This is a shame if the federal, states and local governments cannot be trusted with public funds. No wonder those who aspire to hold public offices always make it a do or die affair. How can they be stealing our monies and show off as if they are gods? All I am waiting to see is the so-called change that APC government intends to bring but if not, it will then be a moral burden on them as so many APC members and those decamping from PDP and other parties to APC in order to protect their ill gotten wealth.

A survey has shown that Nigerian politicians, especially state governors, deliberately involve themselves in flagrant and ostentatious expenditure as a way to show off their class, without the knowledge that their action is responsible for the underdevelopment of the economy.

By Omoh Gabriel Ambassador Tom Amolo, the Kenyan Ambassador to Nigeria last week reiterated the need for Africa to look inward when looking for solutions to its problems. Africa he said is capable of assessing itself on the progress made in the areas of good governance and economic development. Amolo said in Abuja during an […]

Former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida was once quoted at a meeting with the organized private sector during the Structural Adjustment Programme SAP, as saying that he did not know why the Nigerian economy had not collapsed.

When in 1999 President Olusegun Obasanjo assumed office as President of Nigeria, one of his intentions was to create a state-backed Nigeria enterprise that could compete with multinationals anywhere in the globe. So, Mr Obasanjo encouraged what came to be known as Corporate Nigeria. Many enterprising Nigerian businessmen were brought close to the seat of government. Many used the opportunity to carve for themselves business empires.

The North use the Yoruba to get what they want and then drop them when time comes. MKO; Awo, Obj, and now Tinubu.

Apapa traffic gridlock is a symptom of much deeper shortcomings in the management of government business. The Federal Government has for long sold the downstream of the oil sector to a cabal who has ensured that the nation’s refineries would never work. This is to give them the lee way to continue to import refined products and line their pockets with ill-gotten wealth. It is to enable the few that have access to government apparatus to import products and claim subsidy.

Last week, President-elect, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) surprised Nigerians when he said that he is currently at a loss on how best to tell Nigerians that his promise of turning the economy around quickly upon assumption of office on May 29 may not be feasible. One would have expected the renowned general to know better. He was swept into office by the propaganda of change. Nigerians bought the slogan line, hook and sinker and voted him to power.

The forensic audit conducted by PWC on NNPC to ascertain the veracity of the alleged missing $20 billion from the Federation account is to say the least, very damaging to the already poor image of the officials of the out-going PDP-led Federal Government. The report was supposedly a fact-finding one but what came out was a smokescreen the government wanted to use to whitewash a very filthy cup for Nigerians to drink with. PWC had qualified the audit saying it did not obtain needed information from NPDC, a subsidiary of NNPC. The qualification of the audit report has cast doubt on the reliability of the report.

To ensure that Nigeria’s growth can be wide, inclusive and sustained, the incoming Muhammadu Buhari administration must focus on building infrastructure, institutions and people. Nigeria has big infrastructure gaps, which represented huge costs to businesses and to people. Over the past three decades, per capita output of electricity in Nigeria remained virtually flat. Only 16 per cent of all roads are paved, compared with 58 per cent in South Asia. The investment needs to address this is in the region of billions of dollars.

Nigeria’s economic potential is well known. The country’s considerable resource endowment and coastal location ordinarily should allow the emergence of a strong growth pole for Sub-Saharan Africa. Over the years, Nigeria has realised very little of this potential. Instead, its history has been marked by economic stagnation and associated with declining welfare and social instability.

During the student union election in 1979/80 at the University of Benin, one Liad Tella, who was of the economic and Statistic department thought the university community how sacred facts can and how effective statistic can be used for electioneering campaign.

Certainly the great challenge facing Nigeria today is that of leadership. Leadership at all levels, in government, public sector institutions and businesses run by Nigerians lack effective leadership. Most are there either by chance or through godfatherism.

The 2015 election will certainly come and go but the after effect may linger for a long time. Whether it is PDP or APC that eventually wins the presidential election, the party that will come to power post-election, had better get prepared for the handling of the economy. As it stands, the nation is on a financial cliff that can fall off any time except a miracle happens. The one commodity that provides life support for the economy has seen its price at the international market fall to as low as $58 per barrel.

During the student union election in 1979/80 at the University of Benin, Mr. S.A. Tella, now a professor of Economic and Statistics department taught the university community how sacred facts and effective statistics can be used for electioneering campaign.