Nation Building Is Not a Stroll in the Park: Lessons from Finland
A reflection on nation building inspired by Finland’s national strategy. Explore how strong institutions, civic culture, and long-term thinking can help Nigeria move beyond corruption toward sustainable development.
Abstract
The Government Resolution on the Strategy for Securing the Functions Vital to Society upholds national sovereignty, the security of society, and the livelihood of the population under all security situations.
The Resolution takes internationalization, changes in the security environment, and changes in the structures of society into account.
It identifies and defines society’s vital functions, determines their desired end states, and assigns strategic responsibilities to the relevant ministries.
Society’s Vital Functions
Management of Government affairs
International activity
National military defence
Internal security
Functioning of the economy and infrastructure
The population’s income security and capability to function
Psychological crisis tolerance
End of Abstract
The document from which the abstract was taken was published by the Government of Finland in 2006.
Read it here: https://www.defmin.fi/files/858/06_12_12_YETTS__in_english.pdf
It inspired me to write an essay titled Nation Building. That essay grew into many chapters and eventually became a 40,000-word book, which I titled Apprentice Nations: The Anatomy of Failure.
I hope to publish it before 2026 runs out.
Food for Thought
Finland
Population (2019): 5.5 million
GDP (2018): US$276.7 billion
Nigeria
Population (2018): 195.9 million
GDP (2018): US$397.3 billion
We do not need to read the document in detail.
Just scan through it.
Perhaps we will begin to understand that nation building is not a stroll in the park.
It is not easy.
It requires a strategy.
And it requires love.
Love for God.
Love for country (patriotism).
And love for its people—our compatriots.
If everything else fails...
If there is no strategy...
If the country requires restructuring...
If corruption rages left, right, and centre...
Love should never fail.
Its light should illuminate our path as we trudge across the treacherous terrain in which we find ourselves.
Corruption Exists Everywhere
Here is an excerpt from an online sources.
Corruption in Finland
Finland's overall corruption is low, according to public opinion and global standards.
The Corruption Perceptions Index, released by Transparency International in 2017, reported that Finland was the third most transparent country in the world, after Denmark and New Zealand.
According to a Transparency International survey, an overwhelming majority of people in Finland do not witness cases of corruption involving public officials or institutions during their lifetime.
Existing corruption tends to be structural, arising from networks of wealthy individuals who favour one another in business. Private companies also have no disclosure requirements.
The relatively few instances of corruption involving government include decision-making in state investments, political donations, election funding, tax evasion, gifts, hospitality, and conflicts of interest.
So What Is the Magic?
Finland
Labour Force: 2.75 million
Nigeria
Workforce: 59.873 million
We have criticized every government from 1960 to date.
What has it achieved?
Why do we want to continue down the same road of complaining... of criticizing... of calling for revolution?
Why not try something new?
Something different?
Self-leadership?
Culture change?
A revolution in thinking?
What Is the Government of Finland Doing Differently?
What Are the People of Finland Doing Differently?
1. They Trust Institutions
Most Finns expect the police, courts, tax authorities, and civil service to act fairly most of the time.
That trust reduces the temptation to "find someone who knows someone."
2. They Obey Rules Even When Nobody Is Watching
Paying taxes, queuing, stopping at pedestrian crossings, and respecting public property are widely accepted social norms.
People generally assume that rules exist for everyone's benefit.
3. They Think Long-Term
Policies are often designed with decades in mind rather than the next election cycle.
Investments in education, infrastructure, and institutions are seen as nation-building rather than political trophies.
4. Public Service Is More Professional
Many civil servants are expected to serve the institution rather than whichever political party is in power.
Competence is highly valued.
5. They Have Low Tolerance for Corruption
Corruption still exists, but there is little social acceptance of it.
A public official caught abusing office faces serious legal and reputational consequences.
6. They Value Education
Education is viewed not merely as a pathway to employment but as a means of producing informed, responsible citizens.
7. They Protect Public Property
Roads, parks, schools, libraries, and public buildings are generally treated as belonging to everyone—not as belonging to "government."
8. They Build Consensus
Finnish society has a tradition of consultation and compromise.
Political opponents often disagree strongly, but there is broad agreement on protecting the institutions that keep society functioning.
9. They Separate Personal Relationships from Public Duty
Friendship, family, or political affiliation is less likely to override formal procedures than in many developing countries.
