Facebook

Friday 12 October 2018

State failure in Nigeria should be a huge cause for concern

"Everything depends on politics, we must embrace a new leadership that will guarantee participatory democracy in Nigeria"-Uche Okeke. Photo: The LEAD Project Foundation.

The time has come for citizens to be well-informed about the choice of leadership they make in the society, governance is directly linked to economic development in poorer countries. What you put is what you get. State failure is simply a failure of any country to accomplish economic development. The reasons are very obvious in Nigeria; abuse of power, promoted by a dysfunctional political system that promotes 'wastes, expensive and dictatorship'. We have just seen the recent World Bank's Human Capital Index report for 2018, placing Nigeria 152 out of 157 countries, this is a big shame for an oil economy and Africa's largest economy and most populous country , now the poorest country in Africa, one of the least peaceful and unstable country. State failure is a threat to everyone including our neighbours- 'Citizens, Regional and International community', we should be very worried about it. The government we elected should apologize to Nigerians and commence its exit process as  soon as possible since they don't offer any further promise of change having rejected restructuring of the current political system which is the main reason for stagnation and persistence of poverty. What does failed states offer?, the answer is a lawless space where crime and insecurity thrives, mass unemployment, persistence of poverty and stagnation, instability, crime and terrorism flourish, instability, money meant for development is used to fund ransome payments to terrorists. We have repeatedly maintained that the president and his supporters don't seem to understand the national predicament of Governance and Economic Development in ethnically diverse society like Nigeria, they are simply interested in power grabs; maintaining the status-quo, this is not the future especially in a 21st century. Good governance, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, corruption are linked to economic development and growth, however what President Buhari offers is bad governance, the opposite of good governance; abuse of power, absence of rule of law and human rights, political and economic corruption including medical tourism, appointing himself petroleum minister, fracturing, political bias and favouritism, exclusion, ethnic minority discrimination, opposition clampdown, clampdown on free speech, flawed and biased development policy of 95/05%, exploitation and domination often using conquering techniques on some sections of the society, selective justice, wastes on patronage, full-blown dictatorship that denies the citizens of open, transparent, accountable and inclusive government,increase in crime and terrorism as the herdsmen demonstrates, mass unemployment and persistence of poverty. Today the question that should be uppermost in our lips is how can we promote/achieve good governance and economic development in ethnically diverse society like Nigeria, and avoid state failure. The answer is very simple:

 a)Open, transparent and accountable government that is inclusive and people's rights and freedom respected not authoritarian government with abuse of power.

b)Restructuring : A political system that is more ''humane and productive'', guarantees good governance and strong institutions independent of the executive control.
.
c) A well functioning democracy that guarantees social inclusion and a high investing business system supported by a long-termist financial sector'', a real choice which #AtikulatedObi offers to Nigerians.

d)New Leadership: Educated leadership with experience and expertise to deliver- investments in growth policies-Infrastructure and better public services-education,new skills , healthcare, etc.

e)Educated Electorate: Civic Education & Citizen Engagement Education; People willing to reject 'bribe & bullet' to demand good governance'.

f) Globalisation/Global partnerships for Development-tech, trade, financial markets, foreign direct investments including diaspora, development institutions, and other various stakeholder partnerships,etc.

 There is urgent need for the restructuring of this dysfunctional political system that promotes wastes, expensive, inefficiency and dictatorship to empower independent states to invest massively in growth policies including infrastructure, and better public services including education and healthcare services. Even state policing will make a huge difference in local security of lives and properties as proved by the recent atrocities of the herdsmen in Nigeria. We must free up the resources being wasted at the centre for personal and patronage politics that serves just the few, their families and associates to invest in the future of the country to benefit all the citizens, not just political bribery and violently interfering and repressing those who disagree with dictatorial policies of the centre to remain permanently in power. Certainly Dictatorship/Authoritarian rule is not the answer, so we must liberate ourselves from abuse of power and misrule which dictatorship offers. #AtikulatedObi will improve the efficiency of the system, raise economic growth and stability, advance the welfare of all Nigerians irrespective of tribe or religion and eradicate the tyranical and flawed development policy of 95%/5%, that's the whole point. The constitution and dysfunctional political system which permit dictatorship and deny democratic accountability, human rights and active citizenship must be overhauled-Restructured. The people must reject any leadership or political party that denies them this fundamental right to freedom.

 Sixtus Uche Okeke is a Statistician, Social Entrepreneur, Political Economist, the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation and the Author of Nigeria's Democracy And Its Crisis Deliberate, Avoidable-'Bribe & Bullet'. What Can Be Done About It.

Find out more: #AtikulatedObi Provides the solution to our National Predicament-'Governance And Economic Development: http://www.theleadprojectfoundation.com/2018/10/atikulatedobi-provides-answer-to-our.html

No comments:

Post a Comment

The LEAD Project Foundation