OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF NIGERIA 🇳🇬AS WE CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE @ 63

NIGERIA @ 63, THE TOWN WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING SYSTEM

Independence is most often fought for and hardly earned. Those seeking independence have to request it sometimes verbally, by gestures such as grumbling, and sometimes in words. This is likened to every growing adolescent that desires to live outside of parental care when a certain age is reached, and oftentimes, there is reluctance from those that are to release such dependents.

CONCEPT OF INDEPENDENCE
Nobody is born an adult, and we all, as humans, pass through different stages of growth and development. Notwithstanding, there are medical conditions such as "progeria," which is a rare genetic but rapid aging usually exhibited from the age of two. However, every child reaches a certain age when he begins to do things himself, such as washing, cooking, studying, etc. This period is identified by caregivers, who are most often parents, and they begin to withdraw their interference or support gradually, eventually limiting themselves to interventions when the need arises for the children.

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BRIEF HISTORY OF NIGERIA’S INDEPENDENCE

The concept illustrated above is that seen in the history of Nigeria’s independence in 1960. The people of Nigeria were formerly called the people of the Niger area. The southern and northern protectorates located on the western coast of Africa were amalgamated in 1914 by Lord Frederick Lugard to become one Nigeria, and eventually, through many struggles, notable and prominent fighters for independence such as Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Herbert Macaulay, Anthony Enahoro, etc. championed the course for Nigeria’s independence, particularly from 1953 until 1960, when independence from the British colonial masters was secured.

The independence and unity of Nigeria were much celebrated, but the latter were short-lived when coups erupted and took out many leaders of the country. The civil war equally had its impact, further dividing the nation than uniting the people. In 1967, the regions of Nigeria were replaced by 12 states, and subsequently, other states were further created. Now, we have 36 states of the federation, with the capital city of Nigeria in Abuja. The advent of the oil boom in Nigeria in 1970 served as a major change of Nigeria’s popular financial source from Agriculture and till present, the Niger Delta region in Nigeria contributes the largest sector of finance to the people of Nigeria. It should interest you to note that more than 50% of agricultural land is not in use, but the stringent policies and insecurity of herdsmen and thieves have worsened the interest of farmers in exploring the vast opportunities in the agricultural sector.

THE JOURNEY SO FAR
Nigeria witnessed a transition of currency from shillings to the kobo and Naira in the 1970s, and currently our highest denomination is the N1000, which very recently is equivalent to one US dollar. Wondering how we got to this level of economic inflation? We have had military leaders in the past, and since 1999, democratic leaders have piloted the affairs of the nation until today under the guise of political parties. Currently, Nigeria is led by the executive, judicial, and legislative arms of government. The Presidents of Nigeria, under the executive arm of government, have played a major role in piloting the different sectors of the economy and have landed us in where we are today, a situation of extreme margin between the masses and the minors, the rich and the poor, etc.

WHERE NIGERIA IS AT 63
For current residents in Nigeria and the diaspora viewing the trends of the economy and security state of the country, they would agree that Nigeria is in a difficult position where the motto "let the poor breathe" has become both a prayer and a bargain. I will attempt to mention a few sectors of our economy and hopefully have your input at the end of this post.

HEALTH SECTOR
As a health professional in Nigeria and also in the health insurance sector, I have experienced a cankerworm of corruption in the health sector, where provisions are diverted by a few for personal gains at the expense of the majority. This has left many health facilities deficient in equipment and made health professionals handicapped in practicing their profession. Health workers have knowledge but are deficient in skills due to the unavailability of equipment. This becomes true, as evidenced when Nigerian-trained medical professionals exit the country in droves, get exposed to high-tech equipment, and perform excellently in foreign countries. Beyond the remuneration being marginally not commensurate with the workload healthcare workers are exposed to, the lack of medical equipment has chased many professionals to greener pastures.

AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
Nigeria has about 70 million hectares of arable farmland, and the majority of the lands remain uncultivated. This is mostly the result of poor political will, stringent policies, and insecurity. The agricultural sector was the major goldmine prior to the advent of the oil boom in 1973, which, unfortunately, the government has found difficult to retract. Nigeria is blessed with rich soils for crop cultivation and the practice of livestock farming. Nigeria used to be a major producer of cocoa and palm oil in southwestern Nigeria, but this glory is fast fading away, especially as a result of poor political will. I believe that we have the capacity to maximize our investment in the agricultural sector for a bountiful yield capable of catapulting the nation from the margin of poverty to that of wealth. I have practiced crop farming recently, where I cultivated rice, beans, maize, guinea corn, soy beans, etc., at various stages of the farming season and faced challenges from herdsmen, flooding, stealing of farm produce, and even the nonchalant attitude of farm supervisors. These and many more discouraged me from furthering crop cultivation beyond the yield, not even meeting the invested capital.

POWER SECTOR
At some point, the power sector was proposed to be privatized as the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), now known as the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, generates about 3500 megawatts from six power stations across the country. A neighboring country had celebrated 10 years of uninterrupted power supply, courtesy of Nigeria, but we as the supplier could not boast of a month of uninterrupted power supply. Many residents have opted for alternate power supplies such as the solar/inverter system, which is noiseless, though its cost-effectiveness cannot be totally guaranteed as it would take about N300,000 ($300) to set up a solar system for a nuclear household in Nigeria. The tariff has been unbearable, and the supply of electricity has been epileptic. We do not use wind mills to generate power but engage turbines via hydroelectric power (HEP) as the power source.

INDUSTRIES
For the purpose of this discussion, I will be using Kwara State, where I am a resident, as an example. We used to have industries such as textiles, sugar, biscuits, soap, and many more in the state, but most of them have packed up as the government has shown little or no interest in awakening this sector that has the capacity to create jobs for the populace as well as internally generated revenue (IGR) for the state. The Coca-Cola Company had to relocate to a nearby state for its production due to the heavy tax placed on it by the state government. Industries such as oil refineries have failed to resurrect, which has prompted the nation to export crude oil and import refined products, which are sold at exorbitant amounts as the subsidy was recently removed. The question is this: can the dry bones live again? Can these industries be revived to function at maximum capacity? God help us to have committed leaders and followers that will bring to light and life these industries.

MINERAL RESOURCES
Nigeria is home to numerous mineral resources, such as coal, limestone, iron ore, lead, gold, tin ore, laterite, etc., of which over forty remain poorly tapped. The equipment to tap these minerals is poorly funded, and a significant amount of them remains untapped. The city of Jos has been said to be home to many mineral resources, but beyond the poor political will, the people have not been encouraged by the commensurate provision of social amenities, and hence, insecurity threatens the research and exploration of these minerals. About a year ago, limestone was discovered in Lade community under the Patigi Local Government of Kwara State, and the residents in the area quickly made sales of this mineral as trucks were loaded to Lagos after being weighed and sold to them. It was only a matter of time before the government overtook the discovery. Would we blame hungry people when such a discovery is made? The same mistake the country made was what the people did, switching quickly to the newly discovered mineral and leaving the agriculture they were used to.

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EDUCATION
Education is no longer cheap in Nigeria, as the public schools have occupied the position of the private schools, while the latter have equally skyrocketed in price. The teachers and lecturers are poorly remunerated, and teaching equipment is scarcely available. Most public universities in Nigeria have increased their tuitions above 100%, and even the schools for children have become difficult to enroll in due to exorbitant costs. Would you blame the country for such decadence when the minimum requirements to hold some political positions are first-leaving certificates or high school certificates? The learning environment, such as lecture halls, is nothing to write home about. As students, especially in rural communities, take classes under trees, would we then say that these are the leaders of tomorrow when they are poorly equipped? Several decades ago, education was free, or almost free, and when students graduated, jobs were waiting, so people had choices of which jobs to take or decline.

INSECURITIES AND SOCIAL VICES
This has become the order of the day, leaving a negative mark on the diaspora in other countries. I have read and seen on the news that the government knows those people perpetrating the insecurities ravaging the nation. Would we blame hungry people for committing crimes to feed themselves? Yes, I will blame them, but blame the government more. This year’s theme on Nigeria’s pre-independence lecture is remarkable as the speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Honourable Tajudeen Abbas, spoke on how a living wage system where a worker is paid enough to cater for daily living would help to eliminate corruption as the worker would not need to steal to feed, clothes, and have a shelter over his head. Beyond greed, some people go into a life of crime to feed themselves or have shelter over their heads.

