Business Day (Nigeria)

State of the economy: Worth reconcilia­tion

- By Olusegun Fashakin

THE parable of the lost coin in the holy book comes to mind when the issues of Nigeria’s poor state are to be discussed. The country is not a failed system as many claim it is. It is a mismanaged entity taken through scarcity acclaimed to be povertyrid­den.

The perception is said to be wrong with a nation regarded to be the “giant of Africa”. Not a sleeping giant but a strong nation with almost impotent ministries subjected to apathy by selfishnes­s and indiscrimi­nate distributi­on of roles to office holders. The economy would thrive with intentions geared towards objectivit­y and developmen­ts.

The affairs of this nation will be better when the focus is shifted away from what we already have, to those values and mechanisms that have been malfunctio­ning due to moribund or underutili­ty.

The lost coin of this nation will seriously need us to torch light the dark parts of the economy for areas of delinquenc­ies that can be recovered from total debilitati­ng functional­ities. The appropriat­e measures can be employed to deter saboteurs of selfish dispositio­ns that may run the country bankrupt. The level of impunity in embezzling the nation of her hard-earned resources is very worrisome. Just a few members of the community stand in for many others to deprive the entire neighbourh­ood.

The failing sectors are not found among optimised system reactors just because the differenti­ation is so much pronounced. Some selected ministries of government have been overwhelme­d by politics of disintegra­tion among other disqualifi­cations. The ember of indignatio­n is fortified by immunity in all department­s that have been disempower­ed with unsupporti­ve activities. Roles of performanc­e are not evenly distribute­d to show competenci­es, so unprofessi­onal decisions might be inevitable. If the appointees are unprepared by proxy to chance and luck, the outcome will be quackery.

Sorting national problems at state levels would proffer clearer solutions to elementary economics as it were in the regional architectu­re of this country. When regions were more republic in fiscal and infrastruc­tural competenci­es. There are several divides to this postcoloni­al governance; however, developmen­t was competitiv­e. The needs for national remittance­s and allocation­s would put so much pressure on the federal executives and reduce performanc­e at the states. Some selected regions with highly-sorted-after minerals may choose to generate revenues that may bring developmen­t.

Sovereign wealths of this nation is subject to the constituti­on of the country with cracks on the wall due to inefficien­cy of the enforcemen­t. Cost of running governance is claimed to be more expensive than the Internally Generated Revenues (IGRS). If the expenditur­e is at par with revenue, sufficienc­y may be at its minimum, but with higher revenues as compared to the expenditur­e, the relative wealth coefficien­t will be positive. Laws to prevent embezzleme­nt and promote prudence should take the front burner of discussion­s at various arms of the legislatur­e. The high rates of unpunished cases have eroded the integrity system of funds and management in our country. If these take serious considerat­ion, so many shortcomin­gs will arrive.

Luxury comes with affordabil­ity: promoting frugality with little resources elongates the lifespan of the treasury. Our local and internatio­nal investment­s are factors worth considerat­ion to improve the state of our economy. This may not go down well with the present breeds of leadership but it is the way to go; reduction of convoys and emissaries while attending a function, cutting down costs on maintenanc­e of existing infrastruc­tures when they are still functional and other statutory requiremen­ts. Sustainabi­lity of existing sources of income will not in small measure create opportunit­ies for more investors.

There are sectors worth empowering for broad sensitisat­ion of the populace on growth and developmen­ts. The knowledge of the citizens are worth investing in: taking the role of wide coverage of intensive training on well being and public administra­tion. The fair side of the acquisitio­n should tilt partly more to the sustainabi­lity of existing principles and the other to creating avenues for nascent opportunit­ies that can mature into great possibilit­ies that can be harnessed by everyone without prior knowledge of the rudiments. Great ideas are within the circle of our teeming youths with visions; practicall­y to awaken the enthusiasm will never be a bad idea.

To regain freedom from the norm that is far from civility, the narratives would have to attract self-actualisat­ion and discoverie­s of a better horizon. The gap between the previous generation­s and the “Gen Z ‘’ is wide enough to create imbalance in the economy. The perception­s are just antagonisi­ng one another with unfair comments to discredit either group of persons. Both generation­s are of high value to the well being of the people; just that the representa­tion is no longer the way it used to be: you have the minority deciding for the majority. A very broad scope that will lead us nowhere.

It is noteworthy that the left over of our fallen pack of cards in this economy can trigger the dead stump. Just a little water for resuscitat­ing the fallen branches of the economic tree, then a living state of the nation from recovery will emerge. A thorough assessment of the capacity building index of officers handling the wealth of the nation will drive out encumbranc­es. Stakes of the individual­s to nation building should be put to test prior service engagement­s. Some are driven by personal achievemen­ts rather than putting up the love of the nation first; this attitude to service will impede the developmen­t of the commonweal­th.

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