SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA: CAUSES AND REMEDY

SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA: CAUSES AND REMEDY.

By Ade Adeola Solomon 

Nigeria is a country of immense strategic and economic significance to Africa and the whole world at large. Nigeria is known as the most populous country in Africa with a population of about 200 million and is endowed with both human and mineral resources.

 Nigeria is one of the largest oil exporting countries in the world. Despite these natural resources, our dear country, Nigeria is still considered to be a poor and impoverished country with a poor Gross Domestic Product. And recession and Poor economic Integration resulted from these challenges.

Nigeria is engulfed with socio-economic problems which have caused poverty and conflict (Inter and intra-tribal ethnic war) in the country. The growth of the country is still hampered by consumptive cultures, weak institutions and unstable characters in political buildings. 

With these enormous natural and human resources, the country ought to be one of the world leading economies but, unfortunately, Nigeria is still entrapped in a web of socio-economic problems because of poor leadership skills, underdevelopment and "we like what we are" character and all these hinder her (Nigeria's) growth. 

For example, During an assignment given to us in a Leadership congress held in Lagos on poverty scale of Nigerians. We later did got findings that  about 60.1 % of Nigeria’s population lives below the poverty line, and most of them have a "poverty of mind" syndrome, which makes them to be wallowing in abject poverty. 

In October 1960, Nigeria gained her independence from Great Britain; and in the almost  Sixty-one years of her independence it has witnessed several conflicts, terrorism, poor governments, poor policies, banditry, and a civil war, arising from deep seated divisions. These conflicts led to the truncation of the first civilian regime by the military in 1966. The country has witnessed six military coups and three democratic governments that I can't say they're pseudo-democratic. Though in Nigeria we don't like reading or listening to the truth.

The challenges to stability in Nigeria can be seen in the political, social and economic dimensions of the society. Poor governance and weak institutions have been an integral part of Nigeria’s experience since independence. And we've not overcome or proffered solutions to these problems or challenges because we live to deceive ourselves. And our Governments always deceive the citizenry. 

In one of our previous research work in a course titled "Nigerian Economy and polity" at Federal University of Technology Owerri reveals that most governments in Africa are faced with difficult economic environments due to inadequate road infrastructure, inefficient ports, severe power outages , imperialistic power, Autocracy, Fraud, and worst of all, endemic corruption in governments.

The frequent changes in Nigeria’s leadership does not allow for continuity in governance and a process of smooth transition to a new government. Since the restoration of pseudo-democracy in May 1999, civilian administrations have had to grapple with numerous socio-economic problems and the attendant social malaise in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment. As common with most of the new states of Africa and other countries, no problem has more fiercely challenged political order in Nigeria than ethno-religious conflicts. And this came up because we don't know how to manage ethnicity. Nepotism reigns in Nigeria!

Our dear Country, Nigeria has lately witnessed some crises with religious undertones in some parts of the Northeast and North-Central Regions. Before the restoration of pseudo-democracy in 1999, the country was largely ruled by people from the North in both the civil and military regimes. However, recent elections have witnessed changes to this trend with the election of two presidents from Southern Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, in 1999 and 2011 respectively.

Northern political dominance in the country seems to be waning and this has led to some religious clashes in areas where the Northern and Southern regions meet like Jos, in Plateau State. Recent bombings and attacks by the Boko Haram radical Islamic group (Sect) in Maiduguri, Jos and Abuja seem to suggest disenfranchisement with the new political transformation in the country. The emergence of Boko Haram may signify the maturation of long-festering extremist impulses that run deep in some states in Northern Nigeria. This may have arisen from decades of failed government projects and elite delinquency, resulting in social chaos and deformity. 

Boko Haram alleges that western values are the corrupting influence in the governance of Nigeria. The group claims to fight injustice and poverty, which appeals to a segment of the uneducated Muslim population of the North. The sect is also disillusioned with the way Sharia law, which was partially introduced in 1999 by some Northern governors, has been implemented, citing double standards and creating animosity.

 They allege that corruption is pervasive in Nigeria and has turned public service into a criminal enterprise. They also claim that political office-holders are corrupt and have denied the masses basic health and education services. Unfortunately, in pursuit of their grievances, Boko Haram has used extremist religious platforms which have terrorist linkages to execute their missions.

Tribalism is another social malaise and sickness (in fact our major disease) in Nigeria which has hampered and affected our economic growth. Tribalism destroys meritocracy, which is a system which rewards people for their achievement, but causing Nepotism. On the contrary, tribalism sometimes promotes mediocrity, which breeds the discontent that leads to ethno-religious tensions and hinders the spirit of nationalism. Meritocracy fosters competitiveness in society and drives people to work hard, which in turn create innovations that rule the world. This tribalism reduces our Technological development!

 The Nigerian political class has not been able to address the problem of tribalism since the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970, maybe due to the lack of political will or differences in political movements. 

 Historically, most Nigerian politicians use tribal sentiments in politicking electoral appointments and offices and find it difficult to depart from the practice since the system created them. 

