• About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Friday, August 22, 2025
  • Login
Vital News
  • Frontpage
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • National
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • More
    • Crime
    • Judiciary
    • Security
No Result
View All Result
  • Frontpage
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • National
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • More
    • Crime
    • Judiciary
    • Security
No Result
View All Result
Vital News
No Result
View All Result
Home National

What is Nigeria’s government for ?

Vital News by Vital News
February 2, 2022
in National
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By David Pilling

President Muhammadu Buhari may go but it’s not the leader who matters, the system itself must change.

On the British Airways flight between London and Nigeria’s administrative capital of Abuja, one of the airline’s most profitable routes, nearly all the space is taken up with flatbeds. The unfortunate few making their way to a crunched economy section at the back must trudge through row after row of business class.

Evidently, there is plenty of money to be made in Abuja’s corridors of power. Nigeria’s economy may be flat on its back, but the political elite flying to and from London will spend the flight flat on theirs, too.

Next year, many of the members of government will change, though not necessarily the bureaucracy behind it. Campaigning has already begun for presidential elections that in February 2023 will draw the curtain on eight years of the administration of Muhammadu Buhari, on whose somnolent watch Nigeria has sleepwalked closer to disaster.

RelatedStories

Don’t Stay Away From Home, President Tinubu Tell Nigerians In Japan, Says Nigeria On The Rise Again

FG Empowers Colleges Of Education To Offer NCE, Degree Programmes Without University Affiliation

Presidency Confirms Appointment Of Rotimi Pedro As New DG Of NTA, Three Executive Directors

Nigeria’s Consul General In Cameroun, Taofiq Coker Is Dead

Buhari has overseen two terms of economic slump, rising debt and a calamitous increase in kidnapping and banditry — the one thing you might have thought a former general could control. Familiar candidates to replace him, mostly recycled old men, are already counting their money ahead of a costly electoral marathon. It takes an estimated $2bn to get a president elected. Those who pay will expect to be paid back.

There are some promising candidates. If Yemi Osinbajo, the technocratic vice-president, were miraculously to make it through the campaign thicket and emerge as president, the hearts of Nigerian optimists would beat a little faster.

But that may be to underestimate the depth of Nigeria’s quagmire. The problem is not so much who leads the government as the nature of government itself.

Nigeria’s administration is fuelled by oil — though not its economy; more than 90 per cent of output is generated from non-oil activities. But for decades, the business of government — whether military or, since 1999, democratic — has been to control access to oil revenues and earn patronage by spreading petrol-dollars to federal and state supplicants.

Outside oil, government raises a petty amount of revenue, proportionally much less than other African states. Since the provision of services is so dire, no one who can afford to pay taxes is willing to do so. Nigerians with money opt out of the system. They send their kids to private school, attend private hospitals, employ their own private security and generate their own power. The state borrows ever more heavily to fund what little capital expenditure there is and service mounting debts. Like a giant leech at the top of the body politic, government is essentially there to fund itself.

This thwarts the aspirations of millions of highly capable Nigerians. Officials extract “rent” by controlling access to business opportunities. The objective thus becomes to slow down investment not speed it up.

Almost all the energy, drive and wealth creation in Nigeria happens outside government. New unregulated businesses in the booming tech sector, fashion, design and the creative arts are flourishing. Every day, tens of millions of Nigerians somehow get by, despite the efforts of those supposedly looking out for them.

As is said of India, Nigeria grows at night while the government sleeps — hardly surprising that some libertarian tech entrepreneurs want the government to withdraw and leave the private sector in charge.

In reality, the government is not too big. It is too small. The federal budget — not counting money transferred to states — is about $30bn, derisory for a population of more than 200m people. Only trust in government — and a willingness to pay taxes — can redress this balance.

Nigeria desperately needs an administration whose energies go not into preserving its own privilege but into providing public goods — basic education and health, rule of law, security, power, roads and digital infrastructure. It must remove distortions and subsidies that direct entrepreneurial activity from production to arbitrage.

The chances of a corrupt system reforming itself are slim. But if Nigeria’s ruling class cannot manage it, any remaining faith Nigerians have in their system of government will evaporate. That way lies disaster.
Financial Times (UK) 31 Jan 2022

david.pilling@ft.com

_David Pilling is a prize-winning reporter and has been editor with the Financial Times for twenty-five years. Throughout most of his career, he has been a foreign correspondent and is currently the Africa editor for the Financial Times._

Tags: BuhariEconomygoNigeria
Previous Post

Bill seeking scrap of NSCDC passes through second reading in the House of Reps

Next Post

APC Convention : NCPA backs Al-Makura for national Chairman position

Vital News

Vital News

RelatedStories

President Tinubu Jets Out On State Visit To Saint Lucia, Brazil
National

Don’t Stay Away From Home, President Tinubu Tell Nigerians In Japan, Says Nigeria On The Rise Again

August 21, 2025
FG Empowers Colleges Of Education To Offer NCE, Degree Programmes Without University Affiliation
Education

FG Empowers Colleges Of Education To Offer NCE, Degree Programmes Without University Affiliation

