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Our political leaders in their usual
effusive and ostentatious style would
roll out the drums in Abuja and all
states of the Federation to celebrate
the national Independence Day in what
has become a ritual on every October
1st. As usual, our beleaguered nation
would be treated to vain broadcasts and
grandstanding on national and local
television and radio stations.
Nigerians who had until now look forward
to the Independence Day celebration for
renewed hope and reconstruction have
become sullen and despondent: the spark,
bounce and enthusiasm that was once the
hallmark of the Nigerian have long
disappeared; leaving melancholy,
forlornness and frustration in its wake.
Poverty has become endemic. The people
are angry and inconsolable. The people
are not to be blame. Daily, they are
aware of the near total disconnect
between them and those holding the reins
of leadership. They have watched as the
dream of our founding fathers has been
ruined on account of ineptitude,
corruption and lack of vision.
With a population about 140million
consisting of the best human capital any
where in the world; a variety of natural
resources; a wide range of climatic and
vegetation patterns, ranging from the
hot and dry desert of the north through
the moderate grassland middle belt to
the wet tropical rainforest and mangrove
vegetation of the south, Nigeria is
strategically placed and endowed with
potentials for greatness.
Unfortunately, the reverse is the case.
The pace of development in virtually all
the sectors of the polity is slow and
uncoordinated. The effect is a neglected
agricultural sector; declining
manufacturing sector; stunted
technological development sector;
decaying infrastructure, a starved and
famished health sector; a highly
manipulated financial sector; and indeed
an “ambushed” oil sector, which
presumably, is supposed to be the
backbone of the economy.
The National Association of Seadogs
(NAS) is deeply worried that after 49
years of Independence, our political
leaders are yet to get their acts
together and make Nigeria great. They
would have been forgiven if they had
attempted and failed. But what is
evident is a deliberate and
predetermined script to keep Nigeria on
its knees by a depraved and gluttonous
political leadership bereft of vision.
The insensitivity of our political
leaders is replicated in virtually all
sectors of the economy.
The manufacturing sector is on a
freefall as more companies wind down
their operations in the country, the
latest being Coca- Cola, which has shut
down its concentrate plant and relocated
to a neighboring country.
After a widely celebrated vow to declare
an emergency in the power sector, a
hapless nation still await some form of
concrete action program from the Federal
Government. Incessant power outages
across the country have had a great toll
on the economy as many industries are
heavily dependent on alternative sources
of power. Recent media reports put the
amount Nigerians spend on fueling
industrial and domestic electricity
generating sets at about N796 billion
per annum, an amount that compares
favourably with the nation’s capital
expenditure vote in the 2009 budget.
As if the situation is not bad enough,
Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei, Ghana’s Minister of
Energy, was quoted in several media
reports that arrangements are now in
place for Ghana to be "a major exporter"
of electricity to Nigeria. Ironically,
Nigeria supplies gas to Ghana for
electricity supply through the West
Africa Gas Pipeline project. That is how
low we have fallen as the self acclaimed
“giant of Africa”!
Unsurprisingly, Nigeria’s anti-graft war
which has been applauded all over the
world in time past is being laughed off
by responsible governments and credible
organizations.
Sadly, the health sector is buffeted by
myriads of problems largely due to lack
of basic equipments to save lives.
Similarly, our education sector is
comatose. It is now over three months
since the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) embarked on a
nationwide strike over the inability of
the Federal Government to honour an
agreement it freely entered into with
the union. Yet, President Umaru Musa Yar’
Adua had no qualms traveling to Saudi
Arabia to participate in the opening of
the new King Abdullah University of
Science and Technology!
It will be recalled that things have not
always been like this. After
Independence
in 1960 and through the 70s and 80s
Nigeria was truly the cynosure of
Africa, dominating the economic, social
and political landscape within the
continent. With a very strong
African-centric foreign policy, Nigeria
played strategic roles in the fight
against apartheid and the quest for
independence in South Africa, Zimbabwe,
Angola and Mozambique. In the 90s, we
led the way in peace-keeping missions to
troubled African countries like Sierra
Leone, Liberia; and indeed in other
parts of the world. Those were the days
when Africans from neighboring countries
came to Nigeria to seek economic refuge!
The situation is now in reverse gear.
At 49 Nigeria’s influence in Africa has
progressively diminished. Recently, a
Group of 20 nations assumed the role of
a permanent council on global economic
cooperation. One would have expected
Nigeria, as the most populous country in
Africa and one of the world’s leading
producers of oil, to make this line-up
of world leading global economies,
leading Africa. Incidentally, South
Africa has since taken that position
with Ghana dominating the West African
sub-region. Sadly but unsurprisingly,
the country has become a butt of jokes
among fellow African countries and the
international community on the inability
of our political leaders to lead us
aright
President Umar Yar Adua must wake up!
His leadership is uninspiring and falls
short of what is expected to galvanize
Nigerians to support any programme of
development. Sometimes, he appears
overwhelmed by the problems besetting
the nation. He must wrest his presidency
from pretenders and opportunists. Making
Nigeria one of the 20 strongest
economies by year 2020 is an ambitious
step in the right direction but it will
not be achieved by mere sloganeering
hinged on a soulless seven-point agenda!
The lofty quest will also not be
achieved by boycotting key international
forum to market Nigeria. What is
required is an articulate, hardworking,
visionary, sincere and committed
leadership to get the country out of the
woods.
Despite the plethora of missed
opportunities by our political
leadership, the National Association of
Seadogs (NAS) is however convinced that
there is still hope for Nigeria. The
onus rests of President Umar Yar’ Adua
to rise up to the occasion and provide
the direction to take Nigeria on the
path of greatness. In simple terms, he
must be on top of his game. Just a year
away from celebrating our Golden Jubilee
as an Independent nation, he can
leverage on the dogged nature and the
can-do-spirit of Nigerians and do the
right thing by governing this country
with commitment. This we believe is the
challenge before him. He must
reposition Nigeria for the better by
tending to the following milestones.
·
NAS
expects the government to conclude
negotiations with the striking lecturers
and re-open the universities without
further delay.
·
As a
matter of urgency, he should order the
full implementation of the
recommendations of the Justice Muhammed
Uwais committee on Electoral Reforms for
genuine democracy to be enthroned in the
country. In this regard, Maurice Iwu
will obviously be the first casualty -
has done his bit and should be allowed
to go home in peace.
·
President Umar Yar’ Adua should
immediately declare the emergency in the
power sector and save the remaining
industries struggling to survive.
·
He
should move fast to salvage
Nigeria
and save its future as time is no longer
on his side.
·
Social,
economic and political corruption must
be curtailed, if not totally eradicated.
·
Security
of lives and property must be given top
priority. Security agencies must put a
stop to the spate of assassinations
across the land.
·
He
should move fast to salvage
Nigeria’s
image by declaring his stance on
corruption by distancing himself from
indicted politicians.
NAS International wishes to use this
opportunity to extend to all Nigerians a
happy 49th independence
anniversary celebration.
Emanuel Bassey
NAS Capoon
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