The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria

  • Nigeria will still be great

    I  congratulate Nigerians on the 53rd anniversary of our nation’s independence. But as we celebrate, we must also take time to reflect on the state of the nation. The Nigerian project is a bold experiment in nation-building. It is an experiment that has proved to be a challenging undertaking. But, for me, building Nigeria is an experiment that is well worth the attempt.

    At independence, on this day in 1960, Nigeria was a country full of high hopes, and good prospects, with its diverse peoples filled with aspirations. But somewhere along the line, we got it fundamentally wrong, with the consequences that, today, 53 years on, we are still struggling to get the basics right. The country is faced with tough difficulties and mortal dangers on multiple fronts. Our efforts at nation-building are being affronted by manifold crises of under-development – bad governance; poor planning; industrial collapse; decay of basic infrastructure; socio-economic backwardness; political instability; insecurity; widespread poverty; social, ethnic and religious tension; high incidence of crime and criminality; and terrorism among many other woes.

    These are undeniably serious setbacks to our development march; but they do not amount to any permanent incapacity for us not to move forward. Indeed, setbacks are necessary but temporary impediments along the path to progress. Therefore, I am at one with American entrepreneur, Les Brown, who counselled that: ‘Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment. Put your head down and plow ahead’. Hence, I remain convinced that the Nigerian project is a viable one. And I am optimistic that we may yet get it right as a country; and convert our much vaunted great potentials into actual benefits for our people. All we need is sound leadership and good governance.

    Indeed, our story on the independence path has not been doom and gloom only; it is also strewn with bright patches and shades of greatness. We have had sporting glories, a Nobel Prize in literature, representation in the top universities in the world and a Nigerian got in the Forbes 100 top list. For the most part, we groan so much at the cup being three quarter empty that we forgot it’s also one quarter full.

    As someone in leadership position, I set my sight firmly on the promises the future holds and the opportunities that our great country can offer. My aspirations are for Nigeria to be able to overcome its development challenges, and to become one of the top 10 economies in the world in the shortest time possible. But we need to work towards achieving these goals. As a matter of urgency, we must shift our economic paradigm from sole dependence on oil towards productive diversification. Agriculture is a viable alternative here. We must develop our agriculture towards achieving food security. We must give primacy to food production as a strategic national imperative, for it is a sure basis for sustainable economic development.

    Indeed, pursuing food security as a strategic value goes beyond merely feeding the people. Food security is a core pillar of national security. No nation can have genuine national security without food security. Therefore, if we make food security the driving force of our agricultural development, the accompanying spin-offs it will generate can only add greater value to our overall economic development efforts.

    My conviction about agriculture as a viable solution to our unemployment problem lay in the fact that, an agricultural economy that is grounded in food production cannot fail. People can give up luxury items if occasion demands it. But for as long as we remain human, we will eat; food is a biological necessity! Luxury item are a matter of choice. People for instance can very easily forgo chocolate; but it would be hard to imagine them forgoing staple food like rice or potato. Food security is an essential condition for national security.

    Related to this is the need to gainfully and meaningfully engage our youths by creating jobs and employment opportunities. Our present chronic youth unemployment situation is a potential source of social explosion. There is profound wisdom in productively engaging our youths. Young people are some of society’s greatest assets; but they can also be a major source of its problem. In Nigeria, youths constitute the bulk of our productive population, and that bulk is overwhelmingly unemployed! In other words, we have a potentially advantageous youth bulge in our population, which could also be turned into a bug by prolonged lack of employment.

    Young people are energetic, talented, innovative, aspirational, and daring. These are good qualities for economic enterprise. We only need to be creative to harness them for the rapid socio-economic transformation of our country. Again, agriculture presents enormous possibilities in this regard. Our huge population offers immense opportunities as a market, and for massive job creation, that can absorb our teeming unemployed youths, and help in eradicating poverty.

    Another area of great promise is information and communications technology. ICT also offers enormous possibilities for creating jobs and for meaningfully engaging our youths. After all, ICT is a field that is not only a product of innovation, it is driven by human creativity. Innovation and creativity are an area of strength for young people. They will have their imagination taxed and their minds energised. It can help focus the vibrant energies of our youths on positive development. In addition, it is a fertile area of almost infinite possibilities where the only limitation is the human imagination. Again, all we need do is to get our acts together; think and organise so that we can make the most of the opportunities available to us.

    Essential to modern life and any economic endeavour is power, but this is an area in which the nation has been badly struggling. The circa 4,000mw the nation produces is a huge joke. This, when the economy is in full throttle, cannot even serve the Ikeja business district. Admittedly there have been great efforts at addressing the problem but they have amounted to little. This is the time to discard the old approach and tackle the problem of power squarely. We must be jolted by the realisation that without sufficient electric power, all other efforts will come to nought.

