Not yet celebration for Nigeria @ 53

Fifty-three years after Independence, Nigerians are still in search of the gains of self-rule, writes CHUX OHAI; with contributions from CHARLES ABAH, SAMUEL AWOYINFA, BUKOLA ADEBAYO, JAYNE AUGOYE and Temitayo Famutimi

Pa Thursday Akpojotor was 15 years old when Nigeria gained independence from Britain on October 1, 1960. Like many other Nigerians that witnessed the historic transition from colonial rule to self-governance, he had great expectations.

Now 68, Akpojotor recalls, “We were very excited that our country had become independent. Everybody was happy and looked forward to a great future. Although some other African countries, such as Ghana, had gained independence before Nigeria, we were confident that we would build a better country.”

At the time, Nigeria was often described as a country gifted with a vast potential. With a population of over 45 million, it was easily the most populous country in Africa. It had the trappings of a great country in the making: an emerging and skilled middle class, an efficient civil service nourished on British standards, abundant natural resources and more.

The discovery of oil in Oloibiri in present-day Bayelsa State further strengthened Nigeria’s chances of becoming a very prosperous country. Fired by the speech delivered by the then Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, on Independence Day, Nigerians felt encouraged to give their best to the new nation.

“We are called upon immediately to show that our claims to responsible government are well-founded, and having been accepted as an independent state we must at once play an active part in maintaining the peace of the world and in preserving civilisation. I promise you, we shall not fail for want of determination,” Balewa had said, beckoning on all Nigerians to join in the arduous task of nation-building.

Unfortunately, 53 years after, it appears that the journey to effective statehood is hardly leading anywhere.

•A troubled polity

Nigeria’s political history, which began with the amalgamation of the North and South Protectorates in 1914 and finally resulted in the birth of the Fourth Republic in 1999, is fraught with changes and problems.

Although the amalgamation was a defining point in the country’s history, eminent Nigerians believe that it is largely responsible for its present complexity. Like most democracies, Nigeria has passed through some phases in its political development. Problems associated with its attempts at drawing a perfect constitution have often reared their heads at every turn and subsequently led to more complications.

In spite of this flaw, Nigeria has continued to maintain the principle of the Rule of Law, as well as a written constitution as the supreme law of the country.

But it seems that controversies surrounding the sharing of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary; the role of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the limits of its powers; and the operation of the party system in its current form have remained persistent, often resulting in disagreements or outright physical face-offs among the leaders.

Also, a lingering minority question, which is responsible for the adoption of the principle of Federal Character and creation of states and local governments, as well as attempts at constitution amendments, in the past, is still at the root of political and constitutional problems in the country.

•Corruption

A British political historian, Robert Tignor, once described corruption in Nigeria as the most important obstacle to its economic development and political integration.

Noting that no country in Africa has devoted more attention and energy to continuing allegations of corruption than Nigeria, he said subsequent governments of the federation (military or civilian) have made charges of corrupt practices against their predecessors and promised changes.

Tignor could not have been more correct. In spite of the ongoing campaign to rid the country of the corruption, the vice has remained a recurring decimal and every Nigerian government till date has been accused of indulging in or encouraging corrupt practices.

There is increasing evidence that corruption permeates most departments of the society, including the police, judiciary, legislature and civil service.

Also, anti-graft agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission have come under attack from the people for what is perceived as their lacklustre approach to the fight against corruption.

But with the conviction of James Ibori and Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former governors of Delta and Bayelsa states, respectively; a Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Bode George, and a director in the Police Pension Office, Yakubu Yusuf, there is an indication that the war against fraud is not totally a lost one.

•Fear within: Insecurity

Before Independence, Nigerians enjoyed relative security in every part of the country. The crime rate was generally low as most people were contented with what they had. Security personnel were disciplined and committed to the task of maintaining law and order.

In those days, armed robbery was very rare and most people were not afraid of walking at night. But all that changed after the Nigeria Civil War.

Investigation shows that the war, which lasted three years and resulted in the death of about one million people, ushered in a frightening dimension in crime.

Nowadays, robbery attacks and kidnapping are not only common, they are increasingly becoming sophisticated.

