The
Independent National Electoral Commission on January 9, 2018 released the
official timetable and calendar of exercises for the anticipated general elections
which is down to less than a month. As a major aspect of arrangements for the polls,
INEC has registered an aggregate of 91 political parties and through its
Continuous Voter Registration which was suspended on August 31, 2018, had been
able to register 84,004,084 (Eighty-Four Million, Four Thousand, and Eighty-Four)
eligible voters.

According
to Reuters, Nigeria’s economy will grow more slowly this year than previously
forecasted, this is due to investors hold off before elections this year, the
average investor is a capitalist he is concerned about the profitability of the
market he is trading in, the indicators have not shown positivity as such he
holds off. Investigators and financial experts’ conjectures demonstrated a
middle of 2.1 percent development for Nigeria, quickening to 3.0 percent one
year from now, a noteworthy downsize from the past survey taken three months
back, which demonstrated Africa’s biggest economy growing 2.6 percent this year
after a dreary 0.8 percent in 2017. The upcoming elections and its trademark of
related high-wire political issues would affect business and investment alerts
with respect to economic stakeholders. Business and venture decisions are definitely
subject to the aftermaths of the forth coming elections.

Despite
the fact that President Buhari, to some degree, won the 2015 race on the
strength of his anti-corruption promises, corruption is still endemic in
Nigerian public life and it appears that it is only members of the opposition
parties that are being prosecuted. Nigeria has one of the biggest youth
populaces on the planet, with at any rate half of its evaluated 180 million-in
number populace younger than 30. This could be a gigantic advantage for the
nation yet the current financial conditions where this advantage is harnessed,
the reverse is sadly the case, as a very large percentage of these young
persons are unemployed and the economic environment makes its unrealistic for
them to thrive.

Amidst
these negatives, we expect the continuous recuperation in oil generation to
make ready for robust medium-term prospects, helped by enhanced transparency in
the energy sector and others. Likewise, the bounce back in the economy would be
coordinated by enhancements in the fiscal balance, as the spending shortfall is
anticipated to ease from 3.6% of the GDP in 2017 to 3.2% in 2018. An enhanced
business atmosphere and speculators’ certainty have been the aftereffects of
the upward development in Nigeria’s ease of doing business ranking. 
A huge
enhancement in credit to the private sector will drive individual investment development
and thusly affect business and buyer utilization emphatically. The standpoint
of the naira past 2018 stays empowering regardless of fears that the raw
petroleum supply excess may bring costs down in 2019. Having directed its month
to month Forex request by 65% in 2017, a further significant decline is normal
in 2019 as Nigeria’s biggest Forex use the importation of refined oil-based
goods is probably going to be taken out when the Dangote refinery goes ahead
stream.

As
2019 races move closer, stock trade dives by 19.77%. The year 2018 was not all
that glowing for the Nigerian Stock Exchange as its significant markers
devalued by 19.77 percent because of vulnerabilities encompassing the expected
general decisions. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NSE which was
named the third best performing stock trade on the planet in 2017 with more
than 43 percent degree of profitability performed horridly in 2018. Specialists
said the market, which began the primary quarter on a positive note, plunged
because of the withdrawal of assets by remote portfolio financial investors who
were concerned over the pending elections.

Given
all these Negatives, one way out of a conceivable reaction on the economy is
that Politicians and their cronies need to receive down to business systems
that would ensure quiet battles and balance out the country to guarantee a
practical market bounce back. Besides, it should be perceived that uncertainty
and social issue are disincentives to speculation. Government should meet
people’s high expectations of handling, with all earnestness, the lamentable
advancements so as to re-establish investors’ certainty. 

The polity must be
quiet. Politicians should be upstanding and play by the standard by following
fair treatment to guarantee a serene environment in front of the decisions. Politicians
require not overheat the polity. The political class needs to understand the
nexus between political decisions/indecisions and economics. It will be
ridiculous to win an election, then spend years convincing investors to come (or
comeback) to invest in the country. To have a prosperous 4-year ahead, our
leaders have to take strict business decisions that will make Nigeria a hive
for investors and magnates.


Basit Kolapo Saka, Esq.
Associate, Ayanlaja, Adesanya & Co
Kolapo is a legal practitioner at the
prestigious Ayanlaja, Adesanya & CO, Situate in ILupeju, Lagos. He has keen
interest in Business and Corporate Law, Commercial arbitration and Fintech. He
also writes and advises business start ups and SMEs.

k_basyt@yahoo.com,
@_Kolamposi