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By Adebayo Ahmed

What is it that will change the giant of Africa into the super giant that she really is? What is it that will transform a developing country into an economic superpower? What is it that will modify the largest black nation into a colossus among nations? In the heart of the black continent lies a potentially great country

amidst the grass of the African savannah towers a burgeoning tree and in the land of the Niger straddles a mighty enclave. Welcome to Nigeria, the land of possibilities.

Nigeria, a land of overflowing resources and outstanding beauty. A nation full of vibrant people of immense skills, hard work and world-class talents. However, the country is not really her citizens’ pride. A nation that scoops gold medals for monumental corruption and where poverty is as common as the wind is a source of glory only for irresponsible people. Nigeria is struggling with pregnant problems while trying to yank off the toga of underdevelopment.

But, in spite of all the afflictions of Nigeria, there is still hope. Hope that will lead to resounding success only if round pegs are put in round holes. For any nation to develop and attain enviable levels of prosperity, certain values must be firmly embedded in the minds of the populace. Without these values, the nation is heading for the rocks. They are purposeful leadership and committed follower ship which is somewhat rare in Nigeria. The citizens take delight in castigating and criticizing their leaders, completely oblivious of their own equally important roles as co-participants in social responsibility. The leaders, on the other hand, derive fantastic pleasure in developing thick skins and turning deaf ears to the cries and jeers of the cynical masses. However, none of these has catalyzed the much-needed national growth and development since it takes two to tango. Thus, there is a systemic and mechanistic failure on the part of both the leader and the led.

Furthermore, one of the most onerous jobs in existence is that of governance. To govern a nation as complex as Nigeria calls for tremendous effort and unalloyed determination. The growth and development of a country is one thing, to maintain such is another. However, to ensure both, the horse must be put before the cart. First, the government must make it a necessary point of duty to inculcate the values of patriotism. This is a very important step as many Nigerians have little or no regard for the fatherland. Some are very ready to sacrifice their nationality for a foreign visa. Some make suicidal migrations across the inhospitable Sahara Desert; some get drowned in the Mediterranean or get shot by Spanish immigration officers. Some are ready to take up prostitution, drug trafficking or visa racketeering just to go to Europe or America. Although the process is risky, this demographic recklessness has not stopped. To emphasize, 17 million Nigerian experts are abroad developing other lands. This is to show the level of unpatriotism and desperation stemming from several factors many of which are economic. To promote patriotic values, the leaders themselves will have to set good examples and use avenues such as the National Orientation Agency and the Federal Ministry of Information to disseminate these values.

Another thing is for the general populace to declare an indefinite and unconditional war against corruption. Corruption is the single greatest problem facing many nations. Many Nigerian leaders have performed spectacularly ‘well’ in corrupt activities by displaying rare talents and skills in emptying the national treasury. Funds meant for public utilities and facilities are dubiously diverted by long-throated administrators with insatiable desires for the nonsensical ‘national cake’. The art of sleaze and fraud is so deeply entrenched that any Nigerian offered a political appointment is immediately besieged by ‘well-wishers’, ‘supporters’ and ‘committee of friends’ who emerge overnight. It is erroneously believed that such a person has to be congratulated because an opportunity has come to ‘chop’ to the fullest. Therefore, in order to combat corruption, this aspect of the national psyche has to be seriously addressed. It must be known, taught and ensured that public service is strictly a way to impact positively on people’s lives and not a quick channel to vast riches. Also, new legislations that will further empower anti-corruption agencies should be signed into law. Bodies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) should be absolutely independent without undue influence from any quarters, the presidency included. Corruption, like a hurricane, unleashes untold damage and hardship on the people, impedes progress and nullifies government efforts. As such, it must be rooted out.

