Nigeria is a country with a rich history and culture, but it is also a country with many challenges. 

There have been conversations about the kind of Nigeria Nigerians want. We once believed in Vision 2020—the once-upon-a-time “strategic” deadline for Nigeria to be one of the 20 largest economies in the world. Where in the world are we now? 

While Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa by GDP, we are in the 30th position among the 2023 largest economies in the world. We failed to meet the vision set for 2020. Critics continue to argue that one of the reasons Vision 2020 failed is that the target was way too ambitious, considering the country’s acute developmental challenges and huge dependency on oil. 

On May 3, 2023, we also had former President Muhammadu Buhari launch a new national development plan, the Nigeria Agenda 2050, looking ahead to creating over 150 million jobs by 2050. Critics have also pointed out that this agenda lacks a proper action strategy. 

While the government is working more on improving the state of the economy, there’s a popular desire beyond that—economics and finances—for everyday people. It’s multi-layered. 

Some Nigerians dream of a Nigeria where everyone has equal opportunity, regardless of background. They want a country where hard work and determination are rewarded and where everyone has the chance to succeed.

Others dream of a Nigeria that is more independent and self-sufficient. They want a country that is not reliant on foreign aid and that can stand on its own two feet.

Of course, there is no single answer to the question of what kind of Nigeria Nigerians want. But the comments of some Nigerians (Bimbo, Laolu, Bridget, and Favour), shared with Zikoko Citizen, provide a glimpse into Nigerians’ hopes and aspirations for their country.

A Nigeria that is independent and self-sufficient

“I want a Nigeria that is independent. A Nigeria that people from all over come to for vacation. In the medical community, a Nigeria where people are referred to our hospitals worldwide because we are the best.” — Bimbo

Bimbo’s comments reflect the desires of people with access to healthcare services. Nigeria’s healthcare system is truly not applaudable and needs urgent attention. The issue of Brain Drain is a concern as many healthcare professionals seek greener pastures in other countries. As for the major health facilities, it’s not world-class for anyone to seek treatment in Nigeria, which could also help generate revenue.

A Nigeria where the son of nobody can become somebody

“When I dream of the Nigeria I want, I want a country where the child of a nobody can become somebody through sheer tenacity, hard work, and just a lick of luck. A place where good government policies favour industry and there are job opportunities for everyone everywhere, regardless of educational backgrounds.” — Laolu

Laolu’s comment about good government policies favouring industry reflects the desire of many Nigerians for a more prosperous and self-sufficient country. They believe Nigeria has the potential to be a major economic power but needs to make some fundamental changes to achieve its full potential.

A Nigeria that is more tolerant and accepting of diversity

“I want a Nigeria that’s way less religious.” — Bridget

Bridget’s comment about a less religious Nigeria reflects some Nigerians’ desire for a more secular society. They believe Nigeria’s religious diversity should be celebrated and that no one religion should influence the government or the people in making decisions that will impact everyone.

Download the Citizen Election Report: Navigating Nigeria’s Political Journey

A Nigeria where the Law is the Law

“When I think about what a better Nigeria would look like for me, I think of a Nigeria where there is truly the rule of law, where people and the government are held accountable for their actions. I would like to see a Nigeria with a better economy, where workers are properly compensated and can afford to live debt free.” — Favour

Our partner, LEAP Africa, has also unveiled “The Nigeria We Want” Report, highlighting feedback from young people across the six geo-political zones for a prosperous federal nation where everyone in every generation is secure, free, happy, and dignified. 

Through its youth engagement, advocacy, and grant-giving programme, the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund, they’ve disbursed grants totalling $400,000 to 130 individuals and organisations, comprising action grants, development grants, and individual grants that are designed to support initiatives in the civic participation space. Download the report here. 

The Nigeria of Nigerians’ dreams is a country where everyone has equal opportunity, where hard work is rewarded, where people of all faiths and sexual orientations can live together in peace, and where tranquilly is essential. It is a country where the potential of its people can be fully realised and where Nigeria can take its rightful place as a leading nation in the world.

Do dreams like this come true?

Only time will tell if dreams like these come true. But one thing is for sure: Nigerians, especially young people, are determined to make their dreams a reality. They are resilient people with a strong sense of hope who will not give up until they have achieved their goals.

Tinubu’s policy approval rating is 2x Buhari’s, according to new approval rating data, from intelligence company Stears.

(Press Release) LAGOS, Nigeria – August 2nd, 2023. The newly introduced Stears Approval Rating (SAR) reveals that despite multiple policy changes, President Bola Tinubu’s policies have received twice as many approvals from respondents compared to those of the previous administration.

Stears conducted a statistically significant, state-wide poll to understand public sentiment in the wake of a storm of policy reforms implemented by the current administration. The inaugural Stears Approval Rating sampled 519 respondents across Lagos’ 20 local government areas. 

The SAR is built from responses to 25 questions about socioeconomic policies, living conditions, institutional trust and voter status. Interviews were conducted in English, Pidgin English, and Yoruba, and lasted an average of 10 minutes.

“After Stears’ proprietary estimation model correctly predicted the outcome of the 2023 presidential elections, we wanted to continue to build on the application of data in governance and beyond. Particularly, we’re excited about how the SAR captures subtle fluctuations in consumer sentiment,” explains Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Economist at Stears.

Senior Governance Analyst, Joachim MacEbong, expressed the importance of paying attention to the survey results. He stated, “The Stears survey offers a valuable glimpse into the concerns of Nigerians, and it is clear that urgent action is needed to ease the cost burdens on citizens. Our poll showed that 42% of Lagosians are pessimistic while 32% said they were optimistic about the country’s direction.”

Figure 1.1

President Tinubu wins over Buhari’s disaffected.

