Economic/Ethical Recession And Mental Health

Nigeria is sick may sound grotesque, since it is no longer a newly discovered fact. Nigeria due to the ineptitude of both the political governors and the docility of the governed has jumped into recession in economic terms contrary to the shouting headline by one of Nigeria’s newspapers that Nigeria slipped into recession.

Recession is a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industry activities are reduced generally identified by a fall in Gross Domestic Product in two successive quarters.

The National Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria has confirmed that Nigeria is in economic recession and that hundreds- of -thousands of people are out of jobs.

The economic downturn has been long in coming when government fails to develop the productive and real sector and has often always issued import waivers to their cronies to import all manner of goods into Nigeria. Most Nigerians engaged in trade of industrial scales are portfolio carrying importers.

Those who claims to be industrial giants have no factory to back up these fake statuses they are known for.

The current administration took this ridiculous practice of encouraging lazy billionaires to a dramatic level when it generously subsidized Foreign Exchange for Moslem Pilgrims when the manufacturers can't get foreign Exchange for their production and some rogues are capitalising on this policy faux pas to enrich themselves at the detriment of the National economy.

The aforementioned has become clearer with the erstwhile Central Bank of Nigeria governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who is now an Emir in Kano the second largest Hausa/Fulani traditional and Islamic throne after Sokoto disclosing that friends of the current government are mopping up foreign Exchange at subsidized rates and reselling in the black market at black market price thereby smiling to their banks with huge turn overs even without working.

The few genuine manufacturers who can't access FOREX are closing shops resulting in massive job losses.

This too contributed and quickened the emergence of economic recession.

The state of infrastructures is one of the fundamental cause of Nigeria's quadrupled jump into economic recession because in any economy whereby the real sector isn't afforded functional infrastructures to power their productive lines the cost of production would be so high that the end products may be way too high that the greatest percentage of the citizens who are too poor and therefore can't afford to patronize these locally manufactured goods.

It is because of this missing link that Countries like India and China have resorted to dumping substandard goods into the Nigerian markets thus creating jobs for their people and killing local manufacturers that are struggling to survive in places like Lagos, Nnewi in Anambra State; Aba in Abia State and Kano in the North West of Nigeria.

First and foremost, Nigeria is sick economically, ethically and morally speaking.

Added to the aforementioned is the mental health challenges that this economic recession poses to the Nigerian populace who are so poor that World Bank stated that nearly 75 percent of the citizenry can't afford $2 USD per day meaning that these category of Nigerians are absolutely poor.

Any wonder then that suicide rate has shot up.
Now here is the shocking reason for the economic downturn: It was because of the presence of ethically challenged thieving public officials in all segments of the public service over the past few decades that Nigeria has now officially entered economic doldrums and an imminent depression is on its way to our country.

It is for the collective epidemic of corruption that pervades our public service that has led to the steady depletion of the nation’s foreign reserves even as there is a total absence of saving and maintenance culture in both the public and civil service segments of Nigeria.

The budgeting system and mechanisms are fraught with systemic and organized crime of paddings and over inflation with the concomitant drying up of the National treasury by government officials and their collaborators in the private sector.

All Arms of government have fallen short of the glory of transparency and accountability.

These budgets drawn every year and the projects for which cash backings were received are either done half way by the contractors who bribe to obtain the jobs or altogether abandoned.

State governments are badly administered resulting in the near economic collapse of almost 30 out of the 36 States.

It may also sound very simplistic but because of the urgent need to suggest ways of emancipating this country from her many problems it is still relevant to remind us that Nigeria is sick.

At this stage of Nigeria’s development, what we need is not pessimistic conclusions about the Nigerian situation.

This writer is an optimist. Muhammadu Buhari’s government is peopled by very optimistic persons. President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the economy will rebounce in no time.

What Nigerians need now is to embark on a period of sober reflection, stock-taking, examination of conscience, analysis of historical events and trends, and how they are advantageous or adversely affecting all of us as Nigerians (apologies to Acha Ndubisi).

Nigerians who are citizens out of government (followers) must wake up and ask questions and demand accountability.

After a very prolonged period of meticulous soul searching, stock-taking and deep reflection, this writer arrived at a conclusion that Nigeria’s two major problems are what Acha Ndubisi called, ‘the tragedies of systematic self-deception and systematic corruption.’