Perhaps the worst threat to security in the country lies in the activities of violent militant groups, such as the Boko Haram. Often described as faceless and lacking a real purpose, the Islamic sect has claimed responsibility for thousands of deaths through suicide bombings and armed attacks across Northern Nigeria in the last four years.

Many Nigerians blame the rise in the sect’s activities on the initial delay on the part of the Federal Government to deal decisively with it from the outset.

•Poverty amid plenty

For many Nigerians still battling to survive the prevailing harsh economic climate, there may be little or no celebration on Tuesday, October 1, 2013. Certainly not with 80 per cent of university graduates still unemployed and about 70 per cent of Nigerians currently living under the poverty line.

In the last two years, the nation’s appetite for borrowing to finance critical development projects has increased to $13.91bn.

The country’s domestic debt figures have swollen to over N6trn, in spite of being serviced at high interest rates. Consequently, resources that should have been channelled into other pressing demands are committed to debt payments.

It becomes a lot more worrisome, as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, and coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, recently revealed that the country’s debt profile is on the rise again.

Economic experts have described this trend as alarming. The huge debt, they say, is mainly for consumption rather than productive purposes.

According to them, between politicians and public sector workers, 70 per cent of government expenditure goes to about less than five per cent of the population

In what could easily pass for cheering news in the midst of sadness, the former Minister of National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman, recently announced that the country’s Gross Domestic Product ranking globally has moved about eight steps. He said Nigeria, which hitherto occupied the 44th position in 2010, is now placed in the 36th position.

However, some financial experts say it is ironical, as the improved ranking does not tally with the living standards of most Nigerians.

The General Manager, True Bond Microfinance Bank, Mr. Wole Olowu, notes that the living standard of Nigerians is not at par with the macroeconomics indices of the country.

He says, “The problem that we are seeing in Nigeria today is a big paradox. On the one hand, we have very robust macroeconomics numbers in terms of inflation, foreign exchange stability, growth in GDP, etc.

“But on the other hand, we have high unemployment rate; increase in the number of people who live below the poverty line, while interest rate is very high.”

•Moribund education sector

Although pockets of growth have been recorded in the education sector, there is no cause for celebrations yet. The sector, no doubt, has had a very bumpy ride these past decades.

Poor funding, policy somersault, endless industrial action, poor state of facilities, fallen school enrolement, particularly the staggering 10.4 million children that are currently out of school, to mention a few, are pointers to the challenges facing the sector.

Regarding funding, for instance, analysts insist that subsequent annual budgetary allocations for education have often failed to meet the 26 per cent target recommended by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation. The best the FG has given to the sector, they say, is 13 per cent.

Stakeholders also point to the frequent policy changes. From the 6-5-4 education policy, to 6-3-3-4 and now the 1-6-3-3-4 policy; and the cancellation of the First School Leaving Certificate Examination are among the several policy flip-flops.

Despite these flaws, observers still refer to areas of improvement in the sector. They point to the increased number of schools from primary to the university level. For instance, they note that from the less than three tertiary institutions at independence, the country today has over 125 universities. They also point at the liberalisation of the industry in relation to private sector participation.

But, a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr. Fidelis Okoro, who assessed the journey so far, blames the rot on poor funding by the government.

“The decline in the system in the past 53 years was gradual. But the end is not in sight yet. As long as the government of a developing country like ours needs to be reminded that education is important for the growth of a nation, there will be no amelioration of the country’s loss of bearing, academically,” he says.

Again, the sector more than any other, has witnessed innumerable industrial actions. From the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, it has been singsong of disputations bordering on poor welfare package, dearth of infrastructure, and poor funding, among others.

•No viable power supply

The power sector remains one of the most controversial in the country. It has attracted much interest due to its strategic nature. It is one sector that has gulped billion of dollars, without commensurate electricity supply. Moved by the level of neglect and infrastructural decay, former President Olusegun Obasanjo initiated the process of revamping the sector by enacting the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005, which was geared towards privatisation.

Not only did the National Electric Power Authority change its name to Power Holding Company of Nigeria, the process of unbundling entities under PHCN began. The process was inherited by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. He was committed to revamping the power sector but he didn’t live to actualise it.

Between 1999 and 2007, $16bn was reportedly spent on the sector. The probe panel set up by the House of Representatives to investigate the projects awarded under the National Independent Power Plants revealed how some contractors simply got mobilisation fees and refused to work.

