By Zik Gbemre
We are greatly disturbed every time we consider the fact that Nigeria, despite having similar factors, human and natural resourcefulness, difficulties and experiences as a nation, just like other developed nations like China, Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, USA, etc., have had and yet came out victoriously; the nation is still tagged a Third-World and ‘developing’ country where the space between the rich and poor, the Government and the Governed, the haves and the have-nots, and the Public Masters and the Public (Common masses) – are increasing daily. All of which has made Nigeria to being pushed to the verge of becoming a tragedy as a nation, or as a failed state. The question we often ask ourselves is this, if our Nigerian political leaders have widely traveled and have seen these other developed countries, met the men and women who lead these countries, walked the clean streets of their cities and travelled in the regular and regulated means of these countries, why can’t they replicate the same things back home in their country Nigeria? Unless we have an indigenous inspiration to make things better for ourselves, no listing of what others have done would inspire us to make things better for ourselves.
Writing in a similar light, a public affairs analyst, Mr. Smart Ofugara, in a recent piece carefully narrated a summary history of how we, and others have evolved as societies, but how we have been left behind – looking at the anomalies in our country. And the need for Nigeria to wake up and get itself out of this hole of underdevelopment because we really do not have any excuse to remain so. According to Smart Ofugara: “The ancient societies evolved through the centuries in phases and various eras of progress emerged. These progresses have helped shape different societies with the System of Governments operated and the development accompanying the welfare of societies. In all of these, laws, policies, regulations, have been introduced to help govern the affairs of man. In the same vein, the stronger nations had to evolve a way of controlling the affairs of the world through exploitation, rule, and psychological control and even brain washing. In the 1960s, all military trainings were done in Europe and the attendees were brain washed to see themselves as leaders of their countries. This explains the incessant coups of the sixties, seventies, eighties and running through the twenty-first century by politicians who had control of State wealth with the resources. In the process, what do we have, is dependence on sale of cash crops and crude oil. No invention, no manufacturing, but trading companies with coupling or assembly plants in the name of manufacturing companies. These are known and undisputed facts which had affected our values and discourse. Looking into the future, should we continue to do the same thing over and over? Should we re-cycle the same old hands? The bond we share makes it difficult to close one’s eyes and say nothing.
“There are questions demanding answers in all sphere of the Nigerian economy and polity. Health Care? Where are we? If Europe and America have increasingly become expensive, why the discovery of India as the alternative for health care? I think it is time to address these malaises in the interest of our people. The health care industry and the ingenuity of our people is such that given the right environment, it will become a major money spinner and a job provider for our teeming population in search for a job. The time to address healthcare is now. A situation where water is not available in hospitals is unacceptable and this is besides the unavailability of modern equipment and devices that will help the doctors and nurses do an effective job. The infrastructures and the enabling environment need to be addressed. Perhaps, a partnership with the public, private and foreign (India or Dubai) examples should be encouraged and divested from government control of hospitals. Government business should be one of regulations and enhanced tax system as we evolve in the society.
“The lip service paid to food production needs to be addressed. Our land is blessed with the production of every type of food needed in different areas of our country. This can be comparatively harnessed to the benefit of all. The establishment of SILOSto accommodate excess crops will help make food available all year round and not seasonal. It will encourage more planning and harvesting. Besides, small scale industries will grow. An example is the juice business which can be done, bottled and sold to neighbours and the community markets. Again, the food-processing can be revived with abundance of production and supplies to these industries. Nigeria has no business importing tomatoes, cornflakes, oats, tea/coffee and other cereals when we can plant and grow them more. Animal husbandry is not left out. More of it needs to be encouraged to meet increasing demand. The experts with agriculture extension should be engaged to effectively bring the food production to fruition. Over the years, different types of cooking oil have been imported into Nigeria. We have even adopted them and forgotten that from our own palm produce which God had blessed us with, we can produce and can crash the world vegetable oil market to our own benefit. Why are we refusing to look inward? Everything about the Palm tree is useful to humanity. There is nothing useless about the Palm tree. From the dirt and stain lieswealth yet untapped and abandoned. Weneed to wake up.
“The Timber industry is very dear to my heart. It is my wish that the African Timber and Plywood industry or its model can be revived. There are a lot of jobs waiting to be created in that field. Standardizing is required so that sizes, models, designs can be developed for customers choices. Homes, offices, schools, and churches all need doors, furniture, kitchen cabinets, baby cots, beds of different sizes, recreation environment and the list go on. We import these items instead of producing and exporting them. Sweden’s IKEA industry (Private) is a very good model for us to copy and create our own production and market for the African continent. The jobs and market from this sector are very enormous and would be beneficial to our economy.
