The African Crisis

Revisiting the Nigerian...(African) issue

In this month’s cover feature, we decided once again to look at the issue of what we have termed the African crisis, the crisis of having abundant natural resources and yet remaining the world's poorest and most underdeveloped continent.

In Nigeria’s case, 53 years after independence, 13 Heads of state, 2 systems of government and various reform programmes and a population approaching 150 million people, Nigeria is still ranked 142 out of 169 nations in the Human Development Index, (a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide.) Other indices indicate that the population living below $1 per day (PPP) stands at 30%. That number goes up to 70% at population living below $2 per day. For ease of doing business (Nigeria ranks 137 / 183); Economic freedom index (rank) 111 / 179; Corruption perceptions index (rank) 134 / 178; Press freedom index (rank) 145 / 178. Infant mortality rate stands at 86 deaths per 1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth is 48 years on the average. All these despite being blessed with natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land and human resources.

Since the mid-1990s, Equatorial Guinea has become one of sub-Sahara's largest oil producers. With a population of 650,702, it is the richest country per capita in Africa, and its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita ranks 69th in the world; however, the wealth is distributed very unevenly and few people have benefited from the oil riches. The country ranks 136th on the UN's 2011 Human Development Index out of a total 187. The UN says that less than half of the population has access to clean drinking water and that 20% of children die before reaching five.

Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea are just two examples of the paradox in which Africa has found itself. African nations are the richest in terms of natural resources but its people continue to live in abject poverty. This is the reason why we cannot stop talking about these issues.

One of the reasons why we are where we are is because everyone is pursuing personal interest to the detriment of national interest. Greed and corruption is rampant. Corruption does not take place only in government. At religious organisations, private offices, schools, even our homes, corrupt practices are endemic. Everyone is struggling to grab their share of the so called ‘national cake’. Political appointments have become an opportunity to ‘eat and settle' the boys and the families and communities of such appointees. The ‘carnival’ that takes place at the State House during the swearing-in of new ministers is a pointer to this.

We have had poor, uneducated, uniformed, visionless, uncommitted leadership by largely selfish and ignorant people who lack proper training and character. Apart from our covetous, barren and unproductive leadership, another issue is our equally greedy, impoverished and apathetic following. During the January 2012 fuel subsidy crisis, you could hear a lot of people saying ‘thank God, I didn’t bother to come out and vote.’ That kind of sentiment must change. You must be ready to get involved at whatever level, starting with yourself and your immediate environment and community.

There must be a willingness to leave the past and move into the future. Change cannot happen if the people are stuck in a time warp unwilling to move forward. Processes in our educational, religious, electoral, and legislative and governance systems that will bring about change must be put in place. If someone has tried a process that works that brings about a desired positive change, that process must be documented and taught to others and replicated across all spheres of our society. We must be ready as a people and as a nation to endure the hardships and the consequences that the change will bring about. Change is not always easy. People naturally will always want to remain in their comfort zones. They have to be forced to change their thinking, their attitude, their way of life. We must be faithful as a nation to such changes.

I think that it is possible to have an organised society, to have a responsive government and to have a responsible people and to begin to do things the way they should be done. Nigeria has the potential to rise but must get certain things right such as Power Supply; Security; Rule of Law; Infrastructure and the Right Leadership. It must unleash the economy and encourage a system that brings the best out of people, a system that rewards excellence over mediocrity. A new set of leaders and thinkers who will engender a new mindset, re-orientate and re-educate the citizenry, and act as a voice of reasoning and pressure point must be sought out, trained and developed.

Nigeria has the boldness and character to rise to the top but lacks the moral fibre as corruption and greed is quite rampant and must be rooted out. Needless to say, Nigeria is moving at a painfully slow pace with a desperate need for improvement.