Over the years, there has been a problem with law enforcement caused by poorly trained and ineffective police forces and slow judicial processes. This has affected both young and old as they don't justly defined by our law enforcers. Our Judges are corrupt. Our security men are corrupt. Nigeria is made of 200 millions Mumu (By Lagbaja; a legendary musician), as nobody in Nigeria is not corrupt or wicked. In some weeks ago, my bank account (sterling Bank account) was hacked and someone (that I know is a poor man or woman) transfered a sum of #74,000 to an unidentified Opay account). This character simply means, in Nigeria, a poor man is wicked as a rich man is wicked too. This led me to be searching for online Article contest or writing competition I'll involve myself in. We're in Nigeria. Poverty runs in our blood.

 

HOW DO WE SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS?

In reality, the fragile political situation in Nigeria constitutes a complex mixture of causes and effects, a syndrome that has proven largely impervious to quick template-driven solutions. There are no fixed solutions for addressing the issue of socio-economic problems in a country as every country has its own peculiarities, and settings keep changing in a complex, volatile and ambiguous environment. 

Good political leadership is highly desired for the stability required to attract the foreign investment that would stimulate the Nigerian economy. The government must sustain this positive development and resist returning to its oligarchic political culture where the winner takes all. The ruling party must work towards having an all inclusive government, with active participation from all regions, to address the socio-economic problems in the country and ensuring good governance. To earn political legitimacy there must be good leadership, transparency and integrity at all levels. The administration must also eschew all forms of corruption as it can quickly ruin the reputation of the government and may create avenues for strife. To maintain a stable and secure environment, the administration must provide an equitable justice system and most of all provide essential services to the populace. The words of General Colin Powell succinctly captures the essence of this point that ―endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved and only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.

The Governments also have to invest more in education. A well informed and educated mind is the best security against contagion of folly and vice. The importance of education to society cannot be over-emphasized as it is important for the formation of character, creativity and intellect. Conversely, a growing uneducated and un- or underemployed population will lead to rising social unrest rather than to economic growth. To address the issue of education in Nigeria, especially in the North, the Governments, most especially the Federal Government of Nigeria must build more schools and make education available to the poor masses that are widely dispersed. 

The performance of the Federal Government of Nigeria in the education sector and the global economy will be important in either dampening down or inflaming ethnically or religious based violent movements in Nigeria.

Also, To address unemployment and kick start the economy, the governments could explore giving subsidies and incentives to investors as a means of attracting investments and creating jobs for the graduates and help in giving loans to those interested in Businesses. 

In order to stimulate the economy, the Governments must also provide basic infrastructure, such as good roads, water, rail transportation and steady power supply, which would facilitate the movement of goods, services and people. In addition, building of these infrastructures also creates jobs. Good infrastructure induces economic activity and opens new markets which are necessary inputs to enhance economic productivity. The development of modern infrastructure and functional public service systems are the keys to Nigeria’s economic development.

The Governments need to make some policy reforms to address the status of settlers and indigenes. The strictures embedded in the policy of indigeneity act as a constraint on both labor mobility and social interactions between communities outside their home states or local government. Settlers and indigenes alike should have equal rights and privileges in the states as long as they pay taxes and contribute meaningfully to the development of the state and abide by state laws. To implement this policy, a national constitutional conference could be organized by the executive, legislative and judiciary arms of government to ensure that all the stake holders including traditional rulers and civil societies are involved in the process. This will address the problems of ethnic exclusiveness and the tensions it creates.

To address the problem of religious bigotry and radicalism, religious leaders must rise to the occasion and dissociate themselves from radical groups who use religion to seek cheap political ends. A program for de-radicalization, similar to the Saudi Arabia developed model, should be adopted by the Federal Government of Nigeria . This may address the issue in the mid to long term. Also, public office holders in all tiers of government should imbibe good institutional stewardship of financial resources, acquisition, and enterprise management to earn public trust. Politicians, and Nigerians as a whole, must jettison primordial tribal and religious sentiments, and embrace good virtues that are built on integrity, trust, collaboration and the inclusiveness of all. This will create the desired atmosphere to reduce religious conflicts in Nigeria.

Introduction of Capacity building should encouraged. Capacity building is the process of creating an environment that fosters institutional development, community participation, human resource development, and strengthening managerial systems. It includes efforts to improve governance capacity, political moderation, and good governance-ethos as well as structure. 

To enhance capacity building and education in Nigeria, the government must improve the infrastructure in the universities to enhance the educational standard and also design a mean of creating employment for graduates.

 In addition, the government has to make education accessible to those in rural areas and the hinterland where schools do not exist. These groups of people are academically disadvantaged. This makes them open to manipulation by unscrupulous politicians and anti-government organizations resulting in violent conflicts which may not be justifiable, as recently demonstrated by the activities of the Boko Haram group.

Conclusively, Institutional reforms in the education, manufacturing, monetary, fiscal, police and judiciary sectors are necessary for the government to succeed. The Governments must also address the issue of poor infrastructure which would stimulate economic development in order to address the socio-economic problems in the country. Institutional checks give credibility to governance. Thus, the system and country must always be first priority in nation building. This doctrine would increase the public trust and legitimacy of the democratic government that we claimed we practice now, and curb socio-economic problems in Nigeria.

Nigeria will grow when Nigerians start growing in minds and in productions! 

ADE ADEOLA SOLOMON,

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY,

OWERRI, IMO STATE.

07040304061

adeolasolomon3@gmail.com