WE have not been able to tap the huge resources and utilize them because of greed, love for materialism and quest for wealth…Unless Nigeria retraces its steps and take the right steps very soon, the system will collapse”. These were the words of Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday July 26, in Niger State’s capital city. The occasion was the opening of the 4th National Diaspora Conference, in Minna, where the President was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed. The message becomes more poignant as we approach the fiftieth anniversary (the golden jubilee!), on October 1, this year, of our Independence from the British colonial rule.
The President’s dire warning brings to mind similar cautions and remarks, a few years back, first by the United States Government, about the possibility of this country becoming a failed state within fifteen years from 2005, and secondly, our inclusion on the list of states that might break up sooner or later by reason of their refusal to do the right thing. It is appalling that fifty years after political freedom, the Nigerian nation-space remains a mono-cultural economy, still relying solely on income from oil, which we are now unable to refine, even though we have four (redundant) refineries. Fifty years on, we hold the singular record for being the only oil-producing country in the world which imports finished petroleum products. It is sadder when one considers a country like Singapore, which produces no oil whatsoever, but has invested in multiple refineries as a way of shoring up their relevance and revenue.
Nigeria consists of 36 states and a Federal Capital Territory; every one of those States has resources it can harness to reduce reliance on the “no-hassle” monthly sharing of oil money. The overwhelming majority of the States never bother to tap the resources within their borders, and, which is a pity, the proceeds from the oil wealth go into private pockets, the pockets of elected and un-elected office holders. No State makes any effort to become financially independent of the centre, in spite of scary statistics of the ordinary Nigerian living on less than one dollar a day. We recall, with agonizing nostalgia, the cocoa in the West, the groundnut pyramids in the North, rubber plantations/palm oil from the Mid-West and the coal/palm oil from the Eastern Region, proceeds from which were used judiciously then to develop the various Regions. Since Independence, particularly since the end of the Civil War, the situation has changed: corruption now holds sway. Today, at the end of every month, when sharing has taken place, there is noticeable movement of large sums of money out of the country. It is sad that Governors have no discretion to exercise in terms of using resources that come naturally within their boundaries. How facile is the act of governance made to look like when State Governors merely wait till the end of every month to collect cheques from the Federation Account, in Abuja!
The President was also right when he said, on the same occasion, that “It is quite obvious that all sectors of the economy would require rapid developmental changes if we are to attain our target of becoming one of the 20 most industrialized nations in the world in the year 2020”. In this regard, the World Bank had also warned that Nigeria should diversify her economy. A nation without industries and industrialization cannot and will never be among the top 20 economies of the world, in 2020, 2090 or after. We produce nothing comparable in terms of price or quality with similar imported products in the market, hampered as we are by an unfriendly economic environment. Even drugs as simple as malaria medicaments, produced by Nigerian pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria, are more expensive than those manufactured abroad. We believe that government officials should divest themselves of all their undeserved perks until they can give the citizens the basic needs of life ─ health, constant energy supply, good roads, quality education, shelter and employment opportunities.
The President should lead in the foregoing directions, and others will follow. He should not expect hapless Nigerians to fall over themselves to pay taxes when they see widespread corruption by elected and selected government officials. We do not believe that any citizen would need to be coerced into paying taxes if he or she could see what government expends its funds on. Lagos State has proved that as a fact. Why should the President blame our reliance on oil money on refusal of citizens to pay taxes? We know that some oil-producing countries either exempt their citizens from tax payment as their benefit from oil wealth or provide free health, education etc. What is our profit in Nigeria?
This seeming attempt to heap blames on ordinary citizens misses the point. Who is to blame if Nigeria deceives herself by feeling comfortable in a situation of non-productivity and compulsive importation? We think the President should concentrate on providing an environment that would be conducive for Nigerians to produce. He must back his rhetoric with REAL action, now. Attracting investors to the country cannot be declared by fiat. One cannot force attraction; people will be attracted by what they see on ground, and not by brainwashing. What has the Federal Government done, for instance, to ease those areas that continually put Nigeria on the list of countries where it is difficult to do business? A situation where an importer must have contact with over 70 desks before his goods can be cleared at the ports, for instance, will not endear us to any serious businessman.
We do not believe anyone can legislate corruption out of any system. The former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, once said that corruption also existed, on a large scale, in developed economies, adding, however, that the developed economies had been able to enforce systems and legislation that made it extremely inconvenient for the fraudulent. When will corrupt people in Nigeria be made to explain the sources of their sudden, non-inherited and stupendous wealth? Why would former United States President, Bill Clinton, be unable to afford a home after two terms as President and a Minister or Assemblyman/woman in Nigeria lives in clover after a four-year tenure?
Yes, Mr. President, “change is a must, the time is up”, but please, let the changes start from the top; let the changes start with you at the top. The last “Honors List” certainly did nothing to dispel the notion that corruption pays!
By Mayowa Micheal Adeleye