Selective Efficiency: the Nigerian Setting.
In Nigeria, if a person in a position of authority tells you that something isn’t possible, trust me, they are most likely lying to you. EVERYTHING and ANYTHING is possible in Nigeria, it is just that you are not worth the effort.
A person in a position of authority is anyone whose input is needed at a particular point in time. This person, need not to be at the top e.g. the Personal Assistant to the Minister of Petroleum, is a person of authority in the face of on oil marketer looking for a contract, an immigration officer irrespective of civil service level, is a person of authority in the face of someone that wants to renew his/her international passport or is stranded at the airport.
Selective Efficiency is a situation whereby people in authority are effective in doing their duty which is the supposed norm in an unprecedented manner. This level of efficiency is only reserved for some set of people. For any other person, all they get is the subpar.
Selective Efficiency Scenarios
Selective efficiency is the reason why it can take 7 years for a Federal High Court in Nigeria to convict an individual and space of 5 months for him to transmit, transfer records and appeal to the Federal Appeal Court and the Supreme Court of Nigeria (A process that sometimes takes about 2 years to get just an adjournment at these courts).
Selective efficiency is the reason why petrol tankers will park on the road for weeks and cause heavy traffic, but the day Mr. President is coming to Lagos, they will all be cleared off in one evening.
Selective efficiency is the reason why the campaign goody-goodies will reach the most remote part of Nigeria, but basic amenities such as good roads, power supply etc. will not reach such places.
Selective efficiency is the reason why some people will be able to get a Nigerian passport in a day and others will have to wait for 30days or more.
Conclusion
The bright side of selective efficiency, is the fact that it shows that these things are possible and can be achieved. The only problem is how to scale this it from the 5/1000 that gets to collect their passport on the same day, to 500/1000 of them that applied. The moment we are able to crack this, then we will start making real progress and the easy of living in Nigeria will be better.
