By
SHEKWONYA KAURA
A Kenya Novelist Ngugiwa Thiongo once stated that to understand the present, we must understand the past, to know where we are, and know where we came from.
Nigeria is the most populous Black Country in the world with a population estimate of over one hundred and fifty million people, and one of the most populous countries in the world.
It is also noted that Nigeria is the only poor oil rich country in the world.
By all reckonings, Nigeria should have been among the first ten developed countries of the world because she is blessed with abundant natural resources, such as oil, gas, rubber, cocoa, groundnut and palm oil etc.
Nigeria has more in way of natural resources than Malaysia, Korea, or South American countries. On the other hand, Japan had no natural resources, it imports all its minerals needed for the ten thousand or more components of each car it manufactured and it is the world’s leading car manufacturer. Nigeria has more well trained manpower than most African countries.
In other words, the country is not using her manpower adequately. Nigeria even supplies other African countries manpower in the fields of education, law, medicine, engineering, accountancy etc. Nigeria also exports electricity to countries, while the citizens cannot boast of regular power supply to our homes and industries.
Nigeria assisted in restoring democracy in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and other African countries while denied same at home until the advent of the present administration that instilled the rule of law which is the pivot of democracy.
The country’s borders are so porous that half of the food, petrol and other essential commodities are produced and find their ways illegally across the border and unfortunately we are not worried. Nigeria has been feeding its neighbours in this fashion for several decades. We ourselves are practically starving.
United States of America and other advanced countries we are emulating have already taken care of their people before sending their supplies, food stuff, petrol, electricity etc to help others.
Charity begins at home while ours begin abroad.
It is not a mere coincidence, United States and United Kingdom are considered to be developed while others, like Nigeria are under developed.
In all our human and material resources and daily oil revenue, at least 33.3 million barrels daily and 15 billion barrels a year, how well are Nigerians faring? These basic human needs which must be available to each Nigerian citizen to make him or her tolerably happy and comfortable as human being living in an oil rich country are in most cases unavailable.
In fact, how many of 150 million Nigerians have basic amenities in spite of our oil wealth.
In the area of Water: Less than 40% of Nigerians have access to pipe borne water. This means that more than 60% draw their water from rivers, streams, ponds and taps located few yards or kilometers from their residents.
In Food Availability: How many Nigerians in our present day society can afford three square meals a day? Certainly less than half of Nigerian population.
When we talk about Health: How many of the citizenry have access to a good hospital or clinic, we have Government functionaries and well to do Nigerians fly abroad for treatment on simple ailment that can be obtained locally in the country. What chance can average citizen who needs the same serve, but is it too poor to contemplate foreign treatment?
Nigerians are still baffled at why this great country of ours cannot equip at least six specialists cum teaching hospitals to provide medical services to residents and others sick abroad. Where does the oil money go?
SHELTER: Is another negative story. How many Nigerians are living in a congenial environment? Most of our villages have not been improved since independence in 1960. More than 50% of our people live under trying circumstances in spite of our oil wealth, poor structures, poor lighting, unclean water from stream or pond etc seem to be their lot.
It is needless talking about our roads are death traps. Because they are poorly maintained.
Some of the major roads in the country today are in the state of disrepair, for example the Niger Bridges at Onitsha and Ajaokuta.
In 1960, South Korea was at the same level in economic development with Nigeria. The government of that country decided to industrialize the country within the shortest possible time.
They started in harnessing the potentials of its citizenry. They streamlined the educational system by nationalizing and harmonizing the school curricula from primary to tertiary level.
South Korea was not so rigid in paper qualification that has been the bane for Nigeria. Certificates obtained by some individiduals they could not defend which interms has become economic reliability and social malaise.
In the past two decades, South Korea has been selling all kinds of goods to Nigeria, while Nigeria is still more or less where Korea left her in 1960.
There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is buying all kinds of equipment from every where. Many brands of cars, machines, instruments, aeroplanes etc. With little or no consideration for standardization of equipment which would have promoted local repair and production. Thus Nigeria today remains a dumping ground of all sorts of obsolete and second hand goods and machines.
We are aware that there are more than fifty countries in the world in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America that have fewer human and material resources than Nigeria but they are providing adequate essential amenities for their people.
Indeed under development is not only a physical state, but also a state of mind.
There are six essential principal factors that can contribute effectively to National development.
1. High level of economy
2. High percentage of literacy (Education)
3. Low mortality rate (health)
4. Stable political system
5. Citizenship rights
6. Masses significantly oriented.
With these factors in place there is bound to be food security, full employment, good transport and adequate shelter for her citizenry.
It is also imperative for us to study closely how developed countries transformed their economics and their people. We are very familiar with the success strategies of Japan, Korea, India and China.
These countries did not wait for any person or country to transfer technology to them, they know that no country in this competitive world would commit that economic foolishness, instead they adopted, copied, fabricated, bought and simulated technology to suit their culture, environment and needs. For us in Nigeria to continue hope for the day Angel Gabriel or someone else will bring technology to us is to live in a fools paradise. As the present administration is poised on revamping the economy, to make life better for her citizenry, it should work assiduously to make a difference from the past administration of witch hunting, intimidation, and harassment of political opponents.
Source: Recorded live from FRCN daily commentary
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