The world moves on quickly; so quickly that attention is given only to those that matter in the international arena: that is, countries of consequence. Right now, we are not one of them.”
The quote above was the opening statement of a yet-to-be-published material I wrote some weeks ago. At the time, I was reflecting on the state of education in the country and how, in my assessment, I don’t think we understand the significance of quality and purposive education in realising our developmental priorities. So much has been written and proposed through the years but sadly, there is no sense of urgency in addressing systemic dysfunctionalities in this respect. I’ll dwell on the other related issues some other time.
Even though my focus today is on a different matter, I write this with a paradoxical mix of frustration and fervour. Like many, I want to see this country prosper and be reckoned with on the international scene, but I know this is only possible on account of the success we make of ourselves at home. There is a snag there. How can we project real power when we are still grappling with the most basic elements of governance? Charity begins at home, right? Nothing buttresses this point as much as the sweltering struggle to restore democratic order in the Sahel, and now Gabon, as well as the wide-ranging conversations that have trailed the recent BRICS summit.
There is a handwriting on the wall. And if there is any lesson to be learnt, it is this: the relevance any nation is accorded is strictly a function of its strides, be it technological, economic, military, or cultural. Again, this view can be situated within the current struggle to rebalance global power and the geopolitical alignments that have followed recent efforts, with some other countries playing lead roles in the unfolding drama that guarantees an interesting time in the days ahead.
What’s new? India landed on the moon – a historic moment for the world’s most populous country. And the feat was even more historic because it was a first. India became the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the south pole of the moon. I join in celebrating this feat by extending my warmest congratulations to the people of India and the scientific community for this remarkable adventure. The profundity of this news was made even richer in that while the news came in on August 23, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was busy rubbing minds with other leaders under the BRICS umbrella during their annual summit. This year’s was held in South Africa. There is no way this feat is an end; it only opened another new chapter in man’s quest to understand what is beyond space.
Why did India choose to go to the moon? Why did the country commit about $75 million to this particular adventure? What did India set out to prove? Why is going to the moon a big deal for any country in the 21st century? Well, I don’t think the trip is as important as what it demonstrates. India, in spite of its unique challenges, cannot be ignored on any count. To better appreciate the significance of this feat, we may consider a bit of the country’s journey to this present moment.
India has had a space programme since 1962 when Prime Minister Nehru set up the India National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) which morphed into Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The recent feat is therefore a momentous culmination of more than 60 years of dedication to a worthy ambition. By this alone, India has earned the bragging rights as one of only four countries that have successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon’s surface.
As I read up on some of the reactions to the historic feat, a few things came to mind. It was in 1962 that JFK expressed, in unmistakable terms that “we choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills…” The rest, of course, is history with the successful Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
The we-choose-to-go-the-moon speech would remain one of my all-time favourite of JFK’s because it underscores the impact that a leader’s vision and energy as well as the people’s belief can have on ambitions that nations decide to pursue. This is a mix clearly lacking in our country. In the time since JFK’s declaration, the world has made incredible progress in pushing the frontiers of scientific exploits. In the way we live, it is today’s questions that give birth to tomorrow’s solutions. New inventions spur ideas that birth even newer ones. The concept of disruptive innovation has become the language we speak. Nothing is ever the same for so long. We are constantly surprising ourselves with the realities of what’s possible. The smartphones in our hands are more advanced than any device made in the last 100 years; more sophisticated than the technology that shot man to the moon over half a century ago.
Coming back home: India’s recent success has caused me to ask some questions of our country. Where is Nigeria in all these? For now, I’ll also ask: Will Nigeria go to the moon in this decade? Would we consider going to the moon as an ambition strong enough to “organise and measure the best of our energies and skills.” In the past week, I became somewhat interested in our space research endeavours back home. I am clearly not an expert on space affairs but I went online to read up a few things. I also checked social media. A brief comparison of the social media presence of our National Space Research and Development Agency (NASDRA) and ISRO already says a lot. Bothering to review the substance of the outputs of both agencies is unnecessary. We can come back another few years from now to do that.
I believe NASDRA has significant value to contribute, if properly funded and led by an exceptional class of brilliant Nigerians who know what they are doing. But for some reason, I can’t shake off the thought that it was just another agency that was set up because the idea of space research was fashionable at the time. I am convinced that what we did was simply to join a bandwagon. If everyone else is setting up a space research agency, why not us? But it is more than that. NASDRA, like many other agencies, is a victim of the dysfunctionalities that have become part of our institutional character. What would it mean for Nigeria to send men to the moon? What would mean for Nigeria to build a space shuttle built by mostly Nigerian engineers? What would such a feat be signalling to the world?
It is not likely that we will go to the moon in this decade or in the next. For those who can read between the lines, you would appreciate that this piece is not exactly about going to the moon. It is more about the need for us to get our acts together. This country has so much promise that we just can’t go on thinking that our actions don’t have enduring consequences. The exemplary strides we make are the credentials with which we can claim leadership on this continent and in the world. If we can’t go to the moon just yet, let us at least have a sense of direction. Let us build a nation where good governance is not an alien concept.
