OPINION BY SIMON KOLAWOLE: Common errors about Nigeria (II) | TheCable
and entrenched misconception in Nigeria: that the progress of the country rests solely on his shoulders. That is what I have observed since we transited to democracy in 1999. I don’t know what is responsible for this notion, but I often try to pin it on our long history of military rule in which the all-powerful head of state, presiding from Dodan Barracks or Aso Rock, appointed and teleguided state governors and enforced his agenda. They needed the head of state’s approval for most things.
First, a clarification and a definition of concept. I do not intend to suggest that the president plays no role in the development of Nigeria. Not at all. In fact, he sits atop the hierarchy. He is responsible for the broad policies that shape the economy — macro, trade, industrial, etc. He is also responsible for internal security. If we are at the mercy of robbers, kidnappers, bandits and terrorists, he has a chunk of the blame.
On bad roads, the notion is that the president should take the blame. I have told this story a million times: in 2013, an uncle came visiting and we got into a mild argument over Jonathan’s performance as president. I said Jonathan was not doing badly, insecurity aside. I listed some physical projects he had executed across the country, in addition to the non-tangible feats.
Have you noticed that yearly, newspapers report how much Aso Rock has budgeted for food? Nobody talks about the budgets for food and spoons in the 36 state government houses. We focus only on the president — because we unconsciously think that is where things start and end. We complain about budget padding only at the federal level. You would think it doesn’t exist in states. We report how much a federal lawmaker earns per month and pay little or no attention to state lawmakers.
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