Nigerians may have resigned themselves to the removal of fuel subsidy with stoicism and equanimity, if only to end the corruption and profligacy that characterized the fuel subsidy regime, but let President Buhari be under no illusion that the people will allow themselves to be taken on a merry go-round. If, as government apologists argue, the economy cannot sustain the subsidy of fuel prices, the economy certainly cannot sustain the current bloated cost of governance that has rendered Nigeria’s democracy unproductive. Now that the drain pipe called fuel subsidy has been shut down, the least expectation is for the government to gainfully harness the freed-up resources and invest in programs that will reduce poverty and ameliorate the living conditions of ordinary citizens. No more excuses will be tolerated.
Nigerians are unanimous that the high cost of governance is unsustainable if the country is to truly forge ahead as a developing nation. Underlining the urgent question is the grossly disproportionate amount all tiers of government at both state and federal levels expend regularly on its officials. This encapsulates the huge financial, moral, even reputational cost to Nigeria as a country, and Nigerians as a people, of maintaining elected office holders, appointed officials, and career officials in the three tiers of government in a presidential system. The burden of intolerably high cost of governance is one avoidable albatross around the neck of Nigerians which keeps them in poverty.
The output value of governance is far below the value of resources it takes. How can anyone justify that Nigeria runs a presidential government far costlier than most other countries? What is the cost-to-benefit value of Nigeria’s adoption of so expensive a system that may be affordable for a rich USA but not for a poor Nigeria? Political office holders receive more total remunerations than their counterparts in America partly because political office is considered a job for the boys and to partake in “chopping” and there are far more aides to constitutionally recognized positions than can possibly justify efficient and result-oriented governance. These need not be so.
The standing view is that a parliamentary system, such as obtains in the Britain would be cheaper; and would, by its operational form, stabilize a pluralistic Nigeria. Honestly speaking, the arrival of democracy has become an unbearable burden to the people of this country. Since 1999 the political class as a whole has shown impetuous and irresponsible behavior at the expense of the people. Legislators have become a law unto themselves and are wasting taxpayers’ money without any commensurate input into the quality of governance. As a result, the cost of governance in Nigeria is arguably the highest in the world. This profligacy as first noticed by former Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi, was consuming a quarter of the national budget. The prodigal pattern of consumption is being replicated to an extreme degree in the 36 states of the federation and in the 774 local governments.
There is no doubt that the total remuneration as a share of the budget that the government -executive, legislature, judiciary, and the civil service – unjustly appropriates to itself can only be described as obscene in a society where the majority live below the poverty level. The legitimate remunerations – basic, allowances and non-monetary perks are mind-boggling. Consequently, working in government has become the most lucrative occupation in Nigeria.
Many factors are responsible for this situation: government officials wield powers (often in brazen violation of the principle and meaning of public office, of trust and of decency) to allocate resources and dispense favors, be they contracts or jobs. The penchant of the Nigerian elite for the luxury makes it easy for them, particularly those lacking in self-control to “hoe the ground toward the self”. They end up repeatedly expressing their concern for the sorry plight of the people, but do nothing to alleviate it.
At the state level, some time ago, press reports said Benue State legislators walked out on the state governor at a budget retreat because he declined to give them Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) as their New Year gift. The expected gift was a traditional gesture of governance in the state, paid for, no doubt, from public coffers. But the money, put together, could otherwise be made to generally improve the quality of life of the very people on whose mandate the legislators – and the governor – hold their jobs; and in trust too.
The looting and the waste going on in Nigeria in the name of governance has no parallel anywhere else, and is responsible for breeding an angry and alienated citizenry who see no dividend in this pernicious enterprise called democracy. It has been argued that collectively, the subterranean spoils of office in the executive, legislature and judiciary and the abuse of office among public officials in quantum far exceed the trillions of naira regularly reported as stolen in Nigeria. Long-suffering Nigerians have been waiting for the sanitization of the system but it seems to be getting worse under the change-promising APC.
Despite all their promises for change, the number of political appointees of all categories in the APC government has virtually remained the same. Nigeria can do with far less officials than are now in government. Besides, a token reduction of the basic salaries of the president and vice-president is mere window-dressing and insignificant. Allowances for other political office holders like parliamentarians should be cut by a specific percentage that would prove that government, in truth, shares the pains of the citizens and desires to make commensurate sacrifices. These measures should be implemented immediately as a signal of government’s responsiveness to the feelings of the governed. In the long term, a system to comprehensively reduce the cost of governance should be put in place, beginning now. The President should consider this as a crucial part of his agenda.
President Buhari needs no reminder that personal character is at the heart of whether a system of government is run responsibly or recklessly. To stay within the bounds of fair and just remuneration sensitive to prevailing socio-economic conditions is a mark of integrity, which is in serious deficit in our governments; even at a time when many Nigerians are jobless and struggling to eke out a paltry living. Governance must reflect in words and in deeds, a nation in a hurry to develop and to play in the big league. This should begin with the personal integrity of its leaders and anchored upon the transparency, commitment, efficiency and effectiveness of government. Officials should change the current trend of running government business, and return governance to a path of transparency, honor and the service of the common good. If the immediate price they pay for this is loss of pecuniary benefits, so be it. The country surely will be the better for it.
