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The Relationship Between Poverty And Good Governance By Suleiman Haruna I read with total support the article titled An Explanation for 3rd World Poverty by Walter Williams in Nigeria's The Punch Newspaper of August 28, 2006 (p16) In the short but trite summation on all the variables associated with poverty, Mr. Williams drew attention to its inevitable panacea which include respect for the rule of law, better human rights protections, independent judiciary, limited government and infrastructure for basic transportation, communication, water and electricity. The writer also condemned the practice of receiving foreign aid as ‘it allows corrupt leaders to buy military equipment, pay off cronies and continue to oppress their citizens. These funds also provide fat retirement accounts for these leaders.’ The writer has spoken for some of us that have found interest in the subject of poverty. It is evidently syllogism that a government that does not respect the rule of law will be arbitrary in its actions, and an arbitrary government cannot keep promises, even those sworn to. An arbitrary government does not have the political will to provide for the welfare of its citizens. This type of government does not see poverty as a problem but as a tool of subjugation, a resource for veritable and ready inflow of thugs, bootlickers and cronies as well as an umbrella for more easily accessible corruption funds. Perhaps one should differentiate between good governance and good government. By Mr. Williams’ expression, good government means a system of limited government, what BPSR would call a trim public services without the encumbrances of redundancy, lethargy and bureaucracy, while good governance as understood by Dr Okonjo-Iweala will imply a process by which well thought out services are produced and delivered to the public promptly and efficiently through a trim budget that is appropriated, implemented, monitored and evaluated by various government Ministries, Departments and Agencies. To many people, this may seem utopian, many other societies have tried it and it has worked. Nigeria is one of these countries. Good governance includes the fight against corruption, Monetization of Fringe Benefits, which has curbed arbitrary spending; Due Process, which has controlled arbitrariness in the award of contracts and the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, which has opened up our eyes to murky happenings in the oil and gas sectors. It is, therefore possible to control poverty through good governance, as this government has preached, practiced and defended. The basis for good governance, which is service delivery, is espoused in the SERVICOM Charter, otherwise known as the Service Compact with all Nigerians. This is expected to manifest in the quality of life of the citizenry, whether urban or rural based. The services that readily affect citizens include development of infrastructure – roads that enable easy and prompt movement of goods; water which provides for better health and hygiene; communication for easier contact; opportunities like cooperatives and some level of mobilization are needed to guide people out of poverty. Education plays a lesser role here as historically it seems to exacerbate rural - urban migration since all the jobs are in the cities. Figures indicate that rural dwellers constitute 70% of Nigeria’s population; 85% of Nigeria’s extreme poor live in rural areas. The poor also constitute 90% of the country’s labour force while their contribution to GDP is 40% (NBS figures, 2005) When I came across the World Banks Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF) document, I realized that Dr. Okonjo Iweala was not operating in a vacuum. But far from the general belief that she was following a scripted blueprint, she was actually adopting a process that has worked for other countries. The CDF is a process by which countries can achieve more effective poverty reduction. It emphasizes the interdependence of the elements of development: Governance, structural, social, economic, environment, and financial. So far, the World Bank has expended millions of Dollars in direct intervention in less developed countries including Nigeria and in the institution and support of control mechanisms that can help in achieving more permanent solutions. Perhaps this support and advice is what some Nigerians see as interference of the bank in our internal business. Glaring challenges before international development agenda like the CDF and the MDG include poor harmonization between institutional and country strategies, policies and procedures as well as limits of country capacity in policy formulation, implementation and monitoring. It remains to be seen how the MDG funds, for example, amounting to N100 billion, will be successfully tracked and monitored in the 2006 FG Budget. Another major challenge is the inability of some countries to properly engage poor and marginalized groups through the establishment of sound participatory practices. That is why in Nigeria, despite the setting aside of N50 billion for farmers, many have not applied. The same goes for various other funds lying idle in various banks without being accessed. Nigeria’s is no longer a path of thorns, but a traveled road. It is only a matter of time before the Promised Land. Suleiman Haruna Code of Conduct Bureau, Abuja, Nigeria. |