FOR NIGERIA TO ‘WORK’

Government must do its bit as provided in the country’s Constitution, contends Joshua J. Omojuwa

Nigeria is blessed with immense human and natural resources. Relatively free from natural disasters (sadly, the same cannot be said of the man-made variant), with vast expanses of arable land, perfect for year-round farming and a people that are as talented as they are resilient (famously adjudged as the happiest on God’s green earth), Nigeria should “work” for a good majority of her citizens but doesn’t. The stats are grim.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 133 million out of 200 million Nigerians are not just poor, but multi-dimensionally so. Ordinarily such numbers should elicit the declaration of a state of emergency – with the attendant sacrifice by the government and people – that ought to accompany such a proclamation, but this is Nigeria.

What does it mean for a country to “work”? Regardless of whatever economic ideology the government of the day touts, there are certain basal benefits that must accrue to citizens. Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) contains copious provisions for the fundamental, economic and social objectives of the Republic. These provisions can serve as the Key Performance Indicators with which government’s performance can be evaluated to objectively determine whether government “works” or not. No divination is required to reach the conclusion that successive governments have performed poorly when measured against the KPIs enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. Government’s subpar performance has resulted in the inability of the citizens to create wealth, and by implication, a country that does not work.

To give effect to the provisions and aspirations of the Nigerian constitution for the citizens, there are certain imperatives government must commit to. Broadly, they are:

Security: Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 constitution provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. As John Locke puts it in his Social Contract Theory, in exchange for surrendering some of their rights, citizens expect that government will provide them with security and peaceful social existence. The reason for this is not far-fetched. People must feel secure enough to venture out and be productive. Intractable communal fighting, deadly clashes between farmers and pastoralists, banditry and terrorism are a blight on the nation and hamper progress. With the world reeling from rising food prices exacerbated by Covid-19 and Russia’s war in Ukraine, Nigeria’s insecurity worsens the effects, and results in desperately poor citizens. In a country where 91% of its populace is under 50, this is tantamount to sitting on a keg of gunpowder with a naked flame in hand. Whilst the expeditious overhaul of the nation’s security architecture by the new administration is commendable, it remains to be seen what effect it will have on national security.

Healthcare: Health is the state of being free from illness or injury. It goes without saying that the healthier the workforce of a nation is, the more productive the nation will be. We still lose too many man-hours to sickness. Take malaria for example. Research by the Severe Malaria Observatory puts its prevalence in Nigeria at a whopping 97%, with the country accounting for 54% of cases in West Africa and 31% of global deaths. These stats, when situated in the context of moribund primary healthcare centres, appalling doctor to patient ratios (8,156:1 in 2019), and an inefficient system of national health insurance coupled with rising inflation which pushes preventative medical care further down the scale of priorities, make for a potpourri of dangerous ingredients in a cauldron of disaster.

Energy: People need power/energy to produce the goods and services required to create wealth. Its importance has been highlighted ad nauseam by successive governments and been the subject of an inordinate number of campaign jingles and developmental plans. Yet after innumerable promises, missed deadlines and unaccounted billions in hard currency, Nigeria’s national grid is yet to surpass a laughable 5,377 megawatts. Egypt with a population that is half of ours produces an impressive 55,000 megawatts of electricity. South Africa with her 60 million citizens produces about 53,000 megawatts. As is typical of resilient people, Nigerians have taken to plugging their energy deficit by resorting to other mostly unsustainable sources. The abrupt cessation of fuel subsidies – rightly so – and the ensuing 150%+ increase in the price of PMS, with no imminent improvement on public power supply, simply means that another hurdle has been added to the tracks of productivity in the country.

Education: Used here broadly to include the acquisition of skills, it is the driving force of the economic and social development of every nation. It is the reason why nations invest heavily in the education of its citizens, as the reward comes in the innovation which causes nations to prosper. With a global prescribed benchmark of between 15% and 20%, Nigeria’s highest budgetary allocation of 10% since 1999, falls abysmally short. The consequence is in the total collapse of the public education system and the perennial churning out of unemployable graduates and unskilled workers. To get Nigeria to work, this must change, and fast.

Transportation: Is the backbone of commerce. It enables goods produced in one part of the country to reach another and gets the workforce from home to their jobs. There can be no development without an effective means of mass transportation in a country as populous as ours. By mass transportation, I do not mean buses which are only able to move tens of people at the same time. In this day and age, Nigeria ought to have a modern and efficient transportation system encompassing rail, road, water and air. It will solve a myriad of problems, the most essential being making our cities more sustainable and liveable.

The areas highlighted above are by no means exhaustive. What is required for progress is serious and methodical implementation of the plans already made and gathering dust in shelves across the country. It is only then Nigeria will work for the betterment of her people and assume her proper position in the comity of nations as the true Giant of Africa.

 Omojuwa is chief strategist, Alpha Reach/author, Digital Wealth Book