Development plan is a document that consists of the overall strategy for the proper planning and development of an area such as a country. Measures included in development plans include improvement in the economy via an increase in gross domestic product, improvement of literacy rates, improvement of medical facilities, etc.
The purpose of development plans is to allow for growth, advancement, and progress of a country. It is highly important that a country has a development plan. In fact, most countries have their own development plans. A development plan consists of an intended set of actions and steps to be taken so as to bring about growth and development. You might wonder if Nigeria also has a development plan. In fact, the country has had a long experience with development plans starting from the pre-independence era; the Colonial Development Plan (1958-1968).
Other development plans in Nigeria’s history include:
First National Development plan (1962-1968)
Structural Adjustment Programme focused on improvement in the economy
The Fourth National Development Plan, 1981-1985 which focused on family planning, rural and urban development and education
Structural Adjustment Programme in the mid-1980s focused on improvement in the economy
The National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (2004) focused on poverty reduction and sustainable growth
Millennium Development Goals focused on achieving eight measurable development goals which included poverty eradication, gender equality, improvement of health and education
7 Point Agenda (2007) which dealt with:
- Power and Energy
- Food Security and Agriculture
- Wealth Creation and Employment
- Mass Transportation
- Land Reform
- Security
- Education
There was also the Nigeria Vision 2020 (2007) with the objective to make Nigeria become one of the top 20 economies in the world by achieving a higher standard of living by the year 2020.
As you can see, Nigeria has not been lacking in development plans, but one would wonder what the problem has been with the implementation and why we cannot see the expected results. That is the purpose of this article, read on below:
Problems of Development plans in Nigeria
Insufficient funding
It is not enough to have a development plan if it is not matched by the funding needed to implement it. One of the most successful development plans in Nigeria is the Colonial Development and Welfare Plan which had a ten-year development and welfare plan for Nigeria. In 1945, the colonial government created the colonial development and welfare fund which was an initiative to fund the implementation of the development plan. It was the Colonial Development and Welfare Plan that birthed the University College Ibadan as the first university in Nigeria.
It is safe to conclude that the development plan was successful because there was a specific amount of money put aside to assist in its funding. Every plan or vision without adequate funding will be left floating. Insufficient funding of development plans can also be traced to the following:
Fall in expected revenue in Nigeria. Since Nigeria depends on oil for the bulk of its revenue, the decline in projected revenue always affects the funding of the country’s plans and projects.
Cost escalation due to factors such as inflation which then results in an underestimation of expenses.
Delays in the allocation and completion of projects also have a result on finances as there is often an increase in the cost of production at the time of its execution.
Unavailability of current data
Sufficient and quality data and information is needed for the proper implementation of a national development plan. For example, in Nigeria, the federal office of statistics which is a department of the federal ministry of national planning does not have adequate resources and equipment to make effective surveys which will help in the implementation of projects. Nigeria is also known to suffer from poor state of record-keeping which does not help those planning to do so rightly. An example of poor record-keeping is with the population census in Nigeria. It is sad that we cannot arrive at an accurate number of Nigerians because of corruption and people’s unwillingness to respond rightly to inquiries.
Lack of Commitment
This is another problem with development plans in Nigeria. The masses are not involved in the implementation of the development plan sometimes due to non-interest because they have been previously disappointed by talks of development plans in tome past. The issue of lack of commitment by the masses can be solved by reinvigorating trust in the government and also mass education.
Lack of Public and Private Sensitization
The lack of effective implementation of the National Development Plans in Nigeria is also a result of a lack of communication between the government and the public as well as private sectors. Most times, Nigerians are not sensitized on the objectives underlying the development plan. Also, private sectors and industries that can be major stakeholders and facilitators of the development plan are not consulted or well-informed either. This results in poor contribution from the masses which then affects the success of the development plan.
Non-continuity of government projects
A development plan is supposed to be sustainable and flexible so that any government that comes into power can keep on with its implementation. However, this has not been the case in Nigeria, each administration comes up with its new policies and then does away with that of the previous administration. Most times, elections come with new government officials and in cases where the new government is from a different political party from the predecessors, the project might not continue. This why most projects in Nigeria are never completed because of the instability of government and their policies.
Corruption
The effect of corruption pervades almost every sector in Nigeria. Corruption is the root cause of stagnancy in the country. Most times, the government, those in the planning committee, as well as contractors, seek their selfish interests. Thus, a huge sum of money that is supposed to be used for national development and for the benefit of the masses are unaccounted for as a result of embezzlement and money laundering.