Sustainable Development in Nigeria (B) – Creating an effective action plan

It’s important to recognize meaningful responses received from the ‘A’ version of this article. Your responses have given me the drive to write again. I see hope, I see a new Nigeria! This is not some form of concoction of motivational of words, no! It’s a statement driven by dreams of Nigerians dead and alive, the dreams of our heroes past, the dreams of tomorrow’s leaders. If only we choose to dedicate ourselves to the realization of this vision!

In case you didn’t get the drift, the purpose of the ‘A’ article wasn’t to emphasize the shortcomings of our leaders, after-all these same “bad leaders” are products of the same society/environment we live in. If you read Mr. Kayode’s (of Think Thank Nigeria) article on corruption, you’ll understand why I think the problem is not just the leadership. We have made so much noise for years with no solution. The most popular definition of insanity by Albert Einstein is doing the same thing again, the same way and expecting a different result. Without a change in perspective, the future we pray for is only a mirage.

If Americans just made noise everyday, Barack Obama would have been a dream today. Instead, a well-planned strategy involving people ranging from the Wall Street executive, the college students down to the street sweeper was perfectly executed. As I followed the elections, I read about a college student who had given up one year at school to work on the campaign team. What enviable dedication to a course!

To make my call for a “strategy based on a collective vision” sink, I present to you two energetic, intellectually blessed, well respected presidential hopefuls: Pat Utomi and Barack Obama. While the latter’s campaign went across the many states of the Unites States boosted by several anonymous, online five dollar contributions (strategy), the former (whom I have great respect for though) campaigned on the streets of Lagos hoping that He’ll win in far away Katsina state. I live the rest for you to judge.

This piece represents my thoughts on how to build a solid foundation for change in our nation. Since, there is no monopoly of knowledge, I hope for more meaningful contributions and even constructive criticism of this piece. My deep-hearted prayer is that all these would serve as a catalyst to get us all on our feet so we can take full responsibility of the destiny and future of our Nation in our hands. Let me also say that I agree with the call for a revolution by several people. However, a revolution that must succeed cannot be based on firepower; a lasting revolution must be highly intellectual, unselfish in nature and action-based.

I’ll list my thoughts in simple bullet points. Each point will have to be expanded in the future:

We must realize that we are the real cause of our misfortune. One man can only hold a thousand to ransom if the thousand include betrayers working for their selfish interests.

We must decide to take responsibility for our past negligence, shelve all ethnic (divisions such as Afenifere and Ndigbo only make the “opposition” weaker) and religious differences (tools for present day political warlords). Unfortunately, the PDP remains the only true Nigerian party today with people from all ethnic groups. You disagree? Prove me wrong!

If we truly want good governance, our religious leaders must be convinced to speak and act accordingly. True development cannot be separated from religion. Some churches can sponsor large political campaigns without feeling a pinch! Politics is a game of money. He who pays the piper dictates the tune.

Individuals must be encouraged to participate in active politics. We have the right to vote and be voted for. It only takes unity and planning. If we stay away, we have no moral right to complain.

Privileged middle class individuals should have regard for the underprivileged (no one is truly poor). We can’t convince them to join this cause if we ride past in our jeeps without any show of concern (and even splash muddy water on them). You want to understand the power of influence, visit the north and see how people queue up daily to get food from a man’s pot. Whatever He says, they definitely obey!

Still on influence, a young man will collect 5,000 naira to rig an election if He his hungry. At least that will solve his problem for a few days. If the man is uneducated, the situation is worse. He will continue to rely on crumbs from the master’s table.

No real change is possible without adequate education. That’s easy to understand

Our strategy must be based on a massive orientation and re-orientation of our children before they become youths. Parents, religious institutions, schools must be involved. This would end our movement in circles. You can never teach and old dog new tricks.

Instead of focusing on Presidential elections as is the norm in Nigeria, we should instead focus on elections of councilors, local government chairman, representatives and senators. It’s easier to make this people accountable. Furthermore, No Governor or President can sack a senator. A senator can sack a president! See where true power lies?

It’s also easier to cooperate in small groups to elect the people in the positions stated above. If all mosques, churches, unions in my local government choose to elect one man, we’ll spend less, invest less time and still reach our goal.

Small groups like these will one day come together to elect the right national leader. In my opinion however, He is not the most powerful.

We must convince profit-making organizations to contribute to this cause. If they don’t, we must find a way to sideline them completely. Simple scenario: People in a community combine resources to start a bakery with quality as a watchword. Almost everyone is a shareholder; definitely, no other brand of bread sells in that community. It doesn’t look easy, it definitely isn’t. No great vision is achieved on a water bed!