    I am not trying to make light of the formidable challenges involved in making a success of the Nigerian project; my point is that the difficulties are not an excuse for failure. In fact, they are a compelling reason for us to try to overcome them. I am an unflinching believer in the assertion of George Bernard Shaw that ‘[t]he only real failure in life is the failure to try’. It is in our utmost interest not to fail to try. Success is only born of trying, and I am in no doubt at all that if we genuinely keep trying, we shall surely overcome.

    October 1st of every year offers us the opportunity to review the journey of nationhood and to come to the awareness that just as we have the prospect of greatness, so also are we faced with the grim possibility of tipping over the brink; the probability of outcomes now depends on the choices that we make. It is my fervent hope and prayer, however, that we will always make the right choices and realise our greatest potential.

    Once again, I congratulate us all and wish us happy independence celebrations.

     

    • Aregbesola is Governor of the State of Osun

     

  • ‘Nigeria will overcome challenges’

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday called on Nigerians to continue to pray for the nation.

    He noted that despite the present challenges, the country remains on the course to greatness.

    Ekweremadu made the call in an Independence Anniversary message to Nigerians.

    He said: “We have no doubt faced challenges living up to the promises we held at independence; we have had missed opportunities, but we are also overcoming our challenges.

    “I call on all Nigerians to join the present crusade to re-invent and transform Nigeria.

    “In this wise, I urge hope, courage, perseverance, prayers, reconciliation, peaceful-coexistence, and patriotic fervour to build the Nigeria of our dreams as no one else would do that for us.”

     

     

     

     

  • Independence anniversary: Russia congratulates Nigeria

    Independence anniversary: Russia congratulates Nigeria

    Russia has congratulated Nigeria on its 53rd independence anniversary, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

    The felicitation is contained in a message sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin to President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday.
    A statement issued by the Russian Embassy in Abuja quoted Putin as saying: “please accept my sincere congratulation on the occasion of your country’s Independence Day.
    “I am confident that the relations between Russia and Nigeria, based on the principle of friendship and mutual respect, will keep on developing actively in all directions.
    “I wish you good health, happiness and success, and I wish the people of Nigeria peace and prosperity.”
  • Is Nigeria still giant of Africa?

    Is Nigeria still giant of Africa?

     Nigeria celebrates her 53rd independence anniversary tomorrow.  Can  the self-styled giant of Africa really claim this title?

    It is an appellation Nigeria has worn with pride. Political leaders, diplomats and commentators have over the years described Nigeria as the “giant of Africa”. Its size is intimidating. Its population surpasses other sub-Saharan African countries combined. The people are talented, creative and immensely productive. Nigeria is also blessed with an abundance of natural resources.

    But that seems to be the end of the story. Over the years, the country has failed to convert these potentials to real advantage. Thus, local and foreign analysts have described the country as, either the ‘sleeping giant’ or “former giant” of Africa.

     

    Deceptive appellation

     

    Political scientists say, given the present realities, Nigeria cannot lay claim to being the giant of Africa. They argue that, notwithstanding the availability of opportunities, which could have been explored to establish the country firmly as the leader of the African continent, successive leaders have woefully failed to leverage on those opportunities.

    Former Information Minister Prof. Sam Oyovbaire said, based on some indices, Nigeria could claim to be the giant of Africa. But the reality of the 21st century, that claim can be disputed.

    “Certain indices, such as population, size and, in recent time, natural resources of the nation, if considered, we can talk about being a giant of Africa. But, if you use other indices, such as the level of poverty, the growth rate of the economy, the number of children that are in school or that are out of school, the quality of healthcare delivery, and other basic things of life, like the provision of water, stable power supply, accommodation and many other things, then, I can tell you that Nigeria is not a giant like as a country, say like South Africa.

    The political scientist said appellations could be deceptive, adding that “the reality in Nigeria is that we are yet to arrive at that stage where we can legitimately claim to be the giant of Africa.”

    Oyovbaire said that the genesis of the tag could be traced to Nigerians’ penchant for titles, which make them feel big or important. He however, hopes that in the future, if the right things are done, Nigeria can become the giant of Africa.

    “I really don’t think we are giants, in terms of contemporary realities. But in terms of futuristic potential, oh yes; but then, there is also the problem of commitment to ensuring that these things come to be. We have failed in the aspect of the critical value that leadershProf Sam Ibodje of the Department of Political Science, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, agreed with his colleague. He said the appellation was wrongly acquired.

