What a powerful body the Federal Government is. Consider: you – yes, you, whoever you are – are living in its domain, and it can command you to do or undo a task as it so wish. The Federal Government is great.
This weekend while chatting with my friend, Sadiq, we argued strongly. He was in support of the opinion that the Federal Government of Nigeria can end – if it so wish – the scourge of poverty in Nigeria, end malaria, and provide 24 hours of electricity as early as next year.
Sadiq even goes further to explain how the campaign is going to be hold. “You know, the moment President Jonathan realizes that the Nigerian treasury is for Nigerians, he will summon his cabinet and draw a master plan to start working on reforming the country,” Sadiq said with confidence. “And you’ll never see a beggar or hear the sound of generators in your neighborhood.”
The Nigerian politicians, too, wants to talk reform and paint a muscular shape of government’s body in the minds of the electorate. Whenever a political campaign kick-started, you’ll hear politicians chanting, “If you elect me as your president, I’ll end poverty.” “If I become the next governor of this state, unemployment will become history.” “Vote for me, and I’ll ensure security for this great community.”
Well, not exactly. For my friend, for the politicians, the rhetoric left a gaping hole. Generally speaking, the government is powerful. The Federal Government of Nigeria in particular is powerful, too. But, the reality of the matter is, no government on this earth can end poverty off its shores, provide jobs for every citizen of its state, and ensure 100% security to its people.
In other words, the government cannot solve every problem in its state.
What a smart government can do is provide basic necessities to its citizens – good roads, clean water, prevent crime to the minimal level (as the case in Dubai), provide constant electricity and quality health care, and make things easier for its people.
Take the US government, for example. It subsidizes everything for its citizenry. With few dollars, an American citizen can enter a grocery store and shop for some proteins – tuna, beans, and eggs.
And because they already have good housing, electricity, and roads, they don’t frustrate their income on fuel, generator, or bribe their way out to secure a job. The average American doesn’t consider car as luxury because almost every American can afford one – the system is working, their purchasing power is fantastic … they live a happy, prosperous life.
Government provides the basics, subsidizes amenities, and relieve the life of its citizenry – that’s what every sensible government does.
Back to my friend. Even when President Jonathan realize that the Nigerian treasury is not for him and his corrupt cronies (which is unlikely), his administration cannot put food on the 160 million Nigerian tables.
I agree: he can improve our security challenges. In other words, reduce the scourge of crime in the main street of Nigeria. He can even defeat Boko Haram. He can fix electricity, provides clean water to every corner of the country. He can also provide fertilizer to our local farmers (when he understands that they don’t need mobile phones to grow their crops).
The Federal Government can also provide employment opportunities to our teeming youths, and control the market prices so that the average Nigerian can shop – like his American counterpart – for tuna and eggs.
But the Federal Government cannot end poverty off the Nigerian soil. And because the current government of Nigeria is clueless, I’ll keep seeing beggars, mosquitoes will keep sucking my blood, and generators will keep making their reverberating sounds.
The government is not magic. It cannot nourish, and it cannot give a lazy person food, though it can help point it out to them.
Someone else put it better when addressing his countrymen. He said, “There will be setbacks and false start … and we know that government can’t solve every problem.” The words of a dictator? Not quite. It was President Obama.
—————-
Suhaib Mohammed is a professional freelance writer and the founder and CEO of Haibtext. Sign up for his WriteLearnEarn (Basic) – if you’re a newbie – to write and learn as you earn, or WriteLearnEarn (Pro) – if you’re a professional writer – to write and get paid instantly. Connect with him on Twitter – @Haibtext and Facebook – http://facebook.com/haibtext
