THE FLIP SIDE OF NIGERIA'S RECESSION.


Sure, the July national macroeconomic statistics finally released by the National Bureau of Statistics on August 31, remain very depressing.

Unemployment has hit a new high; gross domestic product is down for the second quarter; and inflation continues to gallop and now stands at 17.1% year on year.

However, the truth is that today in Nigeria there are things that statistics can not measure yet they conspire to continue trying to ensure that this patient dies of a curable disease.

One side of today's state of affairs is the reality that endemic corruption; distrust, policy inconsistency; insecurity and lopsided power and national cake sharing of years past brought us this low.

So naturally, it was not a bad idea really to put a man like Muhanmadu Buhari on the saddle to hopefully change things for the better.

Amongst Nigeria's ex-military top brass he was and still remains in a class of his own. Even though like all commanders he enjoyed all that went with that position, he remains one of the few who can say it anywhere that they did not dip their hands into common till.

He also has it for the common folks too. The Nigerian child who everyday goes to school in an empty stomach, and studies under the blazing sun; the average man and woman out of job because preoccupations with cake sharing amongst those in government had forced many employers to desert Nigeria and encouraged many to import to sell instead of adding more value in Nigeria.

Yet, there is also the other side of today's dilemma. And that is that, President Buhari and his party men came in with the sole agenda of sharing the cake better. And, so change mantra was born to hopefully take from the corrupt and privileged rich to make the life of the average Nigerian better.

But then, there is a snag: None gave thought to the fact that the cake may require baking because crude oil prices can stay down and renewed Niger Delta militancy can resurface.

So what to do? Unfortunately Buhari preferred to wait out the storm hoping upon hope that the tide will change and more petrodollars will roll in again. Meanwhile, with uncanny stubbornness, he prepares to share more of the dwindling cake to subsidise pilgrims; go ahead with his party free meal promise for school pupils programme and then grudgingly adjust its support for unemployed youth's promise to youth empowerment for productive activities.

Hence it will not be surprising that Nigeria's recession has just begun and will take a long while to reverse direction so long as the readily available petrodollars continue to trickle, not flow as before.

What then does Nigeria stand to gain from the looming Buhari inability to get Nigeria out of recession?

In other words, what is the flip side of today's recession? Simple: It will mark the end of two opposing forces that have been struggling for control since Nigeria's independence.

These are the forces of self righteousness and of corruption. Nigeria needs to be rid of both.

The reason why corruption and parasitism must go is obvious enough; hidden is the reason why self righteousness must also go. That is, that no human being born of woman who can ever be truly considered righteous because, in the case of Nigeria, there is always the potential for unrighteousness at the right price.

The price could be from nepotism as in, for example, in these trying times Nigeria has become pathway to relative comfort for members of the Buhari extended family and trusted friends  all because, given his experience as military head of state, trust is very important, not ability to get the job done.

Self righteousness destroys cohesion through its ever present companion: Righteous indignation. The judgemental anger and mayhem that this brings is as disruptive of team effort and team spirit as endemic corruption.

Boko  Haram is a product of righteousness indignation. So also is Niger Delta militancy and Maitasine of yore.

Righteous indignation created the Adolf Hitlers of the past and still comes up with the Buharis  and Donald Trumps of today.

In the case of Nigeria, thank God the hard times are here. It will end righteous indignation  after just a few years on the saddle.

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