“The steel and aluminum industry cannot be allowed to die. We need the revival of the steel industry to start production. Whatever it will take to get up to speed should be done devoid of politics. The multiplier effect from steel for our society cannot be over stated. Its revival will boost our economy and provide gainful employment and production for our people. Besides the steel industry, the abandoned Petro-chemical industries need to be revived as well. The by- products from crude oil should not be imported into the country. They should be produced locally because we have the capacity and the market. As investment in these industries are being done, government should divest her interest and give room for private participation.
“A critical area which has been neglected over the years is RESEARCH. The importance of research in every aspect of society cannot be overstated. Funding for medical research is needed to tackle emerging and deadly ailments like cancer, malaria, and AIDS, etc. A sizeable budget and income should be set aside to enable researchers do their jobs and implement their findings for the benefit of the society.
“The time to address our dependence on the declining and fluctuating crude oil market is now. Our reliance on crude oil revenue is a curse. This can be likened to a child who forgot to learn that if he does not build upon his inherited wealth, he or she will become a beggar. And truly, we are a beggar country. What explanation do we have to give for the monthly visits by State Governors and Local Government Chairmen to Abuja to collect monthly allocations instead of creating the enabling environment that will earn them wealth. The “day demand” for crude oil goes away, the malaria fever that will hit Nigeria will be worse than the Austerity measure, SAP, belt tightening, or any other acronym we have ever heard of in the life of our nation. Draconian laws however it is denigrated, should be implemented to tackle the evils of corruption. Corruption bedeviling the power sectors, corruption bedeviling civil service, corruption bedeviling political office holders and outright elimination of the immunity clause from our constitution and a thorough appraising of issuance of temporary restraining order,” Smart Ofugara noted.
Come to think of it, what stops the President and State Governors from appointing young Nigerians in their Twenties, Thirties, and Fourties, to Head the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies as Ministers, Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, General Managers, Managing Directors, Directors, Director-Generals, Chairmen of Government-owned Boards and Companies, etc., to bring to bear their modern skills, ideas and innovativeness into governance, instead of these old hands that are still in the system? This will not only build the capacities of these young Nigerians for future higher leadership roles, it will bring in the needed transformation in the country’s political landscape. Another thing worth mentioning here is on the enhancement of the nation’s tax system. While this is a good idea, but it is evident that the Nigerian public do not trust the Nigerian tax system simply because, over the years, the Nigerian Government at all levels have not been faithful, truthful and transparent in the use of funds from tax. So, it becomes difficult for people to easily pay tax because there won’t be confidence that the Government will use the tax money in the interest of the public.
Just recently, precisely on September 24, 2018, a friend of mine, who is a Senior Medical Consultant, called me at 7:38pm to express his happiness of how he was given a good medical job in the UK, and he is to resume in December 2018. I first congratulated him, and then told him not to be too excited about his new job because his ‘new master’ only wants to use him. And tried to make him see that they are not just interested in his CV because of the Brexit situation in the UK – that is, they want to use Africans to close the gaps that will be created as a result of Brexit. I also told him that they will only milk him dry and get back all the big pay from him into their economy through their tax and mortgage systems, that means he will work and work. But I also pinpointed to him that I blame our Nigerian system for allowing the well-skilled/talented Nigerians to be exploited by foreigners. And that the problem is not President Buhari when he said that the country ought to be ruled by highly educated people and that Nigeria is crashing. But I made him to realize that we have the likes of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan were Medical Doctors and their Deputy Governors were lawyers, former President Goodluck Jonathan was a PhD holder. But all of them did not perform well. Who will build the country for us? We did not force ourselves to be Nigerians, neither was it our choice to be Africans, God Himself made us so.
Like we have often reiterated, no foreigner can effectively and efficiently develop our country for us unless we are deceiving ourselves. That onerous task, no matter how challenging it might seem, only belongs to us and can best be done by us. So, it is high time our political leaders stop making excuses and start using their ‘thinking faculties aright’ in harnessing the enormous resources in the nation, develop this country and get it out of the league of Third World countries in no distant future.
Zik Gbemre, JP.
National Coordinator
Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)