    The poliltical scholar argued that certain criteria must be used to assess Nigeria before describing it as “the giant.”

    “To talk about an individual being a giant, for instance, in a comity of individuals, there must be certain criteria to be used. In the case of a country, those criteria could be in terms of the size of population, the strength of the economy, the level of political stability and the role that the country is playing in the international community.

    “The truth is that you can be a giant by population, by size and by natural resources. Yet, you can be a sleeping giant. If you consider the case of Nigeria, by size, it is a giant, by population it is a giant, by natural resources it is a giant. But, unfortunately, I have to agree with people who described the country as a sleeping giant as we are not wielding the necessary influence in the comity of nations”, he said.

    The Executive Secretary, ‘Never Again Group’, Mallam Moyo Jaji, said if Nigeria is the giant of Africa, then, it must be a giant with clay feet.

    “I dont think we can continue to arrogate to ourselves, the appellation of being the giant of Africa. What are we going to celebrate on Tuesday? Independence or dependence? An economy that is generator driven, a nation mired in insecurity, a country with waning influence, that cannot tame Boko Haram, and with high incidence of kidnapping for ransom, with high poverty rate and with high maternal mortality rate. A country with dilapidated infrastructure and afflicted with the scourge of corruption. No, were are not the giant of Africa. If we are, then it is with clay feet”.

    However, Prof Elochukwu Amucheazi of the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) disagreed with the notion that Nigeria no longer merits appellation. He argued that, all things considered, Nigeria can rightly lay claim to it.

    “Who is a giant? Does Nigeria not have the features of a giant? The size is there. The population is there. The natural resources are there. We are blessed with abundant human resources that is very enterprising. We have played prominent roles in bringing stability to other countries in Africa, even helping some to gain independence. So, what exactly are we talkining about? From all indications, Nigeria is the giant of Africa. How many other countries have played the roles Nigeria has played across the continent? Is it easy to keep over 350 ethnic nationalities together? We must commend where it is necessary”, he said.

     

    Failure of leadership and followership

     

    Many have blamed poor leadership and followership for the country’s woes.

    Prof Ibodje said, everybody must take the blame. He said that, Nigeria is populated, not by those who see themselves as citizens, but those whom he called “people”. He argued that while citizens in any country will always strive for the good of the country and its development, ‘people’ will always go after what they can get out of the system by plundering the resources that ought to have been used to develop the country.

    “While citizens use the natural resources in the country to build and seek its growth and development, people actually predate on the available resources and deny the country the opportunity to grow as a result of their activities.

    “Once you act like a predator on the resources of your country, which are meant to develop the country, you are not a citizen but just a person. So, Nigeria has people but not citizens. Let me emphasis that citizens are committed to rendering selfless services to their country to ensure that there is growth and development in the country. And in fact, they do not care whether they are going to be beneficiaries of such contributions or not.

    “Their main purpose is to see their father land play prominent roles in the comity of nations as a result of the growth and development that has taken place in it. And that is what is lacking in Nigeria.

    Oyovbaire blamed poor leadership. But he did not restrict it to any particular individual. He called it a ‘generation of leadership’.

    “Without doubt, I think our leaders should be held responsible. But I will not say it is this particular person or that. It is a failure of a generation of leadership. Either before, during or after military interventions in the affairs of Nigeria, its leadership should be held responsible for not fully giving fillip to the opportunities that come the way of Nigeria to be indeed, the giant of Nigeria,” he said.

     

    Other challenges

     

    Besides the ‘home made woes’, there are also external challenges from neighbouring countries, who are frantically trying to challenge the claim to such a claim. Recent developments in neighboring African countries, indirectly but without doubt pose very big challenge to the status of Nigeria as a role model to other African countries, particularly, the West African region.

    As an example, it is a known fact that Nigeria has been struggling to conduct credible elections since the return to democratic rule in 1999. It is on record that there is no election in the country that has not been controversial or disputed. But when Ghana conducted presidential and parliamentary elections, it was immediately hailed by the international community as a model for Africa.

    Ghanaians went through three rigorous rounds of voting, which resulted in the opposition’s victory and the transfer of power from one government to another without a single loss of life. But, the 2011 presidential election in Nigeria, though considered fairly better than the previous ones, resulted in high scale violence in the North. Many people lost their lives, including ad-hoc staffs of the electoral umpire, who were youth corps member.

    What about the inability of Nigeria to properly manage its natural resources, especially crude? Investors in this critical sector are shifting attention to Angola and Ghana. People point to the comatose nature of the refineries in the country and the continued dependence on importation of refined product for domestic use as a minus.

