SIR: History shows that politicians do not readily build nations. Kings ruled European nations for almost 2000 years. European nations were hungry and chaotic societies till the Western industrialization which began in England 1770-1850.
Also Asian nations were hungry and chaotic nations ruled by kings before they became industrialized. China was described as a hungry and sleeping giant for almost 3000 years till its accelerated industrialization began in 1949. European and Asian kings ruled 2000-3000 years till their nations experience bloody revolutions, suggesting that politicians do not change for the better.
Africans should not fall for the lies, deceit and tricks of executive presidents, executive governors and representatives ruling like European and Asian kings, anymore. Life in Nigeria emphasizing politics has been increasingly poorer and chaotic. Let us not wait for a more chaotic and bloody revolution and total failure of our nation, Nigeria. Our parliamentary/presidential experiments have failed. Nigeria needs is a humbler government that would promote rapid economic development.
The trouble with Western education is that it does not teach the lessons of history. It therefore makes those who possess it look foolish in many situations. The British parliamentary system has evolved for over 1000 years. Also, the American presidential system has evolved for over 300 years. The poorly educated Western intelligentsia/intellectual and his African student would think that Western nations were born great and that Africa can decree Western types of government into being and make them work well in Africa. Consequently, Africa has been attempting International Political Transfer (IPT) like it has been unwisely trying to develop technology through International Technology Transfer (ITT). They are wrong.
America, Canada, Germany and India are some of the federal and democratic systems cited frequently as those working well. Of these, India is the oldest, least stable and poorest.
America is probably the most stable because of its economic strength. Technology built America and made it a world power in a few centuries. In 1783, the United States having survived the Revolutionary War (the War of Independence 1775-1783), took its place among the free nations. Its future was assessed by Fredrick the Great of Russia, who dismissed it as a mere temporary freak. It would disintegrate; it would not exist for a long time he said, because it was too large (Bulletin of Science and Technology & Society, 1984). The nation was over 800,000 square miles in area, four times as large as France, and had a population slightly more than three million squeezed into the Atlantic coast. Except for certain areas along the coasts, America was a trackless wilderness. The problem was increased in 1803 with the purchase of the territory of Louisiana, another wilderness. The purchase doubled America’s size to over 1.7 million square miles – an area almost as large as all Europe outside Russia.
When the American Civil War began in 1861 the prediction of Fredrick the Great met its ultimate test. It was technology that saved the Union. Were it not for the North’s industrial and technological superiority, the South would not have been beaten, and the Union would have fallen apart. Technology built America and proved Fredrick the Great of Russia wrong (Bulletin of Science and Technology & Society, 1984).
What is the alternative for Nigeria? Nigeria only has political machines and conspiracies which have no desire or knowledge for transforming Nigeria into a great nation. The present geo-political zones, our largest communities, should be made a federating (learning) level. Nigeria should adopt five federating(learning)-levels federation: Central, geo-political zones, states, local governments and cities (mayoral) governments, for more intensive learning experience and better coordination. Zonal federal leaders should be elected in the zones (communities). The election should be a simple one about the individual within the geo-political zones. The six zonal federal leaders so elected will come together to form the committee-type federal/central government. Each zonal leader would head the central government for two years. The federal government election should hold once in 12 years. Similar elections should be held in the other four federating levels (zones, states, local governments, mayoral).
The second main part of the alternative is the management of the economy. This should become the top-priority. All Nigerians would be mobilized for learning (education, training, employment and research) and industrialisation. Nigeria would achieve industrialisation in a few decades.
- Francis Ogbimi
fogbimi@yahoo.com