Our Dysfunctional Nation

THE problems in Ni­geria may continue until we have purposeful leadership and a populace guided by conscience and moral values. The men­tality of constant grab­bing has instilled greed as a vice, turning us into a predatory society where strength and opportunity override reason and dis­regard justice. Our great­est undoing as a nation is corruption and greed, which permeates not only the political class but all facets of our lives. Corrup­tion is a major denomina­tor in Nigeria, pervasive and deeply rooted among ordinary Nigerians. It is a powerful economic ma­nipulator that pervades the civil service, govern­ment circles, our com­munities, and even our homes. This is why elect­ing community leaders often becomes a conten­tious affair that escalates into crises due to the con­flicting interests of vari­ous factions. Corruption has a way of getting things done that undermines the rule of law, and that’s why we are in a perpetual state of dysfunction.

How can we build a stable nation when leadership ef­forts are consistently frus­trated? How do we expect to build a functional society when citizens neither abhor evil nor uphold what is right? How can we create a better nation when both leaders and citizens act as plunder­ers, looting the nation for personal gain? This is Nige­ria’s reality: our challenges stem from corruption and sabotage, rampant across all levels—from the elected and appointed officials to petty traders and artisans. Conse­quently, public institutions like the oil sector, health­care, commerce and industry, public utilities, and educa­tion have become comatose. Even sacred institutions like churches and mosques have not been immune to this corrupt mentality. We live in a society where wealth is the primary currency for respect and acceptance, and government programmes fail because true patriots are scarce among both leaders and citizens.

Take, for instance, the federal government’s cash transfer scheme. Many po­tential beneficiaries, espe­cially those without bank ac­counts, basic technology, or knowledge of social media, were excluded, while civil servants and others with regular incomes unfairly benefitted. The intended recipients—those in rural communities who are suf­fering, jobless, and malnour­ished—remain neglected. Unfortunately, our greed mentality prevents those who should be custodians of these initiatives from directing them to the needy who require them the most. One of the greatest failures of any government is the lack of proper planning and data utilisation; illiteracy and a flawed mentality are prevalent in our rural com­munities.

Many rural people lack access to telephones, and even those who do are lim­ited to basic calls and texts.

They often cannot afford more advanced phones or understand how to operate them. This large population is shut out of social media and the broader benefits of technology. Poverty means that most Nigerians are also cut off from television ser­vices, with only a few owning even a basic radio. The use of BVN or National Identity numbers, meant for modern transactions, is similarly out of reach. These limitations affect the poor, while govern­ment programmes intended to alleviate poverty and sup­port small businesses have little impact because they fail to reach their intended targets. Instead, beneficia­ries have often been civil servants, public employees, members of the armed forc­es, and others who are al­ready employed and earning a living.

This reflects the short­comings of our political lead­ers, who seem neither to think deeply nor seek solu­tions. Leaders of Nigeria’s first and second republics were arguably more effec­tive. Today, President Buhari has failed, and President Tinubu, who claims to be progressive, follows a similar path. Awolowo, if he were president today, would not support a cash transfer pro­gramme, as it is a flawed policy mired in corruption from start to finish, with no accountability. He would have invested such funds in free education to benefit the poorest, lifting many house­holds out of ignorance and poverty. Awolowo would have used agriculture as a means of both food security and job creation, improving the standard of living.

The government should have prioritised federal farms, establishing state-run farms in each senatorial dis­trict. Such an initiative would provide affordable food, gen­erate wealth, and create jobs. The federal government, along with state and local governments, could rely on NYSC postings to maintain these programmes. Sadly, when a leader lacks vision, the nation and its people are doomed, especially when that leader sur­rounds themselves with sycophants and incompe­tent advisors.

Our problem as a na­tion lies in our failure to think and in the lack of guidance from our lead­ers. Our flawed leadership and followership mental­ity is our undoing. Nigeria is a richly blessed nation, yet we act like termites, destroying all that is good in a quest for corruption, without consideration for others. This destructive greed fuels crime, im­morality, and insecurity. It has undermined the judiciary and corrupted every aspect of society, re­placing nationalism with tribalism. This is why mo­rality is shunned and im­morality celebrated, even on national television. It explains why some of our youths dress indecently, including married women who walk the streets with­out regard for societal standards.