    The failure of the authorities to fix the energy sector, which people say is jinxed, is another sore point. Though efforts are being made to address it. While South Africa, Egypt, Ghana and other Africa countries can boast of adequate and uninterrupted power supply, Nigeria can only generate between 2,500 to 3,000Mw of electricity as at today.

    As Nigeria celebrates her 53rd independence anniversary tomorrow, the question many will continue to ask is when will Nigeria truly live up to the appellation of being the ‘giant of Africa’?

     examines the challenges facing the country.

  • PDP crisis: APC chieftain urges prayer for Nigeria

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osaro Ize-Omoregie, has called on Nigerians to pray fervently for the present crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party not to lead Nigeria to a state of total breakdown.

    Odaro said Nigerians should not expect change of fortunes or miracles when the ruling party is in turbulence and serious crisis.

    The APC chieftain said in a chat that internal party crisis was a historical features of the PDP, which made many of its members to leave. He predicted that more members would leave the party.

    According to him, “You cannot continue to manipulate elections and people and think that the status quo would remain. PDP is a party of crisis and it is not healthy for our national development. The essence of holding political office is for concentration on the development of the society.

    “This is the only country where you see people in government going abroad for treatment and it will be well announced. If the PDP had gotten it right, by now, we should have 21st century hospitals. All these are indices of lack of concentration and focus which PDP crisis has thrown on the Nigerian state. The best thing is to vote PDP out and get new people to take Nigeria to Eldorado.”

    On those jostling to succeed Governor Adams Oshiomhole in 2016, Odaro urged the aspirants to check their historical backgrounds and conduct personal appraisal to determine whether they can continue where Oshiomhole stops.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Nigeria, South Africa forge copyright ties

    Nigeria, South Africa forge copyright ties

    COPYRIGHT Society of Nigeria (COSON) has reached an agreement with Southern Africa Music Rights Organization (SAMRO), the continent’s oldest collective management organization on how best to boost revenue from African music around the world.

    A statement from COSON indicated that the agreement stemmed from a visit by SAMRO’s CEO, Mr. Sipho Dlamini to the COSON Corporate Headquarters in Lagos recently.

    Chairman of COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji, said that SAMRO and COSON were in a unique position because of the size of the economies they represent, hence the need to work together to inspire the rest of the continent.

    During the meeting, COSON and SAMRO agreed to explore the sharing of common database technology to ensure more efficient documentation and monitoring of the use of the music in the repertoire of both organizations across the world and the proper collection and distribution of royalties due to their members.

    The discussions in Lagos were joined via teleconferencing by the CEO of Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK), Mr. Maurice Okoth whose organization has also pledged to work with SAMRO and COSON on the agreed project.

    Okoroji said the agreement by three of Africa’s most acclaimed CMOs to work together is expected to result in the increased value of African music and increased return to African music right owners across the world.

  • ‘Nigeria has prospects for investors’

    ‘Nigeria has prospects for investors’

    Why is Nigeria an attractive destination for foreign investors?

    It is all about demographics!

    We are a nation of 170 million people with a very high proportion of people between the ages of 15, 16 and 25, and that bulge of people is going to grow. Young people are generally very trendy and it is therefore a huge market that retailers should court as buyers when they are young and hopefully retain then as they grow older. The economy is growing exponentially and it will remain an enticing prospect for potential investors for years to come.

    The past few years have seen the rise of modern shopping malls in Nigeria, especially in the country’s commercial hub, Lagos. Why is it so?

    It is just a natural progression from what has always been a way of life for the average Nigerian. It’s a bit more formal now; more modern but with not much difference.

    Nigerians travel a lot and buy a lot. There was an article in one of the British newspapers very recently that says that Nigerians are actually the biggest spenders on the high street in the United Kingdom. To me, it’s just a logical thing that Nigerians would end up having their own shopping malls.

    The potential buying power of Nigeria is recognised by the outside world; there is a lot of wealth here and there is therefore a market here.

    There have been huge barriers to trade in the past, however, since the lifting of some of the trade bans in 2011, trade in several items has been booming.

    How do you secure the right tenant mix for a mall?

    Basically, there is a science to achieving the correct tenant mix in shopping centres and one only needs to compare a shopping mall that has been let and leased by Broll, who understand the science of retail, with one that has been let and leased by another. Without the right tenant placement, tenant mix, the proper use of an anchor and what an anchor does to bring the right mix, a mall will eventually fail.

