Weekend Arena - We Cant Breathe Cos The Knee Of Nigeria’s Economy Is On The Neck Of Her Citizens

We cant Breathe!!!!!

There are thousands of ideologies (documented and undocumented) on what the role of government should be. Two make a lot of sense to me. 

One was propounded by Scottish philosopher, Adam Smith in his 1776 phenomenal book, ‘Wealth of Nations’. Smith outlined three important functions of government: national defence, administration of justice (law and order) and the provision of certain public goods (e.g infrastructure). 

The other is more recent and was submitted by George W Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, who said, “I believe the role of government is to stand side by side with citizens to help them realise their dreams…”


In other words, government is constituted to protect and provide for the needs of the people. Government does not necessarily provide by availing hand-outs always, but by entrenching enabling environment for most, if not all, to thrive. This, in essence, is what distinguishes human populations from the animal kingdom. In the animal world for those who watch a lot of Nat Geo Wild, it is the ‘survival of the fittest’. Every prey is at the mercy of the predators. 

A lion can snatch whatever less powerful creature it can lay its claws on and devour it at will, according to its appetite. There are no meetings; there are no consultations or approvals, except in the folktales, for the excitement of children.


But humans are supposed to be much more organised, riding on nature’s benevolence to them in terms of intelligence or cranial capacity. Having advanced beyond the mediaeval stages of life to a more organised structure as governments at various levels present, it becomes worrisome to understand why certain policies of government, especially in Nigeria, should lack human face. The country has gradually slipped into a state where governments at various levels-local, state and federal now think their primary function is to generate revenues. While some people would argue that government needs funds to carry out its functions and fulfill its obligations to the citizens, it presents a worrisome outlook when the citizens begin to bear the brunt of governments target to meet their financial projections.


The Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board, woke up a few days ago to announce its plan to impose a tax on entertainers for their audio-visual works, not minding that this group of Nigerians, terribly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, have been out of employment, save from the Naira Marleys, who would dash in and out of Abuja to play a show, pay a fine, and keep the remainder. 

Stakeholders in the entertainment sector are complaining audibly that they pay income tax and have been wondering why any government with a human face would be thinking of additional taxes at this time. 

With the knee of the economy right on most Nigerians’ necks, (yes, comparable to George Floyd’s) the Federal Government has through the banks enforced sundry charges, unmindful that the citizens are paying more today for transportation, petrol, cooking gas, electricity and even food, as prices continue to soar in the markets, swimming (abi drowning?) in an unprecedented inflationary storm. For most of the citizens who lost their jobs due to the corona virus pandemic, the available solution is to use their cars (for the fortunate ones who own cars) for ‘Uber business’, but the Lagos State government, has also noticed that this could be another stream of income and has announced new licensing fees and taxes for the major operators and drivers in the sector, at a time when people are yet to fully adjust to the hardships. 

People argue that the government has only taxed the operators, the tycoons who own the business, without figuring that they (the tycoons) would reset their apps to pass the bills to the impoverished citizens.



This raise-money-at-all-cost disposition of government and some of her agencies sounds so disturbing when one hears the heads of certain agencies, whose preoccupation should not be to earn revenues for government, boasting about the burgeoning incomes they are making for the government and how they hope to increase it in the coming years. 

One of such agencies is the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB. JAMB, under Prof Ishaq Oloyede has consistently reported increased revenue accruals in spite of the fact that a lot of Nigerian parents are groaning under the cost of buying the entry forms as well as paying for other examinations littered on the way while their wards are seeking admission into tertiary institutions. There are post-UTME and the likes conducted by the institutions simply to make money off impoverished parents. JAMB, according to the act setting it up, was never empowered to earn revenues for government. If such an agency is making so much billions of Naira, then it points to the fact that the cost of buying the forms should be drastically reduced. 

At the rate this trend is going, one will not be surprised when the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC begins its revenue drive from young school graduates as well.


It is understandable that government needs to make money to be able to deliver on its promises, but what has been done with the oil revenues which have been rolling in all these years? It is a known fact that Nigeria pays her politicians (arguably) the most in the world, and it will be simply unfair to drain the blood of ordinary citizens in order to maintain the flamboyant lifestyles of a few people in government. That is absolutely unfair and should be the focus of whoever finds his or her way to Aso Rock as the President.

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