TITLE PAGE
RE-ENGINEERING THE NIGERIAN SYSTEM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
NAME
OLADIPO, SUNDAY EMMANUEL
PLACE OF PRIMARY ASSIGNMENT: AJAYI CROWTHER UNIVERSITY, OYO,
OYO STATE
PHONE NUMBER: 09032236201
GMAIL ADDRESS: oladiposundayemmanuel057@gmail.com
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RE-ENGINEERING THE NIGERIAN SYSTEM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Nigeria is one of the largest and most populated countries in Africa, and by far the biggest
in West Africa, it covers 923,768 square kilometers which it dominates. Nigeria’s population, is
gigantic and constantly growing, Nigeria shares its northern border with Niger and Chad,
western with Benin, and eastern with Cameroon. To the south is a coastal stretch on the Gulf of
Guinea and the Bights of Benin and Biafra, Nigeria is home to between 200 and 250 ethnolinguistic groups. Three main ethnics groups, however, make up the majority of the country’s
population. They are the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo. The land, although not exceptionally rich,
does provide the basis for agriculture and mining, and the production of oil has been a godsend.
Still, it does generate wealth, which could be used to power the economy. Moreover, Nigeria has
masses of educated and hardworking people, eager to get ahead, and it has finally returned to an
almost-democratic political system, which should theoretically allow its elected officials to chart
more promising paths than the series of military dictators.
The Nigeria we live in today however, is faced with considerable amount of socio-economic
and political challenges which includes, corruption, poverty, unemployment, insecurity, politics
and governance among others. It would be impossible to thoroughly examine all of these issues
in just one article, but, corruption is at the root of many of Nigeria’s problem, corruption takes
many forms and infiltrates all political institutions and economic sectors. It is so sad to hear that
the government, which is set up to build the country and fight any form of corruption, is now
stealing from her own people.
Sustainable development, on the other hand according to the 1987 Bruntland Commission
Report was described as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This concept of conserving resources
for future generations is one of the major features that distinguish sustainable development
policy from traditional environmental policy, which also seeks to internalize the externalities of
environmental degradation. The overall goal of sustainable development (SD) is the long-term
stability of the economy and environment; this is only achievable through the integration and
acknowledgement of economic, environmental, and social concerns throughout the decision
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making process. Sustainable development has the potential of being a groundbreaking concept
that can revolutionize the way nations act on a national level, and more so on an international
level, what sustainable development essentially calls for is transparency as well as cooperative
nations that are willing to work together for the betterment of the people.
The current ruling government is not performing its functions as promised, and officials are
too busy filling their pockets instead of governing effectively. In 2013, Transparency
International deemed Nigeria one of the most corrupt nations in the world, ranking as 144th in
Corruption Perception Index out of the 177 countries measured. Mathematically, it shows that
Nigeria was the 33rd most corrupt country in 2013. The most recently released data on the level
of corruption in Nigeria shows improvement when compared to that of 2013 and other years. In
2014, Nigeria is ranked 136th out of 174 surveyed countries in terms of corruption. This implies
that Nigeria is the 38th most corrupt nation in 2014. The result was published by Transparency
International on Wednesday, December 3, 2014. The result shows that former President
Goodluck Jonathan's administration was making an impact by bringing down the corruption
level in Nigeria. The current president, Mohammed Buhari, is making his own effort to bring
corruption in the country to a minimal level. This caused a few who looted in the past regime to
bring back some of the money they embezzled.
Unemployment is a hot issue in Nigeria, and many people are frustrated with widespread
joblessness. Unemployment in Nigeria is like a disease for which the cure is not yet discovered.
