The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal is challenging INEC’s February declaration of Ahmed Bola Tinubu as the winner of a contentious election. Tinubu must handle many issues if sworn in next week.
Feeding an ever-hungry nation is my top priority. Recent years have raised concerns about Nigeria’s food security, which may worsen. Nigerians are finding it harder to eat, and protein intake is declining. The 2020 World Hunger Index ranks Nigeria 98th out of 107 countries, signifying severe hunger and malnutrition. According to the research, one in three Nigerians are undernourished, and one in five children are stunted due to chronic malnutrition.
Nigerian food insecurity is caused by climate change, violence, poverty, and poor infrastructure. The agriculture sector, which feeds the people, is also struggling. Credit and market access, infrastructure, and technological adoption are these issues.
Nigerian debt. According to the World Bank, the country’s international debt rose to $33 billion in 2021, mostly due to the government’s increasing borrowing to pay budget shortfalls and infrastructure projects.
Nigeria’s states are also uncompetitive, slowing non-oil revenue development. Only a few nations, like Lagos, may claim to be among Africa’s most economically developed and competitive, with corporate solid sectors and relatively high levels of foreign investment, while others struggle with poverty, underdevelopment, and insecurity. West Africa ranks 116th in the 2019 Global Competitiveness Index.
How should Tinubu fix this?
First, Tinubu must implement State Police Reform to combat Nigeria’s rising insecurity and support the military’s fight against terrorism. State police would better understand state security needs and engage with local communities to prevent terrorist strikes. The state police would be more agile and quick to threats than the national police, which is spread thin across the country. Yet it must prevent.
Bola Tinubu would also need to enhance Nigeria’s infrastructure and non-oil exports, especially from the mining and agricultural sectors. Both industries need enough railway infrastructure to establish viable towns and cities and limit migration to key states and state capitals.
Nigeria’s lack of rail infrastructure is undervalued. Road transit is expensive, unreliable, and prone to theft and equipment sabotage. Thus, the incoming government must prioritise it. Luckily, states can create train infrastructure, but the Tinubu government must fund it.
This increases devolution demands, and while we hope Tinubu helps enable constitutional reforms, he may help states take better advantage of current openings. The 2007 Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act gives the federal government jurisdiction over all minerals and gas and permits state governments to exploit their minerals.
While state economy and empowerment are vital, the next Nigerian president must realise that the Sahelian region is accountable for the violence and discontent endangering its peace. Irrigating desertified land will solve some of the problems that fuel extremism and terrorism.
The EU is Nigeria’s top commercial partner, with €39.3 billion in trade in 2019. The incoming administration must not discount the international community’s role in oil sector development. In 2020, bilateral trade reached $8.4 billion with the US.
Ultimately, Bola Tinubu must admit that his pre-election behaviour and how the polls were held and assessed have undermined his credibility. Suppose Nigeria wants to continue its 24-year democratic experiment that has never been this disliked and distrusted. In that case, he must admit the shortcomings of the process that made him president-elect and seek to make the electoral process more trustworthy.
