The Nation Newspaper

Tag: inequality

  • Bauchi governor says gender inequality deters Nigeria’s development

    Bauchi governor says gender inequality deters Nigeria’s development

    Bauchi state Governor Bala Mohammed has identified the low number of women in politics and other leadership positions as a major setback to the country’s development.

    Mohammed stated this at the closing of the National Women’s Conference organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State officials (COWLSO), themed ‘Unleash Your Potential’.

    The governor, who was represented by Deputy Governor Mohammed Jattau, said the government has the responsibility to create an enabling environment that encourages entrepreneurship and fosters economic empowerment for women.

    He said: “Women remain the bedrock of families, the backbone of our communities, and the driving force behind our Nation’s progress. It is therefore high time we acknowledged the immense contributions they make to build a stronger, more prosperous Nigeria.

    “Gender inequality remains a pressing issue, hindering us as a nation. We must confront the barriers that exist and ensure equal opportunities for our women in all facets of life, be it education, healthcare, politics, or – the civil service. Only then can we truly harness the immense potential that lies within our women and create a more inclusive society.

    Read Also: Nigeria ranks 123 in global gender inequality

    “Prompt action is required to eliminate the various obstacles that women face. We must make quality education accessible and affordable to every girl-child, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to excel in any field they choose. By investing in education, we empower women to become leaders, visionaries, and catalysts of change.’

    “Access to capital, business training, and mentorship programmes are essential in supporting women-owned businesses and facilitating their growth. By doing so, we are not only empowering women economically but also driving economic development and poverty alleviation within our states.

    “It may interest you to know that in Bauchi, our administration is championing the welfare of women and other vulnerable groups. We have collaborated with UNICEF and religious institutions aimed at refining existing systems to uplift the standard of living of the Almajiri Children and others facing harsh realities in the society.”

    The governor added that some of the key policy measures taken included passing of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, domestication and adoption of the National Gender Policy, National Gender Policy on Agriculture, National Gender Policy in Education, Food and Nutrition Policy, Social Protection Policy and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on the involvement of women in the peace process.

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by Secretary to the State Government, Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said the progress of Lagos and any society is tied to the empowerment and participation of its women.

    He said: “It is not a question of if women should have a seat at the table; it is recognising that they have always been essential to its foundation. As you leave this conference and return to your communities, let us carry with us the spirit of empowerment and the belief that we can truly make a difference. Whether you are a student, a professional, a businesswoman, a mother, or a leader, your potential is boundless. Let us support one another and continue to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create opportunities for women to excel in every field.”

    ReplyForward

  • Understanding inequality

    Sir: Access to political relevance and control of economic power are interwoven. The economic and political class by virtue of the role they play in campaign financing of office holders usually skew policy making and functioning of institutions in their favour. These few individuals who control economic and political power undermine policies that encourage inclusion by using the political and economic power to favour themselves and their cronies.

    The negative effect of elite capture and cronyism in Nigeria which propagates inequality cuts across different sectors. Despite the billions of naira spent on the power sector, Nigerians cannot boast of a reliable supply of electricity. Elite capture and cronyism in the power sector gives rise to disregard for due process, over-scoping of projects, inflation of the costs, awarding of one contract two or more times, and the abandoning of power sector equipment at the ports. Some of the contractors that received funds for project implementation never mobilized equipment to site, not to talk of executing the projects. Despite all these infractions, nobody was severely punished due to elite capture and cronyism.

    Elite capture of economic and political power in the interest of themselves and their cronies is also evident in the oil sector. Nigeria spends a huge amount of its scarce foreign exchange on importation of refined petroleum which can be done locally. A significant percentage of the money for the importation of refined petroleum ends up in private pockets. Few individuals have captured political and economic power and have done everything possible to ensure that our refineries remain in a state of perpetual disrepair. Fuel pricing and availability of fuel at the pumps of petrol stations is also under the control of these few individuals.

    Capture of economic and political power by the elites and their cronies is also evident in the agricultural sector. Import quotas meant for farmers with high capacity are being diverted and issued to the cronies of people who are politically and economically powerful. These cronies will smile to the banks after making favourable deals with large companies and corporations who will in turn rip-off the Nigerian masses. Some government policies aimed at encouraging agricultural investments through backward integration of agricultural value chains has resulted in difficult production challenges for local farmers. Unfavourable agricultural sector policies also led to the closure of numerous vegetable oil mills when waivers were granted to special companies to import vegetable oil into Nigeria. These waivers created an unfair playing field for local manufacturers of vegetable oil who eventually closed shop.

