is centred on the techniques for the generation of good ideas that will focus on addressing the challenges in relation to evolving a nationally driven development strategy that will engender citizens’ participation in a sure way to ensure rapid and sustainable development. Strategy, he mentioned, is key to achieving development and a well formulated strategy has capacity to marshal and allocate the nation’s resources into a unique and viable posture based on its relative internal competencies and shortcomings, anticipated changes in the environment, and contingent moves by nations”. However, in spite of the place of strategy in the development process, the Nigerian nation has unfortunately failed to give it its pride of place. “Almost all the developmental initiatives put together by the Nigerian government have no strategy driving them. The draft of NEEDS 2 was prepared but was never officially adopted”, and in fact the entire NEEDS programme was implemented without the poor in mind, which of course questions the inclusiveness of the programme.

In the book, “Challenges of Development in Nigeria” Dr. Otive Igbuzor in trying to x-ray the role of Civil Society organisation said, “the role of CSOs  in economic literacy and budget work include among other things capacity building through education, action research and analysis, legislative advocacy including advocacy for appropriate legislative regime with freedom of information Act, Fiscal Responsibility Act and National Budget law, media advocacy, promoting community participation, gender responsive budget and transparency and accountability in the budgetary process”. This essentially is a great role and therefore beholds government to recognise the place of CSOs in the entire development and transformation process. Their role no doubt is vital, and it is in recognition of this role, the incumbent President of America Barak Obama in his visit to Ghana sought audience with members of the Civil Society Organisations, including representatives of Nigeria Civil Society Organisation.The book is a must read.

Osasah writes from 4, Lawan Gwadabe Crescent, Apo, Abuja