Nigeria’s Crisis Of False Numbers & Failing Leadership

By TIMOTHY HAGGERTY-NWOKOLO

THRIVING nations rely on accurate, transparent data to make sound decisions and protect their citizens. For decades, I worked within U.S. public systems where data was clean, verifiable, and publicly accessible — a stark contrast to Nigeria’s chaos of figures and misinformation.

In Nigeria, numbers are often thrown around carelessly. Claims that hundreds of thousands are killed or abducted yearly would mean the country is in a full-scale civil war — yet such data rarely comes from credible institutions. Anyone who has witnessed how records are collected in Nigeria knows the system is broken. Corruption and incompetence have turned even simple data collection, like national ID registration, into a shakedown.

Without credible data, Nigeria cannot confront its crises — from insecurity to poverty. Exaggerated or fabricated statistics only deepen distrust and make the country look ungovernable. The perception of unending kidnappings and terrorism already damages the economy and investor confidence, worsened by a government adrift under Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

I recently spent two months in Nigeria. While I felt safe in major cities like Lagos and Abuja, the fear of traveling outside them was palpable. People have grown used to fear and dysfunction — and that is tragic.

Nigeria’s intellectual class shares part of the blame. Many engage in selective outrage, twisting facts to suit political interests. Advocacy without honesty is hypocrisy.

Nigeria is bleeding, not just from violence but from dishonesty, indifference, and broken systems. Without data integrity and accountability, the country cannot heal — and for those of us who still dream of returning home, that realization cuts the deepest.