James Agada had already broadly addressed my problem. You stated in the opening paragraphs that …even if we eliminated every kobo of waste and corruption tomorrow, our population and development needs mean resources would still fall short without significantly higher and sustainable income. I believe we have more of a revenue than a cost problem. In most countries, taxes are the primary source of revenue.

Your statement assumes that eliminating waste and corruption would still leave public finances fundamentally inadequate without first demonstrating how efficiently existing resources are used. Nigeria is not unique in the widespread existence of corruption, but leveraging a tax expert to squeeze the populace for what exists is not the first course of action; judicious use of existing resources comes first.

Our issue is not purely “revenue versus cost,” but the broader capacity of the Nigerian state to manage and productively deploy resources. I wish the Honourable Minister the best, but whether he’s the best given our current predicament remains yet to be seen.