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Politicians Hear This! Earning People’s Trust, First Step to Prolific Governance, Fighting COVID-19

Published

6 years ago

June 26, 2020

Eric

By Joel Popoola

Why does Nigeria have the worst voter turnout in West Africa? And why does it matter more than even during the coronavirus crisis?

Take a look at voter turnout numbers in West African presidential elections and see if you can see the odd country out.
Ghana – 68.6%
Niger – 59.8%
Togo – 60.9%
Benin – 66.1%
Chad – 66%
Nigeria – 34.8%

How can it be that half as many Nigerians elect their president than in neighbouring countries? And those figures don’t even include countries like Sierra Leone (84.2%) and Guinea-Bissau (89.3%).

In fact, only one country in all of West Africa has voter turnout anywhere near as bad as Nigeria; Cape Verde. And with a turnout of 35.5% it’s still better than ours!
Why does Nigeria have the worst voter turnout in West Africa? The reason is trust. And during the current Coronavirus crisis that trust could not matter more.

The world-leading International Affairs think tank, Chatham House, has recently written:

“There is a yawning gap in trust and accountability between citizens and the state in Nigeria – the crisis will force the state to attempt to bridge this divide… a state that the vast majority of the population believe does not serve or care for them.

“Having largely ignored the needs of Nigeria’s citizens for decades, the political class face an uphill battle in building trust with the population. Earning this trust is not only crucial for the struggle against COVID-19 but also for Nigeria’s longer-term progress and system of political governance.”

Elements of the statement clearly go too far. The Nigerian government has recently made significant and important progress when it comes to meeting the needs of its citizens or how would our nation’s current score on the World Bank’s Epidemic Preparedness Index be so much higher than African and global averages if it hadn’t?

But it must not be doubted that many Nigerians feel this way. And feeling this way is a huge disincentive to engaging with political process through voting.
As one frontline worker battling COVID-19 in Kano recently told the international media:

“The government has promised to provide gloves and face masks to us but we are yet to receive it. We just depend on God.”

People need to know that they can depend on their government. Trust matters. And in the months and years to come that trust is going to be needed more than ever.

We are only in the first phase of the Covid-19 crisis. Next is likely to come Nigeria’s second recession in less than five years. Oil prices – our nation’s main source of revenue – are at an all-time low. After that we could see a huge challenge to our food security as the pandemic disrupts every aspect of our food supply from farm to fork.

Existing palliative efforts are described by Chatham House as “important (but) hampered by poor communication, inefficiencies and a lack of transparency – longstanding challenges in many aspects of public service delivery in Nigeria.”

So what is to be done?

As so often in the modern world, the answer can be found at our fingertips.
Reducing the spread and consequences of the coronavirus will depend on elected officials building trust with their citizens through effective communication. And in 2020 that communication primarily comes through a smartphone.

As I never tire of telling people, more Nigerians own a smartphone than vote.
My Digital Democracy Project is designed to reconnect electors and the elected using technology. Our free Rate Your Leader is designed to helps politicians engage directly with people who elected them, helping them understand what matters most to the people who elect them and build relationships of trust with the electorate.

When the coronavirus first arrived in Nigeria, it was state governments who were first to respond – shutting schools, and stopping the spread of the virus through travel and movement restrictions. They will have an even more crucial role in the recovery phase.

Yet politicians can feel like very remote, even irrelevant figures to many Nigerians. And this feeling is even more obvious at state level. Digital technology can bridge that divide and make it clear to local people how vital their work is and how committed to their communities they are.

Tough times are undeniably ahead for our states. Already over $20billion in debt, greater costs incurred countering Covid-19 and reducing resources could force many states to the brink of bankruptcy. The government of Akwa Ibom has already almost halved its annual budget and it will not be the only state where we see spending cuts on this scale.
If Nigerians start to see limited local services reduce even further, their opinion of local and national government is hardly likely to improve. And they will most likely become even less likely to vote.

Communication is key to stopping this vicious circle. But in a time of difficult challenges, technology exists to make communication that has never been, much easier.

Joel Popoola is a Nigerian technology entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and creator of the free Rate Your Leader app. You can reach him via Joel@rateyourleader.com or @JOPOPOOLA

Featured

Nigerians Won’t Eat Your Bogus GDP Figures, ADC Tells FG

Published

3 hours ago

May 7, 2026

Eric

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, faulted the Federal government’s celebration of Nigeria’s reported GDP growth, saying the figures do not reflect the economic strain facing ordinary citizens.

The party’s position speaks to a growing gap between official claims of progress and the daily reality of rising food prices, shrinking incomes, job losses and mounting business costs across the country.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said economic growth is meaningless if it does not improve how people actually live.

