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Nigerians Under Siege: Re-thinking Exit Strategy By Murtala S. Sagagi Ph.D.
Department of Business Administration Bayero University, Kano Nigeria.
He who cannot change the very fabric of his thoughts will never be able to change reality, and will never, therefore, make any progress. Anwar Sadat
The difference between what we are doing and what are capable of doing would solve most of the world’s problem. Mahatma Ghandi
Background At present, Nigerian politicians are preoccupied with 2007 election quagmire. The irony is that the current political debate is focused on where the next president would emerge from and which of the ex- rulers would be recycled. It is also evident that the current leadership is reluctant to let go power. Amidst confusion and rancour, the real problems bedeviling the electorate simply go unnoticed. Over the years, Nigerians have endured hardships of various sorts to the extent that they developed powerful theories which imply that the future is even gloomier. Many believe only divine intervention could bring the desired change. The fact is, Nigeria mainly suffers from the inability of its leaders to see the problems and resolve them at the different level of thinking. The thrust of the matter is that in the last 20 years Nigerian leaders have very much played the same old game. They believed Ronald Regan/Margaret Thatcher-style deregulation and privatization was enough to achieve economic growth and improve living standards. Although they frequently traveled across the Atlantic Ocean, they failed to recognize that American farmers receive more than $20 billion in subsidies while its airline, steel, pharmaceutical, and other key industries gain from significant concessions and direct government support. In fact, according to Ambassador Rob Portman, US Secretary of commerce, European countries maintain even higher protectionist policies and support to industries that produce the so-called sensitive products than the United States. Unfortunately, Nigerian industries are left on their own with no support and no sound competitiveness or industrial policy. Similarly, the meager savings of the citizens have been systematically and completely eroded by this Administration’s blind pursuit of old fashioned liberal policies which favour increase in energy prices thereby increasing the “Gross Domestic Poverty” in the country. Again, the problems of economic mismanagement and misplaced priorities are yet to be seriously addressed.
So, regardless of where the next political wind blows, changing the course of history is possible when the leadership genuinely pays attention to certain key problems that persistently hold Nigerians hostages in their own country. This paper presents the offshoot of the survey I conducted across the country on problems related to infrastructure/social services, security and business/employment opportunities. The survey also gauged how ordinary Nigerians, regardless of their ethnic and political backgrounds, think about the performance of their elected officials on these issues and the critical changes they expect at grassroots level. The main purpose is to facilitate resolving these problems at different levels of thinking by the present and prospective political leaders. Specifically, the survey covered Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kogi, Enugu, Abia, Anambra and Rivers States as well as the Federal Capital Abuja. Although I have a fair idea of living conditions in western states of Nigeria, this paper may lack vital insights from this important section of the country.
Infrastructure and Social services Many people believe that East Asia developed on the basis of free market system. On the contrary, there is overwhelming evidence which suggests that Asia grew by developing infrastructure that supports the establishment of new industries and the skillful integration of education, training, Research and Development (R&D) policies with industrial policy. Good road networks in particular are vital aspects of development for any country regardless of its state of development. However, Nigeria is one leading oil producer with some of worst road networks in the world. In the North-West of the country, Gusau – Talata Mafara Trunk A road is a central link to Sokoto and Zamfara States. Sadly, the road remains a death trap for decades despite the fact that the contract for its rehabilitation has been awarded twice. The most neglected road in the eastern part of Nigeria is perhaps Owerri-Onitsha road which is not only narrow and dilapidated, but also many of its sections have been washed away by erosion. Between these two extreme parts of the country there are uncountable dangerous pot holes on a number of Trunk A roads which include Etukpa-Enugu, Port Harcourt–Owerri, Funtua-Kwatarkwashi, Kano-Kaduna among others. Among the states surveyed Sokoto and Bauchi states have some of the best intra-state road networks while Enugu state is embarrassingly the worst in that respect. Abia, Anambra, Kogi, Kaduna and Rivers states still have a long way to go in rehabilitating their city roads network especially in populated commercial areas. It may be unfair to suggest that government is doing nothing on road construction and repairs. Trunck A roads around Lokoja (Kogi State), Isiakpo- Elele (Rivers State) and Kaduna - Kano express way are examples of roads undergoing partial repairs. Nevertheless, these repairs are either long overdue or prompted when public out-cry became so loud.