According to official statistics, 24% of Nigerians are unemployed. These numbers are worse for
young people. Official Nigerian statistics say 38% of those under 24 are unemployed, but the
World Bank estimates this number to be closer to 80%. The figure of tertiary graduates who have
not been able to secure the first employment since upward of 5 years after graduation is on the
rise and even those with masters and professional qualifications like: Medicine (NMA), Law
(NBA), Engineering (COREN) and Accounting (ICAN) are not spared from this ugly socioeconomic phenomenon. Underemployment is another intriguing issue in the country, those who
have the required certificate faced the problem of not having their dream job, in the hands of
those who said to have "long legs" and "bottom power”. Some are even paid peanuts if they are
lucky to secure paid jobs. University and polytechnics graduates now fall back on their lower
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qualifications like the School Certificates, National Diplomas (ND) and Polytechnics (OND and
HND).
Many Nigerian graduates have not learned good skills during their studies, thus, a great
challenge in Nigeria's education, students at tertiary educational institutions often graduate into
joblessness and low morale, they were busy reading textbooks without learning the practical
application. The University system is nothing to write about, currently the Academic Staff Union
of University (ASUU) has been on strike since the 14th of February, yet the Federal government
as nothing to ease the long term industrial actions.
According to the trading Economics 2018, Nigeria’s annual inflation rate increased to 11.23
percent in August of 2018 from 11.14 percent in July, above market expectations of 11.11
percent. It was the first rise in the inflation rate since its decline starting in January 2017, when it
reached a 12-year high of 18.7 percent. In terms of Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria, the rate
of growth has been sluggish in recent years. The gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the
primary indicators used to gauge the health of a country's economy. Also, over the course of a
few months, the GDP has also reduced. It reduced by -13.98 percent in the first quarter of 2016.
Also, in the first quarter of the year 2018, the GDP of the country reduced by -13.4.
Having identified few of the numerous socio-economic and political challenges, however,
re-engineering the Nigerian system for sustainable development, achieving human well-being,
addressing the problems of the Nigeria's ecosystem, and eradicating poverty with unemployment,
in a population of more than 200 Million is still possible. The country (Nigeria) and all areas of
human activity, such as ecology, social affairs, human rights, and politics, should be the subject
of intense human interest, this is an order as well as a mandate, i.e., as about God’s specific
regulation for man, he is to act responsibly and care for his living space, including the living
creatures that are in it, not only the perspective from man to God is essential, but so is the view
directed from man to his surroundings,
Steady economic growth can be achieved and financial crisis mitigated in Nigeria, if the
effects of socio-political challenges, which are the key factors that have contributed to the high
poverty, unemployment and economic instability in the country, are minimised. To ensure
economic growth and move the country forward politically and economically, government must
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be more accountable in managing the nation’s resources in order to avoid wastage, poverty and
unemployment, we have a fascinating example of God’s detailed instruction for stewardship in
the book of Numbers. Numbers 35 instructs the Levite tribe to set up towns scattered throughout
the Promised Land. Close attention should be given to those socio-political challenges in the
formulation of policies that aimed at maintaining economic growth at a level commensurate with
the country’s growth rate, government must be proactive in all issues relating to the sociopolitical challenges to prevent resource mismanagement, poverty, unemployment, insecurity and
slow economic growth in future. Social and economic development of Nigeria as obtainable in
developed and developing countries cannot be propelled without effective developmental
programme, efficient agencies to drive it as well as enabling environment for all to participate.
Laws and policies must be such that provide reasonable benefits for investments, attract local
and foreign investors in the economy, especially from agreements made with others. God
bothered to instruct Moses on civic planning based on semi-geometrical growth of pasture landan indication of good governance and orderliness. Numbers 35 illustrates the detailed attention
God pays to enabling work that sustains people and creates economic well-being. This suggests
that excellence and wisdom are required today to steward the country's resources efficiently and
sustainably.
In its earliest days the early Church manifested the fulfilment of the Old Testament ideals
within the concept of shalom: “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that
what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. There were no needy
people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the
money to the apostles to give to those in need.” Acts 4:32, 34-35. They did this because of their
faith in Jesus as the anointed one, the Lord, the Prince of Peace. This implies the concept of unity
in diversity. A heterogeneous society, like Nigeria, one of the numerous ways to solve the socioeconomic and political challenges is being united as one, irrespectives of the language, culture,
religion, we should be our brother's keeper, doing this we can create a better place not only for
ourselves but also for the coming generation and the entire human race.