     

    • Martins Eke,

    Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.      

     

  • Taxation and inequality

    Sir: Taxation is a platform for sustainable revenue generation for the government. The proceeds from taxation are used by the government to provide essential goods and services for its citizenry.

    The reality of the tax system in Nigeria is that poorer individuals and companies pay a higher rate of taxes than richer individuals and companies. This tax system is retrogressive. Rich individuals who are usually well connected to the government are given questionable tax holidays and tax waivers. These rich individuals and companies exploit loopholes in existing tax laws and shift large amounts of revenue to places of low tax jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the 36 state governments in a bid to meet their revenue generation targets usually embark on aggressive taxation of the informal sector. Local Government Councils and some agencies of the state government relentlessly impose heavy and unbearable taxes on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. Some of these taxes include offloading and loading charges, building permit, health approval permit, community development levy, pick-up and bus stickers, commercial vehicle stickers and tenement rates. These multiple taxations faced by the poorer people who dominate the informal sector are usually accompanied by human rights abuses.

    In Nigeria, there is no established positive relationship between the volume of revenue collected as taxes and public services delivered to the average Nigerian. The percentage of Nigerian government budget appropriated to sectors that address inequality – education, health, social welfare – are among the lowest in Sub Saharan Africa. Despite the trillions of naira that has been budgeted for the development of Nigeria over the years, the state of schools, hospitals, water supply, electricity has been hugely inadequate to meet the demand of the Nigerian masses. Millions of Nigerians lack access to potable water and sanitation. The number of Nigerians that lack access to basic maternal, newborn and child health facilities is scary. Nigeria is also a global leader of the number of out-of-school children. Nigeria’s commitments to improve its human development indices and address inequality can only be successful if there is an improved public finance management. Poverty eradication and equitable growth must be made a priority. Legislative measures must be taken to improve progressive taxation, while executive measures taken to build the capacity of tax authorities on transfer pricing.

     

    • Martins Eke,

    Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.

  • Right to food and financing important to tackling inequality – Oxfam

    Right to food and financing important to tackling inequality – Oxfam

    Oxfam, an international non-governmental organization in its enduring commitment to creating a world without poverty where people are capable of building a livelihood, in collaboration with BudgIt Information Technology Network Lagos, on Tuesday held a media chat/conference with relevant stakeholders and members of the press in Lagos to discuss the sundry options and possibilities to tackling inequalities by achieving food for all and financing for development.

    The theme for the program is: Even it up: Tackling inequality in Nigeria through analysis and advocacy, with Right To Food ( R2F ) and Financing for Development ( F4D ) being chief in the discussion. Oxfam, which launched and implemented the strategic partnership programme in 25 countries in 2015 has three basic theories for change: Right to food, conflict and fragility and financing for development.

    According to Mr. Celestine Okwudili Odo, Coordinator of private & public sector transparency & accountability coordinator ( Oxfam ), “the organization has five (5) pathways to change: improved policies of government on tax and budget, improved policies of private sector on tax, wages and corporate social responsibility, increased citizen’s voice, stronger and wider alliances across the country.

    According to him, Oxfam’s strategy includes “research, lobby and advocacy, citizens mobilization and enlightenment, networking and alliance building, capacity building for the civil society and the government.

    “Other local partners include; ActionAid Abuja, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group ( NDBUMOG ), BudgIT Information Technology Network Lagos, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre ( CISLAC ), KEBETKACHE Women Development and Resources Centre, HEDA Lagos, Farm and Infrastructure Foundation ( FIF ) and Nigeria Association of Nigeria Traders ( NANTS ).”

    Oxfam’s sundry successes includes: Sponsor and lobby for the Right To Food ( R2F ) Bill that is currently before the National Assembly ( NASS ) and has passed Second Reading in the House of Representatives and now on the table of Constitutional Review Committee of the House, over 40,000 Nigerians mainly youths and small-scale farmers mobilized to campaign for increase funding and investment in the agricultural sector, facilitation and mobilization of small-scale farmers to access loans, continues advocacy for the implementation of new National Tax Policy and the Voluntary Income AND Asset Declaration Scheme – VAIDS, and tax amnesty window for tax defaulters towards stopping illicit financial flows and revenue leakages for the government, amongst other successes.

