Careless policies and the need for better leaders

BY AHMED RUFAI ISAH

As news of the cancellation of the planned data hike by telecommunication companies filtered through, I asked myself what the purpose of a government is and if as Nigerians the government comprising of all the people elected to represent citizens truly have the interest of the nation at heart? If they do, have that interest manifested as positives in the lives of citizens?

Just yesterday, telecommunications companies in the country began sending text messages to subscribers notifying them of a planned hike in data tariff. This they said, is as a result of a directive from the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). In the circular released to the media, NCC’s argument was that there was need to protect the smaller telecoms companies like Ntel which just recently joined the group.

So, the best policy for them was to direct all telecoms companies to hike price to a floor rate to the detriment of the citizens. This is nothing short of illogical.

Governance in Nigeria remains such a tortuous experience for the citizens. Just days ago, I finished reading a book titled Flashes of Thoughts written by the great UAE leader Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In it I found an interesting quote about the responsibility of government to its citizens. The great Sheikh said “The sole responsibility of a government is the happiness of it’s citizens”. This quote reminds me of one of late Professor Chinua Achebe’s popular quotes “The problem with Nigeria is squarely and totally that of leadership”. Juxtapose this two quotes and ask yourself, have successive Nigerian governments set out to make citizens happy? Is there any time they accepted responsibility for their failures? The answer is a resounding NO.

One will assume people with thinking head on their shoulders will instead of tripling the sufferings of Nigerians in a time recession, seek ways to work with other arms of government in ensuring cost of doing business in Nigeria is reduced and ease of doing same is in order, stable electricity to help boost production is guaranteed and safe business environment is provided thereby pulling in more investors.

And as simple economics education taught us, with more investors come more investments and then more competition. And if this turns out the scenario, competition among investors and market forces determine prices around buying and selling. But this trying to control everything around the economy like kids forcing parents hands in search of chocolates I don’t understand.

Just few minutes ago, the Twitter handle of the Nigeria Senate tweeted that a bill to ‘regulate entrepreneurs’ had just passed 2nd reading.

The bill titled Chartered Entrepreneurs bill was sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Gobir, representative of Sokoto East at the upper chamber. Ladies and gentlemen, at this juncture I ask you to help me ask the Nigeria Senate how regulating entrepreneurs make any sense? Perhaps because the senator is a charted engineer he thinks everything should be chartered and regulated.

Again I ask, how do you regulate entrepreneurs who put in their money and effort to start a business you contributed nothing to? No stable electricity, no good rood networks, no water, no ease of doing business and not even loans without strings and grants exist to aid their effect. Yet people who call themselves lawmakers sat to debate this bill and allowed it pass 2nd reading. I am terribly disappointed but this no surprise. These are men who careless about the citizens.

As a citizen myself, I feel a bit of guilt with the knowledge that I spoke in favour of these group of men during the electioneering period. But for how long shall we continue in this track which produces gobbles in men year in year out? I have no answer to this. But I must call on all young people to open their eyes to current realities, to the realisation that none of these men have plans for the generation after theirs. Not ours, not the ones after us. If this troubles us a bit, it’s time to begin to organise and think of ways to take this nation back. A nation they fooled us has a tomorrow for us.

There is a bill in the house which we as young people must pay attention to. And that is the Not Too young To Run bill, one which seeks to reduce the age of those contesting elections. If we really mean to put this country on a map, we will need that bill as much as we will need capable young minds to step up and organise.

Isah is a journalist and research consultant. He can be reached on Twitter via @Sir_Ruffy