QUEST FOR UNITY, EQUITY AND JUSTICE IN NIGERIA: SHALL THE LABOUR OF OUR HEROES PAST BE IN VAIN?

BY  

PROF MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN, CON, OFR, FCIARB, LL.M, PH.D, LL.D

 

INTRODUCTION 

The theme of this lecture couldn’t be more apt given the cocktail of challenges which continue to bedevil our dear country almost 65 years after political independence from Britain. The list is so familiar that it has almost become as fixed and constant as the Northern Star. The usual factors are implicated: insecurity (especially the physical kind, the most serious of all), high the cost of living, unemployment, corruption, crumbling infrastructure, non-functional educationand widespread disenchantment with the Nigeria project, leading to mass migration (so-called ‘japa’) of our best and brightest for the proverbial greener pastures.

 

DEFINITION OF TERMS

In short, virtually everything about this lecture concerns those things the subject of this tribute fought for (and sadly, died for) without fully achieving. This is by no means an exaggeration as this excursion or trip down memory lane will shortly reveal. Before doing that, however, let me give a few preliminaries which the title of this paper evokes: what is a “quest” and what do the ideas of ‘unity’, ‘equity’ and ‘justice’ signify and connote? It is only by satisfactorily deciphering them and examining their status in Nigeria, that we can rationally pose the question of whether or not our heroes past (including Pa Edwin Clark) labored in vain.

QUEST is a noun. It means[1] “the act or an instance of looking for or seeking; search”. It also means[2] “the object of a search; goal or target. The word ‘unity’ is also a noun. It means[3]“the state of being one; oneness, a whole or totality; the state or fact of being united or combined into one, as of the parts of a whole; unification; agreement or concord”. ‘Equity’ (another noun) refers to[4] “fairness or justice in the way people are treated”; it signifies freedom from disparities in the way people of different races, genders, etc, are treated. ‘Justice’ is[5] the quality of being just, impartial or fair: the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action.[6] In its broadest sense,[7] is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly.‘True Federalism’ is “A system of governance where the component units (states or regions) have significant autonomy and control over resources, security, and development, as opposed to over-centralization by the federal government”.[8]

  

ABSENCE OF UNITY, EQUITY AND JUSTICE IN NIGERIA

If there is one thing on which there is a broad consensus (near-unanimity, infact) in Nigeria, it is the virtual absence of unity, equity and justice. Yes, we have a multitude of institutions, structures, codes and legal frameworks all of which were established and designed to achieve and sustain those ideals- from the Constitution, the courts, Federal Character Commission,Police, INEC, Legislature, Executive, etc and similar institutions. Yet, the malaises of disunity, injustice and inequality persist. This is despite the efforts our heroes past-including the object of this gathering.

 

MANY QUESTIONS

Accordingly, the question is: why have these ills stubbornly defied every effort at curbing (if not totally eliminating) them? Is the Nigeria Project inherently flawed-oreven doomed? Is the problem in the faulty foundation? Did our founding fathers get it right? Were they mistaken, genuine visionaries or hopeless romantics whose quest for nationhood (cobbling together a single country from what was, in reality, an amalgam of diverse, disparate, nations) misplaced? Did they really have a say in the matter given that the idea of Nigeria was conceived by our colonial masters (the British) who proceeded to impose it upon us willy nilly through Lord Lugard’s almagamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates and the Lagos Colony on the 14^th of January, 1914 with Miss Flora Louisa Shaw giving her the name “Nigeria” in an article she wrote in The Times of 8^th January, 1897? Is it because the Royal Niger Company sold its holdings to the British for £865,000 (Eight Hundred and Sixty Five Thousand Pounds) in 1899 which marked British acquisition of the territory called Nigeria?

This poser is as relevant as ever because, over a hundred years since that forced marriage (the amalgamation of 1914), we are still groping in the dark and, more than anything, else, our security challenges (specifically incidents of random, seemingly senseless killings targeting ethnic groups-especially in Benue, Plateau and now EdoStates) expose our fault-lines in their stark reality.In this regard, some historical perspective would be helpful to navigate the labyrinths of this poser.

 

PRE-INDEPENDENCE

I owe a lot of this part of my speech to Oladayo Ogunbowale[9], who opined that[10] early in the 19th Century, anti-colonialist elements began to mobilise to resist the colonial rule of Britain. At the fore-front of the struggle for self-rule in Nigeria were progressives like Sir Herbert Macaulay who established the Nigeria National Democratic Party (NNDP) in 1922, Pa Michael Imoudu who led the labour movement revolt against the colonialist autocratic and inhuman practices;Chief Obafemi Awolowo who was one of the brains behind the establishment of theAction Group (AG) and later Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Awo also established the Nigerian Tribune in November 1949[11]; late Dr. Nnamdi Azikwewho established the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon which later metamorphosed into National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) as well as Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) in the 70s. Zik was also the brain behind the establishment of the West African Pilot newspaper. From the Northern Nigeria, we had people like Alhaji Tafawa Balewaand Sir Ahmadu Bello who were the arrowheads of Northern People’s Congress (NPC). What all the aforementioned people had in common was that they form part of Nigeria’s depleting genre of heroes[12]. Are their labours in vain?

 

THE 1914 FORCED MARRIAGE

The problem, in the words of Ogunbowale[13] sprang from the forced marriage of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 that resulted in a country called NIGERIA. This marriage lacked mutual consent, unity, love, cohesion and most other good ingredients that would ensure a loving and peaceful marriage. This was unlikeAmerica’s deliberate effort at building a strong union through a voluntary Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between May 14and September 17, 1787, which 39 out of 50 states signed the Constitution agreeing to certain Articles of Faith. Even the country’s patriarch and founding leaders at that time attested to this fact.

