An election to reconstruct, reshape Nigeria

• Published date: 24 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

As Nigerians file out to elect a new president on February 25, it is imperative to remind the electorate that a country's future and destiny are shaped by the choice of personality they elect as president. Entrusting a country's leadership and resources to someone with impaired vision and dubious national disposition will be a tragedy.

In context, the Nigerian president is one of the most powerful in the world given the scope of responsibilities and powers as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution. With 68 items on exclusive list and, mere 12 items on concurrent list of the constitution, the destiny and future of Nigerians are in the hands of one man - the president.

Nigeria requires a president that is capable of steering the country away from tragedy to optimism. Prosperous nations are not configured from heaven. They are products of selflessness and commitment of those in leadership. Electing a person without vision, capacity, integrity and empathy as president, will amount to sacrificing the collective wellbeing of the people on the altar of incompetence.

Incompetence, ethnic nationalism, nepotism and greed as evident in poor management of the economy, insecurity and corruption are factors that have kept the country prostrate. These elements are responsible for leadership failure, stunted growth, and poverty in the country. It is therefore critical to vote for a candidate with requisite capacity to deliver on the aspirations of Nigerians. Failure to do this will mean no lessons have been learned from current widespread hardship.

Nigeria has been on the downward swing in all critical facets of socio-economic space. This is evident in the increasing number of those falling into poverty bracket as reflected in the growing penury rate in Nigeria.

The 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index survey carried out by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) together with its partners captured this vividly. According to the survey, 63% of persons living within Nigeria (133 million people) are multi-dimensionally poor, out of which 65% of the poor (86 million people) live in the North, while 35% (nearly 47 million) live in the South.

When this is juxtaposed against recent report by the Debt Management Office on the nation's debt, then Nigeria is in big trouble. The Debt Management Office (DMO) stated in December 2022 that Nigeria's public debt had reached N44.6 trillion. When viewed against the backdrop of Nigeria's revenue-to-debt service ratio, which The Economist...