Over Five decades ago, high expectations came like explosion as Nigeria attained self-rule from Britain after many years of colonial subjugation and exploitation. Apparently, like specks of dust in the wind, those expectations have vanished through the air.
History has it that the name Nigeria was suggested by British journalist Flora Shaw in the 1890s. She referred to the area as Nigeria, after the Niger River which dominates much of the country's landscape. However, the borders of modern Nigeria were not created until the British consolidated their colonial power over the area in 1914 and amalgamated the Northern and Southern Protectorates.
It can be argued that the unsolicited marriage of over 250 ethnic groups with different cultures, languages and beliefs by the British colonizers did the Niger area more harm than good. These various ethnic groups never considered themselves part of the same culture; but in the spirit of nationalism, they teamed up and rid Nigeria of the shackles of colonial consolidation.
From the attainment of independence on October 1, 1960, to date, Nigeria has swayed from one system of government to another, with each having enormous effects on the development and sustenance of the country.
Having historically seen how far Nigeria has come from her fifty-one-year odyssey, it is imperative to acknowledge the fact that the journey has not been fun, but rather it has been interesting.
Most people who supposed that Nigeria had no justification for her golden jubilee celebrations last year did so on the grounds of the country's long incidences of corrupt practices. With the advent of democracy in Nigeria, there has been an increased effort toward the eradication of corruption. "Corruption is so endemic in Nigerian society that it has permeated every facet of people's lives," wrote Adeyemi Aderogba in his paper entitled The Perception of Nigerian Journalists on Brown Envelope Syndrome: South West Media Practitioners in Perspective (a paper presented at the 2009 Conference of African Council on Communication Education in University of Maiduguri). Adeyemi added that "so many people believe that it is the bane of the country's developmental effort." But Nigeria has achieved a lot in fighting corruption through various interventions including Ethical Revolution, Green Revolution, War Against Indiscipline, and the recent Re-branding Nigeria Project of the Federal Government.
Similarly, the success of Nigeria in her battle against corruption can be encapsulated in the words of the former Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyilli in a speech at the flag off of the Re-branding Nigeria Campaign in University of Maiduguri on July 8, 2010: "there are millions of Nigerians working tirelessly across the globe who are not prepared to cheat or steal, who are unrecognized, unsung and uncelebrated. Many such Nigerians remain honest, patriotic and hard-working even in the face of poverty." Akunyilli further said that "Nigeria is the only developing country that has been courageous enough to accept that corruption is a problem, and consequently instituted anti-corruption agencies, EFCC and ICPC that continue to prosecute the war against corruption."
The impeccable achievements of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Chimamanda Adichie, Aliko Dangote and many more in diverse fields of human endeavours speak for Nigeria and why she celebrates her golden jubilee. The Nigerian film industry (Nollywood) is now second in the world after India's Bollywood. In Information Technology, the youngest ICT certified professional in the world is a Nigerian. In the United States, the youngest pilot is also a Nigerian.
Meanwhile, the country's successful relocation of her Federal Capital territory From Lagos to Abuja on December 12, 1991 and the transformation of Abuja- a virgin land- into a mega city is a huge achievement.
Another glaring achievement of Nigeria which calls for celebration is the country's safeguarding of her national unity. The 1967 civil war that threatened the continued existence of the country was squarely managed by the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. The reconciliation of the two warring factions and the reconstruction of destroyed structures reintegrated the country and restored peace and unity among Nigerians.
In the areas of security of lives and property, some examples will suffice it to say that Nigeria has done so well over the years. Despite the fact that violent ethnic, religious and political fighting in Nigeria continues, the country still has to celebrate her ability to manage and resolve conflicts. In October 2000, clashes between Hausas and supporters of the Odua People's Congress (OPC) led to the deaths of many people in Lagos. The apt intervention of the government brought a lasting solution to the crisis. In Central Nigeria, clashes between indigenes and settlers have been recurring, but through various conflict management techniques of the government, there is relative peace in the region. In late 2009 and early 2010, government had to take drastic actions to restore security to South-Eastern Nigeria- especially Aba- which had rising cases of kidnapping and robbery activities. The efforts of the Nigerian Police led to the reopening of banks in Aba that were forced to suspend their services last year for almost a week due to robbery attacks.
