Close watchers of Nigeria’s socio-economic and political milieu should not be surprised that the country ranked 37th out of the 52 nations in the 2014 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) released last week. The Giant of Africa and the continent’s fastest growing economy also scored lower than the regional average for West Africa (52.2), ranking 12th out of 15. Although there seems to be an improvement on the 2013 ranking where the country took 47th position, this patters into insignificance when viewed against the continued deterioration in two of the four major categories of the index. The four categories comprised safety and rule of law; participation and human rights; sustainable economic opportunity and human development which are further divided into 12 subsections with 94 indicators.
Mauritius maintains its top ranking as the best governed country on the continent for the second year running with 81.7, while Botswana, Cape Verde and South Africa were ranked second, third and fourth, respectively. According to the findings, the African countries in the bottom half of the rankings which registered the largest improvements over the past five years include Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Niger and even Zimbabwe. The countries have changed course since 2009 from negative trajectories to become the biggest improvers on the continent. This progress has been driven by gains in participation and human rights.
“The results of the 2014 IIAG challenge our perceptions about the state of African governance. Africa is progressing but the story is complex and does not fit the stereotypes. Even if the overall picture looks good, we must all remain vigilant and not get complacent,” Mo Ibrahim, chairman of Mo Ibrahim Foundation, observed.
Mo Ibrahim Foundation was established in 2006 to celebrate excellence in African leadership. The Ibrahim Prize for
Achievement in African Leadership is the largest prize in the world. It shells out $5m to the recipient of the Award, followed by $200,000 annually for the winner for a lifetime. To win the prize, laureates must fulfill the following criteria: be a democratically elected former African Head of State or Government who has left office in the previous three years; has served his/her constitutionally mandated term; and has demonstrated excellence in office, helping to lift people out of poverty and paving the way for sustainable and equitable prosperity.
Since the institution of the Award in 2007, only three former African leaders have been found suitable for the prize: Ex-President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique (2007), Festus Mogae of Botswana (2008), and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde (2011). No winners have emerged since 2009. It is not certain if one would emerge in 2014 when the Prize Committee meets next month in Ghana.
Poor governance is not peculiar to Nigeria. It is a common phenomenon on the continent, which is why it is not a surprise that only three former leaders could pass the test so far. Most African leaders are too corrupt to offer selfless services to their people so as to qualify for the prestigious award and the lifetime benefit that comes with it. They are in a pole position to steal much more than the Mo Ibrahim Foundation can offer them. These stolen monies are salted away in foreign accounts. It is not in all cases that the loots are recovered when the depositors passed on. Such stolen monies are lost to the economy of the countries where they are kept.
Africa as a whole would continue to dance in the circle of poverty, instability and backwardness unless its impoverished citizens rise against their corrupt leaders and those who rig their ways to power during elections. A leader who buys his way to power cannot deliver good governance to the people. Until Nigerians begin to hold their leaders, elected or appointed, accountable for bad governance, the nation would continue to suffer humiliation like the one brought upon it by the IIAG.