Also, Nigeria can solve its many problems by giving its youth more opportunities to
participate in the government, economy, and society. A youth is a person between the ages of 15
and 24 years. In the African Youth Charter, youth means every person between the ages of 15
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and 35 years. It is not rare to see a man of 50 years who refers to himself as a youth in the
Nigerian arrangement it will be safer to say that a youth is a young person; of course this
definition does not include a man who is 60 years old. Young people are the prime beneficiaries
of school improvement, and the percentage of youth in higher learning institutions is currently
very high. If young people were in charge, the educational system in Nigeria would not be in its
current state, and unemployment would be reduced. At the same time, young people shouldn’t
wait for good things to come to them; they need to take individual initiative. Youth
empowerment and initiative will improve life for all Nigerians. Nigerian government officials
and other elites need to share power with the country’s youth and listen to young peoples’ ideas
for how to better the country. The young men and women of Nigeria are tomorrow’s elders and,
if included, could transform Nigeria. Without the energy of youth, society will decay and perish.
Corruption affects all countries, causing instability, inequality, and poverty, eroding
national wealth. Corruption is said to be so complex that many people do not fully understand it,
though they can easily identify the end results of the phenomenon. Indeed, the effects of
corruption are so massive that every system becomes unworkable and unproductive in a society
where corruption thrives, an example of effect of corruption is the worsening security situation in
Nigeria, exemplified by kidnapping for ransom, cattle rustling, armed robbery, banditry and,
above all, the emergence and sustenance of the Boko Haram insurgency for over a decade, in
spite of the huge resources supposedly deployed to tackle it, are all manifestations of corruption,
adding that citizens are daily regaled with mind-boggling figures of public funds allegedly
siphoned by individuals in authority, who grossly abuse their privileged positions. But it is
essential if Nigeria is to fight corruption systematically and ensure long-term stability. We are
fortunate to now have technology that enables us to build electronic platforms to manage
government finances, biometric systems to bring integrity to our personnel and government
payment systems, and web-based platforms to provide transparency of government finances. We
need to go even further to see how we can deploy blockchain and other emerging technologies to
underpin our contract negotiations and procurement systems, a huge source of corruption and
leakage in many countries. We should combine these efforts with building strong and
independent audit and justice systems, including a well-resourced judiciary and an oversight
office to field complaints. We also need to create an environment that enables strong and
accountable civil society organizations that provide oversight of government. Such strong and
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independent institutions have a salutary effect on political will as they exert the necessary
pressure on politicians, even at the highest levels, to act.
In addition to minimizing corruption in the country, Nigerians should cultivate the habit of
being patient. Many indulge in corrupt practices is because they are impatient and want to make
quick money. In developed countries of the world like the United States, many Nigerians are
locked up in the prisons and some have been killed because of their corrupt practices.
Recently, the political atmosphere of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is changing, politics
encapsulates the activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government or
getting and keeping power in government. Relatively young people now aspire to occupy
different political positions, from local government leadership, states house of assembly, the
National Assembly to the supreme political position in Nigeria; the presidency. The reasons for
this shift are not farfetched. Ask an average Nigerian youth on the street, you might hear things
like ‘we are tired of all these old and corrupt babas ruling us’ or ‘our president is old enough to
be my grandfather’ or ‘I was 5 years old when Buhari was the then head of states’.