Also, another ugly manifestation of the Nigerian society is that of undiluted tribalism and unrestrained ethnic fanaticism. Many Nigerians find it extremely difficult to comprehend the fact that the nation transcends tribal and ethnic affiliations. Tribal bigotry is so deep-rooted that some Nigerians vehemently advocate for rotational presidency, rotational governorship, rotational this, rotational that! In a country of over 250 ethnic groups, how many centuries will it take to achieve tangible development and ensure consistent government policy implementation if the people are busy ‘rotating’ the mantle of leadership? We need to realise the fact that the business of governing and leading a country is a very serious one which should not be sacrificed for egotistic interests. Elections and appointments into public offices should be based strictly on personal performance, merit, integrity, competence and sense of purpose. One of the devastating consequences of ‘rotationalism’ is that it breeds laziness and short-sightedness. Why disturb myself to work hard for a position that will soon be ‘our turn’? If elections and appointments are based on the aforementioned, apart from the fact that every single tribe will have equal opportunities, each will be spurred into action, all striving to give the most excellent performance. Hence, only the very best gets to the very top. This is what Nigeria needs and not petty arguments over whether it is ‘our daughter’s turn’ or ‘your son’s time’.

In addition, other chronic problems plaguing the country are the lack of basic amenities and the decrepitude of the few existing ones. If Nigeria is to rate very high on the United Nations Human Development Index, then resolute efforts must be taken to make basic amenities like electricity, primary education, water, healthcare and roads accessible and inexpensive for Nigerians. To curb problems, it is very essential to ascertain their causes. Poor policy implementation, greedy contractors and their government accomplices, deliberate use of poor quality materials in project execution, bad maintenance strategies, poor quality control, poor adherence to or lack of standards and inconsistent government planning all contribute to the decay eating away the country’s infrastructure. To slow, stop and reverse this rot, it is quite obvious to solve these problems. This can be ensured by promoting and monitoring the implementation of government policies down to the lowest level and ensuring accountability to track, intercept and crush any fraudulent activity. Others are to ensure speedy judicial resolutions of monetary crimes and the use of qualitative materials (here, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria comes into the picture). The creation and enforcement of excellent management practices and quality control must be promoted and adhered to in all governmental and non-governmental agencies or parastatals. Transactions (especially by the government) must undergo due process and be open to public scrutiny and comments. This is because looting is further encouraged when financial deals are shrouded in secrecy.

However, these steps are not sufficient to make Nigeria a superpower. As mentioned earlier, various sectors are comatose. Power supply is nothing to write home about while the national road network is only networking people to their graves. The health sector seriously needs urgent surgery while the education sector is crumbling and churning out graduates who can barely write their own names. The nation is not self-sufficient in food production and hard-earned foreign exchange is spent on food imports. Such is the plight of Nigerians. To restart the economic engine and fast-track growth, the energy, transport, health, education and agriculture sectors have to be critically examined first and their respective problems tackled proficiently.

What’s more, Nigerians have become accustomed to having fairly stable power supply only during the World Cup or other special events, sometimes. This painfully reflects the unreliable and unpredictable bits of electrical energy supplied to Nigerians. The immediate past administration sunk $4.076b (N521b) towards the resuscitation of this ailing sector all to no avail. Instead of better services, what Nigerians get are irritating bills, poorer services and more darkness. It is therefore no surprise that the present administration declared an emergency in the sector. For any country to develop, it needs massive amounts of energy. The consequences of failing to achieve this are very clear but terrible: reduced productivity, sluggish economy and disenchanted citizenry. Therefore, it is very significant to revitalise this vital sector. The damage of pipelines carrying gas to thermal plants by the Niger Delta militants alongside poor management and administration are major impediments towards a sustainable electricity supply. The vandalisation of electric cables, transmission lines, poles and pylons by hoodlums is another setback while the existing power plants are grossly inadequate. According to Engr. Joseph Makoju, former Managing Director of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and now Special Adviser to the President on Electric Power, Nigeria needs to generate 104,000MW to effectively run the country and the current production is hovering around 3,000MW while about 375,000MW is needed to meet the 2500kWh per person global standard! To achieve constant power supply, there is the need to perfect power generation, distribution and transmission. The Niger Delta issue is a perennial one that can be solved when the Federal Government executes genuine developmental plans for the rich but impoverished region. Vandals should be adequately punished through the collaboration of the local communities and law enforcement agents. There should also be continued surveillance of PHCN installations and facilities by government security agents. Power projects currently under construction must be completed, put to good use and properly maintained. Also, it must be added that alternative energy sources like the sun, wind, photo electricity, coal and bio fuels contribute negligible portions to the national grid. Hydroelectricity, the major source of energy is subjected to rainfall patterns. Complementing hydroelectricity with alternative energy sources will go a long way in ensuring steady and cheap power supply and even generate foreign exchange through electricity export (like Canada, France and Bulgaria). Additional energy sources are necessary because the country cannot generate more than 15000MW even after the completion of ongoing power projects.

