How to make our Government work
The honest opinion of a humble Nigerian Worker
It will be 2018 in a few hours and our phones will soon begin beeping with congratulatory messages. It’s a time for sober reflection on the past year, and for many, a time to make amends.
For me, it’s a reminder that I am not getting younger, a time to consider the legacies I intend to leave behind.
I am making sure this one of them.
Why?
I am a problem solver, and I have always been.
I live in a country that needs no introduction.
It’s in the news everyday for some activity that reeks of gross incompetence on the part of some government arm or the other.
This begs the question:
How come in a nation that is known for its smart individuals, the government agencies can exercise nonchalance and get away with it?
This is what we’ll be covering in this article, as well as possible solutions.
I hope this inspires someone.
From one disappointment to another
I campaigned for our present leader, and would have voted for him if I had a voter’s card. I did this because I believed, like many Nigerians that the winds of change were finally beginning to blow.
How naive!
I’ve learned that as Nigerians, we’re used to this kind of disappointment.
We react to it in various ways too.
Some lose all trust in the Government, and act with indifference towards Politics.
Some pray for a better tomorrow.
Some like me, pour out their frustrations in articles, twitter threads and facebook posts.
Our hearts have been broken over and over and it’s become difficult to trust anyone.
No more trust
I’ve learned that you don’t have to trust people to maintain a healthy working relationship with them.
We do it everyday at work with the help of contracts that define the rules of engagement and boundaries of such relationships.
We have a similar relationship with our government.
Our founding fathers created the constitution as a contract for every Nigerian individual, organization and government.
Terms and Conditions apply
Any lawyer who’s worth his/her wig will tell you, if you’re bound by a contract, you’d better know the terms of the agreement.
Even if you don’t know the exact contents of the fine print, have a good general idea of what your end of the bargain is.
Is our constitution general knowledge?
Shouldn’t it be?
If we’re found faulting, there’ll be no, “I didn’t know” excuses, cos ignorance doesn’t count.
The constitution should be taught in every educational institution that has the welfare of its subject as interests.
Make Public Documents Public
The contract between the government and its citizens isn’t limited to the constitution.
It includes the roles and duties of every government agency to its constituents, such as the responsibilities of the Police and all its arms, the Army, the local governments, the senate, house of reps, etc.
Make these things public information, that every citizen has access to.
What are conditions for arrest of a Nigerian citizen?
How often should a local government chairman address his constituents?
How long can a senator be away from his constituency before he/she is called to order?
Shouldn’t I have the phone number of my Representative?
While I learn what my duties to the government are, I should also be privy to information concerning the government’s duties and responsibilities to me are.
This is because, I am a shareholder in Nigeria.
You are a Shareholder
If you live in Nigeria, live by its laws, pay your taxes, contribute to its economy, congratulations!
You own stock in this Nation!
This means you get to sit in the board, and direct the state of affairs, which is why you get to vote, and why you’re affected when Nigeria gets a bad name in the press.
This means you pay the salaries of the civil servants, including and especially the policemen who harass you consistently.
This means you can demand at any time, for what your money is being used for.
Or you should be able to, which is why Public Documents should be Public.
Shareholders get to access the performance of the people they have put in charge of their businesses from time to time, and this helps make sure that companies grow.
This helps keep the people at the helm (read government) on their toes cos they realize there’s no room to slack.
How come we don’t do this?
We keep waiting for the next election to make a change.
How do 140 million + people hold their government and its agencies accountable?
This problem has been solved already.
How do iPhone users hold Apple responsible?
User Reviews!
If every government agency in every constituency had an open review system, where its constituents could give feedback.
It would be possible to access results in real time across the country.
These results, can then be reviewed weekly, monthly, quarterly and analysed by both citizens and government.
The government benefits by having a steady stream of feedback on its endeavours.
The citizen benefits by having a voice.
If a government has a bad rating, it is clear for all future generations to see. No one can say that government did well when infact, it didn’t.
I’m sure the mechanics of how such a system could work can be figured out by the Smart Engineers and Inventors in this country.
Conclusion
I am a Nigerian, and my country is a mess.
I would like to help fix it, and these are my ideas for how to.
Drop yours in the comments.