LIVING WAGE AND PALLIATIVES
It is no common news that the minimum wage in Nigeria is N30,000 ($30), and I dare to say that some people in private organizations are paid less than that amount as a wage. You should then wonder how such people will feed and clothe, send their children to school, or enjoy quality health that is expensive. The current economic situation is harsh on the average Nigerian, especially with the high inflation and the removal of fuel subsidies. How much should the living wage be for the average Nigerian worker? I believe the minimum wage should be such that the worker would have enough to feed his family and provide shelter and clothing for them. The living wage should be reviewed regularly to meet the current economic state. The federal government of Nigeria has recently opted to add N25,000 ($25) monthly for the next six months only to low-caliber civil servants as a cushion or palliative measure. Would this suffice to ameliorate the hardship faced by the commoner? The answer is a big NO. Four months after the removal of fuel subsidies, N5 billion was distributed to all states of the federation, but as expected, it has been largely unaccounted for. Few trucks of rice were said to be distributed for each state, and as usual, only the few got such trucks at all. What then is the cause of such a state in Nigeria, if you would ask?

LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE
The Nigerian people have witnessed a monopoly of leadership for decades; the class of the rich and powerful has continually dominated the government that brings about policies, and an overview of the crop of leaders has had elderly people with ages above 70 years pilot the affairs of the country. A few years ago, the "NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN" bill was passed at the National Assembly, but those seen running are the relatives of the old people in leadership. We should then ask what the hope of the common man is.
Nigeria continues to allocate large sums of money for governance; this is partly out of frivolity on what was earned without much effort or the fear of insecurity from aggrieved masses or hoodlums; thus, the leaders spend huge sums of money buying bullet-proof cars. Corruption continues to eat into the marrow of leadership and governance, leaving the average citizen to luck and mercy. Little wonder, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), though poorly coordinated with little trust from the masses, has clamored for industrial action (a strike) to compel the government to give a listening ear to the wails of the masses. To what end will the proposed industrial action scheduled for October 3, 2023, achieve? Plunge the economy more into crises or bring about a revolution for the average hungry Nigerian.

INDUSTRIAL ACTION OR MORE LOANS
The masses have begun to unanimously call for industrial action, yet the government has continued to seek more loans from foreign countries in the name of providing palliatives or reinvigorating the collapsing economy. Nigerians have a long-suffering spirit, which is unhealthy as life expectancy continues to dwindle because of the overwhelming troubles the average citizen is enduring. A threat to the mental state of the masses.

WHAT DO WE NEED AS A COUNTRY?
Beyond having sane leaders with a conscience to serve and reducing to the barest minimum the cost of governance, we need a "SYSTEM" that works. A system that maps the country for the next 50 or 100 years where turnover of leaders and government would align to the goals and objectives with minimal deviations We need leaders who will do that bit of aligning with the system and pave the way for the next crop of leaders. Such a defined system would touch all sectors of the economy, and the citizens (leaders and followers) would adhere to it. The average Nigerian has developed an acquisition mindset such that he or she wants to acquire as much as possible, not minding acquiring in excess. Perhaps a touch of military leadership may help to minimize the greed of the average citizen and restore some sanity to the seemingly recalcitrant and heartless minority few that are mostly cabals dictating the direction of the country.

CELEBRATION OF NIGERIA’s INDEPENDENCE
Some people do not see the need for celebrating Nigeria’s independence at this moment, and they cannot be blamed as the hardship is severe; perhaps the rich have started lamenting. Nigeria would be great again, but it needs to be rough before things settle. The citizens need to look beyond depending on the government for survival.

SCREENSHOT IS MINE

This is my opportunity to power up some Hive today. September was rough for me because I was mostly compromised in my health, but thankfully, I am recuperating fast. Life is precious, and good health is underrated. The month of September witnessed about a 100-hive increase from the 1k HP I celebrated on September 1st. I have powered up 10 HP today to participate in the monthly #hpud

SCREENSHOT IS MINE

Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.

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