By MOURNFUL looks, gloomy faces, less hoisting of the country’s flag on cars and nonchalant attitude of the majority are few of the many indices that Nigeria is lacking in leadership direction and purpose.
Expressing his sadness on the occasion of the country’s 64 Independence Anniversary Comrade Sheriff Mulade, coordinator of the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), said the full potential of the country is yet to be harnessed to the detriment of the masses.
President Bola Tinubu
He speaks: “Nigeria, for 64 years, has been the same fictive narrative that Nigeria has all the potential to lead the world. For so long, this potential has remained latent, quite unclear when, as a hen, it will come to roost.
“Close observers have noted that the country’s economic potential, for instance, is constrained by many structural and systemic issues, including inadequate infrastructure, tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade and investment, lack of confidence in local currency valuation and limited capacity to attract foreign exchange.
“But at the head of all these is a political leadership deficient in direction and purpose.
“As the country turns 64 today, rather than rolling out the drums in celebration, Nigerians are wearing mournful looks with disquieting present and uncertain future as companions.
“Nigeria lags peers across developmental indices
Ordinarily, there should have been much enthusiasm, colour and feting to mark the seemingly milestone.
“Out there on the streets, the gloomy faces, less hoisting of the country’s flag on cars and nonchalant attitude of the majority of the citizens towards the celebration tell the true state of the country.
“The Nigerian masses are being weighed down by the growing burden of economic hardship.
“There is actually little to celebrate about Nigeria at 64 years, probably the fragile unity. It is sad that at 64 years, Nigeria is still struggling with teething problems.
“Nigeria at 64 years after Independence, it is still hope deferred.
“Nigeria, Brazil and India were among the countries the world projected to do well in the late 60s. Today, Brazil and India, which are both BRICS countries, are measuring up with global expectations, while Nigeria is nowhere near that level. Those who say we are a young country, should visit Rwanda or Namibia to see what purposeful leadership means.
“Nigeria has huge potential for greatness, but has been held down from truly being the giant of Africa because of poor leadership over the years.
“A 64-year-old man should be a grandfather by now. But Nigeria seems to retard at teenage level since 1960. We have tried so many things, policies and laws, yet no headway because of poor leadership.
“If we shun ethnicity and religion in our politics, make political positions free of salary and elevate the constitution above every Nigerian, we will attract good leaders.
“We see political position as opportunities to enrich our pockets at the expense of the masses.
“The process of getting there is also corrupt, that is why leadership has been poor and the country’s growth stunted even at 64 years and even more if we fail to get it right.
“Meanwhile, some others think otherwise. They consider the over 20-years of democracy as achievement and the unity of Nigeria despite many challenges in the 64 years of her existence as things to celebrate.
“Presently, Nigerians are disenchanted with the socio-economic situation in the country to celebrate a nation that is rapidly degenerating into a failed state.
“Over six decades after independence, the country appears to be retrogressing in every sector, lagging in basic services of a government to the people, and losing control or sharing some of its territories with non-state actors, who have almost succeeded in bringing government to its knees, using banditry, kidnapping and all forms of insurgency.
“Meanwhile, unemployment, political uncertainty as well as the insecurity of lives and property have been identified as some of the compelling factors for a mass exodus of educated and skillful youths from the country in recent years.
“The current unfavourably economic situation has been exacerbated by reforms and unpopular policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration, which has largely led to an increase in prices of essential commodities, goods and services, leading to high cost of living and higher inflation.
“Some Nigerians are of the view that few privileged individuals, especially political leaders are enjoying the wealth of the nation, while the vast majority are homeless, hungry and defenseless.
“As Nigeria clocks 64, there are many citizens who fear that the benefits of independence have eluded the country and that things may never change for a long time if urgent steps are not taken.
“There are those who canvass that the country needed a holistic restructuring away from the present state to be able to deliver to Nigerians.
“Some have, however, blamed part of the nation’s problem on a faulty electoral process which has affected the conduct of credible elections to recruit leaders who can be responsive and deliver good governance.
“This is the reason Chinua Achebe diagnosed leadership as being the bane of all that is wrong with Nigeria; he set the focus on the challenge of the elite and elite nationalism. All across the world, from the United States to Singapore, and from China to Rwanda, the elite has always played a leading role in transforming the trajectory of nation-building.
“The rise or fall of any state has a lot to do with the decision-making capacities, competences and commitment of its elite. It has to do with whether the elite believes in such a state and works strenuously and self-sacrificially to uphold it; or it is a set of greedy undertakers who do not mind bringing a great state low by the logic of self-aggrandisement.
“Nigeria can best be described as a country that is at war with itself and blamed its downward journey towards a failed state on a systemic problem, lack of service, culture to the citizens and lack of accountability.
“Nigeria’s problems are multifaceted but part of it is the structure of the country which, to me, is not aiding development and good governance.
“We need to go back to the First Republic and see what we have there which was working. The present structure of the government is too expensive and unsustainable.
“There are those who, however, said that even though the country was not where it should be, it had nonetheless, expressed the optimism that there were signs of hope and a clear departure from the old order with the Tinubu administration, insisting that the country has achieved great success in different areas since independence despite obvious challenges.
“It has not been all gloom and doom. Today, Nigeria has the highest number of public and private universities in Africa. We have done so well in many areas that we should thank God for.
“Presently, Nigerians are disenchanted with the socio-economic situation in the country to celebrate about a nation that is rapidly degenerating into a failed state.
“The current unfavourably economic situation has been exacerbated by reforms and unpopular policies of the Bola Tinubu administration, which has largely led to an increase in prices of essential commodities, goods and services, leading to high cost of living and higher inflation.
“Some Nigerians are of the view that few privileged individuals, especially political leaders, are enjoying the wealth of the nation, while the vast majority are homeless, hungry and defenseless.
“As Nigeria clocks 64, there are many citizens who fear that the benefits of independence have eluded the country and that things may never change for a long time if urgent steps are not taken.
“There are those who canvass that the country needed a holistic restructuring away from the present state to be able to deliver to Nigerians.
“Nation building and statecraft are continuous, whatever challenges and hiccups should be tackled by addressing those national questions and developmental issues. I urge the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to triple his efforts to stabilise the economy.
“Things are very tight for people and it is the government that is responsible to solve the national problems. Nation building is a continuous effect and our leaders have to wear their thinking cap so as to find lasting solutions to myriads of challenges- developmental challenges, security challenges, economic challenges, and political challenges- confronting Nigeria as we march towards 100 years anniversary as a country.”
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