Naija Political Blog

• Since corruption remains a cancer that is eating away at the destiny of Nigeria and robbing it of its potential to be a great nation, President Goodluck Jonathan should introduce legislation to reform the EFCC and appoint retired General Buhari as the Chairman or someone with similar anti-corruption credential and credibility. Symbolically, this will send a strong message to Nigerians and the international community that the president is serious about attacking the issue of corruption head on.

• Democracy cannot grow or thrive without the rule of law. 13 years after Nigeria returned to democratic rule, the government has failed to introduce reforms to strengthen key institutions of government. According to a recent US State Department report to congress titled: “Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011” While the Nigerian constitution provides for an independent judiciary, Nigerian judiciary remained susceptible to pressure from the executive and the legislature branches, and the business sector. In addition, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the country’s anti-corruption body of which the report also noted that since 2005, the EFCC prosecuted 26 nationally prominent public officials and recovered N1.7 trillion ($10.5 billion). “It however noted that only four of these officials – former Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun, former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former Edo State Governor Lucky Igbinedion, and PDP chieftain and former Nigerian Ports Authority chairman Olabode George – were convicted, while the courts granted bail to all the others.” To this end, the Nigerian government should institute reforms to strengthen the judiciary to make it more independent otherwise; true democracy will continue to elude Nigeria. The judiciary is a critical institution in a democracy. It should be allowed to play its constitutional role of checks and balances between the Executive and Legislative branches and not one to be intimidated and abused by the other branches of government for their selfish aims.

• The National Assembly should carry out its investigative and oversight responsibilities in a democracy by introducing legislation to reform the Nigerian Police Force and make it a professional law enforcing organization with proper training, adequate compensation and
other amenities. This will make it a credible crime fighting organization and not one that colludes with armed robbers and kidnappers.

• The President working with the National Assembly should introduce a safety net program or social insurance program that would provide a stipend for the millions of students who graduate from Nigerian Universities and Polytechnics and remain unemployed 6 months after completing their National Youth Service. This should also apply to other unemployed youths. This has the potential of reducing the scourge of rampant kidnapping and other criminal activities in which youths are driven to out of desperation.

• The Federal government can also create micro lending institutions around the country. These institutions would be created to provide small loans to potential entrepreneurs. For example, loans can be given to people looking to start a small business; it could give loans to people interested in buying motorcycle to be used as “okada” or tricycle known as “mauruwa” both of which are modes of public transportation used to augment the grossly inadequate public transportation system in the country. Loans can also be given to university or polytechnic graduates with backgrounds in computer technology who are interested in opening internet café or engaging in growing the social media platforms in Nigeria. This will spur entrepreneurship while also addressing the issue of youth unemployment.

• The Federal Government should fix all the refineries and put an end to the importation of gasoline. It must develop the will to break the back of the cabal that is benefiting from the importation of gasoline and other petroleum products. This will save the country billions of naira that could be used for various projects such as revamping the ailing electrical infrastructure, making massive road construction and repairs, improve the transportation infrastructure, water purification and others. These projects will invariably spur the economy and create employment for the over 20 % of Nigerians who are unemployed.

• The World Health Organization estimates that thousands of people die each day in Nigeria from illnesses related to unsafe water. It is unacceptable that in 2012, people should be dying of cholera, dysentery and typhoid fever for drinking contaminated water. The government should make this a top priority.

• The Nigerian government is bloated, overblown and wasteful in the face of incredible poverty amongst the populace. The three branches of government namely the federal government, the national assembly and the judiciary should share in the sacrifice by “tightening their belt.” For example, members of the National Assembly who lose reelection should be forced to give up government apartment, government cars and other properties they received from the government upon assuming office. It is just unbelievable that these politicians are allowed to keep government properties when they leave office. This is common practice amongst government officials in Nigeria.

• Why do government officials travel abroad with so many aides? Do they need to attend so many conferences abroad? Some of these conferences can be arranged locally thereby saving government money in air travel, hotel accommodation and other expenses. Government officials have been known to use these travels as a ploy for siphoning money into private bank accounts abroad.

• The government should abolish the policy of paying for government officials to travel abroad for medical check-up every year and to be flown abroad when they become ill. The government should instead embark on the rehabilitation and upgrading of federal hospitals to meet international standards so that these officials can receive medical care and treatment in Nigeria. This will save government a lot of money.

• While the federal government is commended for trying to curtail the abuses in the oil sector which has been described as the epicenter of waste and corruption in the Nigerian economy, it must do more to bring members of these cartel to justice. It should be noted that the federal government is losing billions of naira everyday due to the criminal activities of these individuals. The cartel has been solely responsible for the sabotage in efforts by the federal government to rebuild the refineries. They are sometimes described as more powerful that the Nigerian government.
• The federal government should also rain in the cartel that benefit from the importation of electric generators into the country. This cartel has also been responsible for sabotaging government efforts to rehabilitate the electricity sector.