It’s truly fascinating how the West conveniently turns a blind eye to its own inconsistencies while holding other countries to impossibly high standards. Just a day after his inauguration, Donald Trump wasted no time in undoing several policies put in place by Joe Biden, and somehow, the world hasn’t descended into chaos. No warnings from the IMF, no grim predictions from the World Bank about policy instability scaring off investors. But imagine, just for a second, if a Nigerian president were to do the same act of revoking all executive orders of their predecessor overnight. The alarms would be deafening. Western economic “experts” would flood the media with concerns about Nigeria’s unpredictability and why investors should flee to safer havens. How convenient.
Nigeria, like any other sovereign nation, has the right to change course when leadership changes. But according to the West, when America does it, it’s called “democracy in action,” and when we do it, it’s “policy inconsistency” and a sign of incompetence. Isn’t it amazing how the same actions are seen through entirely different lenses depending on who’s in charge? We’re constantly told that businesses need stability and long-term assurances, yet somehow, American companies continue to thrive despite policy U-turns every four years. But when Nigeria makes a minor tweak to an economic policy, it’s suddenly a red flag for the entire global market.
Of course, Western institutions will argue that their concerns come from a place of goodwill because, naturally, they know what’s best for us. We should be grateful for their unsolicited advice on how to run our economy, right? After all, it's not like they’ve ever made any mistakes managing their own economies, debt crises, or financial meltdowns. And let’s not forget their impressive track record of “helping” developing countries with loans that come with enough strings attached to weave an entire safety net, just not for us.
At the end of the day, Nigeria should stop waiting for validation from institutions that apply double standards with such ease. If policy changes are necessary for our growth and development, then so be it. Instead of worrying about what the West thinks, we should focus on building an economy that works for Nigerians, not one that fits neatly into the ever-changing narrative of Western approval. Because if we’ve learned anything, it’s that no matter what we do, the goalposts will always be moving but just not for them.
Wándé T. Àjàyí writes from Akure, Ondo State.
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