In Nigeria, the problem of power outage needs not be over stressed even in the Capital City. While conducting this survey, I lodged at a hotel at Wuse II (Abuja) where I counted five blackouts in 17 hours. In other states such as Kano and Enugu, some areas stay for a week without electricity. Water supply is even more pathetic. I met some people in remote rural areas drinking from the same ponds used by farm animals. In cities surface tanks and booster engines are the minimum requirement for obtaining water in areas that are lucky to be connected to water lines. Absence of adequate infrastructure and required social amenities means low productivity and high cost of production. This is bad news for a country that is struggling to grow.
Security Crime seems to be on the increase in Nigeria, and police/military road blocks and check points are the realities of the Nigerian highways. A number of foreign investors and expatriates find this prevalence very scary. I observe very few road blocks in the northern states, but police checkpoints are wide spread. The incidences of police extortion of money from commercial motorists were observed around Bungudu Local Government (Zamfara State), Suleja-Abuja, Kaduna-Zuba, Babaldu-Ningi (Bauchi), Obollo-Afor (Kogi) among others. The indiscriminate use of police check points and the use of overwhelming force were observed within cities and high ways in southern states. While observing two check points at Nsukka town, (Enugu State), I witnessed three mobile police officers smashing headlamps and rear lamps of commercial motorcycles belonging to those who defy the usual N20 extortion charge.
Interestingly, Abia and Kano states have taken a lead in making their policing activities more people-oriented and modern. Police officers at Abia State are equipped with police patrol motorcycles and many patrol cars. Since the police are often on the move the incidences of harassment were rarely observed. In Kano, police patrol cars are positioned in volatile and major city areas and often away from main roads. I found these initiatives not only remarkable, but to some degree commensurate to what obtain in developed countries. It is amusing to note however that, at present, a police officer with the rank of Assistant Commissioner earns less than N60, 000 a month. Also, the five military/police barracks I visited at Bauchi, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Kano are in shambles and inapt for a nation that brags to be the Mother of a Continent. As long as security personnel are not adequately equipped and well remunerated, general insecurity would ensue.
Niger Delta states are characterized by high police and military presence. The residents of Port Harcourt city and Isiakpo town both at Rivers State insisted that the ugly situation is a recent phenomenon mainly due to frequent protests by certain groups against lack of opportunities and other basic necessities despite abundant oil reserves in Niger Delta. The resistance is, however, interpreted by the government as a threat rather than an opportunity for dialogue. Last year, Natasha Simpson of ABC Radio (Australia) interviewed Chip Good Year – the CEO PHP Billiton- a large multinational resource based corporation and my humble self on this subject. I argued that Africans deserve more than handouts from resource extraction companies. They must be made to invest in human capital and industrial and technological development of the resource dependent countries. However, Chip Good Year insisted that corporations invest only where shareholder value is maximized. And, this is perhaps the modus-operendi of multinationals. Notwithstanding, the incidences of kick backs and mismanagement of resources, the people of Niger-Delta have a moral right to peacefully agitate for equity and more attention on development projects in their areas.
Employment and Business Opportunities Nigeria is blessed with a talented, resilient and entrepreneurial youth population. Yet, only few youths have the opportunity to receive secondary education or vocational training and only a fraction of the will be gainfully employed in their life time. The fact is there are too few employment and business opportunities to enable people live a meaningful life. In particular, the governments of Enugu, Sokoto, Bauchi and Zamfara have not laid greater emphasis on industrial and business growth. Today, even Kano State is losing its position as the second most industrialized state in the country because a number of its manufacturing companies are either closed down or operating epileptically. The enormous commercial opportunities offered by its railway station and Aminu Kano International airport have for long been neglected and crippled. The sorry situation of manufacturing companies is even worst at Kakuri Industrial Estate in Kaduna State where companies have to grapple with dilapidated infrastructure and multiple taxes.
