By Dr. Matthew Ayibakuro
I do not even want to get started on taxes, indiscriminate increases in fuel prices, unspeakable corruption and ineptitude in government, the insecurity across the country and the economic trajectory of Nigeria, especially right now. But this is Nigeria. It is not Beirut. It is not Lebanon. It is almost as if we are at peace with bad governance, or maybe the citizens have just gotten exhausted with everything and gone numb. From the perspective of a researcher, I am curious to see what would bring Nigerians to a breaking point, or if it would even ever happen. However, from the perspective of a Nigerian citizen, it is disturbing to witness just how much citizens are unable or unwilling to leverage democratic institutions and principles to seek positive change, even as the politicians maximise these same institutions for their selfish ends. It would be a shame if we have to wait for our own “Beirut explosion moment” before acting.
Recently, the world watched with horror as a massive blast hit the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Whilst an investigation is ongoing, it is believed that the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that was stored unsafely in a warehouse in Beirut’s docks.
The explosive material had apparently been kept in that state for six years. As I have followed the story, it is difficult to ignore the striking similarities the situation in Lebanon has with Nigeria and the differences too.
First the similarities: Lebanon is a country with endemic public sector corruption, a disturbingly high rate of unemployment that stands at over 40 percent, a stagnant economy and a political system built on sectarian rule.
If you substituted the word ‘Lebanon’ with ‘Nigeria’ in that sentence, I am not sure anyone would notice. What is surprising, however, is the reaction of the Lebanese people to their sad reality of bad governance.
Since the explosion last week that has sadly claimed over 200 lives in the country, angry protesters have taken to the streets asking for answers and demanding accountability.
They have taken over several government buildings and are undeterred by the response of security agencies. So far, two ministers – responsible for Information and Environment have resigned, with the Prime Minister promising early parliamentary elections. This is where the differences with my dear country, Nigeria, begin to appear.
Most protesters on the streets in Beirut are not there just because of last week’s explosion. They are there because they believe the explosion was no accident, but rather the result of corruption, negligence or at least ineptitude on the part of government officials.
In fact, Lebanese have been on the streets since last year, in what has been referred to as the October Revolution. The protests started in reaction to planned taxes on petrol, tobacco and other products and have escalated as citizens express frustration over corruption and the failures of their government to provide basic services.
A couple of days ago, I was listening to a podcast where a protester was complaining that they now experience power outages in Beirut that last for over 12 hours sometimes, which is one of the reasons why she was protesting.
At that moment I just started laughing; not a happy laughter, of course. I was just thinking about what she would do if she lived in Nigeria and dealt with power outages that last for three to four days.
The question then is why are Nigerians not angry? Why are we not protesting? Why are we not taking over government offices and asking for accountability and changes in government?
We might not have a disaster like the sad event in Beirut a few days ago, but surely there is enough to elicit the chagrin of the citizens, right?
For instance, a report released in January this year showed that there were 43 incidents of collapsed buildings in Nigeria in 2019, with hundreds of lives lost.
In September 2018, a gas tanker explosion killed 35 people in Nassarawa, whilst in July 2019, at least 50 people died and over a hundred persons were injured when a fuel tanker exploded in Benue State. Just last month, another tanker explosion killed more than 10 persons in Delta State.
In each of these cases, the tragedy is often attributed to Nigeria’s infamous bad roads or failure of regulators to do their jobs.
I do not even want to get started on taxes, indiscriminate increases in fuel prices, unspeakable corruption and ineptitude in government, the insecurity across the country and the economic trajectory of Nigeria, especially right now.
But this is Nigeria. It is not Beirut. It is not Lebanon. It is almost as if we are at peace with bad governance, or maybe the citizens have just gotten exhausted with everything and gone numb.
From the perspective of a researcher, I am curious to see what would bring Nigerians to a breaking point, or if it would even ever happen.
However, from the perspective of a Nigerian citizen, it is disturbing to witness just how much citizens are unable or unwilling to leverage democratic institutions and principles to seek positive change, even as the politicians maximise these same institutions for their selfish ends.
It would be a shame if we have to wait for our own “Beirut explosion moment” before acting.
Dr. Matthew Ayibakuro is Governance and Development Expert.
