CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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Nigeria |
POLITICS
Disappointments, regrets, and hopes
Nigeria celebrated its 43rd independence anniversary as a sovereign state on 1 October. The celebration was low key all over the country. It was a time for sober reflection because after 43 years of independence, there is nothing much to write home about regarding its socio-economic and technological development. Yet Nigeria is endowed with human, natural, agricultural, and mineral resources. The country is strategically placed to influence all other African countries with its large population and enormous mineral wealth.
Disappointments and regrets
In 1999, Nigeria was at last endowed with a democratic government and its people were full of hope. They were tired of military rule. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was elected President and he sacked the entire ruling military class. Nigerians were delighted that better days had come. But ever since the start of Obasanjo’s second term in office (May 2003), doubts have emerged in the minds of the electorate. First, the fraudulent land-slide victory that returned him to power — a victory in which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won an overwhelming majority, leaving the whole nation bewildered as to what had happened. Despite complaints from the Opposition and international observers that there was massive rigging in favour of the PDP, nothing much was done to change the situation. Nigerians then adopted a «wait-and-see attitude» so as to assess the central government’s performance.
Five months on (at the time of writing), and Nigerians have still to see the way forward. It’s been a tale of economic woes and tribulations. With the Naira’s constant devaluation, Nigerians are getting poorer by the day. Hunger, malnutrition, disease, insanitary living conditions are the hallmark of the way in which low-income earners are forced to live. In spite of the fact that Nigeria ranks number six among the oil producing countries of the world, the country remains one of the world’s poorest nations.
Corruption – The Federal Government’s anti-corruption campaign has yet to yield any positive results. Instead of reports assuring the population that corruption in high places is being reduced, newspapers continue to inform their readers about the government’s continuing financial mismanagement. When the democratic government took office in 1999, the Obasanjo administration sent a bill to the National Assembly establishing the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). Five years on, and not a single person has been convicted for corruption. While everybody complains about the negative effect of corruption on the nation’s economy, nobody is willing to fight it openly.
Crime rate and insecurity – The criminal fraternity seem to have completely taken over in major cities. An example is that of Alhaji Ahmadou Tidjani who, until recently, terrorised Nigeria’s citizens with his armed gangs operating from neighbouring Benin. It took the combined efforts of the Nigerian police service and those of Benin and Mali, to achieve Tidjani’s arrest in far away Bamako, Mali. Before his arrest, Tidjani’s never-ending crimes in Nigeria had made Nigerians doubt the efficacy of their government’s security system. At one stage, the situation was so bad that Nigeria had to close its border with Benin.
In recent years, prominent Nigerians have been assassinated. Chief Bola Ige, a former Justice Minister was murdered in his residence on Christmas Eve, 2001. Chief Marshall Harry, leader of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) suffered the same fate in his home at Abuja just before the general elections in April 2003. Ibadan-based legal practitioner, Chief Jibola Olanipekun, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was killed by armed gangs in a mysterious way during the April general elections. So far, nobody has been brought to book for these crimes.
Agriculture neglected – Nigeria’s poverty level is constantly increasing. Before independence in 1960, agriculture was the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy. It provided nearly 60% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 80% of export earnings. However, there has been a consistent decline in this sector.
The government had promised to revamp the agricultural sector, but rather than encouraging local food production which would have created more jobs for school leavers, the Federal government has resorted to importing food to meet demands. The total food import bill for 2002 was put at US $10 billion. In 1999 it was US $5 billion.
Irregular salaries for government workers – For more than a year, local governments employees across the nation have not received their salaries — university teachers and non-teaching staff have yet to receive their salaries since the beginning of this year. The government is using this to punish the lecturers for going on strike late last year.
In November 2002, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had embarked on a nation-wide strike lasting until June 2003. The Union’s leader, Dr. Fashina, maintained his members were not asking for an increase in salaries, but for adequate funding of the nation’s educational system — laboratory equipment and books. For years, the educational system has been on the verge of collapse, with many educational institutions unable to subscribe to new journals, so that their lecturers can update themselves.
Sorry state of industry – In the industrial sector, very few new factories have been built. In fact, existing ones are closing down for lack of an adequate power supply and raw materials. Factory workers are often laid off, to join the ever-increasing army of jobless school leavers. Rather than manufacture, Nigerians now specialize in buying second-hand imported products. Today, there are second-hand bicycles, motorcycles, cars, tricks and even second-hand aeroplanes. Roads are poorly maintained with potholes everywhere.
But there is room for hope
However, those familiar with Nigeria are quick to affirm that there is room for hope. They say that Nigerians must be patient with their leaders. Perhaps the greatest achievement of the present Obasanjo administration is the relative peace in the land. There is a better understanding and cooperation between the National Assembly and the Presidency, unlike Obasanjo’s first four years in office, which was a «ding-dong affair» between President Obasanjo and the legislature. Generally speaking, peace has reigned in the country during his second term in office.
The Obasanjo administration has started well by demonstrating some seriousness in the agricultural sector. More tractors have been purchased to assist farmers in all States of the Federation, and the Strategic Grain Reserves policy of the government is yielding good dividends. More silos have been built to store excess grain. This will be released to the markets during periods of scarcity.
It’s also encouraging to note that within the agricultural sector, the government is establishing various committees, supervised directly by the President. These committees cover the production and utilization of several crops including: cassava, oil seeds, rice, soybean and cowpea, sorghum and millet, cocoa and oil palm, coffee and fruit, cotton, fish and poultry products.
Under the current policy, rural farmers are being encouraged to increase production. In addition, the President has informed all Nigerians that within the next two years he wants Nigeria to earn a minimum of US $5 billion from cassava exports.
It is also pertinent to note that President Obasanjo has held a series of talks nationwide with owners of textile industries with a view to advising them to use local raw materials for their fabrics. Cotton farmers are therefore being encouraged to step up production in this regard.
Deregulation of the economy: A deregulation policy is being introduced to shape up the economy. Under Nigeria’s various military regimes, the central government was monopolizing many sectors of the economy. And this at a time when corruption and profligacy had become a profitable industry. Nigeria Airways, the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), the National Electrical Power Authority (NEPA), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL), the railway system, and the Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST) (just to mention a few) were all in bad shape. And yet, all these companies have an important role to play in ensuring a stable economy. Now the Obasanjo administration has insisted that these vital sectors of the economy, plus others must be deregulated i.e. privatised.
Hopefully, by the time Nigeria is 44 years old, there will be good stories to tell, and Nigeria will be a place where opportunities abound for any hardworking individual to make a living.
- Taye Babaleye, Nigeria, October 2003 — © Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment