Happy New Year people….
Nigeria's ongoing
democracy has birthed a new mindset that tolerates opacity and non-accountability
in governance. The mentality is "at least the government is working” so no
questions should be asked. This outlook is a consequence of years of military
rule, where military governments with the exception of a few developed the
states they ruled. 1999-till date has produced governors and presidents- some
military apologists, some selected, some by accident and others by pity. These
rulers emerged with no plans on how to govern and a lack of direction that has
created policies that adversely affect the people. Examples include, ill timed
increases in fuel prices between 2000 to 2012, the Odi massacre, policy
reversals- e.g civil service monetization, the removal of fuel subsidy in 2012
without putting in place cushions and the new automotive policy. This lack of focus
also causes leaders to throw money at problems rather than address their root
cause. An example is the Niger-Delta Amnesty programme that has rewarded
impunity and created the sense of entitlement in
supposed ex-militants.
A few roads are
commissioned, new hospitals are built, publicity is generated in the media and
that governor is doing well. A governor buys roasted plantains from the street
hawker, acts like an emergency victim, sacks hospital staff, appears populist
and he is working!
Yet this
"work" does not translate into better lives for you and me. We are
accustomed to government's non-performance that we excessively praise those who
do what they are elected for without considering the costs. This begs the
question of how to identify an impactful government. 7 point agendas would mean much if the
government drilled down to what it entails.
Is this government
is working? How?
It is obvious that
"government is working" is driven by perception. Lagos State is a
case in point. To some residents, the current government is the best thing that
has happened to Lagos State while to others, the government is elitist and the
cost of transformation is exorbitant. Projects costs, financing and payback for
these projects are shrouded in secrecy causing speculations on the true
cost-benefit of these projects. In addition to this are communities such as
Ayobo and Ajegunle almost neglected by the government.
Is a government
working if a N2 billion road is constructed for 5 billion? Is it working if new
and imported equipment for the State hospital break down after 3 months? Is it
working if the roads constructed by the Local government fall into disrepair in
1 month? Is it working if unemployed youths are dashed N10, 000 every month?
Let's get granular
here. What standards should define a government that works? Other climes such
as the US & UK have been able to create benchmarks for their local government. To catch
up with other continents especially Asia, provision of services and formulation
of policies that enable citizens be their best is key. Infrastructure and
development have to become a given. I have met students who cannot use a computer
and some who think that all that the Internet is meant for is entertainment.
These are the students that would compete with contemporaries from Asia,
Europe and America who already create apps. The world has become knowledge
based while we still argue on how flawed our systems are and engage in hand
wringing. The inaction by governments at all levels has created a cycle of “blame
government, do not think, find ways to cut the system, survive, die etc.” attitude.
A working
government:
Identifies the
needs of the people through town halls meetings, participatory budgeting `
openness and tailors its programmes to meet those needs. A performing
government should create goals and priorities as determined by the people. As
strange as it may appear, Kano state may be on to something with its sponsoring of marriages within the State.
A simple process
would be:
Goal: Attract
investors
Actions: Create
industrial areas; give reasonable tax concessions, Public-Private
Partnership
Measures: No 5
rank in Cost of doing business, seamless registration and establishment of
business, clear expectations and profits on government and business sides on
PPP projects
Outcome: Increase
in revenue by 70% in year 4
Goal: Well-grounded
holistic education at primary and secondary school levels
Actions: Teacher
training and retraining, extra-curricular activities to develop students use of
ICT as a teaching tool, rigorous curriculum.
Measures: 80%
teacher quality, quality of exhibitions and results at impromptu inter-school
competitions, ranking in world educational rankings
Outcome: 15% drop
out rate, 80% pass rate into secondary schools, universities and technical
colleges
Let us examine “Ranka
dede” State. The state with a population of 10 million has 20 local government
areas, 10,000 hectares of land, 7000 kilometers of unpaved roads, no public
transportation system, 100 secondary and primary schools, 4 general hospitals
and 60 health centers. The Federal allocation to the state is NGN 20 billion
monthly and the state internally generated revenue (IGR) is 19 billion monthly.
5 billion is spent on salaries and other personnel costs. 500,000 pupils are
currently in primary school and 700,000 in secondary school. The state has a
primary school drop out rate of 40% and Secondary education drop out rate of
45%. A new governor is elected in 2015 and his focus is to develop the
state by focusing on health and education.
We can
unambiguously say the government has performed if:
1) 5000 km of the
unpaved roads are fixed and maintained at true uninflected costs. First, the
process of bidding and awarding the contracts for construction is fair and
transparent and the process is available for those who wish to access it
2) Drop out rates
are drastically reduced to 7-10% and SSCE pass rates are at 80%
4) Processes
around setting up and running SMEs is not inhibitive
5) Access to
government information
6) Organized &
functioning public transportation system is deployed; private companies can
operate taxis and the government can run a bus transit system or monitor a
private organization to run such a system. If required additional means of
transportation such as rail and motorways can be embarked upon.
7) Reduced crime
rates and security of lives and property measured by the sense of safety
residents feel
Conclusion
A performing
government is lean (in terms of cost), increases transparency, plugs waste in the
system and creates an enabling environment (through its policies) for the
non-public sector to thrive. It creates values for citizens such that they do
not have to rely on the government for survival or view it as the main means of
survival for them. The government is not the lord that rewards those who are
loyal to it and promotes mediocrity. Governments exist to create measurable
value in the lives of all citizens.
Deuces
