A Letter To The Next President Of The Federal Republic Of Nigeria
Nigeria is known to be a very resourceful country. She abounds in human, natural and capital resources. However, these resources have had little effect in the growth and development of the Nigerian economy due to underutilization and poor management. The basic desire of every Nigerian is food, shelter, good healthcare, adequate electricity, good roads, good education and a decent standard of living. Sadly, the Federal government over the years has not been able to provide these needs and these problems have remained unsolved. The country presently battles with an economic crisis coupled with insecurity, a poor educational system, lack of national integration and endemic corruption. Below are some insights to the issues raised and their solutions.
A. Economic Concerns and Solutions
Over the past few years, Nigeria has been enmeshed in an economic crisis. Fiscal wise, the economy has taken a down turn due to the country’s rising debts. According to Nairametrics, Nigeria’s debt service to revenue ratio rose to 81% in the fourth quarter of 2022 which means that the country spends N80 out of every N100 it earns to service debts. In the long run, this is unsustainable because the government has to borrow to augment the little revenue left after debt servicing in order to fund other expenditures (payments and projects).
The country also faces the problem of inflation, poverty and high unemployment. Due to high inflation, there has been an increase in the prices of goods and services over the years and this has reduced purchasing power drastically. The Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria has developed different means of tackling the issue of rising inflation by raising interest rates, increasing the cash reserve ratio of commercial banks and reducing money supply by introducing a cashless policy. Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria decided to redesign the currency in order to control the currency in circulation amongst many other reasons. However, inflation has continued to rise despite the various measures put in place. To improve the economy of the country, the next president alongside his economic team need to:
1. Increase economic production and reduce cost where necessary. The country needs to boost productivity to tackle the challenge of inflation and an increasing exchange rate and ensure frugality of resources.
2. Address over bloated figures in the country’s annual budget and elephant projects that do not strengthen the country’s economic production capacities so as to minimize waste.
3. Remove the subsidy on fuel and ensure that the money is diverted to better the welfare of the people and increase investments that will generate substantial revenue for the country.
4. Develop incentives to attract foreign direct investments into the country and ensure a well playing field for the private sector to thrive.
5. Ensure that the Central Bank is an independent organization devoid of influence from government officials and the President himself.
6. Reduce food inflation by tackling the ongoing insecurity, which has affected the production of food, subsequently increasing food prices.
B. Security Concerns and Solutions
Over the past one decade, Insecurity has eaten deep into the country’s system. Terrorists and bandits have ravaged several parts of the Northeast while the North central battles with the farmer-herder’s crisis. Groups agitating for separation from Nigeria have plagued the Southeast with violence for over a year while the Southwest, which was considered safe in previous years, has now seen an occurrence of kidnappings and attacks on its highway, which has resulted in a number of missing persons being announced on social media. These issues in various parts of the country have made it difficult for citizens to sleep with their two eyes closed.
Many Nigerians now avoid highway travel due to the incessant number of attacks on travelers of major highways in the country. The railway has not been left out of attacks by bandits. Last year, the Abuja-Kaduna train was attacked with many killed and scores kidnapped. Air travel, which is now the safest, is considered too expensive for the average Nigerian. In addition, gunmen attacked the Kuje prison in Abuja in July 2022 and until today, there has not been any probe or consequence for that atrocious act. Therefore, to improve the security of the country, the next president should:
1. Reform the nation’s security architecture by devolving the country’s security system to accommodate state and community policing. For a country of over 200 million people, there needs to be more effective policing where state governors and local government chair(wo)men can be in control of the security outfits of their respective states and localities. This will help in intelligence gathering by local vigilantes especially in prone and remote areas.
2. Ensure that heads of security agencies are held accountable for any attack on citizens of the country. Previous governments have allowed urgent matters on threat to national security pass on without probe and this has not helped to improve the security situation of the country.
3. Adapt the use of technology in the drive to fight insecurity by employing digital technologies such as CCTVs and drones in urban and rural areas.
4. Ensure dialogue with separatists and agitators to hear and identify with their grievances and deal with the issues raised to avoid a further re-occurrence.
C. Educational Concerns and Solutions
Over the years, the federal government has not paid quality attention to the educational system of this country and this is evident by the number of incessant strikes by the universities and their unions. In the last 3 years from 2020–2023, many Nigerian students have lost at least 17 months due to strike actions and this has caused a dysfunction in the running of federal universities across the country as many students now seek to attend private universities or travel abroad. To improve educational system of the country, the next President should:
1. Ensure quality dialogue between university unions and the federal government (which will include the ministry of education) so as to hear the grievances of the lecturers and address their concerns adequately.
2. Ensure that universities remain autonomous and are devoid of interference from government agencies.
3. Ensure improved funding of the educational system in the country to allow for access to state of the art equipment and facilities by students.
4. Create an agency to check the transparency of funds by universities and their unions and involve the anti-corruption agencies if found guilty of lack of transparency.
D. National Integration Concerns and Solutions
More than ever before, Nigeria is divided on tribal, ethnic and religious lines. This is not farfetched as there have been concerns on various issues such as: same faith ticket, a rotational presidency between north and south, lopsided appointments by previous governments, separatists agitations, ethnic violence amongst various communities and even disagreements on social media. For Nigeria to be prosperous, national unity and integration is very important, as every citizen needs to be his or her brother’s keeper. To improve the unity of the country, the next president needs to
1. Ensure that political appointments are equally distributed along all geo-political lines and religious groups.
2. Ensure that hate speech or statements attacking tribe, ethnicity and religion are dealt with and the offenders made to face the full course of the law.
3. Keep the National Youth Service Corps program active.
4. Emphasize the need for national unity in nationwide broadcasts.
E. Corruption Concerns and Solutions
Over the years, corruption has plagued Nigeria’s public office system. It has become a menace despite the creation of anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC and the ICPC. Corruption in the country has ranged from over bloating of budget figures, bribery, contract frauds, embezzlement of state funds and even ghost working. To address the endemic of corruption in the country, the next president needs to
1. Set an example of transparency by ensuring public declaration of assets before and after office.
2. Embark on a public transparency record of projects cost by government officials at all levels.
3. Reward acts of honesty by citizens and government officials by giving them National honours or awards.
4. Restructure the anti-corruption agencies to fight corruption without bias from the top to bottom level.
Conclusion
The work of the next President is definitely not an easy task and anyone who will be elected into the office in a few months’ time knows the magnitude of work ahead. Since the buck stops at his table, the next President will need to rid himself and those around him of personal or shared interests and most importantly, must be willing to take strong and uncommon decisions in order to solve the problems facing the country.
This article was written and submitted on the 4th of February, 2023 for the Civic Hive #Roadto2023 essay competition but was not selected for the final stage.
