Change That Beggars Belief

The new new Nigerian government was elected on a promise to change the corrupt and self serving government of the past regimes. It was going to sweep out corruption and misadminstration, and clean up the corrupt mess left by the previous government. That promise has proven to be an empty boast. It now appears that the faith placed in the new government by the people of Nigeria was misplaced. There was a delay in appointing ministers. It was hoped that this was to be ensure that the right people were appointed to take forward an agenda for change. It turns out that the delay was just another function of the government's inertia and lack of ideas. The appointees have proven less than impressive. 

The economy that has been left to drift. The ministry of finance tussling with the central bank for control of fiscal policy. This has led to economic stagnation with the foreign exchange market practically imploding. The stock exchange has crashed and then fallen even further. No tangible domestic economic strategy has been outlined. Even corporate taxation hasn't yet been radically reformed. The government presented a disastrous budget to the senate that had to be withdrawn. It so clearly didn't address the economic issues at hand or properly allocate funds to areas of greatest need. The government has been focused on obtaining bridging loans rather than securing investment. Little has been done to diversify the economy and move it from a predominantly services base to a more manufacturing one. 

The minister for services rushed into the breach with a strategy document but failed to do his due diligence or any impact assessments. Lofty ambitions of managing power and developing infrastructure have rapidly been overwhelmed by the need to just keep things running. As it turns out operational continuity has lost out to poor planning and incompetence. Almost every month of this new government has seen fuel shortages. Electricity supply has fallen to new lows. Something that is almost unimaginable given how usually poor it is. 

Law and order in the country seem to be breaking down in a lot of states. Elections in Rivers state recently provoked calls for the imposition of a state of emergency. Fulani herdsmen seem to be rampaging unchecked, laying waste to villages and murdering women and children on a regular basis. Certain elements have started a campaign for a so called 'Biafra state'. This agitation has been tackled in a heavy handed manner. A radio show host arrested, detained and arraigned in court on charges of treason and sedition. More time has been spent briefing about how Boko Haram has been defeated than on actually tackling the terrorist menace itself. 

The government has become increasingly associated with misinformation and spin. Campaign promises have been watered down or at times denied outright. A campaign pledge to offer an allowance to the unemployed was first scorned by the president in a webchat in December and is now being said to have never been made at all. It appears that contrary to President Buhari's declaration that his experience of democracy has changed him from a military dictator; he appears to be increasingly leaning towards a militaristic totalitarian approach to governing. 

A lot of work has gone into probing the huge amount of corruption linked to the previous government. However, this appears to be an excuse for the government's inaction on a whole raft of other areas of public service. To date it appears that tackling corruption is the only policy that government is actually pursuing.

There is no doubt that the previous government left services and the infrastructure of government in a sorry state. However, this was always the task at hand when President Buhari campaigned for election and when he assumed office. Continuously pointing it out has worn thin on the citizenry and shows an element of cluelessness in a government that promised so much and claimed to have the answer to the country's problems. President Buhari is at the helm of an administration that is presiding over an unprecedented level of social and personal difficulties for Nigerians. His credibility, like his approval ratings is at an all time low. He needs to take a step back and come up with a more considered action plan to address all that is currently going wrong in the country. More importantly though, it needs to embody real change and act to reverse the poor performance and perception of the administration. 

Elevation

Heavenly like new born Bambi nuzzling its mother,

Sweet like a freshly opened coconut’s water,

Elegant like a whistling pine,

Sparkling like a new car shine.

Complexly mixed up like the Korean War dress

But gently forceful like an ancient print press.

Perfection may not end with knowing you

But exploring your heart’s depths is revealing and true.

The glint in your eyes hints at thrills to be uncovered, 

Your shyness only feigns being unbothered. 

You're a slight but tasty cocktail 

Like a spicy grilled catfish tail

Your brow may crease and furrow 

But your smile is the key to a brighter tomorrow.

Social Revolution in Nigeria Requires More than Radicalism

For some time now the spectre of unrest amongst the Igbos in Nigeria has been rising. This has now evolved into protests and fervent calls for secession and independence. These are based on actual and perceived acts of discrimination and unfair treatment towards Igbos. This has been combined with a longstanding feeling of outrage at not adequately benefiting from oil wealth generated in the Niger Delta. This has resulted in a wave of resentment at what is seen as marginalisation in social and political life in Nigeria; and a growing desire for more control over the natural resources coming from the Delta. 

There is certainly an argument to be made about a systemic lack of sustainable development in the eastern and southern regions of Nigeria. This coupled with significant environmental damage and a lack of appropriate infrastructure development and maintenance has greatly increased deprivation and poverty in the areas. The previous government's militant 'Amnesty Programme' did not promote sustainable development or properly invest in infrastructure. It turned out to be a less than veiled attempt to divert money to key militant leaders and pacify militant fighters. 

