The core function of any given government is to take care of her citizens. The implication therefore is that government exist for the people. The act of governance does not exist in isolation, there are faces beneath the act. However we choose to look at it, government is a people affair. I am currently reading a book titled ‘why nations failed’ written by Daron Acemoglu and James A.
The existing dogma is that, the failure of government is tied to factors such as geography, religion, race and ignorance. But the likes of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana or Ndi Amin knew what to do. Kwame for instance pursued growth by setting up industries. One time, he established a footwear factory in a location which was 200miles away from Accra and 500miles away from raw material source. The point is that Kwame did that to score cheap political point. After all, he wasn’t ignorant and religion didn’t make that choice.
Just like Kwame, former Governor Yahaya Bello established two additional state universities in Kogi state. Of course, there were arguments in support of the establishment of those universities and perhaps they are right. In my opinion, If it is difficult feeding a family of three, would it be wise to give birth to more children hoping that the god who gives will help in taking care of them? And there is also Gov. Sim Fubara who suddenly realised that state house of assembly complex requires an urgent fix. Haaa! I sincerely sympathise with the Governor over his battles with external might. But common! Must we always go the path needless brute and power play?
Leaders of poor nations such as Nigeria mess up because they know very well that they can get away with whatever just by massaging the palms of a few…paving way for rapid descension into national failure. After all, they (government)hold the legal monopoly of violence.
Institutions define the path of a nation. A nation with weak institutions never delivers economic success. Instead, it only delivers to a selected few.
On the 21st of June 2024, Tunde Odesola submitted that while ” Hushpuppi is serving an 11-year jail term in the US, his accomplice, Abba Kyari, a criminal Nigerian police officer indicted by the US and Nigeria, was granted bail to go and bury his parent. When Hushpuppi is freed, Kyari’s trial for drugs will still be ongoing…” Of course, there’s also the laughable judicial system dishing out contradictory verdicts in the case of the Emirship tussle in Kano and the Rivers state crisis.
In North Korea, the fortunes of the nation remains locked because the man in charge is all by himself the executive, legislature and the jury. Same applies to Nigeria, a mixture of failing democracy and growing dictatorship. You wonder why we pray ceaselessly and the answers seems far away? When Nigerians are ready to build, Nigerians will by themselves identify where the shoe pinches and do the needful.
– Olayinka Kayode writes from Badagry, Nigeria.