10. They Cultivate Psychological Resilience
Notice that Finland's national strategy even includes psychological crisis tolerance as one of the vital functions of society.
They recognise that a nation's strength depends not only on roads, electricity, and the military, but also on the ability of its people to remain calm, informed, and resilient during crises.
The Most Important Difference
Perhaps the most important difference is this:
The average Finn tends to ask, "What is good for Finland?" before asking, "What is good for me?"
No society lives up to that ideal all the time.
But the closer a nation comes to making the common good part of its everyday culture, the easier it becomes to build strong institutions—and the harder it becomes for corruption to flourish.
What Can Nigeria Do Starting Now?
The question is no longer whether Nigeria has potential.
It clearly does.
The real question is:
What can be done immediately, with the institutions and people we already have?
The answer is not a single reform or a grand announcement.
It is a sequence of practical, compounding steps that gradually shift incentives, behaviour, and trust.
1. Start with "Islands of Functioning Systems"
Nigeria does not need to fix everything at once.
It needs to prove that systems can work somewhere, consistently.
Pick a few federal and state agencies (e.g. passport offices, tax authorities, procurement units).
Fully digitise their processes end-to-end.
Remove discretionary human bottlenecks where possible.
Publish service timelines and enforce them publicly.
The goal is simple:
Make a few public services predictable, fast, and corruption-resistant.
Once citizens experience reliability in one area, expectations begin to shift everywhere else.
2. Make Transparency Default, Not Optional
Transparency should not depend on political will or media pressure.
Starting now:
Publish all government procurement above a defined threshold online in real time.
Make budgets machine-readable and publicly accessible.
Include named beneficiaries and evaluation criteria for contract awards.
Make FOI compliance automatic, not adversarial.
In systems that work, opacity is treated as a risk, not a privilege.
3. Reduce Discretion, Not Just Corruption
Corruption thrives where individuals have too much unchecked discretion.
Ask instead:
Can this decision be standardised?
Can it be automated?
Can it be independently verified?
Examples include:
Standardised procurement scoring.
Digital identity-linked welfare distribution.
Automated tax assessment for small businesses.
Clear, published promotion criteria in the civil service.
The goal is not to "find better people."
It is to design systems where ordinary people behave well by default.
4. Rebuild Merit in Public Institutions
No country develops beyond the quality of its bureaucracy.
Starting now:
Recruit civil servants strictly on merit.
Standardise and audit entrance examinations.
Reduce political appointments in technical agencies.
Base promotions on measurable performance.
When merit becomes real rather than symbolic, institutional memory begins to form.
5. Treat Trust as Infrastructure
Trust is not a feeling.
It is the product of repeated experience.
To build it:
Publish ministry performance dashboards.
Allow independent audits with public summaries.
Protect whistleblowers.
Ensure misconduct attracts visible and consistent consequences.
When citizens see that rules apply equally, compliance becomes cultural rather than forced.
6. Invest in Civic Norms, Not Just Policy
No system survives without shared norms.
Nigeria must deliberately reinforce:
Tax compliance as civic duty.
Protection of public property.
Rule-following as strength.
Long-term thinking over short-term extraction.
This is slow work.
But it is foundational.
7. Build Feedback Loops That Actually Work
A system that cannot correct itself eventually collapses.
Nigeria needs:
Independent statistical agencies.
Strong audit institutions.
Media free to investigate.
Courts that resolve public-interest cases efficiently.
Without feedback loops, even good policies decay.
The Deeper Shift
The Finnish example is not about copying Finland.
It is about understanding a deeper principle.
Development is not primarily about resources. It is about systems that align incentives over time.
Finland did not eliminate human nature.
It designed institutions where human nature is constrained, guided, and made productive.
The Real Starting Point
Nigeria does not need to wait for perfect leadership or perfect conditions.
It can begin by asking one question about every proposed reform:
"Does this change behaviour at scale, even if people are imperfect?"
If the answer is yes, it is worth doing.
If the answer is no, it is probably another cycle of reform without transformation.
Final Thought
Nation building is not a moment.
It is a long alignment of systems, culture, and incentives.
Nigeria's task is not to become another country.
It is to become a country where:
Rules are predictable.
Institutions are trusted.
Corruption is structurally difficult.
Competence is rewarded consistently.
That process can begin today.
Not tomorrow.
Today.
I rest...
#BigAgendaAfrica
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