By Bobson Gbinije 

It is a Maxim founded on the universal experience of mankind that no Nation is to be trusted farther than it is bound by its’ interest – George Washington (1732-1799) Letter to Congress.

WITH peremptory magistracy and awesome gallantry our founding fathers fought with dogged obduracy for the political independence of our glorious country, Nigeria. They invested their dreams on Nigeria, but whither goeth Nigeria today?

After 66 years of political independence Nigeria is still silhouetted in the sordid saga and tapestry of progressivistic labyrinth. We are still rumbling in the cabbage of unthinkable corruption, arrant poverty, HIV/AIDS, malaria scourge and arrested development.

We are submerged in the cocoon of human rights violations, including politically- motivated assassinations, extra-judicial killings and excessive use of force. The arrest and detention of people for political reasons, restriction on freedom of the press, speech and assembly, prolonged pre-trial detention and aiding and abetting of electoral malpractices still constitute some dark characteristics of our nation. We are still sunken in blatant illegalities, tragic criminalities, prebendalistic graft and wallowing in unmitigated sleaze.

After 66 years of independence, we have no functional hospitals, no roads, no affordable houses, no jobs and no food security, no light, no effective transport system, no water, no affordable education and no road map and viable blue print for strategic repositioning of our country, Nigeria.

The statesman, Alfred Rewane, captures the scenario thus: ‘Yesterday, we yearned for a better tomorrow. Today, we mourn the loss of a better yesterday. How sad”? Whither goeth Nigeria after 66 years of political independence?

These weird economic, socio-political policies  successfully befuddled our nation. What is the way forward? Hence, a Chartered Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, Chief LEA Aimiuwu once said:  “First, we blamed the colonial masters; next, military blamed military. Then politicians blamed military. Now, party blames party, Legislature blames Executive, Executive blames Legislature; tribe blames tribe, zone blames zone, private sector blames public sector, public sector blames private sector, followers blame leaders, leaders blame followers.”

Who blames self? Now we turn round and say:  “Nigeria has failed us”. But who makes up Nigeria?

Nigeria has not failed, we have failed ourselves! Working together, mission driven, with shared passion and vision-focus Nigeria shall rise again. Things work only if we make them work! They work only as we make them work. So let’s work the work!!” This could be a peripheral and simplistic overview of Nigeria’s problems, but it bears a ring of the horizontal and vertical integration which Nigeria needs to move forward as a nation.

It is sacrosanct truism that after 66 years of independence Nigeria needs the implosive surgeonisation of a moral rearmament, ethical revolution, attitudinal re-orientation, leadership altruism, political re-evaluation, policy screening, patriotism and change of psyche with everything and anything that has to do with Nigeria and Nigerians to enable our country make palpable progress. We need to focus on:

(a) Leadership by example: It is a quintessential fact that absence of good leadership has been the bane of the Nigerian nation right from 1960 till date. We need leaders who can carry the vast majority of Nigerians along through policies that will alleviate the agonies and travails of the people.

A leader that understands that Nigeria is a microcosm in a global macrocosm and that Nigeria must hold and take an enviable seat in the comity of nations. A leader that calls the totality of Nigeria his or her main constituency. A detribalised and cosmopolitanised leader. A leader who understands that leadership is all about people’s welfare through committed and honest leadership.

As the 2027 election approaches, we hope and pray that our leaders will not resort to thuggery, political assassinations, vote rigging, etc., to get power. It is clear that the political antecedents of our politicians remain hideously ghoulish, but we call on them to put Nigeria first before exercising their pathological quest for power.

The political algebra glaringly shows that the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should come from any of the geo-political zone. We hope that through co-ordinated dialogue the elections will go on without ethnic cleansing, genocide, social schism and the break-up of our country, Nigeria. Our leaders must hold their vaulting ambition in-check.

A good, progressive and functional economy  constitute the matrix on which the growth and development of any nation can take place; Nigeria has been quite amorphous in its economic principles and logistics, although we have been called one the fastest growing economies in the world and the highest in Africa.

In the light of the new millennium, Nigeria must continue to make strides in economic development by adopting new global strategies. The importance of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development  (NEPAD), NEEDS, SEEDS and such-like bodies were not tapped for macro-economic impact.

An economic “Think tank” must be set up to look into ways and means of diversifying the Nigerian economy and looking at the logistics of re-launching a New Agricultural Revolution in Nigeria.

It is a shame that Nigeria still remain one of the largest importers of food in the world, whilst China with its over 1.5 billion people feeds itself. A new Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) and a new school to farm project must re-launched. It is a shame that 2/3 of 150 million Nigerians still live on $1 dollar a day.

A leadership that cannot feed the people and a nation that cannot feed itself are doomed to perdition.  Providing food for the teeming masses should be the cardinal and fundamental concern and priority of government at all levels. The importation of farmers from Zimbabwe is not the answer.

We should not under the guise of assistance bite more than we can chew. We also have pressing economic problems at home.

We should, however continue to promote international co-operation for the consolidation of universal peace and mutual respect among all nations and strive for elimination of discrimination in all its manifestations. We must continue to have respect for international laws and treaty obligations.

Democracy is a process and not just an event, therefore, the political engineering process in Nigeria through democratic metamorphosis is still at its inchoate and gestational stage. It must therefore be handled with care by our politicians and leadership aspirants if Nigeria must continue to remain as one united sovereign nation.
Gbinije is of Mandate Against Poverty (Map) Sapele-Warri.