    Oxfam / BudgIT Media Chat
    L-R: Mr. Gabriel Okeowo ( GM, BudgIT ), Mr. Celestine Okwudili Odo ( Oxfam ) and other stakeholders at Oxfam / BudgIT Media Chat

    According to Mr. Celestine, Data collection and Analysis is important to generating contents for advocacy and implementation.

    Explaining the concept of the Right To Food (R2F) Bill, Mrs. Abiola Bayode from Farm and Infrastructure Foundation ( FIF ) said, “It is a human right bill which protects people from hunger.”

    She further said, “The challenge is that the government sees food as a need and not a human right. We want to see that the right to food is explicitly stated in chapter four (4) of the Nigerian constitution; this will make the government more accountable on food security in Nigeria.

    “It is therefore not about distributing food free of charge to all Nigerians, but a necessity to protect the vulnerable people by creating an enabling environment.”

    In addressing some of the challenges encountered in the implementation of the programmes, Mrs. Emem Okon said, “it has been noticed that community needs most often do not get included in the state and federal government budgets.

    “Therefore, we are training members of communities on how to conduct needs assessment. We also train government agencies, parastatals and ministries on community needs assessment to ensure that the extant or future budgets include the needs of the people.”

    Other representatives of stakeholders present at the conference were: Mr. Gabriel Okeowo ( General Manager, BudgIT ), Mr. Kolawole Banwo ( CISLAC ), Mr. Peter Bayode ( FIF ), Mrs. Emem Okon (KEBETKACHE Women Development and Resources Centre), Mr. Azubuike Nwokoye (ActionAid Abuja ), amonst others.

  • Fighting inequality with universal health

    SIR: Quality and affordable health care is the foundation for individuals to enjoy productive and fulfilling lives and for countries to have strong and unwavering economies. In recent years, the Universal health coverage (UHC) movement has gained global momentum, with the World Health Assembly and the United Nations General Assembly calling on countries including Nigeria to urgently and significantly scale up efforts to accelerate the transition towards universal access to affordable and quality healthcare services.

    Universal Health Coverage is the key to achieving the World Bank Group’s (WBG) twin goals of ending extreme poverty and increasing equity and shared prosperity. It is also an essential part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of the cardinal interests of Sustainable Development Goal includes a target to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, affordable and essential medicines and vaccines for all. Thus, the goal to end poverty in all its forms everywhere is in peril without UHC, as hundreds of millions of people are impoverished by healthcare costs every year.

    Health is a human right; the Government of Nigeria owes it a duty to provide healthcare for its citizens. Kate Gilmore the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights in an interview with United Nation’s News on October 24 said: “We see health not only as the absence of disease and not only a question of access to services, but in fact the right to be human is a manner that you have your physical and mental integrity upheld.”

    In recognition of the mandatory equal health provisions accruing to every human being and citizens of the various countries of the world, Article I of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) provides thus: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

    Also, Article 25 (1) of UNDHR provide as follows: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

    Also, section 16 (2) (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) provide that suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable national minimum living wage, old age care and pensions, and unemployment, sick benefits and welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens. However, the above provision of the UNDHR as well as the constitution has not been practically observed and practiced by the government at all levels and tiers in Nigeria, may be because the provision is non- justiciable or perhaps citizens particularly the grassroots which forms the greater number of Nigerian population are not aware that such rights exist in the constitution. Thus, it is recommended that (a) the legislature both at the federal and the states amend chapter two of the Constitution of to become justiciable, (b) the Human Right Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) as well as Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s) and health workers intensify efforts towards educating the greater number of the population about their rights to healthcare and the importance of Universal Health Coverage.

     

    • Gregory T. Okere Esq.

     Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.

  • Reducing inequality in healthcare system

    SIR: Inequality in healthcare in Nigeria can be defined as discrimination or imbalance in the medical care of individual citizens of Nigeria. It can also be defined as the unfair share of the medical provisions made available for Nigerian citizens through the Federal Ministry of Health and other department and agencies.

    Nigeria has experienced a great deal of inequality in the healthcare of its citizens whereby certain class of people especially the politicians in Nigeria will spend almost the annual budget of the health sector in medical treatment overseas whereas some people may not have access to the local or domestic medical treatment in the same country. This is as a result of practical application of the policy and system of governance adopted from the 7th commandment of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” by majority of Nigerian leaders, administrators, executive and legislators manning the affairs of our country and health sector in particular. Thus recently, President Muhammadu Buhari spent more than 100 days in an undisclosed hospital in the United Kingdom whereas so many Nigerians with greater and worse health conditions are left unattended to in government hospitals and some have nobody to assist them to gain admission in the hospitals let alone being attended to by our medical practitioners.