The tag, ‘not too young to rule’ is now trending. It is clear that the political orientation of
the youths is changing, thus, being called the leader of tomorrow is becoming outdated and the
saying that ‘the future is now’ is becoming more of a reality. Without mincing words, the youth
occupies almost 60% of the Nigeria total population, since knowledge is power, youth should be
trained and be knowledgeable about the concept of politics therefore, as a matter of necessity,
they should be actively involved in the process of policy formulation and execution of their
country’s policies that influences their lives, however it cannot be said with certainty that the
youth are at the forefront of politics in Nigeria. When Moses was about to die, he asked God for
a new leader, one who will lead them and bring them to the promise land, and moreover to
ensure that Israel was not without leader, Joshua was a man with the Spirit of God, and a long
associate of Moses, he appoint Joshua as his successor, Moses invest him with some of his
authority, so that the Children of Israel would obey him, the change was to be a gradual shift of
power. So, training key players in each target team on service management, political offices, is
more crucial, they should be aware of the principles and best practices. Once armed with this
knowledge, they will share a common language for defining the objectives and tactics that are
best for establishing a vibrant political system foundation in the country.
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Added to this ugly situation is the increasing trend of job outsourcing in company and
consultancy firms, casualization of labour in the oil and gas industry and the increasing
phenomenon of rightsizing of labour among big firms and corporations in the country, decades
ago, getting a good education or a gainful employment was without difficulty. Today, the story
has changed, getting a quality education comes with a huge price and getting a gainful
employment may take forever. Employment prospects amongst qualified graduates are becoming
increasingly competitive and the job openings are equally limited. From experiences, many
University graduates have strong preference for the industry or private sector practice but things
have since changed as employment opportunities in the private sector are decreasing. Indeed job
prospects are diminishing by the day in both the private and public sectors. Therefore, there is a
need to look elsewhere, the reality of entrepreneurship has enveloped our world and it is clear
that not only our youths but our economy can thrive on entrepreneurship. The most successful
social entrepreneurs challenge themselves to be open-minded and approach problems with a
filter that is void of established tendencies and stigmas. They are unconventional thinkers, not
limited by the constraints of the systems in place, but instead challenge those systems with fresh
ideas and techniques, their ability to challenge commonly assumed principles or beliefs ushers in
a completely new way of thinking.
Since entrepreneurial thinking naturally embodies creativity, a boundless imagination as to
what is possible, it makes us recognized the reality that many low-income communities are rich
in bi-lingual talent. Entrepreneurial skills reduces the dependent on a white collar job, rather it
create a route of providing jobs or vocational training for oneself, it create opportunity to sharpen
one's skills and enhance employability, it build manpower base towards attaining national
development operations, it provide youth with skills and information required to enter into work,
empower youth to work for themselves or create jobs for others, protect youth from demand and
supply shocks through acquisition of skills, opportunity to build new networks and professional
contacts, the opportunity to make them very competitive, enterprising, smart, knowledgeable and
portray themselves as indispensable brands to the labour and the business market. The present
day government should put some initiatives in place to empower Nigerian youths, to allow these
initiatives do not usually translates into real value for the Nigerian youths.
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Science and Technology are re-branding our world, they are giving our world a new face
and are rapidly changing the manner in which we live our lives and do things, from business to
security, banking, youth should understand better the role technology will play in building an
efficient economy structure, security, and even fighting corruption. So, young people have a
great responsibility in leading innovation and building this country in terms of technology,
agriculture and even domestic activities.
To combat the menace of poverty in Nigeria, one of the ways in which government and
young people will fight poverty in Nigeria will be majorly through empowerment and
commercial agricultural activities because poverty is half conquered when hunger is removed.
