This piece is sequel to my last article on the Bleeding Economy.
It will be malicious to come into hasty conclusion that various government administrations from the past and even up till this moment have done nothing towards fostering the development of the country. However, it is correct to say that these administrations have performed far below the projected expectation safe for a few.
Bundles of factors accrue for the sad economic realities of our dear nation. These realities are not far fetch rather; they have become an almost acceptable model for daily living. Endless banditry, irrational economy policies, partisan politics, terrorism, poor elections, increase national debt, defective and lopsided patriotism are some of the inalienable characteristics that best describes the living conditions of most Nigerians today.
From a different prism, Nigeria does not represent all that is evil. After all, no one is evil except of course there are people who choose to commit their hands into doing evil. Such persons -too many of them have found their way into government and top positions and have continued to fan the embers of economy sabotage. This ill thrives partly because Nigeria has fewer levels of checks and balances. So, here we are in a centre that may no longer hold except there is a salvaging driven not only by an individual but all Nigerians – a good people and a great nation. Therefore, while it may not be possible to exhaust all known cure in this section, it is important to lay to bare key element capable of creating a new Nigeria.
Protection of local market: An item had to be made in America, Britain or China if it must be thought any good. In a report by premium times dated on the 30th of April 2018, the CEO of Innoson motors, Chief Dr. Innocent Chkuwuma OFR said that the establishment has a total number of 10,000 direct workers and 7300 thousand indirect workers.
Such an establishment can only be encouraged by putting in more funds and making sure public servants and the citizens are made to compulsorily own automobiles made from this indigenous firms. After all, if we don’t promote our own, who will?
However, only a few Nigerians such as the government of Anambra State, Ben Bruce and others have bought vehicles from Innoson motors. The focus therefore is that the more we use our own products, the more the numbers of persons that would be taken out of the claws of poverty. The sealing up of TSTV in Abuja does not in any way promote the drive for indigenous growth.
Diversification
Successive government administrations have continued to betray promises of creating a new Nigeria. The President Buhari government seems to be more concern with Nigeria’s agricultural sector but on a flip side, it still depends on crude oil revenue. In September 2018, the agriculture minister at that time, Audu Ogbeh, said Nigeria spent $22bn importing food every year. This perhaps necessitated the president to put a ban on food import especially rice.
However, Nigerians still find a way to smuggle in rice and other food items through our porous borders since majority of the population only prefer the foreign rice which is adjudged to be more edible. The president decision is suppose to be a square peg in a square hole but some never-do-good elements have almost quashed the benefit inherent. Therefore, it is important that government should step up implementation and clamp down on defaulters.
Due attention to key sectors
Security, education, health, industries and others are important indices of any nation. Evidently, these sectors have been neglected. Medical tourism, security challenges and low level of infrastructures have continued to hinder development. Our political office holders prefer medical treatment abroad because it is by far better than what we have in the country.
According to a report by Sani Tukur published on October 9, 2017 by Premium times (check http://premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/245518-aisha-buhari-attacks-management-of-aso-rock-clinic.html), the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari criticized the permanent secretary of the Aso enclave, Jala Arabi for his inability to provide ordinary paracetamol to the clinic. Interestingly, 3b naira was budgeted for the provision of drugs to the Aso clinic.
This wanton recklessness further threw up its ugly head during the last days of late Abba Kyari who was flown from Abuja to Lagos for medication. As at that time, it was alleged that the Villa had just one ventilator and it was specially kept for the president. Such shameful situation thrived because those in the helm of affairs choose to look away and thereby leaving key sectors to decay.
Inclusive government
Partisan governance births a wide gulf between the people and their leaders. In fact, partisan politics is like a nursery reclaimed by weed. One of the dangers of partisan politics of a government is that it creates divide amongst her citizens; successive governments safe for a few have continued to plunge the nation into needless mayhem. Benue and Plateau states’ herders/farmer clashes readily come to mind.
Partisan politics is not justifiable; leaping away from underdevelopment to development requires a great deal of conscious effort. When the chips are down, Nigerian leaders prefer loyalty to ethnicity and in extreme cases, they choose loyalty to self. Robert Kayplan saw Africa as a coming anarchy (Richard Dowden, “AFRICA altered state, ordinary miracles” page 282). This negative mindset exists among many Nigerians. Rwanda Hutu and Tutsis experienced meaningful progress only when they shelf ethnocentric root.
Summarily, among many other methods there are two known ways of healing a bleeding economy. A nation can either copy a model or look in wards and develop a robust road map.
Authur Lewis asserted that a nation is said to be developed when it has saturated her industrial sector.
Evidently, Nigeria still has a good number of resources to put into effective use. In the early 1960’s Asians and Africa and few southern America states were referred to as third world country and were just three times less wealthy than the rich states. Today, we are twenty times poorer when compared to develop nations. Ironically Asians states such as Singapore, China, Taiwan and Malaysia have with deliberate effort moved ahead leaving Africa as loner in the caption “third world”.
On the other hand, should Nigeria seek for a solution within as promulgated in a recent proposal by Vice president Osinbanjo titled ‘Bouncing Back: Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan 2020’, then the machinery of government must implement and execute models such as this. This is possible because other nations such as India, Hong Kong, Korea, Botswana, and Saudi Arabia have successfully turned the fortune of her people around for good.
A healed Nigeria is possible if all hands are on deck.
– Olayinka Kayode Kingsley
Email: olayinkakayodekingsley@gmail.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayode-kingsley-olayinka-570b88194
