Nigeria as an Organisation: Why Alignment of Authority, Incentives, and Capability Matters for Development

An opinion piece in Premium Times argues that Nigeria should be understood not just as a country but as an organisation whose success depends on aligning authority, incentives and capability across its federal, state and local tiers. The author traces how post‑independence regional autonomy gave way to a highly centralised structure with many administrative layers, creating mismatches where responsibility, authority and accountability are often housed in different levels. This misalignment weakens local initiative, discourages innovation and leaves many states looking to Abuja for solutions to local problems. The piece contends that Nigeria’s development challenges stem less from a lack of potential or leadership and more from whether the organisational design enables its parts to work together toward shared goals. As another election cycle approaches, debates over restructuring, state policing, fiscal federalism and subsidies dominate the agenda, but the author argues these are symptoms; the core question is whether the Nigerian organisation has achieved an effective balance of authority, incentives and capability. Until that alignment improves, efforts to unlock the country’s large market, natural resources and entrepreneurial energy will continue to fall short.

SOURCE: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/895556-the-organisation-called-nigeria-by-dipo-baruwa.html