Nigeria urged to judge authorities by results, not ceremonies
Nigerian author Dakuku Peterside, ahead of the 2027 election campaign, urged voters to assess the work of authorities not by the number of facilities opened, but by tangible changes in education, healthcare, security and employment. In an opinion piece for Premium Times Nigeria, he noted that governors and ministers will present roads, airports, stadiums, housing complexes and administrative buildings as evidence of effective governance.
Peterside stressed that the country needs infrastructure, but the visibility of a project is not equivalent to its public value. In his view, an opening ceremony confirms only the existence of a structure, but does not prove that it meets people’s needs, operates reliably and has funding for continued operation.
Indicators instead of openings
The author proposes asking five questions about every major campaign claim: why the facility was built, who will use it, how it was financed, how it will be maintained and what measurable result it produced. He believes that the number of contracts signed, facilities commissioned or announced kilometres of roads cannot be a sufficient criterion for government success.
As an example, Peterside cites education: building classrooms alone does not guarantee children’s learning without qualified teachers, textbooks, water, toilets, electricity and measurable learning outcomes. In healthcare, he proposes focusing on the work of primary health centres, where people can receive antenatal care, vaccinations and treatment for infections.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Water, security and jobs
The columnist also named water supply, sanitation, drainage, waste collection and compliance with building standards as components of effective urban management. In his view, flood prevention should be part of city planning, rather than merely a response after a disaster.
Peterside separately raised the issue of environmental restoration in the Niger Delta, where communities have suffered the environmental consequences of the country’s oil economy. He called for measuring the scale of pollution, the progress of restoration work, those responsible, implementation deadlines and the restoration of local residents’ livelihoods.
On security and the economy, the author proposes assessing not the number of patrol vehicles, uniforms or investment forums, but reductions in crime, road safety, emergency service response times, business resilience and the duration of jobs. In his view, political incentives will change only when voters demand not spectacular facilities, but the quality of everyday public services.