When asked what they think of the social and economic policies of both the current administration and the past Buhari administration, only 12% approve of the previous administration’s policies, while 50% disapprove. For the current administration, 27% approve, with 33% disapproval. The 50% disapproval of the previous administration’s policies indicates its policy missteps.

Figure 1.2

Petrol subsidy removal

The removal of the petrol subsidy, which saw Premium Motor Spirit  (PMS) go from ₦185/litre to ₦490/litre in Lagos overnight, is less popular. 58% disapprove, with only 32% approving of the decision. Stears completed data collection before the increase from ₦490/litre to ₦568/litre.

Figure 1.3

The foundation of three Indices

Based on the data collected for the Stears Approval Rating, Stears built three indices; The Approval Rating Index spotlights the public’s approval of implemented and potential future policies, Stears Confidence Score gauges trust in institutions, which is essential for mobilising citizens, and finally,, the Consumer Expectations Index is used to track how optimistic consumers are about the future, indicative of their future spending.

71% of respondents believe they will live better in a year. 

Stears used responses to questions about future expectations and Nigeria’s direction to construct the Consumer Expectations Index. Most (59%) feel worse off than they did a year ago. The silver lining is that 71% of respondents think they will be doing better in a year. 

Figure 1.4

We used a normalised scale of 0 (low expectations) to 100 (high expectations), and the Consumer Expectations Index score was 63. This index is designed to inform decision-makers about how optimistic consumers feel about the future. 

“What we’ve done in Lagos lays the groundwork for more comprehensive indices that we plan to build from our data collection efforts in Africa soon. We continue to demonstrate how business leaders and policymakers alike can use data to understand what comes next before it happens,” said Yvette Dimiri, Director of Stears Insights.

The Stears Policy Approval team is multidisciplinary, with leadership from Joachim MacEbong and Tokunbo Afikuyomi. The team combines technical expertise across economics and governance alongside gold-standard data collection, analysis and visualisation. 

For access to the complete Stears policy approval report, please visit stears.co.

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ABOUT STEARS:

For global organisations investing in African markets, Stears is the data and insights provider that enables quick, accurate decisions for financial and operational opportunities. Stears users access data from various sources, economic forecasts, and constantly-updated analyses. Stears goes beyond just data to provide insights and context based on knowledge of local markets.

Guess what? Nigeria has passed its Data Protection Act after almost 20 years of waiting! This new law is a big deal because it’ll bring some order to Nigeria’s messy data protection rules, and there are hopes that it’ll generate over 16 billion naira for Nigeria in the data business. 

It’s an upgrade from the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) from four years ago, but this time, it’s got all the cool stuff that was missing before, like fairness, transparency, and accountability.

Big English. But what does this mean for you?

The Act protects your privacy and your child’s (if you have one). It says that companies have to check your age and let you know when they’re collecting your data, especially if they do it in sneaky ways. Plus, it gives you a bunch of rights over your data, like the power to say “no” to companies using it for things you don’t want.

This could mean you are not getting random SMS or emails from people you didn’t permit to reach you.

Oh, and remember the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau? If you don’t, they’re like the Police of data protection, ensuring everyone follows the law.

Well, there was some drama about whether it was legit or not. But no worries; the Act has now made it all official and legal, so no more questioning its authority.

Now, for this law to actually work, Citizen reached out to Data Protection experts Victoria Oloni and Ridwan Oloyede on what the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) must do to step up and take meaningful action. These are their top 10 recommendations:

1. Clear things up: The NDPC should explain how the old NDPR fits into the new Act. They need to guide businesses on what they’re supposed to do during the transition. Like, what audits do they need? And which countries are okay with data transfers? Just spell it out so nobody gets confused.
   
2. Make it simple: The Commission should release a regulation explaining all the Act’s complicated parts. People need clear instructions on how to follow the law, especially when sending data outside of Nigeria. And they better not take forever to do it because we need those rules ASAP!
   
3. Give us tips: The NDPC should write guidelines on different topics covered by the Act. Like, how do you do a data protection impact assessment? What about privacy at work or using “fancy” technology like AI? They must cover all the important stuff so everybody knows how to play by the rules.
   
4. Help us help ourselves: The Commission should create self-assessment tools that allow companies and stakeholders to check if they are following the Act’s specifications. It’s like a checklist to see if they’re doing things right. It’s a win-win because companies can fix their mistakes, and the Commission can focus on the real troublemakers.
   
5. FAQs for the win: Since there will be many questions during this transition, the NDPC should make an FAQ document. Just a simple list of answers to common questions so we can all get the basics without having to call them every five minutes.
   
6. Get the dream team: The Commission should hire and train many smart people with various skills. They need tech-savvy folks who understand things like cybersecurity and AI. It can’t just be a bunch of lawyers in suits. We need a diverse team that knows what’s up in the digital world.
   
7. Be open and honest: The NDPC should be transparent about investigating and making decisions. We want to know what’s happening and how they handle complaints. They could even set up a system where we can track our complaints and see what’s happening. That would be awesome!
   
8. Let’s all talk: The Commission should involve everybody in the process, even those who disagree with them. They should listen to different perspectives and not just do their own thing. Civil society, academics, and experts should all have a say because we’re all in this together.
   
9. Global Gang: The NDPC should team up with other countries and international organisations to boost Nigeria’s data protection game. They should join cool groups like the Global Privacy Assembly and learn from other African data protection authorities. We want Nigeria to be a global player in this stuff!
   
10. Research is key: The Commission should support research on data protection. They should work with universities and private organisations to stay ahead of the game. They need to understand new technologies and their impact on us to make smart decisions and not be clueless.
    

So, there you have it! The NDPC has a lot on their plate, but Nigeria’s data protection game will be on fire if they get these things right. Let’s hope they make it happen and protect our privacy like champs!