I didn't wake up one rainy day and decide to quit voting in
INEC-organised elections in Nigeria. In fact, I was so sold
on exercising my Civic duties such that I would convince folks in my district to register to vote and participate in the
electoralprocess. I would provide transportation and convey
folks in myvehicle to go out to vote. I begged, badgered and
bullied them to vote. Yet, I wasn't a member of any political
party. I got no dime from anyone; I just wanted folks to
participate. Most did participate...I now believe they just
humored me...In retrospect, I believe I had mental problems then...the Good Lord delivered me from the spirit of naivete!
We had been studying the Nigerian Electoral system for
years...and we often wondered why the worst among us got
victorious in elections. We would analyse, get data, make
charts and question why our analysis were not jiving.
We had not tied the 1999 constitution to the electoral process of Nigeria! Over the time, we started studying OECD countries and why the politicians feared the people so much. Our researches made us explore the electoral systems of European countries especially Switzerland and Germany and the US. all the electoral systems, that of the US was most
fascinating (aside that of Switzerland) as they operate the presidential system. Nigeria only copied the phrase "presidential system" from the US; there the similarities end!
Kindly consider the following facts:

1. The US State has nothing like INEC or its equivalent
2. The US president does not appoint an electoral chairman
neither do they fund elections
3. The US federal government does NOT conduct elections
4. The US federal government has ZERO input in elections
on the day of or any day at that
5. The US federal government does not have electoral staff
and does not print ballot papers
6. There are no electoral materials and personnel from
Washington to different parts of the US on election day
7. Neither the US Military, CIA nor FBI is involved during
elections!

The profound effect of this is that the US president has
ZERO influence in his own election! Little wonder the US
presidents are always trying to convince the voters of their policies and intentions as their fate wholly depends on the decision of the voters. So who conducts the federal, state and local elections in the US? The state governors?
No! The US State governors do NOT conduct elections; they
are as lame as the US president in electoral matters! The
fate of the state governors and the state Senate (what we
call the State House of Assembly in Nigeria) are not
decided by them! So who conducts the presidential,
gubernatorial, Congressional and senatorial elections then?
Constitutionally, the County conducts the elections!
Technically, the People do!

A county in the US is the equivalent of a local government
in Nigeria! The county is responsible for conducting ALL
elections in the US; from the presidential to the governorship, senatorial, congressional and what have you! Even the county doesn't even conduct these elections per se...they devolve the powers to the Municipal Governments...the community...the People!
So in every Community, the People themselves register to
vote; the different parties and the Municipal Governments
conduct the elections! They download the ballots, print, and
all residents of the community come out on the day to vote.
The electoral officers are members of the community, of
the parties and Municipal officers. Elections are an "Umunna" or "àwõn mòlébí" things! What the Hausa speakers call
"namu'ne" or the Urhobo would call the "election avware"
things!

In such elections, the contestants are well-represented in
every Municipality and county. The votes are automatically
uploaded as the elections progress. The mayor as a
ceremonial electoral chairman for the Municipality simply
announces the results already uploaded. Every contestant
would know his fate just when the ordinary citizen knows
the results! The room for hanky-panky is so low that almost all contestants accept the results!

Now compare that to the Nigerian Electoral system
and#thinkAgain! In the Nigerian State, INEC is owned by the president, controlled by the president, chairman chosen by the President. police. army, police, DSS, etc, controlled by the president "secure" the elections, ballot papers are printed by the presidency anddistributed across the country on Election
Day (just imagine the abominable logistical headache)...and
we outspend the USA in organizing our sham elections!
Let's stop here a while and allow us to digest the US and
Nigerian electoral philosophies. When we finally got it, it
dawned on us why the Nigerian State produces bunkum as
leaders; the people don't decide electoral outcomes; the
federal government does!

I got cured of insanity when I had that understanding...so
for those angling for the 2023 elections, it would turn out
exactly like the 2019 elections as predicted on this wall. I have no quarrels with those that hope on elections with the Nigerian electoral system...all I feel for them is this deep pity... For lack of knowledge, the People suffer... nowhere has that been more profound than among the peoples of Nigeria!
I've been cured of insanity now; I shall NEVER participate in
the insult called elections in Nigeria until we topple the
fraudulent system and adopt something normal humans
employ as electoral system! I am very done with that
nonsense we call elections here! Next upload, we shall
discuss how elections are won or lost in Nigeria... The Nigerian electoral system is mental slavery...emancipate
yourselves and help destroy that evil constitution! Nigeria as
constituted, is Tragedy in Motion!
# thinkAgain!

