Nigeria@55: A Better Nigeria of My Dreams

Wow!!! It’s been interesting 55years of our independence as a country and it’s important to celebrate the significance of today. The length of years since our freedom from the colonial masters is not small for a country that has attained nationhood as ours. We had had several crises over the years in one form or another ranging from security, economic depression, military coup, Ebola scourge and much more; yet we remain united in our diversity. Regardless of our political, religious and all other kinds of differences, we have remained together as a nation. Our democracy is maturing and we have seen incumbent administrations give way to the opposition party leading to a transition to new government without wanton destruction of lives and properties.

Nigeria will be greater than all of its past 55years put together. Our country, though has a rich heritage rooted in her great culture and so enormously blessed with enviable human, solid and natural resources, waterfalls, forests has remained on the ground after more than half a century of independence owing to poor national orientation, lawless habits, poor attitude to work and wealth and more plaguing is poor leadership, inefficiency and corruption at all levels – homes, schools, market places, offices, on the road, church, mosque, shrine, judiciary, legislative and the executive!

Our problem as a nation has been systemic and it’s difficult to stop a problem without dealing with the root cause of the issues. Out of all the security agencies in our country today, the most endangered and yet criticized are the Police. They are the standard definition of corruption in our nation today but come to think of it, are they not a reflection of who we are as a people? How can you put an AK-47 Gun in the hand of a man whose monthly income can barely feed him and his family not to talk of paying school fees for the children, afford good accommodation or even have any savings for future investment? You only need to visit their barracks and you will see how much value we place on security of lives and property. In spite of all these, we do not expect them to use the gun to extort the citizens for survival once they can’t find an attachment job with the high and mighty to whom they are expected to carry bags for Madam for a living. Little wonder, we have seen so many citizens killed by the police in the name of N50 or N100 extortion! What hypocrisy from a country that has lost her innocence!

How about when the citizen is shot with the police gun? A lot of them die due to lack of immediate medical attention in the name of police report. Hospitals turn away innocent people who have been shot either by stray bullets or any other means because there are no police reports. How much value have we really placed on human lives in our nation today? How about schools, many students have to hang around the windows or stand in class to take lectures of 2hours and more because there are no adequate facilities. How about our credit system? Commercial loans at 28-30% interest? How do we expect such businesses to survive? Infrastructure? I pay huge PAYE tax monthly, yet there is no government presence in the community where I live. I am my own Local Government authority – I generate my own electricity, water and even built my own road or fail to repair it during raining season at my peril!

What really needs to change? I have seen many development economists campaigning for the diversification of our economy from the predominant oil to other sector exports like Agriculture, Mining, and so on. All these are still natural resources and a lazy approach to national recovery and prosperity. I have heard this same story for as long as I knew how to pronounce my name. Our strategy for wealth creation as a nation needs to move from predominantly natural resources to focus on human resources development. We need to invest in and produce creators of wealth – the people. This is what we see in advanced nations of the world; no natural resources, yet very prosperous. Africa has all the natural resources, yet she is poor! When we invest in human resources, Nigeria will then become productive enough to sell to the rest of the world and earn good foreign exchange.

Our government needs to invest more in the prosperity of its citizens. The better the citizens fare the better for the government. All the natural exports in Oil, Agriculture and others put together cannot develop our national economy like the taxes that citizens pay will do. Until the government empowers its citizens to prosper economically by creating a conducive environment for business, the country will always be broke because the taxes to the government will always be less than required for real development. Concerted efforts must be made to push our national architecture from the current destructive pyramid structure where we have few rich at the top and majority poor at the base of the pyramid into a diamond shaped structure where you have few extremely rich at the top and few poor at the base but majority prosperous citizens at the middle. This is where the nation’s productivity and prosperity lie.

In my dream, I see a better Nigeria few years from now. I see new hospitals which are like 5-star hotels, genuinely relieving pain and discomfort of citizens at very affordable cost. I see well trained medical staff full of empathy while providing health care services to the public. I see free and no-fee paying new public schools with market-relevant curriculum producing world class leaders, innovators, inventors and disruptors. I see a well improved credit system where hard-working individuals and businesses can get loans at less than 8% rate. I see good mortgage loans at affordable rates. I see excellent estates and national housing plans that reaches the middle and low class citizens. I see new airports facilitating easy flow of economic activities across the country. I see fantastic train service connecting the length and breadth of our nation and facilitating more efficient and mass mobility of labour. I see physical and social security where even the unemployed receives a monthly stipend to ensure that no Nigerian goes to bed hungry or sleep in the cold due to lack of accommodation. I see a better Nigeria where only those who wander the streets are persons with psychiatric problems. I see well equipped and better managed prison service. I see the crime rates go down incredibly. I see the respect and value for an average Nigerian’s life take an upward swing. I see a much more respected Nigerian International passport across the globe. I see the negative label on Nigeria being dropped in the international community and comity of nations. I see Nigeria taking her place of pride and leadership in Africa.

  

I see improved power supply in the safest and most cost effective way. I see improved supply of transportation fuel across the entire nation. I see inefficiency and corruption disappear at NNPC, NCC, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, National Assembly, Law Courts, Schools, Hospitals and in all our institutions. I see strong men and strong institutions coming out of our dear nation. Our refineries will resume operations and function at full capacity. No more shall we export crude in order to later import the refined version at the detriment of our people and at great cost to our collective good. No more shall salaries be owed workers within our borders because there shall be dignity in every labour. Service will become the biggest credential of our leaders at all levels. I see the Nigerian economy experience boom in all sectors again.

My dream of a better Nigeria after 55 is that of a very prosperous African nation. Let this dream begin to dictate our choices and guide how we live daily. In a matter of years, it will become our reality.

Happy Birthday Nigeria!