Ten Visible Signs of a Failing State

© 2017 March Oyinki

Throughout the whole world, some countries have proven their superiority over others by their ability to provide for their citizens the necessities of life and develop military capability to protect their sovereignty. The greatest nations of the world are those that have heightened potentials to ensure that their citizens live a comfortable lifestyle, avert hunger, sickness and eradicate illiteracy.

Technological advancement and military capabilities are salient qualities associated with such great countries. Some of them are so self-sufficient and advance in all the various aspects of life that they are categorized as super powers, developed countries and are recognized as economic giants of the world. The United States, Chine, Russia, France, Germany, Israel and a few others fall into this category.

These advanced countries have all put the welfare of their citizens as priority. They have made so much provision for their citizens, so much that they have become the ideal place where people from other less progressive countries around the world that never mismanaged their resources, particularly third world countries to refuge in other more successful countries.

While the advance countries have achieved near excellence in improving their living standards, the under-developed countries, even those with enormous resources, both human and natural, have continue to dwindle and deteriorate, while many degenerates into civil disobedience, revolt and war. Many countries in Africa, Middle East and Asia fall into this category, and they all face a common type of identifiable problem. There are many signs and ways to identify these countries which can be easily classified as failing States.

1.   Poverty: 

Visible poverty in the land, even where there is abundant resources that can be used to change the fortune and improve the living of the people.

2.   Corruption:

Poor accountability. Government officials misappropriate and embezzle public funds without any recourse of the consequences and impact it will have on the larger society.

3.   Lawlessness: 

The government flaunt court orders, engage in extra-judicial killings of public figures who are opposition by the State security apparatus. Manipulation of the rule of law by the judiciary to favour rich criminals both in government and the public.

4.   Poor Infrastructure:

There is inadequate or a complete absence of basic infrastructure such as water, power, health care services, schools, motorable roads and others. Moneys earmarked for projects are diverted, misappropriated and sometimes, out rightly embezzled.

5.   High Unemployment Rate:

The rate of unemployment is seldom very high. Young graduates can hardly find a well-paying job. Both the government and private sectors are not employing despite the massive turnout of graduate from the universities.

6.   Diseases:

The absence of adequate medical facilities exposes the citizenry to diseases. Poor sanitation caused by poor refuse disposal systems and lack of public lavatories make people to defecate in open spaces, and thereby spreading bacteria which leads to outbreak of infectious diseases.

7.   Weak Electoral System:

High prevalence of shoddy electoral systems and the conduct of primaries into political offices that lacks credibility or any iota of transparency; a system that is usually hijacked by political big wigs and manipulated to bring in their favourite candidates, who are often unpopular.

8.   Dysfunctional National Assembly:

Gross insensitivity is displayed by the national assembly, oblivious of the yarning’s of the peo0le that voted them into office. The existence of national assembly that rarely passes laws that are of any immediate benefit to most of the people, and even when they attempt to do so, it takes forever, sometimes, barely passing through fist reading, whereas, if it a law that will benefit the house itself, it is quickly passed.

9.   High Crime Rate:

Inadequate policing of the society gives room to heightened criminal activities. There are very few police officers in the force, and the small number that is available are either assigned to political office holders and top government functionaries or are posted to mount road blocks on highways and remote parts of the cities where they usually extort money from motorists.

10.   Absence of the President:

When the president of a country spends more time galivanting all over the world in the guise of official trips or medical leave, thereby leaving the country without a real head who is supposed to spend most of his time attending to all the different issues that need to be addressed in the country.