The time is ominous! No doubt, the statement is becoming like a broken record, but we can hardly pretend that we have suddenly fixed the problems confronting us as of now. For the decency it deserves, I do think we are still very much on the trial and error mode as far as the unprepared for COVID- 19 is on governance and the people.
However, while no one says governance is a tea party, it is still highly expected that it should be responsive and be able to make the populace survive the boisterous storm with little or no harm done to them. The Government should provide the needed cushion for the people when the ride is not so smooth.
That expectation has not changed but has been heightened by the pandemic that has and is still taking its toll on the populace. Also important is that responses have been varied across strata. Some, despite the prevalence of the trial and error mode, have been able to mitigate the devastating effects of the pandemic greatly, others have been more like a roller coaster. In contrast, in other extreme cases, some have not simply gotten their priorities right. Without sounding unduly critical, almost all decisions by the Nigerian Government are pointing in the direction of not getting the priorities right. Unfortunately, both the Executive and Legislative arms are culpable in this regard. Few examples will be sufficient.
At the executive branch, one of the most laughable pronouncements was its avowed resort to continue the school feeding program during lockdowns. The next thing we heard was an announcement that a whopping half a billion Naira was ‘spent’ on the program. The Honorable Minister for Humanitarian services sworn to high heavens (or maybe hell) that she personally ‘supervised’ the disbursement across the states. To play the Lord’s advocate, I made several calls home across many states, to confirm if there is any household who benefitted, but as I type this, none has confirmed to have benefited. While my attempts may have suffered sampling limitations, the defense that the beneficiaries preferred to be anonymous is laughable as it is appalling. Since when has Nigeria’s nation become one huge secret society? How can a government that flaunts itself as an anti-corruption crusader even agreed to such a surreptitious request? How does such anonymity promote accountability? Where are the records of disbursement states by states, or that is also anonymous?
At another level of misplaced priority is the intention to take a loan to ‘upgrade’ the National Television Authority (NTA) to enable it to compete with Cable News Network (CNN). It is unthinkable both in contemplation, let alone in the pronouncement that a supposedly frugal government will conceive such thing at a time such as this. To what end will such an ‘elephant’ project serve? Bringing in the issue of borrowing to execute that which is not needed makes a foul taste in the mouth. In a sector that is already deregulated, how insane is it to want to equate NTA with CNN? What is even the basis of such contemptuous comparison? Is CNN owned and operated by any known government? So, we should incur debt for the generation unborn that the degree of lying to us may be upgraded to ‘international standard’ or what? Have we not been taken on enough futile journeys already? We don’t need anyone to tell us that this is another classical case of misplaced priority.
While others disgusting actions continue to inundate our space constantly, the above two suffices to make us consider how the current pandemic has helped or not helped us in the thinking department and how much has been able to define us in terms of governance.
On its part, the Legislature that is ideally the stronger representative of people both in its composition and diversity has not fared any better. It is their responsibility amongst many to ensure that equitable laws and regulations govern the nation by legislating and formulating policies that strengthen those objectives. For this reason, when they talk about oversight functions, which is well suited within these paradigms, it sounds contradictory when we seem to criticize them on that. But our criticisms are also not unfounded, especially when viewed against the backdrops of their ‘stamping’ legitimacy on some of their untoward behaviors, more so of the kinds that take the people for a ride.
For example, it was so insensitive that at a time like this, the whole world is entangled in the uncertainty of post-COVID-19 economic imperatives, our legislators will be more concerned about acquiring the state of the art automobiles that are neither produced by us nor adding any benefits to our economic comatose. With the barefaced defense that the vehicles will enhance the smooth discharge of their functions. How on earth will such acquisition improve the more than deplorable road networks? Or will it make the epileptic electricity now stable for Nigerians? Is there nothing such a huge outflow of cash from the economy can do to impact our educational system? There are so many questions we can ask, bothering on the simple economics of alternative uses. Should the poor people continue to ‘subsidized’ the gluttonous taste of those meant to be our representatives? How does the car even enhance legislative performances? Are laws made when riding in them? Do the vehicles improve the normal Intelligent Quotients (IQs) of our ‘distinguish’ and ‘honorable’ members? If the answers to these questions are farfetched, then it is not mere wastages on their part, but a classic case of misplaced priority.
Meanwhile, the other day we read online about the new water resources bill that was ‘reintroduced’ into the National Assembly. My good brother drew our attention to it on social media. After a lot of frantic efforts have been made at least to access the Bill so one can make informed comments on it, I was forced to ask him to avail me a copy if he can lay his hand on it. His response, not surprisingly, was that he had searched for it online but to no avail. Eventually, we were able to access the website of the National Assembly. Again, not too surprising, the last listing of Bills was sometimes in the third quarter of 2019. Before you blame COVID-19 for the lapses, be kindly reminded that lockdown was at the tail end of the first quarter of 2020. That gives a clear two quarters before the pandemic that the website was not updated.
That cannot be acceptable.
In the real sense of responsibility, the website is a stronger working tool more than luxury cars. How on earth in the 21st century will a body as the National Assembly not update its website online real-time? How should searching for a supposedly Bill become like searching for a virgin in a maternity wall?
The sad aspect of the whole scenario is that it will be mind-boggling if there is full disclosure of the amount allocated and paid out for website maintenance. Even some documentary inclined websites may not be as ‘un-updated’ as the Nigerian National Assembly website. Unto what use, if we ask, are the budgetary allocation for such services put into? Should it take up to 24 hours before a Bill that came into either of the Chambers of the National Assembly to be listed on their website? Is there anyone, in particular, we can hold accountable for this kind of disservice to the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who are daily denied access to information that should ordinarily be at our fingertips?
Which is more important to the efficiency and effectiveness of the National Assembly between a functional website, that is up to date in information and accessibility and the state of the art automobiles that only cost a fortune, but even unsuitable to our deplorable road networks?
Between the two arms of Government as mentioned above, which can be said to be getting the priority of governance right? With misalignments of purposes at both levels of Government, who then is coming to equity with filthy hands and yet shouting to high heavens as performing oversight functions? Our Government at both arms have taken us for granted as they only pursue self-serving priorities and care less about what is of importance to the citizen they ostensibly represent. If this is ideal democracy, perhaps we should start looking elsewhere, for the current system will not take us out of the wood. This is not a prophecy of doom, and I was not ‘bankrolled’ into doing this.
It is still ©TheVillageBoy