Nigeria’s Health

The question in third-world countries such as Nigeria is not that of a shortage of money, but rather one of inequality and weak governance. International donors, on the other hand, rely on providing food, healthcare facilities, and clothes while struggling to address the root problems. As a result, amid widespread assistance from numerous intergovernmental and non-governmental bodies, Nigeria continues to face serious challenges. The paper thus investigates some of the other things that foreign donors should do for the citizens of Nigeria aside from providing food, clothes, and healthcare facilities.

International Intervention and the Provision of Foreign Aid

The need for international assistance to third world countries through Foreign Aid is one of the concepts that have a basis from the need to eradicate global poverty to foster development (Mwakikagile, 3). For this reason, the International Non-Governmental Organizations and Intergovernmental Organizations have embarked on the provision of the necessities towards Nigeria such as the supply of clothes to the needy families, medical facilities, and drugs to meet the healthcare needs and food (Olatujoye, Fajobi & Adeniran, 2). Traditionally, these ways have always been deemed as the most appropriate to ensure that Nigeria and other third world countries can grow and become self-reliant (Abugre, 3). Today, many Non- Governmental Organizations in Nigeria as well as the government officials who are tasked with the role of the disbursement of the foreign Aids, either end up enriching themselves at the expense of the vulnerable people or channel the same to other individual projects (Olatujoye, Fajobi & Adeniran, 2). Unfortunately, even the government officials who are tasked with the mandate of overseeing the same and ensuring accountability end being easily lured into either propagating acts of corruption or aiding the process (Abugre, 7). So, while the provision of international aid is essential, there is a need for the international Organizations to come up with very strong controls to ensure that the money or any other international donations are used appropriately (Olatujoye, Fajobi & Adeniran, 6).

Foreign Aid has the potential of growing on an economy and improving the lives of the people if well managed. For example, countries such as China and South Korea once depended on the Foreign Aid just like Nigeria. Today South Korea and China are giving out foreign donations instead of receiving the same (Leishman, 8). Nigeria will all its resources still relies on foreign aid (Bloom, 3). Further, Nigeria is a country with a lot of minerals (Thielke, 6). Natural resources and fertile for agriculture. These resources, however, remain untapped. One of the factors that can explain this stagnation in economic growth is corruption (Thielke, 6). The donors can thus eradicate corruption and improve on service delivery by ensuring the participation of the people in all the projects, ensure stronger controls and stop supplying the aid if a country has a culture of entertaining corruption and have weaker court mechanisms of punishing the offenders

Establishment of a strong Framework on Fighting Corruption in Nigeria

The major threat to Nigeria’s development is mild corruption. The vice traces its foundation from the time Nigeria got its independence where the three major communities shared resources at the exclusion of the minority communities. In response, the other communities thus embarked on getting the resources through crooked means. Today corruption has become a ‘value of governance’ in Nigeria as opposed to being a vice. It runs in all arms of governance since independence. It has thus been a hindrance to making steps in the development of the country (Obuah, 7). Some of the mechanisms that have been put in place to do away with the vice include coming up with commissions. For example, president Obasanjo had set up the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (Obuah, 7). These Commissions have been unable to fight the menace, and thus corruption remains a norm in the country. Some of the people who have been found guilty of corruption in the country include; Chief Adolphos Nwabara and Senator Okadigbo who was declared guilty for the inflation of the street lights project (Obuah, 6). Such scandals end up widening inequality, depriving the people of essential services such as health and security and damaging public interest.

The key focus of the international donors should focus on effective methods of doing away with corruption. One of the steps is fostering good governance. Currently, the governance structure is tainted with a lot of scandals, and thus there is a need for the restoration of the principles of good governance such as transparency and accountability. It is meaningless for the International donors to keep on sending financial and commodity support if the same does not get to the intended person. These organizations have the power to stop helping Nigeria and impose very strict governance controls before the same can be sent. They should further champion for the establishment of the anti-corruption commissions that are independent of the three arms of government. Without setting up this infrastructure, the international community should thus withhold its support.

The International organizations can also rally the citizens in Nigeria to Shun Corruption and report the same for action to be taken. One of the organizations that is concerned with the same in Transparency international (Usifo, n.p). Secondly, these organizations should refrain from giving any financial support towards the political parties and rather champion for the amendment of the constitution to give room for Independent candidates to contest in the elections to eradicate the role of godfathers in the elections. Further, they can champion for the lessening of the powers of the political leaders to make the positions less attractive (Usifo, n.p). Further, any form of payment for the collection of forms before any person contests for an election should be scrapped (Usifo, n.p). Lastly, the international community can step in as a watchdog of the people and ensure that social security schemes are provided to the people to wield out any forms of stealing.

Through the above reforms, the International donors will promote good governance in Nigeria, enhance political stability, improve productivity, and enhance values in governance (Adebayo, 8). Further, if the organizations manage to kill corrupt activities amongst the political leaders, it is highly unlikely that the junior officers will engage in the same (Abdulrahman & Kabir, 5). For this reason, there is much that the international organizations can do instead of the provision of food, clothing and health facilities.

Championing for the Eradication of E-Waste Recycling in Nigeria

Another challenge facing Africa and Nigeria, in particular, is the recycling of the electronic materials such as the electronics, computers, radios, and televisions. These activities are very harmful to the environment and lead to less agricultural productivity and fishing. The United States of America, for example, is estimated to purchase electronics worth $ 125 every year, with many of these remaining obsolete. These electronics are then sent to friends and families in developing countries with Africa being the major target. The same is true about China. The electronics thus end up being waste in the African countries and thus leading to environmental degradation. Most of them are dumped in the seas and Oceans which threaten the existence of the sea creatures (ABC, n.p). The purchasers of the electronics from the United States of America always indicate their intentions of recycling the same, but then the majority of the electronics end up as waste materials (ABC, n.p). This is simply the exportation of problems from one country to the other and thus leading to a global problem. The international organizations can thus step in and assist the third world countries by championing for strict conventions and protocols governing the same (ABC, n.p). These organizations can also rally for heavy penalties over those that engage in the practice and thus enabling the third world countries such as Nigeria to have a clean environment.

Conclusion

Africa suffers from a problem of poverty not because of the lack of resources but rather because of poor governance and corruption. These vices have eaten into the moral fiber of the society and thus tampering with integrity. The supply of the basic commodities and services have also been hindered and thus making the people live a very miserable life. The donations made by these organizations also end up in the pockets of a few individuals and thus does not serve the intended purpose. Another major problem is the dumping of electronic wastes in Nigeria which leads to environmental degradation. The International organization can thus embark on being a champion of the poor people in Nigeria by fighting corruption and the dumping of E wastes.

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