Car donation to Niger: Much ado about nothing

In latest days, the standard and on-line media have been agog with the information of the acquisition and donation of 10 Toyota Land Cruisers V8 autos value N1.4 billion to the Niger Republic and even denial by the so-called recipient nation. The truth is, the net media have so sensationalised it that anybody coming from planet Mars would assume that this has by no means occurred earlier than within the historical past of Nigeria-Niger bilateral relations or with any of the neighbouring nations. I really watched the information and sympathised with the Minister of Finance, Finances and Nationwide Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, seeing how she was struggling very onerous to defend the initiative which couldn’t have been her thought (neither is she ready to both assess or suggest for approval).

In accordance with Mrs Ahmed, “Let me simply say that over time, Nigeria has needed to assist its neighbours, particularly, quick neighbours, to boost their capability to safe their nations because it pertains to us. This isn’t the primary time that Nigeria had assisted Niger Republic, Cameroon or Chad. The President makes an evaluation as to what’s required primarily based on the request of their presidents. Such requests are authorized and interventions are supplied.” She added: “Nigerians have the precise to ask questions, but additionally the President has the duty to make an evaluation of what’s in one of the best curiosity of the nation and I can not query the choice myself. So, it’s in one of the best curiosity of Nigeria to take action for our neighbours.”

Allow us to be clear, Mrs Ahmed is true with the above rationalization. She can not in good conscience query the choice that should have been taken by the best organ of presidency, the President and probably the Nationwide Safety Council after the recommendation of an Inter-Ministerial Consultative Committee. The minister can be proper that over time, Nigeria has needed to assist the nations in West Africa and past. The truth is, donation has at all times been a part of our overseas coverage actions. So it isn’t a call taken calmly.

Only a reminder, as latest as 2019, the President, Main Basic Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who was then the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, authorized the donation of $500,000 to Guinea Bissau to assist the county’s elections course of. Nigeria additionally supported the nation with 350 models of electoral kits, 10 bikes, 5 Toyota Hilux vans and two mild vehicles. In accordance with the report, this important help was obligatory to make sure that legislative elections had been held in Guinea Bissau, which ought to assist in stabilising the nation.

It’s apt to state that requests for such donations do originate from the nations instantly. On this occasion, the request for such autos would have emanated from the federal government of Niger Republic by means of both the Embassy of Nigeria in Niamey or the Embassy of Niger Republic in Abuja by means of the Ministry of International Affairs to the federal government of Nigeria. Such donation could be assessed primarily based on the necessity of the requesting authorities and what Nigeria stands to realize from the donation. It’s after such evaluation by the businesses of presidency, led by the Ministry of Affairs, that the President could be requested to provide his approval.

Furthermore, the approval for this explicit request has been within the information since February 2022 and Nigerians didn’t elevate any eyebrows till now. The query is why the hullabaloo at the moment? Ordinarily, this may have gone unnoticed however these will not be odd occasions. Nigeria is beneath siege, economically and security-wise. Any thought of profligacy on the a part of the federal government could be deemed as an absence of discretion, irresponsibility and misplaced precedence. That is comprehensible towards the backdrop of the debt service that exceeded retained income by as a lot as N310 billion within the first 4 months of 2022.

Additionally, that is the primary time the nation’s debt service to income ratio would hit or exceed 100 per cent; there’s the petrol subsidy that’s nearing N6.7 trillion; additionally, there isn’t a hope that the lingering strike within the public tertiary establishments will come to an finish quickly and the specter of the resident docs happening strike quickly is already inflicting anxiousness among the many populace. The underside line is that Nigeria’s financial scenario isn’t trying good and opponents of the donation might be forgiven for feeling that the federal government is so insensitive, neglecting the welfare of the residents however offering luxurious automobiles to the neighbouring nation. Nonetheless, there’s by no means an excellent time to donate a part of the sources you don’t have in extra however, at occasions, it is advisable to make such choices within the general nationwide safety curiosity.

Nonetheless, contemplating the temper of the nation, particularly now that the goose laying the golden eggs has not laid any egg within the final six months so to say, such donations may have been dealt with otherwise and discreetly. The Ministry of International Affairs or some other company of presidency may have been tasked with that task. This might have been executed efficiently with out fanfare and fewer anger or uproar by the general public. There are a lot of such initiatives being carried out by governments all around the world with out the general public figuring out and solely those who have to know could have information of it. That’s the essence of the belief upon which democratic governments draw legitimacy.

Whereas it’s troublesome for Nigerians to know the implicit advantage of the donation, they might additionally higher be aware or conscious that Nigeria is subsidising the sale of electrical energy to Benin and Niger Republics. This isn’t a lot as a result of Nigeria is self-sufficient or that the nationwide grid is environment friendly sufficient to fulfill the demand of the populace however the authorities should take such choices within the general nationwide safety curiosity of the nation. The 2 nations are situated within the center/decrease basin area of River Niger and there have to be the appreciation that if the 2 nations resolve to go forward and dam the river, the implications for each Kainji and Shiroro dams and by extension the nation are too actual and unsustainable within the brief and medium phrases.

It’s pertinent to state that whereas the populace might be forgiven if they don’t perceive sure choices of presidency, the identical can’t be mentioned of the elites that want to understand the significance of such choices reasonably than stoking pointless arguments. There’s a want for elite consensus when the federal government is cultivating the assist of neighbouring nations. Such help shouldn’t be taken without any consideration as a result of most occasions it’s in our greatest curiosity. With the advantage of hindsight, now we have seen what can turn into of the relations with the neighbouring nations if not correctly oiled since now we have been destined to shoulder the duty of the sub-region given the fabric and human sources out there to the nation, in any other case the value goes to be insufferable.

On the time of our best want and confronted with the Boko Haram violence, Nigeria was unable to name the neighbouring nations collectively to hunt their assist till France intervened and the primary assembly solely passed off in Paris earlier than the nations agreed to the establishing of the multinational joint job power. The underside line is that overseas coverage in contrast to different actions isn’t performed on the pages of newspapers or within the information media. The truth is, publicity and diplomacy will not be essentially correlated. Though it’s reasonably late for the current authorities, there isn’t a doubt that classes have been learnt and incoming governments will now know how you can deal with such requests in future with out creating any furore and unhealthy publicity for the federal government.

My displeasure, nonetheless, is the origin of automobiles donated. The data within the public area is that overseas automobiles had been purchased and equipped or about to be given to Niger Republic Authorities. That shouldn’t have been so, particularly when the identical authorities is encouraging Nigerian establishments to supply their wants together with autos and different gadgets within the nation. Furthermore, the navy and different establishments, together with state governments, are shopping for autos assembled or made in Nigeria. The federal government ought to have despatched made or assembled in Nigeria autos and branded similar with Nigeria-Niger signage. That method, Nigeria is thus selling made-in-Nigeria merchandise and the concept the autos will likely be used for functions apart from those supposed will likely be dominated out.

Importantly, there’s nothing new on this thought of sourcing gadgets from the donor nations and branding similar. Most of the overseas donors working in Nigeria and lots of growing nations do make sure that programmes within the recipient nations are executed utilizing provides and specialists from the nations of origin. Nigeria could as properly begin doing similar by making certain that such donations have Nigerian parts. That’s what decisive and energetic overseas coverage is all about and never behaving like ‘Father Christmas’ whose charity or donations lack native content material and commensurate duty on the a part of the recipients.

Wale Oloko, a coverage analyst, writes through [email protected]