Of peace, poverty, and unemployment in Nigeria

This is six years of the Muhammadu Buhari regime; six years of the All Progressives Congress and its leadership in the National Assembly. The National Assembly, which is the legislature comprising of the Senate and the House of Representatives, is the first arm of government provided for in the Constitution of the 1999 Federal Republic of Nigeria. Specifically, the provision of the legislature is made in Section 4 of the Constitution whilst the executive comes next in Section 5; the judiciary is in Section 6 of the Constitution. This discourse reviews the fundamental importance of peace, security and order to the achievement of the goals of governance, which is the security and welfare of the people and how the Buhari regime has fared.

By Section 4 of the Constitution, the National Assembly is established with the “power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the federation or any part thereof with respect to any matter included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this Constitution”. The executive powers of the federation are vested in the President and the powers shall “extend to the execution and maintenance of this Constitution, all laws made by the National Assembly and to all matters with respect to which the National Assembly has, for the time being, power to make laws”. The judicial powers in Section 6 pertain to the interpretation of laws and settlement of disputes arising from governance and interpersonal relationships. Essentially, the laws made by the National Assembly which must guarantee peace and security are to be executed by the executive whilst the judiciary resolves disputes arising from them.

It is a fundamental aphorism that peace, security, law and order are basic ingredients for democracy and development to progress. They are ingrained in the implementation of human rights and fundamental freedoms and indeed for any human endeavour to proceed. It is doubtful if any reasonable person would argue about the deteriorating security and absence of peace in Nigeria. It is also doubtful if any reasonable person would argue about the evident deterioration of law and order and retrogression in the observance of fundamental rights, especially the fact that more lives have been lost under this administration especially in the last two years than at any purportedly peaceful time in Nigeria.

When the macroeconomic indicators are showing extremely high levels of unemployment, more than 33% and about 50% for the youth population, and a spiralling inflation powered by the food segment of inflationary indicators, questions may arise as to the relationship between unemployment, inflation and poor security. With increasing terrorism, banditry, killings by herdsmen and general rise in criminality, farmers have abandoned farms in many parts of the federation for fear of losing their lives. The rural majority in good parts of the North-East, North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones have to a large extent abandoned farms for fear of their lives. Unfortunately, the government has not offered them alternative sources of livelihood and employment and has hardly taken steps to curb the menace.

Nigerians were in a state of shock when Buhari claimed in his anniversary speech to have lifted 10 million Nigerians out of poverty. The shock was founded on the bare-faced lying, lack of empathy and human feelings by a President who was supposed to enjoy the confidence of the same people his policies has increased the level of poverty. Denying that his governance style has subjected Nigerians to untold hardship and laying unfounded claiming means he has no plans to remediate the problems he created. It is one thing for a government to perform poorly, acknowledging the poor performance is a fundamental step towards addressing governance challenges in the social and economic sectors. Commendably, the World Bank stepped in immediately to reveal by empirical evidence that Buhari’s policies had thrown seven million Nigerians under the bus of poverty. If that affirmation of Buhari’s poor governance and lack of capacity was made by any other person or institution, such person or institution would have been accused of partisanship or “hating Buhari”. Of course, beyond the empty Lai Mohammed kind of turning facts on their head, there has been no response from the Buhari regime to the World Bank.

Agriculture has been contributing over 20% to the national Gross Domestic Product and is the source of employment for not less than 25% of the population. It even employs more when its full value chain contribution to other sources of employment is analysed. Thus, there is a direct relationship between increased insecurity and the increased poverty, unemployment and inflation experienced in the country currently. Furthermore, when the regime holds the youths in contempt, has no plans and policies to engage them or ideas on how to tap their knowledge, vibrancy and innovation but rather sees them as a security threat, the economy cannot grow, and jobs cannot be harvested from the innovation of youths. The economy is bound to stagnate or even depreciate. And that is exactly what is happening to Nigeria.

Therefore, when some media friends asked for my opinion on the performance of the regime two years into the new tenure, my response was that governance is a performance-based activity and its results do not need any expert to evaluate. I responded with posers: Are you better off today than two years ago? Are you more secured today than two years ago? Is the value of your savings in naira today the same compared to two years ago? Has the value of the naira not depreciated tremendously? Is electricity being delivered today more efficiently and for longer periods at the same tariff rate compared to two years ago? Are there more or less reports of killing, kidnapping, etc., daily compared to two years ago? Is Nigeria recording more direct foreign investments or even portfolio hot money investments today compared to two years ago?  On which parametres have we improved- unity, economy, social life, security, or fundamental rights?

If the National Assembly has been legislating for our peace, order and good government whilst the President has been duly enforcing the laws and the judiciary properly interpreting them, then why are we backsliding at a tremendous speed? Why have we become a laughing stock among nations, the poverty capital of the world and a place where life is worthless? All indicators are pointing towards a failed state. The country’s leadership especially in the executive and legislature should hide their faces in shame.

The fact that those at the helm of affairs in the executive and legislature are not even proposing a change of style and are simply doubling down in the face of their failed styles and emerging threats to human life constitute the greatest challenge to the Nigerian state. Legislative failure compounded by executive failure and a largely absent judiciary is the combination that has led us to this sorry state.