Fakoyejo Olalekan
The former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, said the difficult business environment is affecting Nigeria.
He said most things that work in the country are operated by the private sector.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelMoghalu, in a series of posts on Twitter on Monday, 24 April, said a nation shouldn’t depend on the private sector to thrive.
To improve the fragile state of Nigeria, he advised the government to invest protecting the country’s territory and its ability to collect taxes and other revenues effectively and efficiently, as well as its delivery of social services to citizens.
The former presidential candidate under African Democratic Congress (ADC), also stated that there’s the need to address issues of capacity and productivity in the civil service.
He also highlighted issues of corruption as a problem that should be tackled through transparency and accountability.
The post reads: “Nigeria needs to invest heavily in state capacity – the ability of the state and its agencies to protect its territory, collect taxes and other revenues effectively and efficiently, and to deliver social services to its citizens. These weaknesses have made us a fragile state.
“We must address issues of capacity and productivity in the civil service, and issues of corruption through transparency and accountability. This is why most things that work in Nigeria are things run by the private sector. And this is relative because of the difficult business environment.
“But governments and governance must work. No country is run by the private sector. The state exists for a purpose. It alone has the responsibility for meeting the security and welfare of the citizens.
“I was amazed when, a few years ago, Hailemariam Desalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, told me about his country’s Civil Service University and its role in providing the training and capacity for a strong and functioning state. Effective service delivery is critical.”