    Some of the questions we consider are: how do people buy? What do people want? In what order do people buy? Who are the impulse buyers? Who are those who go straight to the destination? How do the children drive it? What is in the mind of people who are going shopping? You have to understand all of these and then you can decide to place the tenants where they would complement the other. This is why if you look at places, such as The Palms, Ikeja City Mall, the Grand Towers Abuja Mall, Polo Park, Kwara Mall or Ceddi Plaza, you see excellent service delivery in all areas.

    How do you determine a suitable interior design for a particular mall?

    As an architect, I advise on what will work, what will not, and what is generally easy to maintain. Shop owners do their own interior designs to suit their taste; however the common areas in the mall should not distract the buyer. Generally speaking, common areas whilst aesthetically pleasing , should be constructed with simple finishes for easy maintenance and to avoid distractions.

    Is online shopping giving th emall owners a problem?

    Online shopping can never take the place of shopping malls and when people say otherwise to me, I disagree. Many people want to sample products first-hand; a feature that is not available online. For example, women may want to find out if a dress suits them. In addition, you cannot tell the quality of the material used online. That said, whilst some may prefer to buy online, (as it can be a less stressful experience) there will always be a place for the high street store, and a place for the malls. In that regard therefore, the wise retailer will use the malls and online shopping side by side.

    What are you doing differently from big departmental stores like Leventis and UTC that have existed before now?

    This is the time for malls. The truth is that there are still many big departmental stores – maybe not in Nigeria, but certainly in other parts of the world like the United Kingdom, the US and the Middle East – and it is often these big departmental stores that are the anchor tenants in major shopping malls today.

    How have you encouraged e-payment in malls?

    In the first instance, for effective e-payment, one needs to have stable, uninterrupted electricity. In reality, many retailers and shoppers would prefer to shop with credit or debit cards. Shoppers with bank accounts can just go with just their cards and it is also safer as one is not carrying around loads of money. However, we have had instances where people have filled their trolleys in places like Shoprite and then the POS terminal is not working. They then go to the ATM machines in the mall to find long queues and sometimes this has led to them leaving their shopping. It’s all about ensuring we have the necessary infrastructure to support a cashless society.

    Would you say you have put Nigeria retail market on the platform since the existence of these malls?

    The truth is that before Broll came, there were no formal retail malls in the Nigerian market. What Broll has done is that it has brought with it processes and procedures from South Africa, and refined those processes and procedures to suit Nigeria. The fact that all my staff members, are indigenes of Nigeria means that Broll has an understanding of the way Nigerians think, and we factor that understanding into the system and the running of these malls. What we do now is give a peculiar offering to the Nigeria people. I can tell you that those who have gone away and want to do it on their own have often come back to Broll; this is because they know that we have good procedures. We operate a number of impressive world class malls like The Palms, Ikeja City Mall, Ceddi Plaza, Polo Park, Kwara Mall and Grand Towers Abuja Mall. We are also working with owners on, the upcoming Ado Bayero Mall in Kano, the Festival Mall in FESTAC, the Jabi Lake Mall in Abuja and the Delta Mall in Warri, (to name just a few). What people need to understand is that a company like Broll is very passionate about Nigeria. This is our country; if we don’t make it grow, nobody will come and make it grow for us. We have to look round and see what is going to add value to our own lives.

    How do you intend to accommodate small retailers who are restricted by the rent in malls?

    Unfortunately, to a large extent, this is the way the world is going. To some extent, smaller shops are going to have to look for strategies to cope somehow. Perhaps small retailers can look at their merchandise to see what they can do differently. Retailers will always have to keep moving with the time.

    Where do you see the industry few years from now with more investors coming into the country?

    It is difficult to determine because of some of the barriers I mentioned earlier, and this is where I raise a note of caution. It is not that there are no investors that would like to come in. It is not that there are no retailers that would like to do this. It is not that there are no people who want to be involved in this and to create wealth for this country, but the government needs to ensure that there is an enabling environment, beginning with the local government.

    Looking at the potential for Nigeria in five years’ time, we could have reached the stars. I say this genuinely because when you talk to the ordinary man on the street, there is the willingness to do something. I deal with a lot of international people coming to do business. They go to other West African countries and whilst they accept that doing business there is a lot easier than in Nigeria, they claim that there is a vibrancy and energy about Nigeria that makes them all want to do business here. And then the infamous ‘Nigerian factor’ kicks in! We have to get rid of it. We cannot wait any longer. It is why we are in recession even though many do not accept that fact.

    How would you rate these malls?

    The best, A-Grade Malls are the ones that are let, leased and/or run by Broll and then there are the others.

    Is there potential for more malls in Nigeria and the rest of the continent?

    Yes and no. While Nigeria has the population to support more malls, there are many barriers and one of the biggest barriers is access to the right amount of land in the right location.