The Tragedy called Nigeria II

Nigeria has a GDP of circa $300 billion but has a Tax-to-GDP
ratio of 6%...among the lowest in the world! 6% translates into $18billion In a fiscal year. That's the best the federal
government gets in taxes! Adding government's take on oil
revenues adds just a little to it. Oftentimes, we average
$25billion for the federal government per fiscal year!
$25 billion...for 200 million people?
$25 billion to finance the federal government budget per
annum?
$25 billion to bring Nigeria from the 3rd world to the 1st
world? Really?
The Municipality of New York City has an annual budget
averaging $100 billion! Just a city!
The state of California budgets about $208 billion!
The Peoples Republic of China budgets $3.4trillion.
The US federal government budgets $3.8 trillion!
Just look at those numbers them weep for a country that
budgets $25 billion which is several hundred percent less than the budget of the City of New York!
Whereby the Nigerian State depends mostly on oil revenues
and taxes from corporate organizations/PAYE of the
personnel, sane countries depend on the entrepreneurship of
her Citizens to finance budgets! What about the entrepreneurship of the Nigerian?
The federal government has employed the 1999 constitution to castrate the entrepreneurship of her Citizens such that the
citizens hardly make enough to sustain themselves talk less of contributing some taxes!

6% Tax-to-GDP ratio in Nigeria is ridiculous! It's 20% in South
Africa, 41% in France, 39% in Britain and even 16% in Mexico!
But Nigeria hardly gets the $18billion on the GDP when they
could easily get $50 billion on less than 30%!

The Nigerian State depends on loans to finance the annual
budgets! They have borrowed us into trouble! The Nigerian
State owes about $81 billion in foreign and domestic Liam's
now. There's no way of paying back with the current Nigerian
system! But who's bothered? The Government? They're even
oblivious! Little does the Nigerian establishment understand that as long as they keep Economic controls locked with the Exclusive List of the 1999 constitution, they shall continue to make people poor but they shall not be rich either! (Onye ji mmadu na'ala Ji onwe ya). The one that holds a person down holds down self!

In the quest for federal control of all resources, the Nigerian
State has succeeded in holding itself down and making
everyone including themselves poor and miserable!
The federal government actually thinks that the proliferation of FIRS offices would substantially increase the tax revenue base!

We could tell them for free that the Unit Cost per Naira to
collect taxes shall erode whatever tax gains they might hope
to get! The graph peaks at a point around the 8% mark after
which marginal increases in the unit cost would actually bring about negative tax additions!

The Exclusive List is a vicious circle...the 1999 constitution is
callous to both the drafters and the people! We are all victims!

Our entrepreneurial spirit has been amputated by that
constitution, so is( our)the potential wealth of the people!
Maybe we should inform them that the tax revenues of other
countries are based on the fundamental principles of the
lowest forms of government in such countries...the
Municipality! Oh, we could tell them how the Municipalities
function with databases, company registrations and local
GDPs to drive the national wealth of those countries. But we
shall not for they're too dumb to comprehend...too far to see... Bloody Pharisees!
We invite you to note that there is no way on mother earth that the current abominable constitution of Nigeria could create wealth! Without the wealth of the people, no government at any level in Nigeria could increase her tax revenues! Without larger tax revenues, there shall be no development! Whatever little is left at the center is fought over by politicians and their minions like rabid hyenas! The result shall continue to be a country waiting to die!

Yes, they employ the 1999 constitution to hold us down, but
they shall remain down, poor and beggarly too as a result! So
let's keep that useless constitution that makes us all poor and validate it as usual! Poverty shall continue to spread like
wildfire!

The choice is yours; mine is to ensure you know!
Nigeria as constituted, is a poverty stricken tragedy!
# thinkAgain!

NB: This is where I come to rant after a long day.

I agree with

Futuragetty:
The Tragedy called Nigeria II

Nigeria has a GDP of circa $300 billion but has a Tax-to-GDP
ratio of 6%...among the lowest in the world! 6% translates into $18billion In a fiscal year. That's the best the federal
government gets in taxes! Adding government's take on oil
revenues adds just a little to it. Oftentimes, we average
$25billion for the federal government per fiscal year!
$25 billion...for 200 million people?
$25 billion to finance the federal government budget per
annum?
$25 billion to bring Nigeria from the 3rd world to the 1st
world? Really?
The Municipality of New York City has an annual budget
averaging $100 billion! Just a city!
The state of California budgets about $208 billion!
The Peoples Republic of China budgets $3.4trillion.
The US federal government budgets $3.8 trillion!
Just look at those numbers them weep for a country that
budgets $25 billion which is several hundred percent less than the budget of the City of New York!
Whereby the Nigerian State depends mostly on oil revenues
and taxes from corporate organizations/PAYE of the
personnel, sane countries depend on the entrepreneurship of
her Citizens to finance budgets! What about the entrepreneurship of the Nigerian?
The federal government has employed the 1999 constitution to castrate the entrepreneurship of her Citizens such that the
citizens hardly make enough to sustain themselves talk less of contributing some taxes!