Most importantly, we must be united. Unity built on trust will keep us together in the face of adversity. There will never be a one-man messiah again. The ones that have tried have been killed and forgotten. My private study has shown that even Martin Luther King Junior wasn’t a one-man army. Luew Kuan Yew of Singapore wasn’t either. Obama is definitely not one!

Please note that I do not agree or disagree with any political party today. That might change tomorrow. I have this feeling that their values are somewhat similar. One is just smarter (positively or negatively). Secondly, I have not said that corruption should be stopped at the Federal level. Why? That’s because we can’t stop them now. The solution is to elect the right people who have proved themselves at the expense of selfish gains in subsequent elections. You don’t ask a thief to stop another thief from stealing!

The bakery scenario is an example of what I call “intellectual revolution”. If the change must come, we must produce more revolutionary ideas. Are you wondering why the ruling party isn’t worried about our cries? The answer is obvious: noise doesn’t cause a change. Action does. According to Newton’s law of motion, a body remains in a state of motion or constant velocity except an external force acts on it.

I wait for your reactions. Remember, it’s a collective vision.

Yes to the Nigerian dream!

Sustainable Development in Nigeria: Lagos as a case study(A)

Today, Lagos is fast becoming a wonder to itself and the same set of inhabitants who have lived here for years. The roads are being transformed from market extensions and death traps to perform their real functions – smooth transportation of people, goods and services, the night view of green lawns coupled with solar-powered lighting are admirable, waste management is improving daily (the new recycling system is a plus), the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system has started on a good note, the waterways are becoming alternatives for transportation, emphasis on overall development is so obvious – even the blind can see that.

This rapid development in about two years is not just a miracle. I believe in miracles, however, they cannot be confused with results from conscious and well calculated input of time, energy, money and human resources coupled with discipline, sincerity and a strong passion for change. Even God has respect for work.

How then can this ongoing development be sustained? As I ask this question, I think of the next twenty years. How will Lagos look like again when successive administrations have passed by? We must not forget how hard it is for change to be effected in a people who are used to a different lifestyle. We must not forget that there are people who hate change, people Harold Wilson referred to as architects of decay who will be happy just to reverse the ongoing reformation in this state and of course in other states were such development in on-going. These, I believe will not discourage us. Instead, they stand as challenges we must overcome if the future of our children will be secured.

The popular saying: you can’t teach old dog new tricks, reminds me of the importance of correct training when it is most effective: when the dog is young. Have we ever thought for once, that the same children we tend to overlook will become the youths of tomorrow and grow into the elders and decision makers in the future? Just in 20 years, a baby becomes an adult, a youth becomes a father

As a conscious optimist, I hate to talk about the problems but lasting solutions will never be a reality without identifying today’s problems and the challenges they pose to a sustained development.I strongly believe that any form of development, meant to last, must start from bottom up. Today, we lament at the rate of innocent killings by some irresponsible members of the Nigerian Police. Our learning institutions, the foundation of any true development drop on the world rankings daily – they have become business empires for uncaring, short-sighted and ultimately wicked people. Thugs and drug addicts hang around everywhere causing pain to responsible citizens, our youths pride in immediate but never-lasting gratification.

Cheating is encouraged from birth through primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, no thanks to inordinate ambitions of parents and craze for money and fake recognition by proprietors (I read with utmost dismay and a sad humor, the WAEC rankings of secondary schools based on students’ performance. I only wish they knew how their supervisors supervise excellent meals and leave with mouth-watering cash prizes leaving proprietors and students of some of these schools to cheat endlessly. I do not suppose that all these schools do not deserve to be on top of the rankings. However I know (by personal experience) that many do not deserve to be there. If only the rankings could be done with more diligence, taking into cognizance the results of products of these same schools after four years in tertiary institutions (some never get there, many are drop-outs).

Do we realize that as we shout and make noise about change; we only pay lip service to it. Or do we expect a messiah from heaven? We are in the same circle regardless of the highest form of infrastructural development. I do not undermine the efforts of the government in this area, but to be candid, if we have a set of negative-minded children and youths today, we only build for today. The future of this state and our nation in general is questionable.

In stating our present problems and challenges, I have focused strongly on young people and our learning institutions, the home and the schools; because I believe that any lasting development must strong roots these places. What then is the solution?

I await your well-thought comments on this issue. Your comment could be the solution we need! Remember its a collective vision.Yes to the Nigerian Dream.