Travel notes and recorded insights of visitors to other countries constitute important aspects of the world’s intellectual heritage. Two quick examples are the classic reflection on America by the French lawyer and philosopher John Montesquieu and the 20th Century dispatches of John Hobson, an English journalist from South Africa; which eventually morphed into a much commented on theory of imperialism.

The discerning ought to pay attention, therefore, to the reflections of visitors to our countries all the more so when the august personage is a former President of the United States, Mr. Bill Clinton. Speaking in Abeokuta last week at the 18th edition of ThisDay awards, the statesman credited with a turnaround of the American economy under social democratic auspices in the 1990s, came up with three postulations which should be of interest to our leaders who are feverishly strategising on how to win the 2015 elections.

There is, first, the dramatic waste of resources, much of it through soar away corruption and unbridled theft of the public kitty. Clinton, of course, did not put it that way, by reason of diplomatic etiquette; but he said enough for us to read between his lines. He did say that we have not done a good job of managing our natural resources, maintaining that “you should have reinvested it in different ways.” This brings an international perspective on the raging debate within the country on the absurdly high cost of governance under Nigeria’s corrupt, distributive federalism. Interestingly, the Jonathan administration rolls out the drums on having reduced the share of recurrent expenditure from 74 per cent in 2011 to 71 per cent last year and projects a further reduction to 68 per cent in 2013. Even if this modest goal is realised, and it is a tall order given the current election-related upswing in spending, it is still a far cry from realising the kind of investible surplus that can jumpstart sustainable development. Also budgetary allocation to prestige and non-revenue earning projects like mouth-watering sums for the vice-president’s official quarters and elongating the presidential fleet do not square with the advertised goal of bringing down the tide of consumption and personal emolument.

So far, various proposals and strategies for bringing down the cost of governance, some of them made by government-funded commissions have continued to gather dust in abandoned files to which they are consigned. At the political level, administration strategists are celebrating such recent deft manoeuvres as the breakup of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the rebound of Mr. “Mr. Fix it”, Tony Anenih, as chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees as well as the legal clearance given to President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2015 elections by the Abuja High Court. Clinton’s subtle reference to squandermania and corruption as drivers of Nigeria’s prolonged, arrested development put a different gloss, altogether on these political triumphs.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/viewpoint/clinton-on-nigeria-the-lessons-not-learnt/

There is, first, the dramatic waste of resources, much of it through soar away corruption and unbridled theft of the public kitty. Clinton, of course, did not put it that way, by reason of diplomatic etiquette; but he said enough for us to read between his lines. He did say that we have not done a good job of managing our natural resources, maintaining that “you should have reinvested it in different ways.”

Clinton’s subtle reference to squandermania and corruption as drivers of Nigeria’s prolonged, arrested development put a different gloss, altogether on these political triumphs.

Excellently said. Mr Clinton laid it well, but of course we don't need him to tell us about our shot comings, these are things we already know.

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