At 61, Nigeria Still a Sleeping Giant

CICERO/Issue

As Nigeria marked 61 years of self-government, Ademola Orunbon writes that the country is still far from realising her greatness

As Nigerians marked the 61st independence anniversary of their beloved country last Friday, it was obvious that the myriad of unnerving socio-economic and security challenges has made it increasingly difficult for the country to realise her potentials for greatness.

October 1, therefore, signalled another opportunity to ponder on the state of the nation and the failure of leadership, which has largely defined the country’s misfortune. To that extent, no patriotic Nigerian can pretend to be satisfied with the development and progress of this country 61 years after independence.

However, it is not misguided optimism to argue that the nation’s best days are still ahead.

Nigeria remains a country of diverse nationalities, cultures, religions and values, which has defied all doomsday predictions. This is enough reason for self-congratulation and hope of a better future. On balance, however, there is little to celebrate about Nigeria at 61. As the depressing indices indicate in the areas such as security of lives and property, food production, industrial output, quality of education, healthcare, economic diversification and productivity, there is indeed cause for worry. Not only do Nigerians eat the bread they do not produce, wear clothes they do not weave, and drink wine imported from other countries, they now import almost everything, including toothpicks.

Nigerians also read books, quote facts and figures about their country from foreign sources and rely on development models designed by outsiders with vested interests.

Sixty one years after independence, many still blame the present parlous state of the country on the British colonialists who left the shores of the country over five decades ago. At 61, Nigeria has much catch-up to do. And let no one be deluded that 61 years is a short time in the life of a country. The Nigerian economy is in dire straits with the potential to get worse if sound political and economic judgment is not brought to bear on the affairs of state.

The Nigerian economy had officially registered its first recession in more than two decades. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had released a raft of official data on GDP, inflation, unemployment, and capital formation, which along with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) manufacturing performance index, showed a terrible economic downturn. With foreign reserves depleted significantly, exchange rate rose up to unexpected levels, and oil prices unstable, the impact is only better imagined if all the fundamentals are not mustered to manage this situation. This is why President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration must now articulate a grand vision for the nation, and re-direct Nigerians towards actualising the vision. Given the terrible scenario playing out in the country, manifested in mass poverty, high corruption in government, gross official recklessness, nepotism, agitation for secession and near zero governance, it is obvious that the ship of the state is rudderless. There is hardly any aspect of governance that cannot be faulted for corruption and incompetence.

However, as the nation marks 61 years of self-government, it is not too late for the Nigerians leaders to change and make democracy work for the people. Too much pain has been inflicted on Nigerians and now is the time for the Nigerian leaders to focus more on the Nigerian project and remove the obstacles standing in the way of realising that promise. At independence in 1960, there was a groundswell of euphoria and hope in the Nigerian project. It is sobering that 61 years later, the anticipated gains of nationhood envisaged by the founding fathers are still a mirage.

Not a few have marveled at the exemplary character of Nigeria’s founding fathers: the simplicity of Tafawa Balewa, the selflessness of Ahmadu Bello, the nationalism of Nnamdi Azikiwe and the enduring vision of Obafemi Awolowo, all of which towered above their personal ambitions.

Today, Nigeria is so greatly afflicted that some wonder at her prospects. The trouble with Nigeria, noted famed author and intellectual icon, Chinua Achebe, is a failure of leadership. This failure has resulted in shattered hopes, broken promises, missed opportunities, and unfulfilled aspirations. A nation, it has been said, rises or falls on the quality of its leadership. Nigeria is a terrible victim of the poverty of good leadership, and most destructively, political leadership. Good leaders must show strength of conviction and character. What poor leadership in Nigeria has done is to create 200 to 250 million passive citizens who have no voice.

Every citizen must therefore share the blame, one way or the other, for the Nigerian condition. There has never been a shortage of speeches by Nigerian leaders in favour of good intentions to govern in the best interest of the country and its people. Over the years, Nigerians have heard to the point of being deafened, that the government is committed to promoting good governance. The inaugural addresses of elected leaders and military coup plotters revealed uncanny similarities in promises. Yet, as the quality of successive leadership deteriorated, Nigeria has regressed in all the yardsticks for measuring the progress of nations. All these notwithstanding, it is pointless to look back with regret and anger at lost opportunities.

If Nigeria gets its leadership right, and its act together, the country can be as great as any country on earth. There is, of course, a time and season for everything. So, a change was inevitable. The election of President Buhari, largely on the strength of his integrity, had indicated a yearning by the people for a good leader they could trust to serve in the best interest of Nigeria. But over six years after taking oath of office twice, Nigerians are still waiting for the change promised by the APC. From his appointments into high public offices, Buhari’s administration has demonstrated an uncanny addiction to primordial sentiments. This indeed, is unfortunate, for a man who pledged in his inaugural, that he belonged to nobody and he belonged to everybody. This administration needs to understand that leadership is not about ethnic domination or a selfish power equation; it is rather a disposition of moral strength and sacrifice to genuinely carry out a mission for the common good.

Since the return to democracy in 1999 the political class has shown impetuous and irresponsible behaviour at the expense of the people. The looting and the waste going on in Nigeria in the name of governance has no parallel anywhere else and is responsible for breeding an angry and alienated citizenry who see no dividend in this democracy. On all accounts, Nigeria at 61 is yet to fulfill her destiny. The current structure of Nigeria today, which is anything but federal, holds down the country, stunts its growth, truncates its progress and actually threatens its unity.

This false federation must be corrected as soon as possible to liberate the nation’s full potentials. The starting point towards the actualisation of a Nigeria of our dreams is the implementation of the 2014 National Conference report. The report is not in any way a perfect document, but certainly one good enough to take off from.

The need for a new Nigeria is very urgent. To chart a course of progress, Nigeria needs big dreamers and even bigger dreams. The country needs leaders who would do things the unusual way. It is not too late to rescue Nigeria from the brink. Exemplary leadership is imperative at all levels to realise the dreams of the founding fathers who toiled for Nigeria’s statehood. Nigeria must demonstrate its coveted state of independence by beginning a new chapter, and the time to do so is now.

At 61, Nigeria needs to answer the increasing number of questions that have cropped up. Has the country come of age? Is there a need for celebration? Are there hopes of better tomorrow? Nigerians look forward daily to the actualisation of the dreams and visions packaged by the founding fathers of this country. They also look forward to seeing a realistic improvement on the inherent inadequacies that have stood in the way of attaining peace, harmony, tranquility, progress and unity, in the first instance, and the accomplishments of all the tasks that will make room for true attainment of a Nigerian nation.

Orunbon writes from Abeokuta..