This honestly pains me, knowing that this happens on a daily basis in our country


#TNTB

Peace Guarantees our Future.

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PEACE IN NIGERIA

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NOT A PENNY MORE, NOT A PENNY LESS

ARE YOU REALLY PROUD TO SAY THAT THIS HAPPENS IN YOUR COUNTRY?

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PEACE

#TNTB

A Nigeria of Tomorrow

Once upon a time, one dollar equalled one naira. Our schools were flourished, so much that students were eager to enrol in Nigerian universities. Our agricultural sector boomed. As a result, our textile industry ran smoothly, because we produced cotton in abundance. I remember watching a documentary about the groundnut pyramids in Kano that brought about foreign trade for the nation. We must not forget about the palm oil trade between Nigeria and the British, back then. Some of our parents witnessed this era of prosperity in this beloved nation. But ask yourself: Why are we experiencing something totally different now? It is only logical that, as time goes by, things have to get better.

The most populous nation in the whole of Africa is widely considered to be a burden. But not to me. If used properly, the sheer amount of manpower we have should reflect positively on the country. Why are we neglecting our agricultural sector? It brought us wealth and prosperity before, why can’t it bring same tomorrow?

Nigeria has abundant fertile land, most of which are not used. We end up importing foodstuff at relatively high costs and only the rich can lay their hands on the good things of life. My geography teacher once said that, “we have abundant land to grow rice in Abakiliki for the whole nation”. If we do, why don’t we grow it then? We may grow it, but the over-dependence on foreign goods and services will not permit cottage and home-grown industries to compete favourably.

Come to think of it, how many companies do we have that can produce top quality goods and services? Not so many. The ones that we have are mostly monopolies: they have no competitors in the market, and they control prices to benefit them. A lot of these successful companies are fortunate to reach where they are.

Nigeria is a land blessed with raw materials; iron ore, crude oil, natural gas, columbite, gold, tin ore and so much more. Japan is the largest producer of steel in the world, but one amazing fact is that they do not have iron ore in the nation. Japan has limited land, some of which wasa reclaimed from the sea. An example is the Kansai International Airport, which is built on reclaimed land. Forty years after the Second World War, Japan’s economy was back on track: This is in spite of all the devastation and chaos brought about by the war. Forty years was all it took for them to get back on track. Compare: How many years has it been since the Nigerian Civil War? What have we achieved? Are we progressing?

Like so many people, I have hope in this nation. We have a lot of young people with immense potentials among us. We also have a lot of great men and women who share the same dreams as us; great men and women in power who want to make things better. But they cannot. A few cannot bring light to this nation; we have to work together. But where do we start? Security issues? Corruption problems? Economic issues? Infrastructural deficiencies?

It is a long-shot, but there are aspects which past and present leaders have factored out, but fail(ed) to implement:

Industrialisation. This simply means the building of industries in a country. We were blinded by greed, by the allure of wealth brought about by crude oil. But we simply made the biggest mistake any nation can make: We failed to establish heavy industries, choosing only to concentrate on short-term policies and forgetting to look to the future. True, we do have refineries, but they are nothing to write home about. Our leaders then should’ve drawn up plans to create, at least, five refineries across the nation to tackle the problem which they should have foreseen. We sell crude oil to nations like the USA, only to buy back petroleum products from them at a higher rate.  It wouldn’t have been an easy task, but if this had been kick-started, things might have been different now.

Agriculture. Ever heard of bio-ethanol? It is a by-product of maize. Besides that, it is used to fuel cars in countries like Brazil. Agriculture doesn’t mean planting food to eat alone. Palm oil is used in the cosmetic industry to manufacture soaps. Cocoa beans come in handy for making beverages. So many benefits can be derived from agriculture, but why can’t it be made to flourish? The government offers no help to farmers, nor does it  push policies which allow for farmers to obtain loans from banks. Government can grant them subsidies and incentives to boost their production. Eventually, we will come to regret overlooking this area for generations.

If we can harness the inherent potentials of both industrialisation and agriculture, we can bring about a new economic environment, favourable balance of trade, and higher exports. These will, in turn, bring about foreign exchange, better investment climate, job opportunities for Nigerians and a lot more.

We can succeed. But a few cannot lead this nation to glory. We can only get there together. I pray for a better Nigeria. Pray for the Nigeria of tomorrow.

By Sadiq Adamu Waziri

Today

Tomorrow