Structure Matters: Nigeria Needs The Right Political System To Succeed

 By Olu Fasan

Too often, one hears that it is not Nigeria that needs restructuring, but the minds of Nigerians and their leaders. Those who hold that view try to shift the emphasis away from structure to culture. They are wrong! Of course, culture matters, and leadership matters too. But empirical studies around the world show that it is the right institutions, the right governance structure, the right political system that creates the incentives that shape behaviour and drive political and economic progress. 

*Tinubu and Akpabio

The best insight on the powers of incentives came from Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, authors of the fascinating book Freakonomics. They said: “Incentives are the cornerstones of modern life – and understanding them is the key to solving just about any riddle.” They added: “An incentive is a bullet, a lever, a key; an often-tiny object with astonishing power to change a situation.”

First 100 Days: Tinubu Puts Inflated Rhetoric Above Credible Actions

 By Olu Fasan

For those who have not yet noticed it, here’s a major difference between Bola Tinubu and Muhammadu Buhari, his immediate predecessor as president. While Buhari was tongue-tied and taciturn, Tinubu is free-tongued and expressive. While Buhari kept most of his limited thoughts to himself, Tinubu has something to say on virtually every subject, except his personal life, and is more than willing to say it. Indeed, he’s been speaking!

*Tinubu

That, clearly, is a positive thing. For, as Professors Paul Collier and Tim Besley put it in their seminal report Escaping the fragility trap, “Leaders are first-and-foremost communicators.” They argued that “narratives” are a powerful tool that leaders can use to transform their nation: narratives about their vision for a better future, narratives about what must be done to achieve that future and narratives about how they intend to lead their country towards that better future. So, it’s a good thing that Tinubu is talking to Nigerians.