S.O.S ALIEME

It is no longer news that Nigeria got her independence in 1960. But for the past 66 years it has become a tale of woes and disappointments for the citizens. Nigeria’s problems are primarily attributed to a systemic cycle of poor leadership, widespread institutional corruption, and socioeconomic mismanagement.

However, public discourse is deeply divided, with many also pointing to civic complacency, ethnic fragmentation, and the tolerance of unethical practices among the general populace. Many development experts cite leadership failure as the root of Nigeria’s challenges. This includes inconsistent economic policies, a failure to diversify the economy away from crude oil, and inadequate investment in critical infrastructure like power grids and transportation.

Systemic corruption permeates various tiers of government and society, diverting funds meant for public services into private hands and weakening the rule of law. This undermines public trust and exacerbates poverty. Another widely held perspective is that the citizens themselves share responsibility. The cultural tendency to revere leaders regardless of their performance, combined with voter apathy, ethnic tribalism, and a tolerance for petty corruption, perpetuates the cycle of bad governance.

The foundation of Nigeria’s problems is rooted in her flawed political and economic system. The system was created by certain cabals during the military regime and passed down to successive governments. This system of governance obliterated the regional system of government we had before the civil war. And that introduced the command and control style of government, where the regions no longer have autonomy over themselves and their resources as power is being shifted to the centre. Let me say categorically that our current military system of governance, which we tagged “federalism,” cannot in any way facilitate sustainable development and emancipate Nigeria from the present quagmire that we find ourselves in, if we continue to operate the way we are operating now.

There is nothing wrong with federalism but the way we are operating it is the problem. The basic tenet of true federalism is that states or regions are to be economically buoyant, autonomous in operation, and self-sustaining while at the same time contributing a fair share for the maintenance of the government, which is at the centre. Unfortunately, the opposite is what we see today in Nigeria; it is a big shame that almost all 36 states in Nigeria cannot function without holding what I call a “beggar’s cup” in their hands to collect allowances from the government for their monthly sustenance. It is a big problem we are having; many State Governors cannot wait till the end of the month before queuing up in Abuja.

This is a classical failure of leadership. Do we know what this terrible approach has done to the nation and Nigerians? There is nothing wrong with federalism. True federalism simply means that each state or region, whatever they have contributed to the centre, also has the autonomy to handle their own welfare. But in this case, it’s not being done in Nigeria. That’s why we have a big problem. The government in power is still holding onto everything; that’s why everybody hurries to go and collect their share in Abuja, and it has encouraged laziness and lethargy. That was not what we had before the Civil War. When we had the pyramid in the North and cocoa in the South, things were working very well, and they still contribute to the centre. But they came up with the idea that since they want unity, we will need to centralise the government to work progressively. It will work that way. Everyone will focus on their areas of strength, while the government at the centre will have the power to regulate. Each region will then be able to develop itself very well while contributing its fair share to the centre.

In Nigeria today, those in favour of bicameral legislation have argued that for a country like Nigeria, where we have a multi-ethnic group, people may not be well represented under unicameral legislation but are better represented by bicameralism. Others think that bicameral legislation is very expensive to maintain, and for a country like Nigeria, it has brought about a huge waste when you look at the recurrent expenditure on our yearly budget that is being used to service those in the national assembly.

I think that for a country like Nigeria, bicameral legislation will provide a more effective check on government conduct. A two-chamber model enhances the capacity of parliament. It gives more room for people to be well-represented. It makes it possible for better laws to be made in the country. Bills are properly debated for the benefit of all with no one left out. And more importantly, the lower chamber of the bicameral Senate reduces the workload of the upper chamber. But unlike bicameral legislation, the unicameral legislative style is relatively simple, efficient, and less time-consuming, especially where the decision-making process is concerned. But the danger with this legislation is that bills can be passed even before the masses know what is going on.

Unicameralism is what we have at the state level, and we have seen some problems it has created in some states where, in most cases, it is being hijacked by the Governor. So, it’s just a matter of getting it right. I think bicameralism is fantastic. But in the case of Nigeria, we have a lot of issues because the expenditure on that is too much, and more so, we have a lot of lawmakers who are redundant.

However, the myriad of problems in Nigeria cannot be ascribed to the government alone, because the people are also part of the huge problems.

Come to think of it, what do you say about the trader who removes two bowls of rice from the bag, repackages it, and sells as a ‘full’ bag and in turn he is complaining about the wickedness in Nigeria. The lecturer who insists on sex for a young girl to pass is complaining about the rot in Nigeria. The Pastor who pays his driver 15K in Lagos or Abuja while his son schools in the USA is complaining about the hopelessness in Nigeria.  The Mallam (Local Islamic school teachers) who sends other people’s children to go and beg in the name of Almajiri and bring the money to him on oath so that he will take care of his family while the Almajiri’s are looking like slaves is complaining that Nigerian leaders don’t know God. The civil servant who comes to work once a week and shows up at the end of the month to receive full salary and kickbacks is complaining about politicians who do nothing. The student who spends the whole weekend at the party after party only to start posting Instagram pictures on Monday is complaining that Nigeria is stealing his/her dreams.

The “VIP driver” who can’t join a simple queue but keeps overlapping in and out of traffic to shunt is complaining about disorderliness in Nigeria. Medical doctors in public and teaching hospitals on the government payroll who abandon patients on the floor but are thriving in their private hospitals are complaining that Nigeria is hopeless. The officer who sees ‘roger’ as his/her birth right and keeps on complaining that our leaders are evil and therefore Nigeria is doomed.  The members who divert the money and property of their organisation for personal use is complaining about bad leadership in Nigeria.

Until we realize that the value of Nigeria today is the average of our values, we will keep fooling ourselves.

You claim to be obidient/atikulated/bolanized, yet you cheat, defraud or tell lies against your neighbour. We are all architects of our social and economic development woes. Stop the blame game. CHANGE begins with YOU. Our attitudes and unpatriotic behaviours should stop. BE the CHANGE you want to SEE!!!

God Bless Nigeria!!!