Nigeria’s alternative facts
When the self-aggrandising Donald Trump became President of the USA it was clear to the rest of the world, if not to Americans, that they had voted for government by deception. It didn’t take long for them to find out that under Trump they would now have to learn to deal with “alternative facts”. This is a phrase used by Kelly-Anne Conway US Counsellor to the President when defending White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s false statement about attendance figures during Trump’s inauguration.
Nigerians have been living with alternative facts for ages. Whenever the truth is unfavourable to those in, or close to government in Nigeria, they construct their own realities by inventing alternative facts. For example, there are unsubstantiated reports that President Muhammad Buhari (PMB) is experiencing serious medical problems. His VicePresident said he’s “hale and hearty”, the Senate President said he is “just tired”, his media advisor said he is “sick”, the while both his daughter and wife say we should “pray for him”! The alternative fact as explained by the Financial Times of London, is that PMB’s health makes little difference because… “Policy making has been so ponderous during the 20 months since Mr Buhari took office that dead or alive it is not always easy to tell the difference”. Although the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration touts itself as an agent of change, it’s polices are a simply a rehash of the same old outdated 1980’s policies. It’s not change, it’s more of the same.
Government expenditure is one area in which alternative facts fly thick and fast. Various Senate Oversight Committees are discovering the truth. Chief Executives of most parastatals claim that they can’t account for monies budgeted to them for capital projects simply because the monies were never received. In truth Government provides us with one set of budget facts and figures and spends money in a completely different manner. Our Budget involves three stages. Firstly, the budget proposal which is only useful as an indication of the Executives thought processes and priorities. Secondly the Appropriation Act which is the legal document that emerges when the budget proposal is adjusted and by the National Assembly and passed into a law which ought to be followed to the letter. Thirdly the actual releases.
The alternative fact is that cash releases in Nigeria generally have nothing at all to do with the budget and successive governments including this one have acted illegally by spending our money as they please rather than adhering to the appropriation act. The 2017 Budget contains massive provision for borrowing for infrastructural development. Federal Government intends to borrow to finance the capital expenditure. The alternative fact is that this can only happen if government revenue targets are met to finance recurrent expenditure, which of course didn’t happen in 2016 and is unlikely to happen this year. As in the past, the likelihood is that the borrowing will end up being used to finance recurrent expenditure and the nation will be worse off for it.
There is an ongoing anti-corruption war which is supposedly sanitising our polity. The alternative fact is that systematically little has changed. While the “whistle-blower policy is touted as a success, the alternative fact is that unpatriotic people who have information on massive corruption, only report it when they are financially induced. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has severally said that policemen checking vehicle particulars on the highway are on illegal duty because their job is to provide security for travellers. The alternative fact is that practically every policeman on the highway engages in checking vehicle particulars to supplement income.
Kaduna State has banned Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) staff from operating within city limits. For many years complaints about FRSC concentrating on their revenue drive within in inner cities, issuing fines in traffic holdup and stopping mothers from taking their children to school while contributing little towards the unabated carnage on our highways have been ignored. FRSC are supposed to be the Safety Corps of Federal Roads, but t1he alternative fact is that they metamorphosed into the Corps of all roads federally! Although Nigeria has been cited as the most dangerous place in the world for Christians, the alternative fact is that the majority of Christians go about their business peacefully. Nigerians are used to alternative facts, because we are so secretive about government affairs.
The Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai says the current killings in his State are nothing special! He says the crisis is compounded by proliferation of information platforms which makes todays crises more publicised than previous killings, rather than more deadly. The Governor’s claim that various figures are being bandied about is confirmation of our penchant for providing alterative facts without ever crediting the truth. In a situation where senior government officials don’t care about morals or the truth and regularly give out incorrect, misleading or fabricated information, facts have become the victim. Americans are welcome to a “Nigerian style” political environment where they will now have to learn to live with lies, damned lies, statistics, alternative facts and little truth.