Opinion
Rivers Museum And Tourism Development (2)
This is the concluding part of the article published last Wednesday.
Another issue, which is the most important, that has to do with autonomy of the museum under reference is its management. The museum would have leveraged its autonomy in terms of sustainability of professional standards in its practice as internationally recognized, if it has been managed by professionals, trained museologists (curators). The museum function involves many different skills. Qualified personnel with the required expertise to meet all responsibilities should manage the museum.
According to ICOM, “There should also be adequate opportunities for their continuing education and professional development of museum personnel.”
It also describes the head of a museum as “a key post” and prescribes his or her qualities thus: “These qualities should include adequate intellectual ability and professional knowledge, complemented by a high standard of ethical conduct.”
The situation in Rivers State Museum is however, a far cry from and frontally runs counter to the international acceptable practice and precepts.
It is very unfortunate that the State museum has been turned to a dump site. How else can one explain the posting of directors with no professional knowledge about the museum to head the museum instead of giving room for the trained personnel to bring their professional expertise to bear in its management? The phenomenon has created despair and cacophonic statements about what the museum can offer to the public and as well wasted away antiquities and artifacts that would have been a source of cultural pride to the State as well as tourist attraction.
I learnt that a few of the personnel that were trained at the Institute of Archaeology and Museum Studies, Jos Plateau State (the only training ground in the country for would-be museologists) from the time of Alagoa’s headship of the museum are now being relegated to the background and even subjected to unethical standards. Anyway, how do you expect professionals to thrive in any working environment that has no regard for professionalism?
However appalling the situation at the museum may be, some life can be brought to it if the right thing is done. It is therefore incumbent on the supervising or overseeing authorities as a rescue mission to sanitise the museum by putting a museum professional at the helms of affairs.
After resuscitation effort is carried out, the authorities in charge of the museum should contemplate in the long run the relocation of the museum to a befitting complex outside the state secretariat to guarantee its access to public on weekends and public holidays.
Another area of intervention is adequate funding, research, stocking and exhibition. There should also be adequate opportunities for continuing education and professional development of museum personnel.
To make the Rivers museum a pride of place, effective, systematic and broad based strategy in the area of museum marketing aimed at correcting wrong perception of the museum is imperative. The museum should be made to exude delectable appeal to public because over the years, it has experienced lull in its operation especially as relates to proper exhibition.
These would place the museum on its feet again: a museum that the State can be proud of and that would push the frontier of cultural tourism further. All hope is not lost if proper interventions are made in the ailing areas.
Hart wrote in from Port Harcourt.
Ama M. Hart
From all indications, Nigeria possesses enough human and material resources to become a true economic powerhouse in Africa. According to the National Population Commission (NPC, 2023), the country’s population has grown steadily within the last decade, presently standing at about 220 million people—mostly young, vibrant, and innovative. Nigeria also remains the sixth-largest oil producer in the world, with enormous reserves of gas, fertile agricultural land, and human capital.
Yet, despite this enormous potential, the country continues to grapple with underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment, and insecurity. Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2023) show that about 129 million Nigerians currently live below the poverty line. Most families can no longer afford basic necessities, even as the government continues to project a rosy economic picture.
The Subsidy Question
The removal of fuel subsidy in 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been one of the most controversial policy decisions in Nigeria’s recent history. According to the president, subsidy removal was designed to reduce fiscal burden, unify the foreign exchange rate, attract investment, curb inflation, and discourage excessive government borrowing.
While these objectives are theoretically sound, the reality for ordinary Nigerians has been severe hardship. Fuel prices more than tripled, transportation costs surged, and food inflation—already high—rose above 30% (NBS, 2023). The World Bank (2023) estimates that an additional 7.1 million Nigerians were pushed into poverty after subsidy removal.
A Critical Economic View
As an economist, I argue that the problem was not subsidy removal itself—which was inevitable—but the timing, sequencing, and structural gaps in Nigeria’s implementation.
- Structural Miscalculation
Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries remain nonfunctional. By removing subsidies without local refining capacity, the government exposed the economy to import-price pass-through effects—where global oil price shocks translate directly into domestic inflation. This was not just a timing issue but a fundamental policy miscalculation.
- Neglect of Social Safety Nets
Countries like Indonesia (2005) and Ghana (2005) removed subsidies successfully only after introducing cash transfers, transport vouchers, and food subsidies for the poor (World Bank, 2005). Nigeria, however, implemented removal abruptly, shifting the fiscal burden directly onto households without protection.
- Failure to Secure Food and Energy Alternatives
Fuel subsidy removal amplified existing weaknesses in agriculture and energy. Instead of sequencing reforms, government left Nigerians without refinery capacity, renewable energy alternatives, or mechanized agricultural productivity—all of which could have cushioned the shock.
Political and Public Concerns
Prominent leaders have echoed these concerns. Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, described the subsidy removal as “good but wrongly timed.” Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party also faulted the government’s hasty approach. Human rights activists like Obodoekwe Stive stressed that refineries should have been made functional first, to reduce the suffering of citizens.
This is not just political rhetoric—it reflects a widespread economic reality. When inflation climbs above 30%, when purchasing power collapses, and when households cannot meet basic needs, the promise of reform becomes overshadowed by social pain.
Broader Implications
The consequences of this policy are multidimensional:
- Inflationary Pressures – Food inflation above 30% has made nutrition unaffordable for many households.
- Rising Poverty – 7.1 million Nigerians have been newly pushed into poverty (World Bank, 2023).
- Middle-Class Erosion – Rising transport, rent, and healthcare costs are squeezing household incomes.
- Debt Concerns – Despite promises, government borrowing has continued, raising sustainability questions.
- Public Distrust – When government promises savings but citizens feel only pain, trust in leadership erodes.
In effect, subsidy removal without structural readiness has widened inequality and eroded social stability.
Missed Opportunities
Nigeria’s leaders had the chance to approach subsidy removal differently:
- Refinery Rehabilitation – Ensuring local refining to reduce exposure to global oil price shocks.
- Renewable Energy Investment – Diversifying energy through solar, hydro, and wind to reduce reliance on imported petroleum.
- Agricultural Productivity – Mechanization, irrigation, and smallholder financing could have boosted food supply and stabilized prices.
- Social Safety Nets – Conditional cash transfers, food vouchers, and transport subsidies could have protected the most vulnerable.
Instead, reform came abruptly, leaving citizens to absorb all the pain while waiting for theoretical long-term benefits.
Conclusion: Reform With a Human Face
Fuel subsidy removal was inevitable, but Nigeria’s approach has worsened hardship for millions. True reform must go beyond fiscal savings to protect citizens.
Economic policy is not judged only by its efficiency but by its humanity. A well-sequenced reform could have balanced fiscal responsibility with equity, ensuring that ordinary Nigerians were not crushed under the weight of sudden change.
Nigeria has the resources, population, and resilience to lead Africa’s economy. But leadership requires foresight. It requires policies that are inclusive, humane, and strategically sequenced.
Reform without equity is displacement of poverty, not development. If Nigeria truly seeks progress, its policies must wear a human face.
References
- National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). (2023). Poverty and Inequality Report. Abuja.
- National Population Commission (NPC). (2023). Population Estimates. Abuja.
- World Bank. (2023). Nigeria Development Update. Washington, DC.
- World Bank. (2005). Fuel Subsidy Reforms: Lessons from Indonesia and Ghana. Washington, DC.
- OPEC. (2023). Annual Statistical Bulletin. Vienna.
By: Amarachi Amaugo