Similarly, in North-Eastern Nigeria- Borno, Yobe and Bauchi in particular- the Boko Haram (education is forbidden) crisis which started on July 27, 2009, masterminded by one Sect-leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was well managed by the Federal Government, thus restoring peace and unity to the region. The mere sight of students in class rooms across Borno, Yobe and Bauchi states is a major achievement to the nation's education sector.
The manner in which Nigeria attended to the problem of Niger-Delta is a plus for her journey so far. According to Des Wilson in his paper entitled Traditional Communication and Peace Building in the Niger-Delta, the Niger-Delta was "characterized by unemployment, environmental degradation, extreme poverty, political and economic marginalization, and a near total abandonment by the government and the oil prospecting and producing companies," (In Communication Approaches to Peace Building in Nigeria, 2009). In early 1990s, Ken Saro-Wiwa's struggle for the preservation of the Ogoniland cost him his life. But, today the Niger-Delta story has changed with the creation of the Federal Ministry for the Niger-Delta, the increased funding of the Niger-Delta Development Commission and the Amnesty deal between the Federal Government and militants in the region.
Twelve years of democracy is no small achievement. Two years ago, Nigeria commemorated ten years of democratic consolidation in a grand style. In his 10th anniversary democracy message to the nation, late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua told Nigerians that "we have certainly made steady progress over the past ten years in the consolidation of democratic governance in our country. We have conducted three successive general elections and peacefully transferred power from one civilian administration to another."
Detractors of Nigerian democracy believe that it lacks the essential ingredients of a 'true' democracy. But going by Denis McQuail's view on democracy in his book entitled Mass Communication Theories in which he identified "democratic political process, provision for justice and protection of human rights" as requirements for a civil society, Nigeria can be said to be on the right tract. Nigeria has emphasized the rule of law and the Nigerian Judiciary has provided justice and protection of human rights.
In addition, Nigeria has been in the vanguard of democratization across Africa. Nigeria was instrumental to the decolonization of many African countries and was regarded as a frontline state during the dismantling of apartheid regime in South Africa.
As a leading peace keeper in Africa, Nigeria has fostered peace in Africa through various peace missions in Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Congo and the Dafur Regions of Sudan, for which she has lost precious lives and resources. Nigeria continues to assist in the development of many African countries through the Technical Aids Corps Programme.
Coincidentally, Nigeria celebrated her golden jubilee at the United Nations (UN) last year, corresponding with her golden jubilee celebration. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, in 1960, Nigeria joined the UN as its 119th member and this is also an achievement.
The privatization of her telecommunication sector and the successes recorded in communication has brought much fortune to Nigeria.
The achievements of the country in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are quite numerous. The script for the MDGs, agreed by 189 countries in the year 2000 reads:
A world where people are less poor. A place where woman have the same opportunities as men. Somewhere where anyone can get a good education and healthcare. A planet and a people which has sustainable future (Developments, Issue 44, 2009).
A 2004 report of an assessment carried out by the World Bank on Nigeria's financing needs and options for achieving the MDGs entitled Nigeria's opportunity of a Generation: Meeting the MDGs and Reducing Indebtedness, the bank held that Nigeria could hardly achieve the MDGs on the grounds of her high indebtedness. But, with the institution of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) and the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Finance under Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria won a Paris Club approval for a debt-relief in November 2005, which by March 2006 should eliminate $ 30 billion worth of the country's total $37 billion external debts.
As an achievement, the annual debt service payments to external creditors are now being channeled to Universal Basic Education Programme, free feeding for primary school children, primary health care, rural infrastructure, electrification, water supply and other key poverty reducing sectors.
This is not to say that Nigeria has no pitfalls. Nigeria's inability to provide uninterrupted power supply for her citizenry has been a serious challenge hampering the nation's development. In spite the huge amount of money spent on the attempted provision of 6,000 megawatts of electricity by December 2009, and 10,000 megawatts by early 2011, Nigeria still suffers from poor power supply across the nation.
