Accountability and Transparency as the First Step to Restructuring.

Nigeria is vast, not in land size but in diversity; so many ethnicity, so many languages and so many differences but there is something that binds us all together, our quest for a better nation, our quest for better living conditions, our quest for prosperity, our quest for a nation that works, where everyone has a chance at succeeding and achieving their God-given purpose. If only we could quieten the differences of 180 million people and listen to the inner yearnings of each one of us, we will hear what we have always all wanted is a prospering nation, built with Love, Strength and Faith; a nation bound in Freedom, Peace and Unity. That’s the Nigeria we all yearn for.

The recent calls for restructuring has had me brain storming and asking the following, is restructuring a (or the) solution to our current national problems?

If we restructure, it still leaves us where we all started, a government at all levels that is not accountable to its people. This problem (I believe) is the major reason why corruption pervades our system, it’s the major reason why some government officials can siphon billions of naira and award contracts to their cronies who take our national wealth away, it’s the major reason why we haven’t made progress at the break-neck speed we want much more than our structural issues. If we restructure without accountability and transparency at all levels of government, what we have is a country where the suffering of one state or local government, becomes a problem to the surrounding state or local government because of crime and all other issues that will begin to pop up from poorly 

developed areas.

Don’t get me wrong though, there is no doubt that we need to make changes in the way the country is currently run, that the Federal Government carries too much of the burden is true and the fact that we need devolution of powers is true. But even much more than all these, is the need for accountability and transparency at the sub-national levels of government. The current opacity of state governments and local governments is a recipe for disaster, if eventually we restructure like we want to. Whether it be back to the regional system or to a new system, it will not work unless we first call for accountability and transparency at all levels of government.

If government remains a closed book, it is prone to corruption and misappropriation like we have had in recent times. We must take the opportunity of a unitary central system to demand for accountability and transparency from bottom to the top. If we achieve this, I can say we are well on the way to becoming the nation that we all dream of and what’s left for us to do is to plug the inefficiencies of the present system that we currently run by shedding loads in the exclusive and concurrent legislative list and so an.

The numbers support this fact. While the IGR of most states in Nigeria have not improved the slightest in the past years, the amount of debt by all states between 2011 and 2017 have increased by an average of 190%, with a state gone up by 2592% (from numbers shared by Yinka Ogunnubi), we can say that most of the states are still not better off despite their large debts because there is no system to account for these funds that are spent. So, states borrow funds without an equivalent increase in revenue, a very sure way to become bankrupt even in personal finance. The statistics are worrying, 16 states don’t have detailed budgets (from Budgit) within the public domain, only four states have internal generated revenues (IGR) as 50% of their total revenues not even to talk about the state of local governments. Debt to Revenue ratios have increased 5.5, 9.4, 12.3, 5.5, 6.63, 13.95 times across North-central, North-East, North-West, South-East, South-South, South-West zones respectively between 2011 and 2017(from numbers shared by Yinka Ogunnubi).

I’m sorry to say this, but in a country where there are few good men in power, a unitary government is your best short at fixing the system, until the few good leaders can build a network of good leaders at the sub-national levels, it’s much harder to build the nation that we want. The present systems which allows local and state governments to spend funds without public disclosure of appropriated funds and procurement systems is the bane of our present failure. If we the people, do not have a way through which we can hold the sub-national governments accountable for the powers that will be devolved to them, we will end up with a country going nowhere. To whom little is given, little is expected and to whom much is given, much is expected; also, the way you manage the little you have is the way you will manage the bounty and this speaks to the present state of states and local government.

If we will restructure and devolve powers, my take is this. The president must use His powers to make sure that all the state governments and local governments pass the following laws:

1.       Fiscal responsibility Act

2.       Freedom of Information Act

3.       Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015

Secondly, he must enshrine Open Government Partnership (OGP) at every tier of government, he must get all the (774+36+1) governments to sign into the OGP. If this is achieved, he can begin to devolve powers, he should use the present situation where the states and local government are at the mercy of the Federal Government to the advantage of the people by using a carrot and stick approach to achieve this. He should begin to have meetings with the 774 local governments like he does with the states.

Along with this, is the need for a system that makes the process of getting into public office free and fair in political parties and not dependent on how deep your pocket is?

Because all calls for restructuring, devolution of powers or a new constitution by power brokers are only a guise to get control from the present government; I believe very much that if the present power brokers get into government, they will become silent on these issues. The lack of responsibility on the part of most present leaders at the sub-national levels of government leaves much to be desired with reference to restructuring the nation. It leaves a sad taste in the mouth that most states can’t even pay salaries with their internally generated revenues, the federal government gives them bailouts and they still can’t settle all outstanding salary and pensions. They’ve not exactly been the best stewards with the little they have in hand, how much more when we restructure and they have more power.

Hence, if we must restructure let’s get Open government running and let accountability and transparency rule first. Then we’re on the way to a prosperous nation.