The earth is littered with the bones of potentates who believed they were eternal. History never forgets their renown or ruin. Let this guide every Nigerian in public office. No matter how highly placed or conceited they are, fate eventually halts their pompous strides and yanks the rug from beneath their pretentious ideals.
Fresh from its commemoration of the democracy day, yesterday, June 12, the country’s leadership must reexamine its commitment to the continuance and survival of the Nigerian project.
There is no gainsaying the prevailing economic hardships counseled a low-key celebration, with sober recall of the ultimate sacrifice by slain democracy hero, magnate and philanthropist, Late Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 elections.
Through Nigeria’s sober recall, it is pertinent to ask if this is the country for which Abiola and other June 12 heroes gave their lives. Is this the country for which our founding fathers shed sweat and blood? From insecurity, economic distress and the baleful shadow of indefinite strike, Nigeria has a lot to contend with.
The Joe Ajaero-led labour union’s threat to declare indefinite strike, if the federal government rejects its demand for a N250,000 minimum wage, certainly triggered the social space with a plethora of issues.
Of paramount significance is Nigeria’s troubling expenditure on the remuneration of its public officers. Soon after the 36 state governors rejected the labour union’s demand claiming none of them could afford any minimum wage beyond N60,000, Nigerians have been bashing them in physical and virtual space, insisting that if that be the case, public officers too, must be placed on the N60,000 minimum wage.
Of course, it need be acknowledged that barely 10 states can comfortably afford the current N30,000 minimum wage let alone the N60,000 and N250,000 wage suggestions. Yet the country’s public officers draw outrageous remuneration that constrain the country’s purse.
In the hallowed chambers of the Nigerian legislature, for instance, a cruel irony unfolds daily as lawmakers luxuriate in opulence while the very populace they serve languish in abject deprivation. This obscene dichotomy between public servants and the citizenry demands immediate and decisive action.
The federal government and the National Assembly must act in unison to reduce the astronomical cost of governance, for the current profligacy is both unsustainable and morally indefensible.
The bicameral legislature, a relic of an era that imagined endless bounty, is an anachronism in today’s Nigeria. The maintenance of a Senate and House of Representatives, with their attendant expenses, is no longer a luxury we can afford.
In 2024 alone, Nigeria is spending about N724 billion on its National Assembly and 36 State Assemblies. This includes N50 billion for salaries and allowances of lawmakers at both federal and state levels, N294.7 billion specifically for the National Assembly and related bodies, and N379.28 billion for the state assemblies.
This renders futile, the former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan’s previous argument, the monthly salary of a senator is N1.5m, while that of a member of the House of Representatives is N1.3m, stressing that the alleged N13.5m monthly salary was actually their quarterly office running allowance.
Recent findings revealed that the Nigerian Senate President actually receives N2.48 million as basic salary while other senators receive N2.26m monthly. Even so, the quarterly office allowance (running cost) for a senator amounts to N52m per annum, while the N8m for a member of the House of Representatives amounts to N32m in a year.
Switching to a unicameral or single-house legislature at the federal level could lead to substantial savings. Let’s assume we keep the House of Representatives, which has more members. By removing the Senate, we could save about N8.67 billion in legislative salaries and allowances. Moreover, the Senate’s operating costs amount to about N49.14 billion. If we cut overlapping functions and streamline operations, we could save around N50 billion more.
Another way to cut costs is to make lawmakers part-time and pay them only for the days they actually work. This could cut another 30-40% of the remaining costs, because we wouldn’t be paying regular salaries and many allowances. This approach not only saves money but also incentivises productivity, accountability, and efficiency among lawmakers.
Nigeria could save around N250 billion every year. This money could be redirected towards improving healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
This is a pragmatic approach to governance reform that aligns with the country’s economic realities and developmental goals.
It is never enough to funnel palliatives and incentives to mitigate economic distress. Democracy does not naturally spring forth from the soil of free markets. It must be grounded not in personal gain but in self-sacrifice. A healthy democracy must frequently challenge the economic interests of the elites for the benefit of the people. Yet government officials and corporate actors address the economic crisis by funneling funds and resources into the financial sector because they are conditioned to maintain and manage the existing system rather than transform it.
Saul observes that the initial objectives of the corporatist movements in 1920s Germany, Italy, and France, which later evolved into fascism, were to transfer power directly to economic and social interest groups, to foster entrepreneurial endeavours in domains traditionally governed by public institutions. And to erase the distinction between public and private interests thereby undermining the concept of the common good. The resonance with our current situation is unsettlingly clear.
Nigeria’s economic unraveling, exacerbated by speculative commercial interests draining the national treasury, has plunged the working class into unprecedented despair. Crime, a natural corollary of economic distress, escalates daily. Yet, it is not the insurgents or bandits who pose the greatest threat; it is the corrupt civil servants and the money-guzzling legislators, alongside complicit ministers and governors, who undermine the state’s stability.
President Bola Tinubu must recognise the gravity of the economic despair and respond with a governance ethos grounded in transparency and compassion. No matter what his advisers might counsel, dismissing the miseries of the masses with the platitude “the end justifies the means” could seem prejudiced and perilous.
Every presidential expenditure, regardless of its justifications, must avoid ostentation and disconnect to a populace burdened by stringent economic policies. Even certifiably modest expenditures are susceptible to misinterpretation and will only amplify public discontent.
The President and his cabinet must exhibit a greater degree of empathy and responsiveness to the people’s plight. His ministers must temper their public statements with restraint and tact, in recognition of the fragile social fabric and potential for incendiary rhetoric to ignite unrest.
The political class must understand that the rage brewing within the disenfranchised working class forebodes a dangerous backlash. My visits across Nigeria have revealed former manufacturing towns now ghostly remnants of their prosperous past, their residents engulfed in gloom.
This pervasive hopelessness drives many into the arms of demagogues and charlatans, who peddle utopian fantasies to a desperate populace.
Unless we swiftly re-enfranchise these workers and provide tangible hope, our democracy teeters on the brink of collapse.
We cannot continue as a nation of victims, where the citizenry curses their luck and public officers eternally point fingers at predecessors and circumstances.
It is incumbent upon us to seize control of our destiny, to implement necessary reforms with urgency and conviction. The federal government and the National Assembly must work together to reduce the cost of governance, transitioning to a unicameral legislature and part-time legislative roles. Only through such measures can we hope to restore trust, alleviate the people’s suffering, and stave off the impending crisis that threatens our nation’s very foundation.