    Other barriers include the costs involved with projects like this; often leading to rentals that many retailers cannot afford.

    There is the desire though for malls like the ones we have currently. In 2006 when The Palms opened, there were trade bans in place. In 2011, when some of those trade bans were lifted, we now have international tenants, like Hugo Boss, Mango, Levis, Nike, Wranglers and many more.

    How would you describe the demand from retailers to have a presence in one of your modern facilities?

    The demand is high; we have people coming all the time.

    What are the requirements these malls must meet?

    The design of a mall is very important. The design should meet international building regulations’ standards. Ideally they should cater to all levels of ambulant and visual ability, and they must cater for children

    In addition, a mall has to be easy and cheap to maintain, as the costs of maintaining the building will be for the tenants of the building. Often in Nigeria, we do not think of life-cycle costing and too often therefore, our buildings end up difficult and costly to maintain.

  • The next century of Nigeria -1

    One of the reasons for the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 was the economic complementarity of the two British protectorates of northern and southern Nigeria. In other words, it was an economic union but it is not certain that Sir Fredrick Lugard who was behind the amalgamation was prescient enough to hope that economic integration will lead to political integration. In fact, he tried to preserve the political, social and cultural dichotomies of the two regions of Nigeria as he met them. He did try to import indirect rule into the south-western part of the country with its strong indigenous monarchies which he wrongly equated with the northern emirate system and where there were no chiefs in the largely acephalous south-eastern part of Nigeria, he gave warrants to any strong man he could find in the society to become chiefs . This import of the northern emirate system into the south did not always work out. In fact evidence exists to suggest that it led to disaffection and revolt against the colonial government and its surrogates in the south.

    At an official level, the colonial administration tried to separate people of the south and the north with the effect that southerners living in the northern part of Nigeria lived in the strangers’ quarters or outskirts of towns appropriately named Sabon Garis (new towns). The same thing happened to northern Nigerians living in southern Nigerian towns. So there developed segregated townships, one for native and indigenous inhabitants and the other for their fellow countrymen and women coming from outside the regions. The two local administrations were also separated; the northern part of the country until the 1940s was ruled by orders-in-council, meaning by the colonial officials in collaboration with the Emirs while there was an element of democratisation in the south beginning from 1923 when elections were held in Lagos and Calabar to choose educated Nigerians into the legislative council of Nigeria in which the representatives of the north were largely colonial officials. It was not until 1946 that attempts were made to bring the north into the mainstream of Nigerian politics and by this time, the sense of nationalism even though found in the south and in some pockets among educated northerners particularly teachers was not felt in the entire country. The effect of this was that it was easy for the British colonial officials to persuade the northern leadership of imaginary threat from their southern counterparts which led to a comment by a critical colonial official who said that if somehow Nigerians had disappeared from Nigeria even as late as the 1940s, civil war would have broken out between the British officials in the north and the British officials in the south.

    The point to note is that by the 1950s, Nigerians themselves inherited the prejudice harboured by the British colonial officials in the north and in the south. The result was that when political parties were formed in the 50s, the Jamiyar Mutanen Arewa (JMA) which metamorphosed into the NPC (Northern Peoples Congress) and the Action Group which developed from the Egbe Omo Oduduwa in the South-west were regional parties formed to challenge the nationalist pretension of the NCNC (National Convention of Nigeria and the Cameroons) formed as far back as 1944 as a mass movement and was later to change its name to the National Council of Nigerian Citizens. There was no national party that cut across all the various ethnic groups. This shows to a certain extent that amalgamation did not lead to political integration of the country and the seeds of separation and dichotomy that was sown in 1914 has germinated and grown into a strong tree.

    Nigeria has witnessed series of ups and downs including a civil war and ethnic, religious and fratricidal conflict in some parts of our country in which people of different ethnic groups have found it necessary to kill one another in order to assert and preserve their identities and hold on to indigenous rights and land. The military since their intervention in government in 1966 had tried very hard to restructure the country in such a way as to minimise this regional fissiparous tendencies in the country by dividing the country into several smaller states for ease of administration and development. But it is a moot question whether the sense of separate ethnic identity among Nigerian peoples have been minimised. In fact some have suggested that the military itself as a way of control found it convenient to encourage this sense of separate ethnic identity among Nigerians. After the end of military rule, the politicians have not helped matters because they too have not been able to form country wide political associations rooted in national ideology. The fact is that most political parties in Nigeria seem to be agglomerations or associations of people formed largely for sharing what is euphemistically referred to as the national cake. The result is that Nigerian politics is about sharing rather than baking the national cake and this sharing is done along ethnic lines and those shut out of the sharing usually feel left out to the point of eagerness to bring down the whole national architecture on everybody’s heads. While this is going on, the task of creating necessary infrastructure on which to build a virile nation and an industrial economy that would provide jobs for the teeming youthful population has been abandoned. It seems every successive government becomes more and more corrupt, inefficient and inept than the previous ones. This is therefore not a good augury for the future.