Development and implementation of rapid and sustained economic growth policies and programs,
in areas such as health, education, nutrition and sanitation, allowing the poor to participate and
contribute to the growth. Studies show that a 10 percent increase in a country’s average income
reduces poverty by as much as 20-30 percent. Government should create an empowerment
scheme to enhance and empower people living in poverty by involving them in the development
and implementation of plans and programs to reduce and eradicate poverty. Their involvement
ensures that programs reflect those things that are important to them. Nigerian government
should help millions of people out of poverty and as a plan to eradicate poverty, the Bank of
Agriculture should lend more money to help develop rural areas, fund education, infrastructure,
and crop production. Joseph created a long term policy of agricultural policy and infrastructure
in the book of Genesis 41: 46-57. Joseph immediately went about the work to which Pharaoh had
appointed him. His primary interest was in getting the job done for others, rather than taking
personal advantage of his new position at the head of the royal court. He recognized that his
wisdom and discernment were gifts from God, but nevertheless that he still had much to learn
about the land of Egypt, its agricultural industry in particular. As the senior administrator,
Joseph’s work touched on nearly every practical area of the nation’s life. His office would have
required that he learn much about legislation, communication, negotiation, transportation, safe
and efficient methods of food storage, building, economic strategizing and forecasting, recordkeeping, payroll, the handling of transactions both by means of currency and through bartering,
human resources, and the acquisition of real estate. His extraordinary abilities with respect to
God and people did not operate in separate domains. The genius of Joseph’s success lay in the
effective integration of his divine gifts and acquired competencies. For Joseph, all of this was
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godly work. Happily, by applying his God-given skill and wisdom, Joseph successfully brought
Egypt through the agricultural catastrophe. When the seven years of good harvests came, Joseph
developed a stockpiling system to store the grain for use during the coming drought. When the
seven years of drought arrived, “Joseph opened the storehouses” and provided enough food to
bring the nation through the famine. His wise strategy and effective implementation of the plan
even allowed Egypt to supply grain to the rest of the world during the famine.
Modern nation-state functions through a set of institutions. The legislature, the judiciary, the
executive apparatus such as bureaucracy and the police, and the formal structures of union –state
relations as well as the electoral system are the set of institutions constituted by the idea of
constitutionalism. The judiciary is the branch of government that deals with interpretation of a
nation’s laws, resolution of legal conflicts, and judgments for violations of the law and is
composed of judges and courts. However, in governance, the judiciary system must consistently
remained independent and strong, safeguarding the interests of the citizens by not allowing the
other organs to go beyond the Constitution. It acts, as checker against legislative and executive
arbitrariness and unconstitutional conduct.
Economic and social development is not propelled or constraint merely because a country is
contending with political instability, corruption, insecurity such as, ethnic violence, militia
(Niger Delta), insurgency (Boko Haram), Cattle Rustlers and or Fulani Herdsmen and farmer
clashes across the country or the absence of any form of war as being experience in Nigeria, but
rather the presence of rule of law as well as efficient justice system propelled by an independent
judicial institution in society. Instructively, the significance of the judicial role in democracy is
channelled towards ensuring peace, social and economic development as well as political
stability perhaps more than ever cannot be overemphasised. However, it is more about the rule of
law with existence of an effective and efficient independent judiciary to enforce government
compliance for the achievement of these essential socio-economic indices of development. In
event the interconnectivity of judiciary and economic development will transcend judicial
responsibility that ensures transparency, fairness and predictability in decision, judicial synergy
in creating an enabling environment where contract and contractual relationships are enforceable,
thus promoting business, government efforts that ensures there is peace and security; personal
safety, protection of property as well propriety right and an independent judiciary that safeguard
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them, also create free and equal access to justice without fear of favouritism or undue external
influence; that means concrete ways to invoke judicial remedy that protect individual rights.
In conclusion, to cushion the effect of socio-economic and political challenges. Government
should be responsible, youth should be involved in politics, in the educational system, likewise
in entrepreneurial skills. Entrepreneurial skills acquisition can be obtained through various
avenues such as: attending entrepreneurial training classes, development programmes, seminars,
workshops, job rotation, special (intensive) training, articleship or apprenticeship, etc. The
Federal Government of Nigeria should launch the Graduate Internship scheme to create
opportunity for graduates to be attached to firms/organizations, where they can work for a year
and enjoy a monthly stipend. This will provide the opportunity to unemployed Nigerian
graduates to gain working experience and enhance their employability in the labour market, get
retained by their firms of engagement, or even seek other opportunities through other
government programmes, this will reduce the vulnerability of unemployed graduates.
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