By Oremade Oyedeji
The Nigerian ecosystem is still often referred to as poor and is characterised by weak government institutions and weak civil societies.
Poor people tend to have weaker or sometimes no access to public institutions and the services they provide. Have you had a reason to deal with the Nigeria Police for example, where the complainants are asked to pay for petitioning, or asked to fund the police officer to do their jobs or even asked to pay for fuelling or provide your own vehicle (complainant) for an operation or make an arrest? It is that bad.
There are about 506 parastatals of government in Nigeria with more terrible example perhaps.
I saw an interview The Chat with Mani Onumonu on Channels TV with Dr Ajoritsedere Awosika. Mani quoted her on her remark that seems to be generating debate. She said the public sector is better than the private sector in Nigeria. Hmm, that may be hard to comprehend. She is perhaps the highest authority permitted to say so, being the current Chairperson of Access Bank and has risen through public sector as former Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Power and Science & Technology.
Mani asked her, is public sector better than private sector? Many would have thought it’s the other way round.
Dr Dere (as she is also called) said both sectors should be symbiotic to the other. She further said in public sector, rules and regulations are the order of the day, but to those who want to obey them.
In a public sector, you serve a larger entity, while in a private sector, everyone is narrowed down to their objective, Dr Dere continued.
Mani: Which is the most challenging among the ministry you worked?
Power, she said. Why? In her words, the then President Goodluck Jonathan asked her why there’s no power and she responded that ‘I don’t understand it.’ When all the parameters to have power are there, she said we can have power if Nigerians want to and Mani asked why? And she said because it is people driven.
Paradoxically, Dr Dere admitted her happiest assignment was the private sector (what a twist!). She described the private sector as more focused, saying anyone can be fired for non-performance and the best hands can be hired.
Me: Smiling.
Fictions on Public Sector Vs Private Sector Institutions
Once was an imaginative assembly of over 506 parastatals of government in Nigeria and top working private institutions, together with civil societies, including all the weakly constituted political parties all seated in the dissipated auditorium of the National Art Theatre.
First to speak was the office of Head of Civil Service (HOS). In his eloquent voice, he said public sector is better than the private sector. We have a work life balance compare to work life imbalance private sector (cutting in was ICSL, which is notorious for providing contract and outsourcing staff to banks and other sectors of the economy), saying with due respect, the civil service is made of weak talents, I mean we run a very smart organisation and most of our dissatisfied supply of contract staff and disgruntle employees who can’t fight their way up the corporate ladder end up as social employees in civil services.
Like it seems HOS has been provoked. Please don’t interrupt me smallie (referring to ICSL as a small institution) and mind you, the public sector is not made up of weak or disgruntle talents from private sector. We have also been hiring top quality staff from the private sector too. We have once had one of private sector brightest brains, Steven Orasanye for example, who was hired from the big four to civil service (he said with pride and smile on his face) and in fact, he rose to become the Head of Civil Service and was the advocate for rationalisation and restructuring of civil service. (This he said with smile all over like an award-winning public servant).
It was one Access Bank Barrister, Aig, that wanted to clarify the point and he innocently said … oh you mean that accountant allegedly prosecuted for N2 billion fraud in 2019?
Now, the HOS got even angrier with a red eye and he rudely responded will you keep quiet! Merger, merger bank. Is that not a bank with strong organic growth seated quietly beside you (referring to GTBank)? Abi is that not UBA behind you there, all making impact through Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program? Value, you are not adding, be there swallowing all your mate like shark. Trust me, we will address your matter when we set up a working institution to address monopoly and unfair takeovers. (HOS said angrily).
The situation even got more tensed when NNPC stood up to speak and someone whispered from the crowd king of corruption. NNPC’s thoughts and countenance changed as if he’s drunk, saying, you see our problem in NNPC is the private sector and some people echoed how? He asked is the troubled report indicting everyone and himself not from your prestigious private sector Deloitte? Immediately, it was one “Oyinbo” (Caucasian) that immediately interrupted. Gentlemen, please let me clear the air. That report you are insinuating about was done by Akintola Williams & Co., our trading name is now Deloitte & Touche in Nigeria… me smiling, whatever that means, that statement didn’t go down well with one ZO Osoyanya & Co (one of the oldest indigenous firms from Ibadan), who jumped up with anger speaking with deep Ibadan dialect. How dare you mention the name of Doyen of Accountancy like that? pointing at “Oyinbo”. That is how you people cause problem everywhere…
Then another white man stood up, it was NNPC’s forensic auditor later to that event, he said, you can’t blame private sector auditors, especially for NNPC troubles and other parastatals as well. I mean, what is the role of the office of the Auditor General? then everyone sighed … and on one corner, was the Office of the Auditor General, so sober covering himself in shame. Then Akintola William spoke, asking the office of the auditor general to say something and then said sir, my office is not independent (he said, Sober). .
THE FACT
According to one of the institutions, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its latest report for March, 2020, foreign trade in Goods Statistics Report, the value of total trade rose by 10.15% to N10.12 trillion in Q4 2019 over the value recorded in Q3.
NBS said the value of private institutions’ export dropped by 9.79% to N4.77 trillion in Q4 compare to Q3 while the import component increased by 37.20% to N5.35 trillion. It said the value of imports stood at N16.96 trillion, while exports were valued at N19.19 trillion, resulting in a trade balance of N2.23 trillion.
In the midst of Nigeria’s weak public institutions, double digit inflation, and poor per capital income, Nigeria is now the biggest economy in Africa on which exchange rate you use for it (N306 official rates or N360 market rates). Both rates now put Nigeria on $402 billion and $476 billion respectively.
Projection shows that Nigeria’s economy will continue to grow faster, while IMF cuts its forecast for 2020 growth to 2% from 2.5% previously predicted last month, due to lower oil price.
In conclusions, I think the extent of the working institutions does not end with government and private economy alone, according to one schools of thought. Completing the Five Social working institutions circle will include the efficiency of these three others which are; Family, Religion and Education.
Like the most basic institution- serves as training ground for live in society
Religion teaches moral standards of right and wrong education for people who will work in government, there is no doubt our religious institutions are strong at least compared with their foreign counterpart in my opinion.
The real question is considering why our strong religious institutions has not helped solved the problems of our corruption-wrecked public institutions? How come the religion has little or no participation in political parties and its structure, yes, I mean parties like APC and PDP? If they are saying APC is Islamising Nigeria, then let PDP too Christianise Nigeria and let’s have morally functioning political parties.
The Fact about Strong religious Institution in Nigeria:
Nigeria has far more Muslims (75 million) than Saudi Arabia (22 million).
There are more Muslims in Nigeria than there are in other African countries
The world’s largest Christian gathering is Holy Ghost Festival of the Redeem Christian Church of God.
The world’s largest church auditorium is The Dunamis Abuja.
The largest church in the diaspora; UK, Ukraine, Kenya, Tanzania are owned by Nigerians
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