“Those who are resourceful with their resources will always find a source of survival, even when things go sour.”

THIS question has become imperative for us Nigerians to answer at this critical moment of our life as a nation and as individuals, especially we the youths. If at this present crushing economic crunch, any youth is still anxiously waiting for the government to provide him/her job, or to secure white-collar job, I think that youth is still dreaming! As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention”, the present economic hard-knock it’s an opportunity for us as a nation, to wake up from the 55 years of coma and begin to comb our God-given resources scattered all over the country. And of course, for the youths, this is a test for us to PASS from the Institute of Convention (the norm) and get admitted into the Institute of Inventions!

In my opinion, we have three basic types of resources, namely: Natural resources, human resources and physical/material resources. But in this article, I would be dwelling more on the natural and human resources. In other words, the above question could be rephrased this way: as an individual, how resourceful are you with your resources? And as a country (Nigeria) or a state, how resourceful are we with our resources?

With the exception of Jigawa, Kebbi and Taraba states, each of the 33 states including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja is blessed with at least, three natural resources. Now, put on your binoculars and read the following information on some states and their natural resources as was found on the website of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council: Borno -7; Kwara -8; Kogi -9; Benue -10; Oyo -11; Sokoto -12; Kaduna -19; Plateau -21; and Nasarawa has a whopping 23 solid minerals! The question is, why have all these and other states abandoned their rich deposits of solid minerals? Why have they allowed their resources to lie lifeless like a dead lion beneath their soil? The answer is simple; they’ve chosen not to be resourceful! Why? Because what we taught was a blessing to us has turned us to be lazy like a python that has just swallowed a big chicken! And what is that thing? Your guess is good as mine – Crude oil!

Before the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in 1958 at Oloibiri in present day Bayelsa State, the mainstay of our economy was agriculture and solid mineral deposits. But where are we today? All the states of the federation have abandoned their resources and have stuck to oil from the Niger Delta just like the sticky pads of a wall gecko on the ceiling. We now operate a feeding bottle system: where all the states curl into their shell of laziness and wait at the end of the month to suck from the only the Niger Delta that produces ‘Milk’ – Crude Oil. Now that the oil price in the international market has plummeted to an all-time low, it’s now we are considering, not even planning to diversify the economy. I stand to be corrected, anyway. At present, some states of the federation have even threatened to slash the so-called minimum wage. Why? They are not resourceful! What an irony! Abject poverty in the midst of plenty! Dr. Myles Munroe was apt when he said, “Prosperity does not depend on the resources God gives you, but on your delegated management of what you are given.”

As an individual (a youth), you also need to examine yourself if you’ve been resourceful with your resources or not. May I remind you that you are richly endowed with resources: Talents, abilities, qualities, skills and knowledge that you can use to solve problems in difficult situations. Remember, everybody was born naked but nobody was created empty! But it’s your sole responsibility to discover the resources graciously embedded in you for you to be resourceful.

It’s high time we stopped blaming the government (especially the Federal Government) for everything that goes wrong in our lives! Stop bad-mouthing our dear country, Nigeria. In my observation, the average Nigerian is excellent at playing the blame-game, but very poor in playing the Fame-game – to contribute to make Nigeria a better place.

If I may ask, how have you been able to overcome your life’s challenges with the resources God has graciously blessed you with? If you’re not resourceful, guess what? Those talents, gifts, skills, knowledge, God has given you will develop wings like an eagle and fly away. “How?” You ask. What happened to the ‘Unprofitable Servant’ in Jesus’ Parable of the Talent in Matthew chapter 25 is the answer! In my opinion, God may not be ‘too much interested in our sins’, but He may be ‘unforgiving’ if we do not make use of our talents or resources He has given us to use.

Myles Munroe summed it up this way: “When God gives you a seed, He doesn’t want a seed back; He wants a thick forest.”

So, if you’ve not been resourceful, then, you’ve got to sit down and take a mental surgery of yourself. And I bet that there are at least, two resources (talents) God has graciously deposited in you. Remember, you are a solution to a problem in the world. There is an assignment God wants you to accomplish here on earth. You’ve got to discover it and go take action! You don’t have to wait till you get everything or have a fat bank account to start. You must have to take baby-steps. Remember, it is never a crime to start small; it only becomes a crime when you remain small!

Dear great youth of Nigeria, this is the time for us to massively enroll in the Institute of Inventions –you’ve got to give your abilities, responsibilities so that you’ll become a most sought-after commodity in your community – Nigeria!

• Shadrach, a speaker, writer and stress/time management coach, writes from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. [email protected] 08036600945