6% Tax-to-GDP ratio in Nigeria is ridiculous! It's 20% in South
Africa, 41% in France, 39% in Britain and even 16% in Mexico!
But Nigeria hardly gets the $18billion on the GDP when they
could easily get $50 billion on less than 30%!

The Nigerian State depends on loans to finance the annual
budgets! They have borrowed us into trouble! The Nigerian
State owes about $81 billion in foreign and domestic Liam's
now. There's no way of paying back with the current Nigerian
system! But who's bothered? The Government? They're even
oblivious! Little does the Nigerian establishment understand that as long as they keep Economic controls locked with the Exclusive List of the 1999 constitution, they shall continue to make people poor but they shall not be rich either! (Onye ji mmadu na'ala Ji onwe ya). The one that holds a person down holds down self!

In the quest for federal control of all resources, the Nigerian
State has succeeded in holding itself down and making
everyone including themselves poor and miserable!
The federal government actually thinks that the proliferation of FIRS offices would substantially increase the tax revenue base!

We could tell them for free that the Unit Cost per Naira to
collect taxes shall erode whatever tax gains they might hope
to get! The graph peaks at a point around the 8% mark after
which marginal increases in the unit cost would actually bring about negative tax additions!

The Exclusive List is a vicious circle...the 1999 constitution is
callous to both the drafters and the people! We are all victims!

Our entrepreneurial spirit has been amputated by that
constitution, so is( our)the potential wealth of the people!
Maybe we should inform them that the tax revenues of other
countries are based on the fundamental principles of the
lowest forms of government in such countries...the
Municipality! Oh, we could tell them how the Municipalities
function with databases, company registrations and local
GDPs to drive the national wealth of those countries. But we
shall not for they're too dumb to comprehend...too far to see... Bloody Pharisees!
We invite you to note that there is no way on mother earth that the current abominable constitution of Nigeria could create wealth! Without the wealth of the people, no government at any level in Nigeria could increase her tax revenues! Without larger tax revenues, there shall be no development! Whatever little is left at the center is fought over by politicians and their minions like rabid hyenas! The result shall continue to be a country waiting to die!

Yes, they employ the 1999 constitution to hold us down, but
they shall remain down, poor and beggarly too as a result! So
let's keep that useless constitution that makes us all poor and validate it as usual! Poverty shall continue to spread like
wildfire!

The choice is yours; mine is to ensure you know!
Nigeria as constituted, is a poverty stricken tragedy!
# thinkAgain!

NB: This is where I come to rant after a long day.

Great write up. You have a very good understanding of why Nigeria as presently constituted will only be worse 50 years from now and would even be more terrible, 100 years from now. We are clearly on a downward trajectory of our own making.

I like how broke down two main issues that make our democracy a farce. Another issue left out is the poor quality of our public basic education. Democratic States understand that people vote for candidates who mirror themselves, people they can relate with through shared experiences and backgrounds. Countries invest massively in basic education to ensure better candidates would eventually be picked by the public.

You mentioned the difficulty in increasing tax collection. Most countries have unique tax systems that mirrors the culture of the people and what they aspire to change and improve on. taxes go beyond being a source of revenue but a means of evolving civilization. Some countries tax petrol to increase the use of public transportation, some leather bags to reduce pollution and others cigarettes to improve public health.

There is a perceived belief that has actually been backed up by academic research (Hofstede) that Africans tend to be more flamboyant than people of other races. If you take two people of equal incomes, the black person most times tends to spend more on appearance (effizy) than the other. this phenomenon occurs across different countries with Nigerians being among the worst offenders. there is nothing wrong in wanting to look good but should that come before important things like education and healthcare.

Our senators, who come from our people, would rather buy modern Toyotas than build hospitals in Abuja. There are more malls in Abuja than hospitals both public and private. This doesn't even mention how poorly equipped the hospitals are.

Our cultural abnormality creates an opportunity to create a unique tax system that can correct the said abnormality and at the same time raise revenues for the government.

The government should focus on taxing people's possessions as opposed to their incomes and these taxes must be progressive in the sense that every person pays the same rate but different values based on the worth of our possessions. e.g Everyone pays 10 percent of the value of our phones annually, so the people with Iphones pay more that the people with Nokia touch lights.

Finally, Taxation is not only used to make people more civilized and raise revenues for the government, but also to make the people hold their elected officials to account. Taxation will make the average Nigerian mad when they see wastage in the system.