“People do not eat GDP,” Abdullahi said.

The party said millions of Nigerians remain trapped in hunger, inflation, unemployment and weakening purchasing power despite government claims of recovery.

Rejecting the government’s narrative, the ADC said, “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) rejects the Federal Government’s attempt to use headline GDP figures to whitewash the deep economic suffering Nigerians are currently enduring across the country.

“No government should be celebrating economic statistics while millions of its citizens are battling hunger, poverty, collapsing purchasing power, and rising hopelessness.

“The reality of the Nigerian economy is not what is written in government presentations. The reality is what Nigerians confront every day in markets, on farms, in factories, in shops, and in their homes.”

The party pointed to intensifying pressure on households and businesses nationwide.

Abdullahi said: “Food prices are unbearable. Transportation costs have become punitive. Small businesses are shutting down daily under the crushing weight of inflation, energy costs, and weak consumer demand. Salaries have lost value. Families who once lived modestly are now struggling to survive.

“Economic growth that does not reduce suffering, create jobs, improve incomes, or restore dignity to citizens is empty growth. Growth that only exists in official reports while citizens descend deeper into hardship is not meaningful progress.”

The ADC also questioned what Nigerians are being asked to celebrate under current conditions.

The party said, “The purpose of governance is not to manage public relations for economic statistics. The purpose of governance is to improve the living conditions of the people.

“What exactly should Nigerians celebrate? The fact that food inflation continues to devastate households? That millions of young Nigerians remain unemployed or underemployed? That businesses are collapsing faster than new ones are emerging? That more citizens are slipping into poverty despite working harder than ever?”

Calling for a shift in approach, the party urged the government to prioritise measurable improvements in citizens’ welfare over headline figures.

The ADC said: “A government that is serious about economic recovery would show humility, acknowledge the pain Nigerians are experiencing, and focus on delivering measurable improvements in living conditions instead of celebrating figures that have no meaning to hungry citizens.

“The ADC believes that the true test of economic policy is simple: Can Nigerians live better today than they did yesterday? For millions of Nigerians, the answer is no.

“Nigeria needs an economy that works for ordinary people, not an economy that only looks impressive in presentations to investors and international institutions.

“Until growth is felt in the homes of ordinary citizens, through affordable food, stable electricity, decent jobs, lower business costs, and improved purchasing power, this government has no moral basis to declare economic success.”

Featured

I’m Not Leaving ADC, Rhodes-Vivour Vows

Published

2 days ago

May 5, 2026

Eric

The 2023 governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has opted out of the Obidient Movement, saying he is not leaving the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Rhodes-Vivour is a staunch supporter of Peter Obi, who moved from the ADC to the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, on Sunday.

Since Obi and his prospective 2027 running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, joined NDC, there has been a gale of defections from the ADC to NDC.

However, in a statement on Tuesday, Rhodes-Vivour said himself and his team would remain in ADC to fight for a better Nigeria.

“To those who have made the difficult decision to move on to a new platform, I offer my genuine respect and best wishes.

“These are hard choices, We are all fighting for a better Nigeria, even when our roads diverge. I want to make it clear that I am staying in the ADC,” he said.

Featured

Obi, Kwankwaso’s Exit Painful, But Not ‘Mortal’ Blow, Says ADC

Published

2 days ago

May 5, 2026

Eric

The National Publicity Secretary of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has claimed that the party favoured Peter Obi more than any other aspirant while with them.

Abdullahi said this while faulting Obi’s claim that internal wrangling was part of the reason he defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Featuring on Arise Television’s Prime Time, Abdullahi said Obi and Kwankwaso’s defection means a lot because they are significant politicians.

He said: “I will be lying to say that their defection didn’t mean anything because these are two significant frontline politicians in this country and when you lose those two politicians then you will fill that you have lost something.

“But it’s not a mortal blow because what we are trying to do is to build a broad based coalition that would include everyone.

“The reason we are building this coalition is because our individual parties have been destabilized and the only way out was to come together.

“There was a consensus among us that the direction this country is going was quite precarious and the only way we can win election and rescue the country from the misrule of the APC is to build a party that is formidable enough.

“Obi and Kwankwaso have a different political idea of what the party should be doing.

“Obi said himself that once we present two candidates against President Tinubu, we have given him a chance. I wonder what has changed.

“So if the legal challenges are the reason that we have left after creating the impression that ADC is drowning in these mountains of legal challenges, the answer is no.

“At the moment, we have only three cases which are flimsy without trying to be prejudicial, as the National Publicity Secretary of ADC.

“I can tell you that none of the aspirants and leaders have been favoured like Peter Obi.”