This writer willingly shares the opinion of Acha Ndubisi that, if these twin tragedies are removed from Nigeria, the promised land of joyful and comfortable living will be easily reached by Nigerians.

The end product of these twin tragedies is the current high rate of organized crimes, unemployment, exam malpractices, embezzlement, fraud and bribery.

These diabolical trends are now the order of the day in Nigeria.

A renowned author, Dr. Arthur Nwankwo summarized that the Nigerian situation in the following words: “for the most past, our minds are not tuned to worrying about tomorrow, and anxiety for the future of our children is not an important consideration in our decision-making . We live for the pleasure of the moment”.

He also said rightly that self-interest, corruption and moral laxity cannot be controlled in such an environment.

The economic downturn in Nigeria has resulted in serious mental health challenges to such a shocking levels that nearly half a dozen suicide cases have happened with all of these persons dropping final notes reportedly blaming the current economic trends for their decision to end their lives. From the journal of social issues published in 1988 and circulated by the Wiley library stated that there are factual and existential evidence backed up by empirical data to show that economic recession leads to a sudden spikes in suicide cases especially amongst unemployed men. The greatest burden of economic recession falls on the unemployed. Research in this area has resulted in a general consensus that the large majority of the unemployed are psychologically impaired. Keith Hawton a professor of Psychiatry has the following informed commentary to make: "financial recessions and their socio-economic sequel can have diverse consequences for the health of the population. This fact has attracted considerable attention since the 2008 global meltdown. It has long been known that economic conditions can influence suicide rates. The depression of the late 1920s to early 1930s was associated with marked rise in suicide, especially in men, which paralleled increase in unemployment. The Asian economic recession of 1997/98 was also followed by rise in suicide rates, which reflected financial and unemployment indices."

Ethically most Nigerians are challenged. The failure of apparatus of law enforcement has led to spikes in armed attacks by different armed hoodlums. Amidst this economic downturn the organized religions seems to be doing comparatively well because the citizens buffeted by economic downturn are finding solace in their places of worship.

Sadly, the lessons of honesty and love of humanity haven't permeated in the hearts and minds of Nigerians. The abovementioned not withstanding it is logical to play the religious card as one way to appeal to the conscience of Nigerians to stand up, speak out, work for social justice so public sector corruption can stop and for public funds to be used to build up functional infrastructures as a way of promoting productivity in the real sector and by so doing our economic downturn will rebounce in reality.

To one of the Biblical Prophets we will turn to in conclusion because he wrote thus: “Return to the Lord and leave sin behind, plead before His face and lessen your offence. Come back to Most High and turn away from iniquity, and hold in abhorrence all that is foul".

The Prophet asked: "Who will praise the Most High in Sheol (hell)”, if the livings do not do so by giving glory to him? To the deed, as to those who do not exist, praise is unknown, only those with life and health can praise the Lord. How great is the mercy of the Lord, His pardon on all those who turn towards Him! Man cannot have everything, since the Son of Man is not immortal. What is brighter than the sun? Yet it suffers eclipse. Flesh and blood thirst of nothing but evil. He surveys the apprise of the lofty sky, while all men are no more than dust and ashes."

Nigerians must be reminded of the strong warning which was given by Isaiah in chapter five, verse twenty, that, “woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

Does the above caution apply to the current administration? I will say yes.

This is because the armed Fulani herdsmen have carried on attacking and killing Nigerians but President Muhammadu Buhari who is Fulani by ethnicity is accused of not directing the military to crush these killer armed Fulani herdsmen.

Let us all repeat the words which are encompassed in the fifth lamentation as follows:

"God, remember what has happened to us; (as Nigerians); Look on us and see our degradation. Our inheritance has passed to aliens. Our homes to barbarians…We drink our own water at a price; we have to pay for what is our firewood, the yoke is on our neck; we are persecuted; we are worked to death; no relief for us… Our father have sinned, they are no more, And we ourselves bear the weight of their crimes. Slaves rule us; no one rescues us from them. At perils of our lives, we earn our bread. By risking the sword of the desert…Joy has vanished from our hearts, our dancing has been turned to mourning".

We must combat the economic and Ethical recession afflicting us.

*Emmanuel Onwubiko is Head of Human rights Writers association of Nigeria and blogs @ www.emmanuelonwubiko.com

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Articles by Emmanuel Onwubiko