Our attention has been drawn to the 2010 Human Development Report compiled by  the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Report, among other things,  shows that Nigeria is grouped among the 41 countries considered to have the “least human development” in the world. It also shows that the country’s wealth - as defined by gross domestic product per head - has slipped to a mere 1,224 dollars, compared to 9,812 dollars for South Africa, 1,628 dollars for Kenya and 2,197 dollars for Cameroon. On life expectancy, the Report said that in 2010 Nigeria’s life expectancy is 48.4 years on average, below that of Ghana (57.1.), Cameroon (51.7), Benin Republic (62.3), and Uganda (54.1).

The 2010 Human Development Report seems to reinforce the conclusions of other credible international institutions that all is not well with virtually all aspects of our economy.

Only last month for instance, the World Economic Forum slammed the country over its poor governance and infrastructure financing and downgraded her to 127 out of 139 countries on national competitiveness.

Similarly, a list released by Transparency International in October 2010 showed that the country hasfallen four steps on the global ranking of countries listed on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The list, announced by the Berlin based anti-corruption watchdog, showed that Nigeria is now ranked 134, dropping from its 130 position in 2009 and 121 in 2008.

 Again in the same October 2010, it was reported that Nigeria slipped from 35th to 40th position in the Mo Ibrahim good governance ranking of 53 countries in Africa. The index ranks countries based on 88 indicators related to economic and political governance, and scores them on a scale of zero to 100. 

The harrowing narratives purveyed by these figures vindicate our continued concern over the health of our economy and the way it is managed. With figures apparently being desperately contrived to suggest that the “economy is doing well” these credible international institutions unambiguously negate the lies of officialdom. They are also an indictment on the quality of governance available and the direction in which the country is going.

When these depressing statistics about our country’s economy and well-being are added to the consequences of the rapacious raid and depletion of the country’s excess crude account and foreign reserves, as well as the unreflective accumulation of foreign and domestic debts, every right thinking Nigerian has a cause to be concerned.

The government owes the citizens explanations as to why the economy is being pushed to the precipice. Nigerians are entitled to ask honest questions about what the government is doing, if any, to reverse this worrying trend of rapid decline in all sectors of our socio-economic life.  

They are entitled to explanations on why the unemployment queue is getting longer, the incidence of poverty is getting worse and labour unrest has become pervasive – at a time the government flaunts figures showing the economy is “doing well” or the Finance Minister, Dr Olusegun Aganga declaring punctiliously that the “economy is too technical for some people to understand.”

While we recognise that people cannot give what they don’t have, we believe that this government needs to level up with ordinary Nigerians by telling them the  truth – namely, that things have never been this bad. We strongly believe that things have become so bad that we can no longer afford to live in denial or filibuster on questions of the economy.

 ..Give democracy a chance – Atiku urges African leaders

Former Vice President and presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has advised African leaders against giving democracy a bad name by their tendency of disregarding the will of the voters.The presidential aspirant made the call in a statement issued by his Campaign Organisation in reaction to the emerging drama in Cote d’Ivoire, where incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo appears reluctant to accept the outcome of the presidential run-off, which gave the opposition leader, Mr. Alassane Ouattara victory with 54.1 percent of the votes ahead of the incumbent who got 46 percent.

Atiku noted with concern that, although the country’s electoral commission had confirmed Ouattara as the winner, the ruling party of the President is needlessly resisting the verdict of the voters.Recalling a similar incident in Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe halted the announcement of results because they didn’t favour him, the PDP presidential contender contended that resisting the will of the people is a fundamental threat to the survival of democracy.

“Unless and until African leaders stand up and speak in unison in defence of the people’s freedom of choice and the liberty to change their governments, our continent will continue to be bedeviled by myriad of problems,” he said.

He expressed fears that attempts to scuttle the voter decision can lead to  consequences African leaders could not have bargained for.According to Atiku, with international observers and major global media organizations confirming that Alassance Ouattara was ahead, Cote d’Ivoire should be saved another political tension.

He warned that unless the ruling party in the country upholds the wishes of the people, the efforts of the United Nations and European Union to help democracy take roots in Cote d’Ivoire could come to naught.The PDP presidential aspirant advised African leaders to avoid the temptation of clinging to power even where the people have expressed a clear wish for change. 

“A peacefully conducted election should not be allowed to degenerate into another round of political crisis after what Cote d’Ivoire went through in the past,” he warned.

Comments

dr. femi adegbulu:it's a pity that Cote d'Ivoire is steeping into another political abyss again.When will African leaders be cured of this plague called sit-tight-tism? Multillateral institutions should be getting ready for a stiff regime of sanctions against Laurent Gbagbo's rougue government. Besides,by now,we expect AU to have issued statements of condemnation,followed by some boycott of a sort,as a harbinger to sanctions