On August 1, 2024, Nigerians protested for 10 days to express frustrations over the country’s skyrocketing inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and fuel price hikes, among other issues. The protest shows the breakdown of the social contract between the government and its citizens. The Nigerian government should strengthen its anti-corruption efforts by creating a specialised anti-corruption court to rebuild trust. The Nigerian legislature should pass the state policing bill to improve community-level security. Also, the government must ensure that every budget allocation for education and health counts by tightening oversight functions and maintaining transparency with public fund utilisation.
The collapse of the social contract between the government and the people stifles individual freedoms and opportunities for growth because it chips away at trust. When governments fail to uphold their responsibilities, such as providing security, basic services, and fair opportunities, citizens lose the freedom to pursue personal aspirations. Without reliable systems, people face instability, limited access to education, healthcare, and jobs, and fewer chances to thrive. To restore confidence, tackling corruption is a critical starting point because corruption diverts resources meant for public education, health, and infrastructure. According to the Human Environmental Development Agenda, Nigeria lost over $825bn to corruption between 1999 and 2022.
The Nigerian legislature should create a specialised anti-corruption court free from political influence. The proposed anti-corruption court would handle corruption cases, with specialised judges and prosecutors from agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. The anti-corruption court would implement streamlined procedures, prioritising fast-track trials to reduce case backlogs and delays. The court would operate independently, with judges appointed based on merit and strict safeguards against interference. The court would be able to impose severe penalties, including prison sentences and asset forfeiture, to deter corruption under the law.
Similar specialised courts exist in Zimbabwe and Indonesia, and they have proven effective in securing convictions and deterring impunity. President Tinubu, who campaigned on an anti-corruption agenda, should revive the Special Crimes Court Bill 2016. The President should collaborate with the National Assembly to facilitate the revival and passage of the Special Crimes Court Bill 2016. Ensuring its passage would be a significant step toward reform, as such courts have proven effective in increasing convictions and stricter sentencing. Swiftly prosecuting corruption cases could send a clear message that misusing public funds will no longer be tolerated.
The widespread insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and communal violence also chipped away at the social contract and were a key grievance of the protests. While military operations have recorded some success, the government must invest heavily in advanced technologies, such as geospatial intelligence and artificial intelligence-enabled unmanned aerial vehicles with thermal imaging technology to bolster surveillance and response capabilities. Drones equipped with facial recognition can track suspects, while AI-powered analytics can predict crime hotspots. Moreover, passing the state policing bill, currently awaiting legislative approval, would empower states to address region-specific security challenges more effectively. This decentralised policing approach, coupled with technological innovations, can reduce incidents of kidnappings, violent attacks, and other crimes, thereby safeguarding citizens’ rights and fostering economic stability.
Further deterioration of the social contract between the government and the people is most evident in failing public services, such as healthcare and education. Despite budget allocations of N1.33tn and N2.18tn to the health and education sectors, respectively, in 2024, tangible improvements remain elusive due to fraudulent procurement practices and misappropriation of funds.
The Central Delivery Coordination Unit, under the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, should adopt a centralised, public digital platform. This platform would track all public financial transactions, projects, and procurement processes, including execution stages from past and present administrations. Current initiatives like the Citizens’ Delivery Tracker App and Eyemark are fragmented. The former allows citizens to monitor ministry performance on presidential priorities, while the latter tracks capital projects in real time. Integrating these into a single platform would create a more effective oversight system.
Nigeria can take lessons from Brazil’s Transparency Portal, which provides extensive public access to daily public expenditure, detailed public procurement data, and downloadable government records for journalists, government officials’ salaries, and invoices. The portal also features an intuitive search engine, multilingual translations, and notification tools, making it a globally recognised model for digital governance and public sector transparency.
The protest of August 2024 is yet another wake-up call for Nigeria’s government to rebuild the social contract and restore public confidence and trust. Key reforms, including the creation of a specialised anti-corruption court, improved security through advanced technology, the passage of the state policing bill and a digital platform for tracking public spending, are non-negotiable. While it might not be an easy task, half-hearted measures and intentional delays will further strain the foundational relationship between the government and its people.
Salako is a writing fellow at African Liberty
- X: @i_amseawater.
