Poverty of governance and illegal weapons in circulation
Suspected kidnappers, cattle rustlers, robbers and dealers of illegal weapons, being paraded by the police in Abuja yesterday
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Governance in Nigeria in recent times especially since the return of civil rule in 1999 increasingly attracts significant attention. The attraction is a sad tale of incessant governance failure to address the insecurity situation all over the country. There is a sense in which the current situation makes a case for a wider understanding and recognition of governance, especially with millions of illegal weapon circulation in Nigeria. The nation is not in a palatable one, but concerns over the safety of citizens. There is an inherent cry for help by the people for a decent existence in terms of security of life and properties.
Unemployment, underemployment and related challenges
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By Adefolarin A. Olamilekan
Understandably, unemployment and underemployment remain a global problem but Nigeria is having an appropriate portion of it.
Incidentally, Nigeria as a post-colonial nation has experienced many of the problems common to other nations. For instance, it began its independent existence in an enviable position of having proven reserves of oil and gas that it currently earned between $18 billion and $30 billion yearly. Moreso, it had a relatively developed infrastructure associated with primary industry development and a fully functioning administration bureaucracy at independence.
However, its subsequent history is one of economic difficulty, corruption, political violence, insecurity, growing poverty and inequalities amongst its citizenry.
Sir: Nigeria has been notorious for ethno- religious, communal, political conflicts. Of late, banditry and kidnapping have become a menace in Nigeria forming part of the predicaments confronting and distorting development progression in Nigeria.
Subsequently, kidnapping for ransom has become part and parcel of insecurity problems of Nigeria today. Coincidentally, it is part of the inhuman criminal activity that has escalated over the years alongside other insecurity challenges of communal clashes, ethno religious violence, terrorism, activities of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Odua People’s Congress (OPC), militancy and herdsmen/farmers crisis, cattle rustling, and cult and gang war. Particularly, these are manifestations and purveyors of insecurity in Nigeria hinged on proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in the country.
IMF’s Head Office, Washington, DC. Source: IMF blog
We were heralded into the last few days rounding off year 2020 with what seems to be cheering news from the International Monetary Fund (IMF): ”Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa in terms of the size of her Gross Domestic Product (GDP)”. More so, the IMF added that globally “Nigeria is ranked 26th largest economy with Gross Domestic Production (GDP) of $442,976 billion in year 2020”.
This news won’t have much cheering to handlers of the Nigerian economy at this point going by the undercurrent recession as well as COVID-19 pandemic impacts. The Nigerian economy contracted in the fourth quarter with poor revenue generation, high inflation, and abysmal depreciation of the naira. This in all expectations point to a doom economy outflows for Nigeria; but the latest IMF-released report is highly a gladding information for the Buhari administration in the face of its critics.