For many years successive Nigerian governments have been negligent and complicit in the exploitation and destruction of the Delta area. It is long overdue that the government puts in place a federal development plan for itself and resident oil companies in the area to jointly fund a long term programme to establish much needed infrastructure, and begin to reverse the extensive damage done. Any plan needs to include the creation of jobs, the development of an integrated transportation system, improving health and wellbeing, and promoting education and training for indigenes. This should be an urgent priority for the federal, state and local governments. 

Those people who are now agitating for change need to recognise that progress can only be made by developing a comprehensive dossier of deprivation in the area, and proposing strategies to make improvements. Even though the prominence of social media means it is possible to instantly reach out to and mobilise vast numbers of people; in order to press for change advocates need to be presenting these concerns through political channels. This can be done through a combination of elected representatives, influential persons or paid lobbyists. The key issue here is they need to articulate a case for change and then get it into the public consciousness through legitimate means. You can't reasonably expect to win support if you don't first win the argument before attempting to win the fight. 

Violent demonstrations and protests are not going to create the right platform for policy change. The likelihood is that in areas where deprivation, poverty and unemployment are rife a lot frustrated people will merely be galvanised into violent dissent. Given the inclination of Nigeria's military and police towards the use of excessive force any clashes are likely to lead to tragic outcomes. If there is one thing Buhari's government of change should address it is how communities are policed. Not only is a radical overhaul of law enforcement needed; there should be concerted effort to move policing away from the use of force against unarmed citizens. 

Nigeria must continue to encourage free speech and debate on issues that affect various communities. It must also respond to regional underdevelopment and environmental damage caused by oil exploitation. But any reparations and compensation must come in the form of capital and community investment and development. People advocating for change must turn away from violence and disorder, and pursue their grievances through available legitimate channels. There is more freedom to be gotten from fair and equal treatment than from agitating for secession. 

Life Expectancy in Nigeria

At 52 years Nigeria has the 17th lowest life expectancy in the world. For a country with a GDP of US$521 billion this is an indictment of governing in the country in colonial times and since independence. With 62% of the country living in poverty it is not hard to see why the health of the people is so poor. However, life expectancy is not just about health and disease. As well as being a measure of health and wellbeing; life expectancy also provides an insight into a country's present and future productivity. It is in seeing it just as a matter of eradicating disease that Nigeria is failing in the huge task it faces in improving life expectancy. 

Low life expectancy in Nigeria can be attributed to the poor state of public healthcare, widespread poverty, unemployment and underemployment, rural underdevelopment, wealth inequalities, government corruption and social deprivation. The stress of living through, and enduring financial and social privations has contributed to a very sparse existence that has created a very inhospitable environment for most Nigerians. In order to reverse this the country needs improved healthcare and a more strategic approach to reducing poverty. 

Improving healthcare will require ensuring free primary care for the poorest in both urban and rural areas. This is needed in addition to the existing health insurance scheme being promoted by the government. It will also require the establishment of country wide health surveillance and protection against common diseases and infections. Providing people with the reassurance of effective and timely healthcare is as important as increasing access to healthcare. In order to do this the needs to rigorous data collection and analysis on health conditions and needs. Information collected will help with targeting resources and commissioning appropriate healthcare provision. 

Poverty reduction will need a coordinated strategy, at federal and state levels, to reduce unemployment, prevent urban drift and increase opportunities for rural development. This will need to be combined with developing an infrastructure for targeted welfare and trading and employment support. Welfare support is needed for those who are most at risk of poverty or out of work. There must be a recognition that academic qualifications alone are not enough to produce a healthy population and fit for purpose workforce. A diverse workforce with a wide variety of skills and abilities is required. 

Life expectancy can only be improved if the overall health of the nation improves and the social and economic conditions for all improve. 

Managing But Not Coping

When Muhammadu Buhari was elected president of Nigeria he swept in on a promise of change and honest government. After, 100 days he seems to be making up a lot of excuses for why things might not change. Contrary to what he might imagine nobody expects change to happen overnight. We understand that in order for things to change; Nigeria and Nigerians need to reform. This type of sea change can only happen over time. 

In order to reform institutions it is important that you engage stakeholders and identity what the problems are. Reform cannot be based on innuendo and conjecture. It needs to be rooted in evidence and tried and tested means. In order to do this a president needs to have a capable and trustworthy team around him. The ability to bring together a strong team is a sign of good leadership. It shows vision and a desire to achieve concrete objectives. Doing so in a timely fashion is essential for good leadership because it gets the ball rolling and frees up the leader to focus on strategy and other areas of concern. 

