An NGO economy is a luxury only developed countries can afford. It thrives where systems work and governance is stable enough that aid becomes supplementary. In places like Nigeria, however, it becomes something else entirely.
There’s a concept called effective altruism. It’s not charity for charity’s sake. It’s structured giving anchored by institutions and processes. Not built around personalities, but designed so that outcomes can scale, be predicted and measured,
As someone who has worked with an NGO and hopes to run one in the future, I say this with caution: without consistent pressure on government to fulfil its responsibilities, many NGO efforts amount to the sachetization of true development.
I understand the feeling of martyrdom—the dopamine rush that comes from giving your time to maternity care, getting kids off the street, or offering free lessons to unemployed youths. The self-righteousness of unpaid labour. The conferment of sainthood by the people. And, if your work gains visibility, the recognition of foreign bodies, followed by photo-ops with the same politicians whose negligence created the problem in the first place.
History offers a parallel. During a certain civil war, the federal government questioned why mercenary pilots hadn’t quickly ended the conflict. These were trained professionals—yet the war dragged on. It was later discovered they had deliberately avoided bombing key targets. After all, how would they stay in business if the war ended?
For many NGOs, they have built relevance around solving a problem that that same problem going away would threaten their worth, their income. This is why, some smile and dine with the same politicians who launder the budget for which their NGOs have built a name.
The illusion burst when a new US government cut USAID funding to some countries. We were confronted with an uncomfortable truth: We realized that we had been surviving off other peoples hard-work. Developed countries build industries and make trade-surplus. Whatever is left is exported as scraps to beggarly countries like ours.
An endless stream of foreign grants, national recognition, photo-ops with the politicians who keep the people poor and a fat delusion of development. This is the Nigerian NGO economy.
Children will remain on the street. More pregnant women will die. There will be many who would never see a computer. More youths will live an unfulfilled life, their destinies decided in a lottery. Why? Some NGO personalities grapple with a saviour complex that they don’t see how they stand in the way of true development.
“But I’m making a change.”
“One child at a time.”
“One borehole at a time.”
They convince themselves that if only they had more partnerships, more funding, more government support. if they could just befriend those in power, they might finally solve it all.
But the truth is:
There is enough money to make running water available everywhere.
There are enough resources to put every child in school.
Primary health care centres shouldn’t need to be refurbished by a group of corp members.
These are distractions.
Detours from what truly deserves our courage.
The Nigerian government should be supported but more importantly, it must be made to do the work. This is the real task.