    The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), which is the grundnorm made provision in section 33 to protect the individual lives of its citizens. Basically, the right to life cannot be said to be complete if healthcare or equal access to medical treatment among citizens is undermined or relegated to the background. Thus, the challenges of the health sector are aptly described in the National Health Policy 2016 (pages xiii and xiv) respectively as follows: “…the Nigerian health system is weak and, hence, underperforming across all building blocks. Health system governance is weak. There is an almost total absence of financial risk protection and the health system is largely unresponsive. There is inequity in access to services due to variations in socioeconomic status and geographic location. For instance, 11% of births to uneducated mothers occur in health facilities while 91% of births to mothers with more than secondary education occurs in health facilities; 86% of mothers in urban areas receive Ante Natal Care (ANC) from skilled providers, compared to only 48% of mothers in rural areas; and ANC coverage in the North West is 41% compared to 91% in the South East. Other problems related to health services include: curative-bias of health services delivered at all levels; inefficiencies in the production of services; unaffordability of services provided by the private sector to the poor; limited availability of some services, including Voluntary Counselling and Testing(VCT), Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission(PMTCT) and Anti-Retroviral Therapy  ART; low confidence of the consumers in the services provided, especially in public health facilities; absence of a minimum package of health services; lack of proper coordination between the public and private sectors; and poor referral systems”.

    There is urgent need to strengthen the health sector in Nigeria through adequate provision, release and implementation of the annual budget to meet the medical need of every Nigerian and shun inequality in healthcare.

     

    • Gregory T. Okere Esq.

    Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Abuja

  • ‘Nigeria must stop inequality to subdue poverty’

    A university lecturer, Prof Oka Obono, has called for the removal of all forms of economic inequality to eliminate poverty.

    He stressed the need to create revenue at the community level and channel all centrally-derived allocations to it in order to develop the nation from bottom up.

    Obono, a Professor of Sociology and Director, Centre for Human Resource Development at the University of Ibadan (UI), made the suggestions at a public lecture to mark the 20th anniversary of the Human Development Initiatives at Afe Babalola Auditorium, University of Lagos, Akoka.

    He spoke on the theme, “The structural management of inequality: Pathways to inclusive growth and development.”

    He frowned at the society’s complacency with sublimed systems of inequality, saying it had attained a dangerous conventional status that the oddity is hardly perceived.

    According to him, affirmative actions, social protection mechanisms and concerted efforts at economic parity among others would resolve massive income differences, underdevelopment, violence and discontent.

    He said: “Poverty is not only central to understanding prospects for peace. It is the first of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are the building blocks for peace. Without a plan for eradicating inequality that is the main by-product of poverty, the hope for peace remains illusory. Poverty is the social and economic symptom of a political malady whose main indicator is public corruption.  There is an insolent silence on what values drive us and very few of our politicians have a clear idea what the mission of governance is, or what the obligations of state leadership can be to the citizenry. As I see it, leadership is the ability to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute to the effectiveness or success of some unique vision for multicultural access and equity.”

    Speaking on harnessing the potentials of geo-political zones, Prof Obono urged government to motivate them towards driving internal production in areas of strength, self-sufficiency, trade and export promotion, which he described of factors of national unity sustainable development.

    He said: “In the proposed model of integration, cooperation and sustainable development of Nigeria, self-sufficient and internally originating production at regional levels would facilitate internal trade and promote export orientation. This is the systemic antidote to inequality and panacea for inclusive growth and development.”

    HDI Executive Director Mrs Olufunso Owasanoye said the group has campaigned against corruption and impunity, engaged wanting governmental institutions in legal brawl and has advocated social reforms to address the needs of vulnerable people in its 20 years of operating.

    Equally, she said, it has intervened for widows denied of rights to inheritance, their children, orphans and victims of sexual abuse.

    Despite challenges, Mrs Owasanoye, who launched a Tertiary Education Trust Fund, stated that the group has remained dedicated to strengthening vulnerable individuals in the society through initiatives that promote justice and equal opportunities.

    She said: “As part of our commitment to supporting the less privileged, HDI in 2014 launched her empowerment Trust Fund (HDI-ETF) for the children of widows, widowers and orphans who may be placed at educational disadvantaged given the demise of their parents. The scheme has been largely successful but limited by funds. We are also by this anniversary saying we are committed to welfare and development in Nigeria while we continue to partner with government at all levels in Nigerian project to ensure an equitable society.”

