INTRODUCTION
Nigeria has a democratic system of government that is patterned after that of the United States of America. However, the cost of governance in Nigeria recently attracted several comments from stakeholders in the nation’s economy who expressed concerns as regards how best the prevalent wastage by government could be curtailed and translated into generally improved living standards for the citizenry. Nigeria’s democracy has been described as the most expensive in the world with minimal evidence in terms of infrastructure development, poverty level and pace of general economic growth.
The high cost of governance is caused by the running of bogus Ministries, Departments and Agencies that perform overlapping functions, wasteful spending by government officials and jumbo pay for some elected officials. With dwindling economic fortune, the Buhari administration needs to take drastic measures to cut down the huge cost of governance in order to conserve resources to pursue development programmes that could lift millions of people out of poverty.
CONCEPTS OF BUHARI’S ADMINISTRATION
The Buhari Administration (2015-Present) President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired army major general, first won office in 2015 and was reelected in 2019. He had previously served as military head of state after leading a coup d’état in 1983, before being overthrown in another coup in 1985. An ethnic Fulani Muslim from the northwest, Buhari swept the north in both electoral cycles. His vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, is an ethnic Yoruba Pentecostal pastor and former state attorney general from the southwest. Approaching the 2015 polls, Buhari leveraged his military background and stoic reputation to campaign on a platform of addressing mounting security challenges and rooting out graft. Upon taking office, he earned praise for launching an anti-corruption campaign that resulted in charges against several high-ranking former officials, and for intensifying the counterinsurgency against Boko Haram, which had rapidly expanded its territorial control in 2014-2015.
In contrast to his predecessor, Buhari strengthened counterterrorism coordination with neighboring countries and recorded a series of military victories against Boko Haram soon after taking office. Boko Haram has nevertheless proven resilient, as the military has struggled to curb the group’s attacks and reestablish state control in contested areas, notably in rural zones. The emergence and growth of an Islamic State-affiliated splinter faction since 2016, alongside rising insecurity in other parts of the country, have placed further strain on Nigeria’s overstretched security forces (see “Security Conditions and Human Rights Concerns”). Meanwhile, several high profile corruption cases have stalled in Nigeria’s slow-moving court system, and the country’s top anticorruption official has himself come under investigation for alleged graft.
Critics accuse the Buhari administration of targeting anti-corruption inquiries to sideline political opponents, even as Buhari’s cabinet includes several ministers previously implicated in corrupt practices.
Observers also have expressed concerns over human rights and democracy trends. According to Amnesty International, attacks on the press have “continued unabated” since 2015, as authorities have raided media offices and detained journalists on security and criminal defamation charges.
Several Members of Congress have expressed alarm over the prosecution of U.S.-based journalist and 2019 presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who faces treason charges for calling for antiBuhari protests after the election.
Despite Buhari’s pledge to curb security force misconduct, human rights groups have accused the police and military of torture, extrajudicial killings, and other abuses (see “Security Sector Challenges and Accountability Concerns”). The 2019 elections featured extensive violence and fraud, raising further questions about Nigeria’s democratic trajectory as the country enters its third decade of continuous civilian rule.
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT OPERATED BY NIGERIA
Nigeria is a federal democratic republic with a presidential system of government. In a federal state, the primary political subdivision has a constitutional character independent of the central government. In the case of Nigeria, these are the 36 states.
In a presidential system of government the executive is headed by a president who is both chief of state and head of government. The president is independent of the legislature and is often elected through universal suffrage, thereby giving him a political mandate to govern directly and decisively. This is in contrast to a parliamentary system of governance in which the roles of head of state and chief of government are bifurcated between a president or monarch, and a prime minister, the latter being a member of the legislative body.
MEASURES FOR REDUCING BOTH THE SIZE AND COST OF GENERAL ADMINISTRATION IN THE NATION NIGERIA.
The following are strongly recommended measures for reducing both the size and cost of general administration in the nation Nigeria:
- Constitutional amendments should be introduced urgently to reduce the size of the federal cabinet to not more than 18 to be appointed from the six geopolitical zones.
- There should be a limitation on the number of special advisers and special assistants serving in the government. It is estimated that over 300 are currently serving in those capacities now. This number should be reduced considerably.
- All the governments of the federation should be made to depend less on the sharing of the federally collectible revenue and more on their internally generated revenue.
- The Fiscal Responsibility Act should seek to enforce budgetary and fiscal discipline in public expenditure. Appropriate legislation should be introduced limiting the size of the recurrent budget. Savings accruing from this exercise should be transferred to the capital budget.
- The pay and allowances of the federal and states legislators should be reviewed downwards by at least 60%.
- There should be a regular (preferably quarterly) auditing by the Auditor General of the Federation of all public expenditure.
- The Accountant General of the Federation should be under a constitutional obligation to publish quarterly expenditure of the federal Government.