Also, it is ironical and shameful for Africa’s largest oil producer to be importing petrol. The refineries (Port Harcourt 1 & 2, Kaduna and Warri) have a combined installation capacity of 445,000 barrels per day and are supposed to be yielding about 18 million litres of fuel daily although the nation needs about 36 million litres of fuel daily. While the present government has revoked the privatisation of the refineries, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is yet to demonstrate its efficiency and administrative capability. It is seen that even when fully operational, the refineries cannot sustain local demand and the present operational capacity is below 40%. Thus, apart from an efficient NNPC management, there is the need to build more refineries, grant licenses to individuals, and curb oil bunkering and pipeline damage. Improved fuel refining and better management of the petrochemical industry will boost productivity in the textile industry which requires black oil (low pour fuel oil) to power heavy duty textile machines and the furniture, foam/adhesive manufacturing sub-sector which needs polyethylene granules as essential raw materials.

Furthermore, the education sector cries for urgent attention. Problems of inadequate learning and teaching facilities, low staff morale, incessant strikes, poor research development, examination malpractices, high student-teacher ratio, unqualified teaching staff, acute shortage of educational institutions, dismal budgetary allocation and implementation are obstacles beleaguering the sector. Education is the most important legacy that can be passed to any generation. Thus, it will be a great disservice to the present and future generations of this nation to inherit a dysfunctional educational system. Since the problems besetting the sector have been identified, the next step should be immediate action to remedy the situation. The government in partnership with the private sector should undertake intensive enterprises aimed at building new educational institutions, equipping them with state-of-the-art facilities, refurbishing old ones and outlining a feasible maintenance plan which will be strictly followed. The government should also use attractive remuneration/pension packages for educational staff to boost their morale and increase productivity. Sufficient funds, grants and subventions should be made available to institutions regularly (particularly the tertiary ones) to aid research development. Apart from this, the government should make it a point of duty to patronise the nation’s dons, adopt their research proposals and breakthroughs. Swifter prosecution should be made available for all devotees of examination malpractices and certificate forgery. Also, teachers’ institutes and colleges of education should be well-funded to enhance teacher quality. More teacher training institutions should be constructed to address teacher shortage. More importantly, the government should review budgetary allocation for education in order to meet the minimum 26% recommended by UNESCO. If all these are done, strikes will belong to the archives and the educational system will be every Nigerian’s pride.

Also, the health sector must be revived. In a nation where qualitative healthcare is a dream and killer diseases ravage the people, the need for a powerful revival is too apparent. Thus, to protect life’s ultimate gift –life itself, the government should reinforce the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), build primary healthcare centres nationwide, provide cheap and qualitative drugs by encouraging indigenous drug manufacturers and partnering with pharmaceutical giants, sponsor public health campaigns to battle ignorance and teach basic sanitary procedures (rural areas especially). Also, the transport sector needs attention. According the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), only 15% of the 34000km federal network is motorable. The Lagos-Benin-Ore Road, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Kaduna-Kano link road are sad reminders of this awful reality. The government should construct new roads, insist on quality, maintain all roads, and resurrect the railways. The sorry state of the railways puts unbearable pressure on the roads. Revamping the railways will reduce gory accidents and prolong the roads’ lives. But for all these to work, the agriculture sector must be reactivated. Loans, storage facilities, farm inputs, extension services and modern farm machinery should be provided for farmers. This is to ensure food security, reduce dependence on crude oil, generate foreign exchange and shrink unemployment.

Finally, Nigeria is a land of great promises and potentials. But to become a paradise on Earth, there is the pressing need to take decisive steps. According to a wise saying, it is good to be a child but it is bad to remain one.
We have to move forward.