KEY POINTS
- Cardoso states that Nigerians ought to be reading more material about public policies.
- Less than 2,000 people have downloaded the key economic update, which was available to everyone.
- Cardoso appreciates the World Bank’s Nigeria Development update, but added that it is important for more Nigerians to participate.
The CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso, is unhappy about the low interest Nigerians seem to have in crucial policy documents, which explain the economic plans of the government.
As he spoke at the unveiling of the Nigeria Development Update by the World Bank on Monday in Abuja, Cardoso said fewer than 2,000 people had downloaded the policy document, a number he described as ‘appalling’ because of its importance to national conversations.
Limited reach of vital information
“I consider this document very helpful, and I want to give credit to the World Bank for publishing it every six months,” Cardoso said. “Still, I think that Nigerians are not reading as much as they should.”
He said that people and policymakers tend to miss such key documents, even though they are easy to find and written by experts on the economy.
“Why do I say so? On checking the website, we were surprised to find that only a few hundred people had downloaded the document, he said.
Calls for greater civic engagement
Cardoso emphasized how important it is to be literate in policy and asked Nigerians to make an effort to read and respond to available policy documents. He said that sometimes the CBN and the reports may not agree in every respect, but these reports are useful for seeing the root of economic challenges.
Even if we do not all agree in every case, he added that the document provides useful insights into the problems facing the economy.
Bringing more attention to policy documents
This points to a wider problem in Nigeria, where official reports and policy briefs rarely get people’s attention. Policymaking experts have regularly pointed to a gap between policies made by experts and local citizen involvement.
In the face of economic issues in Nigeria, officials like Cardoso are urging more Nigerians to get involved in public discussion and understand state policies.
Cardoso asks Nigerians to be more involved with reading policy materials, as only 2,000 people have seen the CBN report.