    Chairperson, HDI Board of Trustees (BoT) Prof Sarah Oloko assured that the body would rekindle efforts at key advocacy areas such as counselling programmes to shape the younger generation and help them through challenging periods of adolescence.

     

  • Addressing social inequality

    SIR: The increasing gap between the rich and the poor undermines development by hindering inclusive economic progress, weakens democratic life and threatens social cohesion. The rapidly growing gap between the rich and the poor is intrinsically unfair. It makes the attainment of widespread human wellbeing very difficult.

    Over time, the gap between the rich and the poor has being on the increase in Nigeria and most other developing nations. Internal forces like poor domestic policy implementation and external forces like globalization have combined to aggressively increase inequality in Nigeria. Financial globalization is being accompanied by skill-biased technical change which has increased wage inequality by rapidly scaling up wages and premiums on skilled labour while Nigeria’s domestic policies have magnified the negative effect of globalization on income distribution. Monetary policies that de-emphasised economic growth, fiscal policies that prioritized fiscal consolidation at the expense of social expenditure, labour policies that weakened the bargaining position of labour as well as retrogressive taxation have all played one role or the other in making the rich to be richer and the poor to be poorer.

    Reducing the gap in income inequality means that countries must take steps towards achieving inclusive growth. Inclusive growth is growth that raises the income of low-income households faster than that of high-income households. One strategy to achieve inclusive growth is to disproportionately change the patterns of economic growth to favour low-income households.

    The first step to achieve this would be to create productive employments, since wages are the main source of income for the poor. Employment policies should vigorously address creating quality jobs that provide sufficient income and security. Another means to create inclusive growth is through fiscal policies. Fiscal policies provide a very powerful option for redistributing available wealth. Social protection and consumer subsidy programmes are relevant. Social protection programmes improves the income of the poorest households by providing a minimum income security which can be used for investing in human capital and income generating activities. Subsidies also improve the income of the poorest households by directly affecting the cost of basic household goods.

    Social protection approach could be protective, preventive, promotive or transformative. The protective approach is to provide social assistance through cash transfers, food transfers, fee waivers for social services, school subsidies, school feeding, etc. The preventive approach is to provide social insurance through health insurance, premium waivers, subsidized risk pooling mechanisms, etc. The promotive approach is to provide productive transfers, subsidies and work through agricultural input transfers, fertilizer subsidies, asset transfers, public work programmes, etc. The transformative approach is to provide social equity measures through equal rights and social justice legislations, affirmative action policies, equal protection, etc.

    However, considering how deep-rooted corruption and entrenched interest has destabilized certain countries, the challenge would be the possibility of a sincere and judicious implementation of the programmes.   Another strategy to achieve inclusive growth is to expand opportunities for low income households and disadvantaged groups to access employment and income generating options. Policies that remove the obstacles that prevent certain groups and disadvantaged populations from accessing employment and income generating opportunities should be part of an inclusive growth strategy. Dismantling horizontal inequality usually requires legislative or administrative reforms to repeal and address discriminatory practices. Legislations that grant equal access to land ownerships is relevant.  Developing an over-arching social protection policy framework is key. This will provide clear institutional roles and responsibilities to guide social protection design and implementation at the federal and state levels.

    Stakeholders should support political commitment to social protection at the federal and state levels while the government should allocate more resources to social protection programmes. Focus on equity should be integrated into the design and implementation of social protection programmes while the governance features should be strengthened.

     

    • Martins Eke,

    Centre for Social Justice, Abuja

     

  • Inequality and fiscal governance

    SIR: Inequality is an unfair situation in a society whereby some people have more opportunities, wealth and access to social amenities than others. Societies with huge gap between the haves and the have-nots are somehow going wrong and the impact of this is often felt in the form of real effects on health, life expectancy, standard of living and the overall number of people living below the poverty line. A study by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) found that higher inequality rate hurts a country’s economic growth while reducing the gap between the rich and the poor helps economies grow. It follows therefore that reducing inequality is not only a moral imperative, but it is good economics as well.

    Inequality does not just happen. It is a product of years of policy choices and decisions that have unfortunately not mainstreamed equality concerns in fiscal governance. The budget as we know is a powerful fiscal tool with which redistribution of wealth could be done. It is also a medium through which the government can improve the lives of the people especially the lower class of the society through embarking on projects that will empower them and/or build their capacity to earn gainful living. But the budgeting process in Nigeria today is something short of ideal to properly address inequality.

