GOVERNMENT EXISTS FOR THE WELFARE OF ITS PEOPLE, by CHIEF Mustapha Abdulhakeem O. (MAO)

The first and most fundamental responsibility of any government is the welfare of its citizens. This does not necessarily mean operating a welfare state where government provides everything for everyone. Rather, it means creating the conditions that enable people to live safe, healthy, productive, and dignified lives.

A government that truly prioritizes the welfare of its people must guarantee the safety and security of lives and property. Without security, businesses cannot thrive, investments will decline, and citizens cannot pursue their aspirations with confidence. Security is the foundation upon which every prosperous nation is built.

Equally important is access to quality healthcare. A healthy population is a productive population. When citizens have access to affordable and efficient healthcare services, they are able to contribute meaningfully to the economy instead of being burdened by preventable illnesses and high medical costs.

Food security and affordable nutrition are also essential. Rising food prices and widespread hunger reduce productivity, increase poverty, and weaken the nation’s human capital. Every government should ensure that its agricultural and economic policies make nutritious food accessible to ordinary families.

Education must also be reimagined for the 21st century. Our schools should not merely produce certificate holders but innovators, entrepreneurs, skilled professionals, and problem solvers equipped to compete in a rapidly changing global economy. Investment in modern education is an investment in national prosperity.

Infrastructure remains another critical pillar of development. Good roads, reliable electricity, clean water, efficient transportation, and digital connectivity lower the cost of doing business, improve the quality of life, and unlock economic opportunities for millions of citizens.

When governments invest in these fundamental areas, productivity naturally increases. Businesses expand, employment rises, incomes improve, and economic growth becomes sustainable. Strong macroeconomic indicators are not created in isolation; they are the outcome of sound investments in the wellbeing of ordinary people.

Unfortunately, successive Nigerian governments have often placed greater emphasis on improving macroeconomic statistics than on addressing the everyday realities of citizens. Policymakers celebrate figures such as GDP growth, foreign reserves, exchange rates, and fiscal balances while millions of Nigerians struggle with unemployment, inflation, poor healthcare, inadequate education, and declining purchasing power.

This reflects what is often described as a “trickle-down” approach to economic management,the belief that if the economy performs well on paper, prosperity will eventually filter down to the people. Experience has shown otherwise. Economic growth without broad-based inclusion benefits only a small segment of society while leaving the majority behind.

The consequence is evident in Nigeria’s growing multidimensional poverty, where millions suffer not only from low incomes but also from poor access to education, healthcare, sanitation, housing, and basic opportunities.

Nigeria needs a different development philosophy—one that starts from the bottom rather than the top. A bottom-up approach focuses first on improving the lives of ordinary citizens. When people are healthy, educated, secure, and economically empowered, they become more productive. That increased productivity strengthens businesses, expands the tax base, attracts investment, and ultimately improves the macroeconomic indicators that governments seek to achieve.

In other words, a nation’s economic statistics should be the result of improving people’s lives, not the objective in themselves. Governments should measure success not only by GDP figures or fiscal reports but by whether citizens can afford nutritious food, access quality healthcare, educate their children, find meaningful employment, and live in safety.

The true wealth of any nation is not found in its balance sheets or economic reports. It is found in the wellbeing, productivity, and dignity of its people. A government that puts people first will ultimately build a stronger economy, a more stable society, and a more prosperous nation. 

CHIEF Mustapha Abdulhakeem O(MAO)