The non-oil sector of the Nigerian economy suffers from neglect as government focuses more on oil and gas. Currently, oil and gas contributes over 30% of the Gross Domestic Products, 85% of government revenues and over 95% of the Foreign exchange earnings. The old days of groundnut pyramids in Kano have since been forgotten by the Government. Even the Cassava Revolution intervention initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo could not be sustained. Nigeria runs the risk of economic recession if the oil and gas sector suffers in futures.
In a report entitled Anyaoku, Sanusi, Others Lament Nigeria's Woes, Saxone Akhaine quoted the former Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku as saying that "Nigeria at 50 is still seen by most of international community as Africa's sleeping giant" (Africa Watch, July 23, 2010). The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido was also quoted to have said that he had "never seen an economy with a kind of black hole like that of Nigeria." Sanusi further said:
We produce cotton, yet our textile plants are not working; we produce crude oil, we import petroleum products; we produce gas and export, yet we don't have power plant; we have iron ore, we don't have steel plant; and we have hide and skin, we don't have leather product.
Nigeria's electoral instability, constitutional deficiencies, ethnic and religious violence, insecurity, the use of catchment areas for tertiary admission, politics of exclusion, quota system, and other sentiment-inducing policies of the government are all pitfalls that can cause havoc on the country's nascent democracy.
The suggestion made by the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi last year that Nigeria should be divided can be said to be a challenge for Nigeria to reflect on her pitfalls as a nation and find a lasting remedy for them. BBC Focus on Africa (July-September, 2010) gives reasons which might be the rationale behind Gaddafi's suggestion: "in March, at least a hundred, mostly Christians, villagers were killed allegedly by Muslin Fulani herdsman. This was seen as a response to earlier trouble when Muslims were killed in the state capital, Jos."
For Nigeria, the future is not bleak. There is always a way forward- Rome was not built in a day. The first step for a better Nigeria is unity. A popular adage among the Igbos says that a tree can never make a forest. The Hausas also believe that a broom can never sweep a house- but a bunch of brooms can do it well. The 1914 amalgamation mistake can be seen as a prospect for Nigeria; after all, there is strength in diversity. Elimination of religious and ethnic prejudices can be the starting point. Regulation of religious preaching such as the post-Boko Haram preventive measure being carried out in Borno State can also be applied in other parts of the country to curb religious extremism.
An overhaul of the nation's non-oil sector of the economy, electoral reform, constitutional review, provision of a lasting solution to the lingering electricity problem of the country and transparency in all government fiscal activities can go a long way in ensuring a better Nigeria. For instance, the implementation of Mohammed Uwais' report on electoral reform will deeply-entrench credibility into the nation's electoral process.
The current high rate of unemployment in the country can be attributed to the neglect of agricultural sector of the economy. According to a recent research by the International Food Policy Research Institute, governments and developing partners in Sub-Saharan Africa will need to increase their agricultural spending by between $3.8 billion and $ 4.8 billion a year to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger (Developments, Issue 44 2009). Nigeria needs to wake up to the challenges of agricultural research, rural roads and irrigation. Though the country has increased her irrigated land from 4,000 hectares in 1999 to 150,000 by 2009, more still needs to be done to reduce unemployment, poverty and hunger.
The intensification of the on-going re-branding campaign of the government will positively clean up the nation's battered image abroad and restore the lost respect of the green passport. Attitudinal change can transform the negative image of this country. Nigeria is not as bad as the media portrays her, but we need to tell the world this truth ourselves.
To achieve Vision 20:2020, Nigerian media should engage in responsible development journalism, emphasizing development-driven stories and deemphasizing stories that dent the image of the country.
In sum, Nigeria has journeyed through the desert for over five decades, witnessing sand storms and occasionally resting at oases. As Nigeria journeys toward the April polls, Nigerians need to remember where they are coming from and where they are going to. We must elect credible, honest and principled leaders that we take us to our destination-GREATNESS!
No comments:
Post a Comment