    What do I mean?

    Most line items in the federal budgets for example, do not speak to the needs of the common man. Some projects deemed as capital projects are acquisition of Hilux trucks, SUVs, computers and computer accessories which have become more of a yearly ritual and begs the question – what happened to the ones bought the previous year? These happen with insufficient sums budgeted for basic health care provision and education and are not in keeping with the 1% Consolidated Revenue Funding stipulated by the National Health Act and the 26% UNESCO guideline the country has agreed to respectively.

    The end of the 2016 fiscal year is around the corner and the 2017 budget is yet to become law. What this means is that any federal expenditure in the name of budget implementation by May 6, without the 2017 budget being signed into law will be unconstitutional. Assuming that there are sufficient empowerment projects in the 2017 budget, the poor masses are the ones to bear the brunt of the looming fiscal standstill no thanks to the perennial executive and the legislature bickering. This has gone on for so long in this country that they both seem to be forgetful of the fact that they were voted into power by the very same people whom they hold to ransom by their inability to come up with a budget by January 1 of every year as stipulated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Sovereignty lies with the people and leaders and public office holders in Nigeria should acknowledge the fact that they are called to serve!

    With a more even society, Nigeria stands a better chance of a sustained economic growth and the federal government of Nigeria should ensure that fit and best fiscal practices which are enshrined in our laws like passing the budget on time are adhered to. It is only through this way that there will be enough time for developmental projects which are designed to improve the lives of the poor could be executed properly within a fiscal year.

     

    • Fidelis Toochukwu Onyejegbu,

    Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.

  • Inequality as obstacle to development

    SIR: Inequality does not just happen. It is a culmination of years of policy choices and decisions that have directly or indirectly concentrated wealth in the hands of the privileged. High inequality is bad for growth and by not addressing inequality; a government would be cutting into the social fabric of her country and hurting her long-term economic growth as well. A country that focuses on reducing inequality will have more citizens in or above the middle income earning cadre than in the low income earning cadre, and this implies more economic activities in the country and more tax incomes for the government. Therefore reducing inequality is not only a moral imperative; it is good economics as well.

    In Nigeria today, the situation is such that the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. The minimum wage is currently N18,000 which is less than the cost of a bag of rice while the salaries and perks of office of high ranking public office holders are simply off the charts and can comfortably take care of an army of unemployed youth. This is stark inequality staring us in the face. The National Housing Fund (NHF) set up by the Babangida Administration in 1992 was to enable Nigerians (especially the low and the middle income earners) have access to loans to build, purchase or improve their residential houses. To this, every Nigerian worker in the public or private service contributes 2.5% of his/her monthly earning to the fund and is eligible to borrow from it once he/she has contributed for up to six months. But there is little evidence to show that this fund has done much to alleviate the housing needs of the Nigerian worker. Rather, the bulk of the loans go to developers who are not contributors to the fund. These developers build estates and sell them at exorbitant prices to the people who are contributors to the fund and are supposed to have access to the funds in the first place. This ought not to be the case and priority should be given to whom this fund was set up to help.

    Nigeria’s health outcome is among the worst in the globe. The hospitals have been perennially left ill-equipped and as a result mothers are dying in high numbers during and after childbirth, children are also dying of immunization preventable diseases and people in general die preventable deaths. The elite class would not hesitate to fly abroad for medical treatment for the slightest medical health care which has led to an estimated annual expenditure of over N1trillion on medical tourism by Nigerians. The National Health Act of 2014 provides that 1% of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Government be set aside for investment in basic healthcare provision. But this is currently being obeyed in the breach.

    Nigeria has about 10.5 million out of school children which according to UNESCO was the highest number of out of school children anywhere in the world in the year 2016. Some available schools in the rural areas have perched tents under the mango trees while some others that have classrooms, have dilapidated and shattered looking structures as classrooms. There is insufficiency in the number of available tertiary institutions in the country. Statistics from Joint Admission and Matriculation Board show that about 28% of the applicants into tertiary institutions were admitted into tertiary institutions between 2010 and 2015. This speaks to the need for improvement in the sector.

    Efforts should be made to block the leakages in the system and an even more concerted effort should be put in to narrow the inequality gap in the country. Public resources should be made to work for the people and social security projects should be sustained. There should be clear punitive measures to be meted out to anyone found guilty of siphoning public funds for development projects to reach the masses for whom they were intended for.

     

    • Fidelis Onyejegbu,

    Centre for Social Justice, Abuja