In an attempt to see the nation’s power sector improve, President Goodluck Jonathan has been pursuing the privatisation agenda, while many IPP projects scattered across the country remain abandoned.

In August, the unbundling of entities under the PHCN recorded a measure of success, with 13 out of the 15 bidders for the power generation and distribution companies paying 75 per cent of the transaction value for the electricity assets. An estimated $1.957bn was reportedly paid to the Federal Government through the Bureau of Public Enterprise.

The completion of payment entitles the preferred bidders to take full possession of the PHCN unbundled entities (10 distribution companies and five generation companies).

As cheering as this may be, the over 6,000 megawatts that were achieved under Obasanjo have gone with the winds. The highest ever achieved under Jonathan has been fluctuating between a little over 3,000 and 2,628.6MW. The power generation dropped to that level in August, and the Minister of Power, through a statement by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Ms. Kande Daniel, said the drop was caused by severe leaks in the supply of gas to some strategic power plants.

Apart from the challenge of insufficient gas supply, issues relating to the payment of severance package of PHCN workers affected by privatisation have yet to be fully settled.

•Bad roads everywhere

So far, the transport sector has not witnessed any radical changes since 1960. Although most Nigerians travel by road internally, a significant proportion of the roads are still in deplorable condition.

The roads are so bad that many people have been forced to question what happened to over N300bn reportedly spent by the FG on construction and rehabilitation of roads during the Obasanjo administration.

And though the contract for the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been awarded to two firms, Julius Berger Plc and RCC Nigeria Limited, since July, at the time of filing this report, only palliative measures are being introduced. Similarly, the nation has yet to upgrade the old narrow-gauge railway system to standard gauge; while other countries have embraced the electronic rail system.

Even with a few routes restored, the railway system is still in the doldrums.

There is not much to cheer in the aviation sector, while passenger safety is still questionable. Power outages are still frequent in many of the nation’s airports.

Although the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, says the government is committed to improving the standards, many Nigerians have their doubts.

•Chaotic health care system

The health care system has had more hiccups in recent times than ever. The National Health Bill has been stuck in the National Assembly for over five years and still counting.

Also, only 5.5 million of an estimated 160 million Nigerians are covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme. Stakeholders opine that this lacklustre attitude of the government towards the sector is the reason why Nigeria records one of the worst health indices in Africa.

Apart from that, available data points to the fact that the country has the highest population of babies born with HIV/AIDS. According to the United Nations Aids Report, which was released in June 2013, it is among the five countries in the world with the highest rates of infections.

Nigeria is the only country in Africa that has yet to eradicate polio. Even smaller countries like Liberia and war-torn Somalia and Mali have successfully banished polio infections from their population.

In spite of huge financial support and initiatives from within and abroad, Nigeria is the second country in the world after India where maternal and infant mortality is highest. In a survey conducted by the World Health Organisation, which involved over 178 countries this year, Nigeria tops the list of countries with the worst health care systems.

While other governments are doing all they can to retain and satisfy their medical workforce, the peculiar situation in the country keeps driving qualified Nigerians to work in places like India, Israel and Sudan, where juicy packages await them.

Summing up the situation, the National President, Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, says Nigeria is currently operating a chaotic health care system.

He says, “Nigerians cannot hold their government accountable for any matter concerning their health. The National Health Bill that should ensure that they have access to basic health care has yet to be passed into law.

“More than 90 per cent of Nigerians still pay out of pockets for health care. It means that good care is only available for the rich. The welfare of Nigerians seems to be the last thing on the government’s agenda.”

•Welcome GSM

The liberalisation of the telecommunications sector during the first term of Obasanjo in 1999 marked a paradigm shift from the era of the monopoly of NITEL as the national carrier. The opening up of the sector led to the granting of licences to private companies to provide services such as voice calls, Short Message Services, Multimedia Message Services, mobile internet services, fixed wireless telephony, etc.

Apart from meeting the need for basic telecommunication, the revolution in the sector has gone a long way in facilitating other economic activities.

In spite of these gains, though, a cross section of Nigerians still say they have yet to enjoy real value for their money, in terms of services being rendered by the telecoms firms.

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