The task in Nigeria involves not only change but also development and restructuring. There are problems with healthcare, education, unemployment, poverty, transportation, weak manufacturing, security, brain drain, and housing. All these are in addition to corruption, dwindling oil revenues, and inefficiency in bureaucracy. Tackling all these issues will require that the president has a team around him that he can entrust his vision to and rely on. However, it also requires that his team understand his vision and are fully invested in it. For this to happen the team needs to play a part in shaping the vision and developing strategies to take it forward. 

Nigerians are not expecting miracles (regardless of the manifold prayers). But they are hoping for good leadership and guidance. Being given a political mandate should not be seen as a license for autocratic and unilateral rule. To achieve change the president needs the services of not just a cabinet but also 160 million Nigerians. He needs to share his vision and plans with the people, coopt them on his mission, and listen to what they have to say. Only then will he truly make change happen. 

Religion's Moral Failings

Religion is generally considered a system of faith and worship based on a particular set of beliefs and values. These beliefs are expected to direct and guide the thinking and actions of all who believe them. Religion is meant to improve and elevate the consciousness of all who are followers. In other words, they are offered the prospect or reward of a better existence. While it must be acknowledged that not all religious beliefs are ethical; almost all will claim to promote goodness and virtue. 

Following the death of over 700 pilgrims as a result of a stampede during the Hajj this year Saudi Arabia's top religious leader has proclaimed that fatalities were down to fate. This appears to be an attempt to curry favour with the Saudi royal family by absolving them of any blame for the disaster. The repeated deaths of pilgrims during the Hajj seems to be a phenomenon unique to Saudi Arabia and surely cannot be inevitable. There have to be questions asked about the organisation of the pilgrimage and the Saudi authorities' regard for the safety of traveling pilgrims. A religious leader who should be holding the authorities to account, demanding improvements and advocating for devotees has chosen instead to be partisan. 

The moral failure by Saudi Arabia's top religious leader is just another in a long history of religious leaders failing in their moral duty. There are Christian Pentecostal pastors who are accumulating huge fortunes at the expense of their mostly impoverished worshippers. The Anglican Church is riven on the issues of the ordination of women and gay pastors. The Catholic Church is still struggling with the handling of an array of abuses by its institutions. There are a number of Islamic leaders who continuously advocate terror and personal abuses. In Israel there a fundamental religious leaders who are pushing for further oppression of Palestinians. Scientology has acquired assets of over a billion dollars while subjecting its followers to varying degrees manipulation and exploitation. 

The Pope's campaigning for tackling poverty, being less obsessed with money and saving the environment is commendable. However, too many religious groups and leaders are failing to carry out the basic task of taking care of the welfare of members. There are 3 billion people who members of some religious institution or the other, and the evidence is there that most of them are being very poorly served; both morally and materially. 

Marriage Equality is the Natural Order of Things

The Supreme Court of the U.S. ruling on marriage equality has broken down another bastion of prejudice and bigotry. One of the most interesting aspects of it has been reading the opinions of the dissenting judges. Most of them appeared to be trying establish a position where society regressed to justify a reluctance to change the law. According to Justice Scalia the function of marriage was to facilitate procreation. And Clarence Thomas argued that denial of the right to marriage did not constitute a robbing of dignity and therefore a breach of human rights. It was interesting to see the Justices resorting to fallacious reasoning in explaining their dissent but barely able to contain their personal aversion to homosexuality itself. 

I strongly doubt there is any merit in the claim that marriage was principally designed for procreation. In early societies marriage was seen as a way of providing a companion and a work partner in securing a subsistence. So it was mainly a means of providing comfort and protection. Having children and building a family was just a natural consequence of that. Even in the American frontier men got married in order to have a companion and someone to cater to their domestic needs. It was widely known that the frontier prostitutes would take money to sleep with you but you couldn't pay them enough to come home with you and wash your undies. In the Bible Eve was created as a companion for Adam, so that he wouldn't be alone. And in the New Testament Apostle Paul endorses marriage for those unable to live a life of chastity and solitude. (Christianity's position on homosexuality is another matter but many churches are having to rethink their positions on that too).

Clarence Thomas' claim that the state cannot deny a person dignity seems confused at best. Is it not a State's duty to protect the freedom of all citizens. And would a denial of access to a freely available social institution not reduce a person's standing in society? To be stripped of your justly entitled rights is an affront to personal dignity. Justice Thomas will do well not to confuse pride with dignity. Dignity comes from elevation. You cannot be truly elevated if you are relegated to a lower status than others around you. 

As Michel de Montaigne wrote, "marriage is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside equally desperate to get out". However marriage turns out; the choice should be all people's to make.