  • Nigeria: Correct diagnosis

    Nigeria: Correct diagnosis

    Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State is a son to me. But as I sit here reading the Fawehinmi Memorial Speech which he delivered in Lagos some time ago, I am not just a father proud of a worthy son, I am also a grateful Nigerian – an old Nigerian grateful to a prominent young Nigerian for his very helpful perception of the daunting ills of our country.

    His diagnosis departs bravely from the type that we Nigerians are used to hearing from our leaders. He dares to pin-point Nigeria’s central disease. He dares to expose the baselessly romantic picture that a lot of Nigerians habitually paint about our country. And he dares to point out the only viable path to making our country orderly, harmonious and successful.

    Very many prominent Nigerians prefer to avoid telling the truth about our country. Some of these, out of fear of losing their shares in Nigeria’s oil wealth, or out of a desire to keep the power and loot which they already hold, make a habit, as the Bible says, of calling evil good and black white. You will hear them often using the word “great” for Nigeria. But they are not being truthful.

    I suggest that if you want to assess whether your country is great, you should perform this exercise. Sit back, select any year in the past (make it as far back as you can remember), and visualize various things in Nigeria’s life as they were by that date and as they are today: the local primary school near your house; the state hospital nearest to you; the quality of education you could expect your child to get at school or university then and now; the chances of your graduate son or daughter getting a job then and now; if you are a citizen of the Western Region and you knew Obafemi Awolowo University campus then, how does its condition then compare with what it is today; the quality of safety and security in your street, your town, your state, your country, then and now; your access to electricity then and now; if your town had water supply then, the condition of it then and now; if your life involves travelling long distances in your country, the condition and safety of the highways then and now; the level of your confidence in your local government, state government, federal government, Police Force, the Nigerian military, your government’s Civil Service, then and now; your chances of being financially comfortable then and now; etc, etc.

    The answers you are most likely to get from this exercise cannot possibly sustain the statement that our country is “great”. On the contrary, Nigeria is a country that is squeezing and crushing its citizens more and more, day by day. For any country, that is not a definition of greatness.

    In his Fawehinmi Memorial Lecture, Governor Kayode Fayemi dared to say those things as they really are. And as for the inevitable consequences, he summed them up as follows:

    “We have witnessed the rise and resurgence of ethnic and religious militia, communities and groups who have taken up arms against each other and the state, the privatization and erosion of the state towards narrow gains and selfish interests, the lack of subscription of diverse peoples and groups to a common mythology or purpose, the desertion of the state, and a host of other indices that reveal the essentially problematic nature of citizenship in the country”. All of these and more, he added, have tended gradually to lead towards the implosion of the British experiment that is Nigeria.

    He then expertly put his finger on the fundamental roots of Nigeria’s malaise. Our country is a country of many different nations and cultures – “the British brought together ethnic nationalities that were autonomous political, cultural and economic units” and governed them without proper attention to their obvious differences. As our country was handed to us at independence, it was “foreign in its conception and organization”, and it bore the destructive cancer of the imbalances which the British had deliberately inculcated into the scheme of Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914 and after. All these resulted in serious “fault lines and fissures”. Consequently, as soon as the British departed, the elite classes of the different nationalities embarked on “competition for political and economic advantages in the attempt to govern and control the resources of the state”.These brutal and often murky rivalries resulted in the consequence that there was gradually imposed on our federation a structure that cannot possibly produce anything but conflict and failure. Ultimately, therefore, the heart of the Nigerian problem is the “National Question”.

    Let me explain the National Question. Each nationality in Nigeria, large or small, is an organism that has evolved gradually over thousands of years. Each has its own territory, life, history, and ambitions.It is laughably unrealistic for any Nigerian to think that any Nigerian nationality can be suppressed for the sake of building Nigeria, or that his own nationality can possibly “dominate” Nigeria indefinitely, or to ask that Nigerians should junk their ethnic identities for a Nigerian identity, or to think (as some Igbo folks do) that, because we are all now Nigerians, their own nation is welcome to grab any part of the patrimony of any other nation. In the modern history of the world, no two nations belonging to the same country have been as close and interwoven as the English and the Scotts who have been in Britain together for about 600 years. And now the Scotts are preparing to quit Britain and establish an independent Scotland of their own. That is the way the human world operates. How many multi-nation countries or empires of the past still exist today? No nationality that is now part of Nigeria can give up the possibility or thought of one day having a separate country of its own and determining its own destiny. Asking any of these nationalities to agree to die for the sake of Nigeria is an exercise in folly and futility. As for Nigeria as it is today, no matter how much it is loved and desired by some of us, it will come to an end – as some of the nationalities now in it take their exit. There is nothing unknown or evil in that. The immaturity that makes us rush for guns at the mention of the word “secession” will pass away.