- The Public Accounts Committees of the National assembly should be strengthened to enable it discharge its oversight functions on public expenditure more efficiently.
- There should be a merger of the MDAs to reduce the cost of governance. There is far too much duplication of functions in the federal bureaucracy.
- The current de-registration of political parties by INEC is a welcome development.
- The National Assembly should be a single chamber and peopled by part time law makers.
POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SECURITY CHALLENGES FACING PRESIDENT BUHARI’S ADMINISTRATION
On 29 May 2015, General Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in as the President of Nigeria. The Buhari-led administration is expected to urgently tackle several challenges that have hindered economic prosperity, sustainable security and overall national development in Nigeria.
- SECURITY CHALLENGES
Insecurity is the greatest challenge facing the new administration of President Buhari. Since the return to democracy in 1999, traditional security threats such as violent conflicts, militancy, armed robbery and kidnapping have assumed worrisome dimensions in Nigeria. Evolving threats such as insurgency and terrorism have further complicated the situation.
Violent Conflicts and Crimes: The outbreak of violent conflict has become a major source of insecurity in Nigeria. It is estimated that Nigeria has “witnessed over 300 violent ethno-religious, communal and political conflicts of varying intensity and magnitude”.
Terrorism: The escalation of terrorist activities is the gravest security challenge facing Nigeria. Particularly worrisome is the activities of the Boko Haram, which seeks to impose Islamic law in Nigeria.
Electricity Shortage: Inadequate and unreliable electricity supply is another critical challenge that the new administration of President Buhari has to tackle if Nigeria is to enhance the standard of living of the citizens
Heavy Dependence on Oil: A major issue for the new administration of President Buhari is the over reliance on crude oil export. Since the 1970s, oil revenue have accounted for 80% of revenue and 95% of export earnings. Oil export has contributed substantially to the revenue base of Nigeria but has entrenched a mono-cultural economy.
Nationwide Fuel Crisis: Despite being Africa’s top oil producer, Nigeria heavily subsidises imported petrol and kerosene for the bulk of its domestic demand. Its huge reliance on fuel import is due to an underperforming refining system. Fuel crisis in Nigeria is significantly high.
- Political Challenges
There are several political challenges that stand in the way of progress in Nigeria. However, many believe that Buhari’s administration must begin with tackling pervasive corruption and huge cost of governance.
Corruption: Corruption is at the root of many of Nigeria’s problems. It has permeated through public and private life in Nigeria, with degenerative effect on national value, institutions of governance and the rule of law.
Cost of Governance: The high cost of governance is caused by the running of bogus Ministries, Departments and Agencies that perform overlapping functions, wasteful spending by government officials and jumbo pay for some elected officials.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The failure of the political leadership to harness Nigeria’s huge potential has created several security, economic and political challenges that have prevented the country from becoming strong, stable and prosperous. The way the new administration of President Buhari handles these challenges will go a long way in defining the image of Nigeria in the years ahead. For President Muhammadu Buhari to make a success of his avowed intentions to bring the change that Nigeria needs, he must put in place the right policies, programmes and personnel. His effort should aim at achieving the following:
Strengthening Security: President Buhari’s government needs to further galvanise all segments of the Nigerian society as well as regional bodies and international community to deal with the Boko Haram threat. He needs to better equip the military, police and security forces through a transparent and centralised procurement process to enhance their capacity to deal with the security challenges.
Diversifying the Economy: Economic diversification holds the key to the emergence of a robust economy that is capable of creating jobs and reducing poverty and unemployment. President Buhari’s administration needs to articulate and implement an economic blueprint for the diversification of the Nigerian economy, leveraging sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, hospitality, tourism and ICT to boost productive activities and revenue generation.
Reforming the Petroleum Sector: His administration should liberalise the entire downstream sector of the petroleum industry and intensify efforts to encourage private sector participation in the refining of petroleum products in Nigeria. Also, government’s effort to encourage the establishment of modular refineries in the Niger Delta region will contribute to job creation, harnessing of indigenous capacity of petroleum refining and reduce the spate of pipeline vandalism.
Improving Energy Supply: Nigeria’s near total reliance on gas for power supply is a major hindrance to the economic growth. President Buhari-led administration should consider a total reform of the energy sector in Nigeria, with a view to investing on infrastructure for tapping renewable energy sources. This will enhance diversification of energy sources like coal, wind, hydro and solar in order to boost industrial productivity for enhanced job creation and poverty reduction.
Invigorating Anti-graft Efforts: The Buhari government should to take deliberate efforts to strengthen and reposition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to vigorously prosecute all cases of corruption. The right calibre of persons need to be appointed to head the two anti-graft agencies to ensure diligent prosecution of corrupt officials, total recovery of looted funds and end the pillaging of public treasury.
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