Governance at all levels – local, state and federal – in Nigeria has gone on holiday as political activities pursuant to the February 2019 general elections have taken centre stage. Economy in its slow and fragile recovery is a major victim of the inertia in government.
All government business seems to have been kept on hold as ministers, commissioners and other heads of government agencies have returned to base to canvass for votes, either for themselves or for their principal seeking a second term in office or fighting to install his surrogate.
“Nothing is happening now because government functionaries are politicking. This shows that our democracy is still immature; we should be able to separate politics from governance. In developed societies like the US and UK, politics and governance run almost on parallel lines,” noted Femi Akintunde, GMD, Alpha Mead Group in an interview.
Akintunde pointed out that government business in those societies runs seamlessly even as politics is heating up because there are policies and programmes that must be followed through, irrespective of who was in government when such policies were made.
The implication of the situation we have on hands is that apart from the economy, the citizens are being subjected to undue hardship. In Lagos, for instance, Apapa, the country’s premier port city, has become a metaphor for stress and suffocation as a result of port congestion and gridlock.
The Federal Government, about three months ago, commenced rehabilitation work on the dilapidated Ijora Bridge. For so long, the bridge, which is the only major outbound route from Apapa ports, has been closed, forcing all motorists to take a narrow alternative route out of the port city.
The rehabilitation work, which is taking place at two separate spots on the bridge, is being delayed because the materials needed for the work have to be imported. “The materials needed for the rehabilitation are to be imported and work will resume at the site as soon as the materials are available,” assured Adedamola Kuti, Federal Controller of Works in Lagos.
Kuti explained that the delay in rehabilitating the part of the bridge that was burnt by fire being handled by Julius Berger was because approval for the rehabilitation has not been given. Apparently, the delay in approving the job proposal is because politicians in government who have the final say are too busy for government business at the moment.
Lagos as a city seems to be gradually shutting down as the battle for the soul of the state increases with ferocity. Lagos economy is adjudged the most buoyant in the country. The city is touted to become the second largest in Africa by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and this is predicated on the expected gains from policy reforms by the current administration which is encouraging private investments.
A study by an Associate Director at Oxford Economics, Mark Britton, says Lagos is set to overtake Johannesburg as Africa’s second largest city by GDP by 2035. The state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, said early this year that the state’s GDP was set to hit $136 billion. The city is also forecast to become the most populous African city. Its population is expected to be 28.5 million by 2035, more than double its current size.
Today, consideration for all these potential and how to sustain their growth, have been set aside by the government and its managers. “Governance is on holiday in this state and, indeed, in all other states of the federation,” said Madumere Ibezimako, a public affairs analyst, in a telephone interview, noting that the directive by the governor for potholes on Lagos roads to be filled are not being carried out because the governor is politicking.
“Work has literally stopped on the many projects which this government initiated because the governor is fighting his battle for survival. The entire state is almost at standstill with congestion, gridlock and waste scattered on all streets and roads,” Ibezimako noted.
Because of this, “some Lagos residents, especially those who live on the outskirts of the city, do not see any cause for Ambode’s return to power. It takes me over four hours commuting to work on the Island from where I leave in the Alimosho area of the state. Coming back takes between three and four hours and that is happens every day”, lamented Emmanuel Idowu who spoke to BusinessDay.
Idowu explained that all the roads in his local government have collapsed, making movement by whatever means very difficult for the residents.