August 20, 2025
Tinubu Appoints Rotimi Pedro, Founder Of OSMI As New DG Of NTA
National

Presidency Confirms Appointment Of Rotimi Pedro As New DG Of NTA, Three Executive Directors

August 20, 2025
Nigeria’s Consul General In Cameroun, Taofiq Coker Is Dead
National

Nigeria’s Consul General In Cameroun, Taofiq Coker Is Dead

August 20, 2025
National Security : Nigeria Records Breakthrough, Captures Two Most Wanted Terrorist Leaders
National

US Commends Nigeria Over Arrest Of Two Leaders Of Ansaru Armed Group

August 18, 2025
Next Post

APC Convention : NCPA backs Al-Makura for national Chairman position

FG gives BUA nod to construct Kano -Kazaure - Kukula road at N115 billion

NBA raises alarm over kidnap of three lawyers in Edo

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Recommended

Kogi Set To Probe 61 Principals Over Involvement In Examination Malpractice

Your Report On Bello’s Withdrawal Of Support For Tinubu Is Fake From Head To Toe, Fanwo To Sunday Tribune

3 years ago

FAAC disburses N802 billion June revenue to FG, States, LGs

3 years ago

Alleged N109bln Fraud : EFCC Re- arraigns Suspended AGF Idris, 3 Others

3 years ago
NDLEA Declares Couple Wanted, Arrests 4 Cartel Members Over Cocaine Seizures

NDLEA Declares Couple Wanted, Arrests 4 Cartel Members Over Cocaine Seizures

1 year ago

Instagram

    Please install/update and activate JNews Instagram plugin.

Categories

  • Agriculture/ Water/ Mineral
  • Aviation
  • Business
  • Crime
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Football
  • Foreign
  • Gender
  • Health
  • Judiciary
  • Labour
  • National
  • News
  • Oil & Gas
  • Opinion
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Power
  • Religion
  • Security
  • Sports
  • Transport
  • Uncategorized

Topics

Abiodun Abuja APC arrest Atiku Bandits Bello Benue Buhari CBN cement Court Dangote death dies drugs Economy EFCC Election elections FG gunmen Hajj INEC Kano kidnap Kill Kogi Kwara Lagos NDLEA Niger Nigeria Ododo Ogun Oyo PDP Police Power refinery rescue road Security students Tinubu
No Result
View All Result

Highlights

FG Empowers Colleges Of Education To Offer NCE, Degree Programmes Without University Affiliation

EFCC Arrests Deputy Vice Chancellor, Bank MD, Two Catholic Sisters Over N1.2bln Loan Fraud

Presidency Confirms Appointment Of Rotimi Pedro As New DG Of NTA, Three Executive Directors

Nigeria’s Consul General In Cameroun, Taofiq Coker Is Dead

Explainer : How INEC Declares LP Candidate Serving Jail Term Winner Of Enugu Assembly Rerun Election

Ladoja To Be Installed 44th Olubadan Sept. 26

Trending

President Tinubu Jets Out On State Visit To Saint Lucia, Brazil
National

Don’t Stay Away From Home, President Tinubu Tell Nigerians In Japan, Says Nigeria On The Rise Again

by Vital News
August 21, 2025
0

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on Nigerians in the Diaspora to contribute their expertise and resources...

Work Ongoing To Re-Erect Three Towers Along Kainji-Birnin Kebbi Transmission Line – TCN

Abia Secures $750mln World Bank Support For Renewable Energy

August 21, 2025
IGP Reiterates Ban On Public Parade Of Suspects

Woman Mistaken For Kidnapper Killed By Irate Mob In Ilorin

August 21, 2025
FG Empowers Colleges Of Education To Offer NCE, Degree Programmes Without University Affiliation

FG Empowers Colleges Of Education To Offer NCE, Degree Programmes Without University Affiliation

August 20, 2025
Court Berates EFFC Over Disregard For Rule Of Law, Orders Immediate Release Of Aisha Achimugu

EFCC Arrests Deputy Vice Chancellor, Bank MD, Two Catholic Sisters Over N1.2bln Loan Fraud

August 20, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
Vital News

Vital News is an online newspaper with a mission to uphold professional journalism by reporting and publishing only facts and figures-based news reports across Nigeria and beyond.

Recent News

  • Don’t Stay Away From Home, President Tinubu Tell Nigerians In Japan, Says Nigeria On The Rise Again August 21, 2025
  • Abia Secures $750mln World Bank Support For Renewable Energy August 21, 2025
  • Woman Mistaken For Kidnapper Killed By Irate Mob In Ilorin August 21, 2025

Categories

  • Agriculture/ Water/ Mineral
  • Aviation
  • Business
  • Crime
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Football
  • Foreign
  • Gender
  • Health
  • Judiciary
  • Labour
  • National
  • News
  • Oil & Gas
  • Opinion
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Power
  • Religion
  • Security
  • Sports
  • Transport
  • Uncategorized

© 2022 Vital News - . All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Frontpage
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • National
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • More
    • Crime
    • Judiciary
    • Security

© 2022 Vital News - Vital News by Vital News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In