Fixing Nigeria: The Greatest Inheritance for Our Children
Nations can achieve remarkable development even without significant natural resources, provided they have strong institutions. However, strong institutions do not descend from heaven. They are deliberately built by patriotic leaders who are willing to subject themselves to the rule of law and place national interest above personal gain. Equally important, the citizens must actively support and participate in the process.
Unfortunately, in Nigeria, we seem to be lacking both. We are often uncertain about the patriotic intent behind many actions of our leaders, while many citizens prefer to remain spectators rather than active participants in the political process. We often hear people say, I don’t want anything to do with politics, it’s dirty, risky etc but politics decide our fate! Political participation is not limited to contesting elections. Sponsoring competent candidates, joining political parties and contributing to decision-making, speaking out on issues, obtaining a voter’s card, and voting based on competence rather than ethnicity or religion are all important forms of political engagement.
I had a conversation with a big man this week. He proudly told me that he had done very well for his children. I disagreed. Surprised, he asked why. I told him that while he had provided them with excellent foreign education, enabled some to live abroad, and accumulated enough wealth to sustain generations, he had not done enough to help fix the Nigeria they will ultimately inherit.
What value will their education and wealth have if bandits and terrorists can walk into their homes, kidnap them, and walk away unhindered? I reminded him that political and economic conditions can change anywhere. If the UK, where one of his children resides, held a general election today, Nigel Farage a strong anti-immigration candidate would potentially emerge as Prime Minister. No foreign country owes us permanent refuge. Our greatest responsibility is to build a Nigeria worthy of our children.
Nigeria is already among the most populous countries on earth. Officially, only 5 nations have larger populations. If our population were accurately counted, I suspect only China and India might have more people than Nigeria.
Population is not the problem; productivity is.
Give just 5,000 megawatts of electricity to over 200 million people and millions will remain idle, creating the illusion that population is a burden.
Give the same population 100,000 megawatts of reliable power and that population suddenly becomes a tremendous asset. Industries will expand, jobs will multiply, innovation will flourish, and we will be looking for more hands, not fewer people. Under such conditions, a $1 trillion economy would be a modest target; discussions would quickly shift to a $10 trillion economy.
The insecurity that plagues Nigeria is closely linked to the millions of young people who are uneducated, unemployed, and without hope for the future.
Another political cycle is approaching. Will you step forward and be part of the process, or will you once again retreat behind the familiar refrain, “I don’t do politics”?
If you are unwilling to take part in fixing Nigeria today, is it your children you expect to take that risk tomorrow?
When snakes infest a home, responsible adults confront the problem. They do not abandon the house, leave the snakes behind, and expect their children to live safely with the danger.
Many of us invest heavily in our children’s education and work hard to give them opportunities in life. Yet we often neglect the equally important responsibility of helping to build a safe, prosperous, and functional Nigeria for them to inherit.
That is penny wise and pound foolish. We focus on the smaller task while neglecting the bigger picture. No amount of education or inherited wealth can fully protect our children from the consequences of a nation that is not working.
Nick Agule (nick.agule@yahoo.co.uk) is a public affairs analyst