In general, I observe two rather divergent cultural orientations that characterize the mind-set and actions of the youth in the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria. The cultural values of the South cherish entrepreneurship and economic independence for individuals. And, since opportunities to engage in legitimate ventures are shrinking, the youth often resort to crime, cultism, prostitution and violence. In the North, the society values charity and social cohesion. As the economic condition becomes tougher, the less privileged have developed a multimillion naira ‘begging’ industry. Northern politicians have found this very convenient. They tend to make people dependent by offering them handouts in the name of religion and social services. Critical investments that would make people independent and bono fide tax payers have been relegated to the background.
Youths in Nigeria are exposed to hundreds of television stations, various kinds of magazines and countless websites. Each of these new sources of information and entertainment creates additional pressure on youth to catch-up with those of the rest of the world. In a situation where employment and business opportunities shrink, youth resort to drugs, violence, crime, prostitution and other social vices. In Nigeria, prison seems to be the only system for correcting aberrant youth population. I once organized a football match between my undergraduate students and inmates (mostly youth) in the second largest prison in Kano. The lesson from this interaction suggested that with the right kind of rehabilitation and supports most of the inmate displayed flair for entrepreneurship and many of them exhibited strong desire to succeed. Disappointingly, the Nigerian prisons have almost completely abandon rehabilitation activities due to lack of funds and that government maintains no other rehabilitation centres for those youths who need psychological help necessary for behavioural change. The only available rehabilitation centres are those based on the old thinking usually operated by the local clergy men. They use leg cuffs, beating, mortification and spiritual rituals as their methods. Recently, I invited the Director of one of the rehabilitation institutions in Washington DC to assist in analyzing the relevance of these centres. She was disappointed and queried why the government or other individuals can not utilize local professionals such as counselors, educators, psychiatrists, and psychotherapist to establish a befitting rehabilitation center. A renowned psychiatrist based in Kano corroborated this observation. The Nigerian government would surely be embarrassed in the eyes of the world by one shot of a video footage of conditions in these institutions. But when the world knows how youths are neglected, sympathy would be generated and perhaps International Agencies could help sponsor the first juvenile rehabilitation institution in Nigeria.
Exit strategy Although the problems investigated are not exhaustive, available evidence suggests that the so-called dividend of democracy is chiefly reserved for a limited number of people. Quick exit from the present economic hardship would only be achieved from a fundamental break with the old ways of thinking. Nigerian leadership is presently distracted and confused. The last time I checked, President Obasanjo was blessed with more than 18 billion brain cells with each connected to more than 20,000 others. So processing specific information in different ways that could better the nation within his remaining tenure should not be a problem. However, there are powerful and influential elements in Nigeria who have recently succeeded in making Mr. President to believe he will be irrelevant after 2007.
On the contrary, the ‘signatures’ of leaders last forever when they serve the poor responsibly and selflessly. And, it is the accomplishment not the duration that really matters. Changing the course of history requires successful economic transformation, cultural changes, including the fostering of a new trust in political leadership. Nigeria needs sound competitiveness policy that would be focused on creating new industries and supporting the existing ones. At the grassroots level, there is the need to have an independent agency to advise and monitor new job creations in the country. In essence, economic progress should be measured not by the traditional GDP or per capita income, but by the number of jobs and businesses created, high school enrollments, low mortality rates and low incidences of crimes especially among youths.
The war on corruption needs to be strengthened by making the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) autonomous and integrated. Also their statutory allocation and appointment of key officers should be freed from direct federal control. A new structure should be put in place to coordinate and widen their activities across all tiers of government. Finally, Nigerian workers and entrepreneurs should be encouraged to save and invest by creatively redirecting national wealth to the people. By tapping the brain prowess of the nation and drawing lessons from the same literature that makes Asians global key players, Nigeria could develop a unique endogenous model for growth and development. Alas, American saying goes “if you want to hide knowledge from the black race, put it in books. Blacks don’t read”. Let our leaders dust their bookshelves, learn, think and rethink how to turn around this nation.
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