Evaluation of Mechanism of Transfers in Unaccountable System -By Richard Odusanya

Let me begin with the diagnosis of the “Root of Social Evil” in a tweet by our revered Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Rome, and the sovereign of the Vatican City State. Pope Francis, posited: “As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems. Inequality is the root of social ills.” I argued that we have a system that is programmed in such a way that encourages dishonesty and prone to inequality.

When one recognizes this objective truth, the evil of inequality—of rejecting the equal worth of all and the treatment that necessarily corresponds with its recognition—can be seen as the true foundation of social injustice. It defines how we view our relationships with others and the social structures that exist (and have the capacity to either foster human flourishing or perpetuate injustice). One sees that social evil is rooted in the rejection of equality. Unarguably, this is part of some of the areas that we need to pay serious attention to and addressed the issues that undermines our collective interest, turning our situation around. Nigerians will certainly be more than happy to start experiencing a new dawn and the verdict of posterity, the verdict of history, and the judgment of God will be kind to all of us as we take heed.

Sadly, Nigerians are currently experiencing excruciating effects of yesterday’s mismanagement through hardship, terrorism, kidnapping, killings, insurgencies, and economic downturn in recent past years, it has been hellish. Therefore, the idea of continuation of yesteryear’s obnoxious policies aimed at encouraging fraudulent activity should be completely discouraged given the results of the immediate past administration in such issues. The idea of sharing money as a form of palliative for the masses was a complete failure. As such, sharing of money as exemplified by the immediate past Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Faroug is a reminder of an unworkable system prone to corruption.

It is interesting to note that there is a previous unpleasant precedence of Buhari’s government money sharing via the Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Faroug which ended up as a huge joke – no accountability, no record of recipients, beneficiaries list or records was not available for proper scrutiny and it ultimately became a conduit pipe for embezzlement. You will hear her telling them in the Hausa language that ‘Baba Buhari ya nemi mu ba wannan ɗan siyasan wannan fitina, ya sake ta’ which means ‘Baba Buhari asked us to give this politician this amount, release it.’

Interestingly, a belief in human equality leads one to recognize the obscenity of people starving while others live in excess. One can see the evil in human beings being used as sexual objects to satiate an individual’s animalistic impulses. Pride, lust, envy, and other sins are enabled and multiplied when equality is denied. This belief in human equality is rooted in the recognition that each person is made in the image of God. Each person is a loved child of God. Each person is called to communion with God and others. Therefore, our humanity should supersede our religiosity and other considerations.

Paradoxically, our beloved country Nigeria is one of the most unequal society in the world where wealth and poverty is the central paradox of modern-day Nigeria. A key challenge confronting Nigeria is the scale of inequality, which has resulted in the lack of opportunities for most of our citizens. Surprisingly, there are no indications whatsoever that we have learned our lessons. We embrace wasteful activities, meaningless show-offs, and irresponsible behaviors. And still expect things to magically change for the better. Yes! Miracles do happen, however, it is important to note that we can only reap what we sow as a nation and as a people. I daresay that It is not rocket science.

Let me be very clear, improving the governance of public institutions and service delivery has long been a central tenet of strategies for achieving or supporting development; thereby, simplifying radical changes. As such, citizens have confidence in a government that is able to deliver basic services. The degree to which a government is able to carry out its functions at any level can often determine a country’s ability to sustain democratic reforms and provide for the well-being of its citizens.

Flowing from the above, it is evidently clear that the origins of our present debacle can be traced to profligacy; squandering of riches and plundering of resources by the privileged few, particularly the public office holders, and political elites in collaboration with the business community. The concerns, therefore, is about the mechanism of transfers of funds to the ultimate targets in an unaccountable system as exemplified by the recent past experiences of our citizens. Even if the intention of the drivers are genuine and faultless! How about the recipients limitations in terms of access to the funds vis-a-vis Banks account and corresponding records. This is an area that we can not afford to overlook given a system that is programmed and suspectable to manipulation.

In conclusion, it is opined, that more enduring policies with a human face devoid of the calamitous and fraudulent activities of the past that further impoverished the citizens and sink the nation deeper into debt will suffice. EXPECTEDLY NIGERIANS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A ‘RENEWED HOPE’ THAT BRINGS SUCCOUR AND REMEDY THE PAST.

Richard Odusanya is a Mind Restructuring Enthusiast.