    Therefore, the key to the Nigerian problem is to find, together for now, a sensible and harmonious pattern of relationships, or structure, for our federation. At independence, we had a federal structure that was fairly right. We ought to have built on, and refined, that. Instead, some powerful ones among us proceeded to erode and brutalize it – until now we have a chaotic unitary mess. All in all, rather than roll out the drums to celebrate the centenary of the 1914 Amalgamation, we should call out Nigerians to put heads together to find the path forward to Nigeria’s stability.

    “The question of the national structure is the central issue that will not go away”, Kayode Fayemi says very correctly. This young man’s perspicacity is drawing much attention to him and a huge amount of support to the party of which he is one of the intellectual leaders.

  • Which way Nigeria?

    Nigeria, a melting pot of many languages and people of diverse cultures, is well known among the comity of nations. This is due to the abundance crude oil and other natural resources beneath its soil; its population size and talent in sporting event. With all these qualities and values, development remains elusive in the country.

    There are different opinions on the cause of the nation’s inability to develop. The country has been experiencing recurring developmental issues but the approaches adopted by our leaders to tackle the problems remain the cause of the problems.

    For long, the debate will continue on whether Nigeria is on developmental path or not, despite the seemingly infrastructural improvement in some parts of the country. Though some credit should be accorded the present administration in some areas, but speaking fairly, a lot needs to be done. It is really hard to believe that Nigeria is growing as stated in a report of the Ministry of Finance because no growth is seen in the lives of the citizens.

    History attests to the fact that Nigeria is battling to survive due to some unending challenges facing the country and the weak approaches deployed by the government in solving these problems. Lately, the country has witnessed in large scale insecurity, poor funding of education, unstable power supply, corruption, kidnapping and terrorist attacks.

    We wake up to witness failures of governance in virtually all sectors of the country. This has given teeth to the hopelessness being felt across the land, especially by the low-income earners whose lives are wholly dependent on the outcome of government policies. The saying that “the poor get poorer and the rich get richer” appears to be a concept that engulfs our society. While the poor manages to eat in a day, the rich is wasting the food.

    Nigeria, since independence, has been ruled by different dispensations of civilians and uniform men. Under each regime, it was hoped that the country would transform to a safe haven, but the reverse is the case. Monies meant for public good are siphoned, resources are looted, financial records are falsified, public funds are diverted to personal accounts, oil wells are coveted and good governance farfetched. Virtually, nothing has really changed.

    We live in a country where governmental policies are enacted to favour a section of the citizens. Today, populace can no longer have a voice; public opinion has long been thrown to the winds. At times, the change in policy may be accompanied by promises which would later appear impossible to achieve. The subsidy removal is a good example. Today, the so-called palliative measures to keep the citizens going after fuel subsidy removal has become invisible.

    A close look at the Nigerian case shows that future is bleak for the country if the trend continues. As I write this, most public universities are on strike. Who knows the idle students are capable of doing?

    As it is widely known, the youths constitute the greater percentage of our population. But with the seeming unending case of unemployment, the youths are virtually in the state of dependency due to unemployment. This has continued to breed violence, insurgency, armed robbery and kidnapping, vices which are denting the image of the country.

    Some who have ventured into a small scale business to sustain themselves are finding it difficult due to the continued paralysis of the power sector.

    Today, it is not uncommon to hear a citizen saying: “everything in Nigeria is politics”. This sends out a negative message because politics is totally seen as a dirty game, a notion evident in the ongoing ‘civil war’ in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The case of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Rivers State crisis have dominated the cover page of many news papers. But are these good signals for a country that wishes to go forward? The country needs Messiah, but when will he come?

    A change of policies, a change of government, a change of leaders and particularly, a change of thinking is al we need to move forward. Whoever is in government should try as much to put the public interest over personal consideration. We all hope to live and see a better Nigeria, a country where equality reigns supreme and citizens enjoy economic stability, adequate security, quality education, job opportunities, good and steady power supply. Until these are met, we shall continue to wander in the wilderness. We can make a difference with change in thinking. I believe this.

     

    Obianuju, 500-Level Environmental Resource Management, UNICAL