Nigeria 2024: Where Do We Go From Here? 

 “The only way out of the valley is uphill.” – Anonymous 

That Nigeria is currently sitting on top of socio-economic gunpowder is stating it as it is. Just one more wrong policy; one additional, anomalous, asphyxiation of the people’s welfare and the trigger is set off. Lest our political helmsmen continue to deceive themselves, the empirical evidences are right there on the shaky ground, threatening the very fabric of our quality of life, as a people, as a community and as a country. 

In fact, never in this God-blessed, yet greed-driven political paradox of a country has one witnessed such a high level of pervasive poverty ravaging the land. Not even during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war of the ‘sixties. Let us begin with the ever-soaring waves of inflation that hit 34.19% as at June 2024 and ranked as the highest since 1996 with the domino effects on the costs of sundry food items, transportation, education, healthcare delivery and essential services. 

What do we make of the mass exit of multinational companies, the winding up of several local manufacturing enterprises, due to an inclement operational environment? All these have led of course, to huge job losses and joblessness that have triggered youth restiveness. Perhaps, some statistical indices would shed brighter light on the cumulous economic cloud overwhelming the nation’s horizon. 

According to the World Poverty Clock (2023) Nigeria is home to the world’s extremely poor people as it has overtaken India. While 71 million citizens are considered as living below the poverty line, 133 million are multidimensionally poor. That is according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). And with regards to the related factor of excruciating hunger, according to UNICEF 21.3 million stewed in it between 2020 and 2022. Sadly, some 26.5 million currently battle with hunger virtually on daily basis. That is a staggering increase from 18.6 million as at December 2023. Yet, our power poaching political predators and parasites keep feeding fat on our common patrimony and telling us to tighten our belt. What an audacious assault on our right to quality food that is nutritious and wholesome. But there is more to the absurdly than we care to know. 

With regards to job losses, we have recorded the highest number in three years. It increased from 1,709 to 3,567 in H1 of 2023 over the same period in 2022. The number of jobs created declined by 32.8% to 6,428 from 9,559 in H1 of 2022. That is according to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, (MAN). But do our current crop of political leaders really care about us? The answers are there for us all to see and feel. 

For instance, if they wear our tattered shoes and feel our pains they would think twice before engaging in the borrowing spree that has Nigeria ranked the third worst debtor country in the world, according to the World Bank. While the huge debt profile is at variance with the poverty in the land, it has since risen exponentially from N97.34 trillion as at December,2023 to the current astonishing figure of N221.67 trillion!Yet, as at December 2014 the Goodluck Jonathan-led government, with a debt profile of $41.804 billion was ranked as making Nigeria the third fastest developing economy in the world. Curiously, it was this same set of acclaimed political “messiahs”, good at muck raking that dubbed Jonathan as “clueless”. What a country of inexcusable contradictions! 

While Nigerians were still groaning over the hardship exacerbated by the sudden removal of fuel subsidy leading to increase in the pump price of PMS, that of electricity tariff escalated, in addition to fees paid by students at the federal government-owned tertiary institutions of learning. Not long after that of the Value Added Tax, VAT came up before the second anger-fuelling increase of the pump price of PMS by the NNPCL. It came up recently by over 250% with the cost soaring to between N1,000 per litre and N1,3000 per litre, to welcome that of the Dangote Refinery. That is more money for the billionaire Nigerians sparking more poverty for the ordinary citizens. 

Unfortunately, controversy was triggered by the huge sum of N537 billion released by the federal government to cushion the telling effects of mass poverty in July ,2024. As Femi Falana, (SAN) raised public concern about the visibility and effectiveness of the poverty reduction it was meant for, the Nasarawa state governor, Abdullahi Sule explained that the purported distribution of the huge sum of money was a World Bank loan meant for infrastructural development and not for palliatives! 

So, how do we go forward with people- oriented, productive economic development in a country that boasts of the world’s highest number of out -of – school children, put at 20 million; also with one of .the highest infant mortality rates, while the scourge of malnutrition haunts millions of homes.What about the screaming storm of insecurity that has sent hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens to their early graves? So, how would you blame the people for the #EndBadGovernance protests? 

Worse still, our political leaders are not willing to listen to any form of criticism, threatening and arresting the voices of reason such as the NLC, SERAP and activist Omoyele Sowore, forgetting the fact that: “Only your true friend would tell you the truth at the expense of losing your friendship.” 

Indeed, true leadership is all about the enthronement and sustenance of the critical element of trust between the few favoured leaders and the led majority. But once it is violated it widens the crack. It is not about being busy throwing money as an attempt to solve the problems. That is instead of providing the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. Now is therefore, the best of times for Nigerian leaders to learn lasting lessons from the countries that have pulled millions of their citizens out of the ignoble pit of poverty. 

If Rwanda, once ravaged by the ogre of genocide could pull one million of the citizens out of poverty between Year 2000 and 2017, why not Nigeria, a more abundantly blessed country? If China could raise over 800 million people from extreme poverty since the 1970s, becoming the best in modern history to do so, why not Nigeria? If the leaders of others such as Kyrgyr, Vietnam and the Republic of Moldova could similarly end extreme poverty in their countries, why not the so called “Giant of Africa”? 

It all boils down to Nigeria completely doing away with the expensive costs of accessing political power, right from the political party level where humongous sums are paid by candidates to clinch various offices, which to them is an investment to be recouped. Added to that is the high cost of running government where the led majority are reduced to slaves to fear and worship their all-conquering masters. 

Furthermore, with regards to Nigeria, now, more than ever before is the best of times to restructure the country. Let the states and geo-political zones control their God-given resources, and pay an agreed percentage of income as tax to the federal centre which should hands off agriculture, education, healthcare delivery, transportation, and tourism. Such will encourage the competitive spirit of development based on their areas of core competence, as it was back in the ’60s. 

Honestly, methinks we have had enough of self- deceit in the way and manner of our administrative structure. And we have had enough of inflicting avoidable pains on the people, all in the bid to satisfy the epicurean tastes of the Lords of the Manor; who cannot have enough. 

For now, the time is ticking fast, and the way out of the current political valley is uphill, through selfless, servant-leadership!