 

1.   Lord Lugard: “The North and the South are like oil and water, they will never mix”.

 

2.   Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa: “The Southern people who are swamping into this region daily in such large numbers are really intruders; we don’t want them and they are not welcome here in the North. Since 1914, the British Government has been trying to make Nigeria into one country. But the people are different in every way, including religion, custom, language and aspirations, we in the North take it that Nigeria unity is only a British intention for the country they created”.

 

3.   Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo: “Nigeria is only a geographical expression to which life was given by the diabolical amalgamation of 1914, that amalgamation will EVER remain the most painful injury a British Government inflicted on Southern Nigeria.”

 

4.   Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe: “If this embryo republic of ours must disintegrate, then in the name of God, let the operation be a short and painless one.”

 

5.   Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe toAlhaji Ahmadu Bello:“Let us forget our differences”.

 

6.   Alhaji Ahmadu Belloto Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe: “No, let us understand our differences. I am a muslim, a Fulani and a Northerner; you are a Christian; an Igbo and an Eastener. By understanding our differences, we can build unity in our country.”

 

7. Rtd. General Yakubu Gowon: “Suffice it to say that putting all considerations to the test, political, economic as well as social, the basis of unity is not there.”

 

8.   Odumegwu Ojukwu: “for unity to be meaningful, it has to be creative, not the unity of Jonah in the whale, but the unity of the Holy Matrimony. The first can only lead to defecation, the second to procreation.

 

 

THE PROBLEM WITH NIGERIA

All I have said above, show but one thing: that the Nigeria Project suffers from what was famously captured by the late Professor Chinua Achebe as simply and squarely that of leadership (though I would add followership). First enunciated in the mid-eighties, it remains true today. That challenge has been at the root of every other malaise that has bedeviled the country since independence, particularly religious, ethnic, corruption and worsening security in all their ramifications. To say that life in Nigeria is - in the often-quoted words of Thomas Hobbes - nasty, solitary, brutish and short, would be an understatement. Simply put, no one and nowhere is safe in Nigeria.

An explosive cocktail of factors and Non-State Actors have since conspired to hold the country hostage and prevent it from fulfilling it's potential as the greatest black nation on earth. It is clear, therefore, that diagnosing the challenge is the easy part. To a certain extent, so is the cure: get the leadership right and every other thing will fall into place. As usual, however, the devil is in the detail.

 

MULTI-FACETED CHALLENGES

The labours of pour heroes past appear to be in recession due to the cocktail of challenges bedeviling the country.

 

THE CHALLENGE OF INSECURITY

Seldom in our recent history has insecurity become the focus of everyone – from policy makers to the man on the street. This was prompted by recent repeated advisories, first by the United States, and subsequently by some European countries for their citizens to leave Abuja, the nation’s capital. I have repeated quoted Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran Pastor in Germany, who spent the last eight years of Nazi rule (1937 – 1945) in Nazi Prisons and Concentration Camps. He said, “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

The situation has, naturally, focused attention, on the state of the polity: Is Nigeria on the brink? What exactly is the nature of the security challenge that we face? Does it defy solution?

 

SCOPE OF INSECURITY IN NIGERIA

The challenge of insecurity in Nigeria is multi-dimensional. It has numerous forms, shades and characteristics. Some of its obvious manifestations, generally speaking, include political insecurity, health insecurity, economic/financial insecurity, food insecurity, education insecurity and social insecurity. Suffice it to say that insecurity is the reverse of security. In other words, insecurity – of any kind – is the absence of security.

 

Accordingly, the question, as previously posed, is: to what extent do these ills afflict or plague us as a nation and/or as a people? Are they existential? Have they always been part of our lived experience (our history) or have they worsened/ deteriorated over time? Have they assumed or morphed into worse (and, indeed, intractable) versions? The best way to tackle the riddle, in my view, is to break it down into its compound parts or facets – starting with political insecurity.

 

POLITICAL INSECURITY

Control of political power - especially at the centre - has always been keenly contested in Nigeria. This historical fact has, unfortunately, degenerated to the level of violence resulting in loss of lives and property.

 

A ONE PARTY STATE?

This ‘verbal’ or ‘spoken’ form of political violence can, if unchecked, quickly degenerate into the more invidious and physical kind, which is more commonly understood as political violence. Accordingly, it is safe to say that this sort of violence is the one that portends the greatest danger for the country going forward – in the near-to-medium, if not long term. This has been worsened  by the spate of political defections across party lines but mostly in the direction of the APC ruling party, lending credence to serious fears of Nigeria becoming a one party state. It is therefore important to warn Nigeria against a one-party state as it self-implodes.

 

DISADVANTAGES OF A ONE-PARTY STATE

1.  It encourages bad rule and poor governance;

2.  It leads to the victimization of opposition groups and critical dissenting views;

3.  It perpetuates bad leadership in office;

4.  It can lead to the unpopularity of a regime, but which persists because it is not removeable;

5.  It can lead to dictatorship as dissenting views are suppressed;

6.  It is undemocratic as it has limited representation where minority views may not be represented or allowed participation;

7.  Lack of accountability and transparency in governance

8.  Media censorship and propaganda;

9.  Leads to human rights abuses and suppression of individual freedoms

10.              Limited economic competition

 

INSURGENCIES

Political insecurity is not the only one. Allied to it is a deadly cocktail of a nascent insurgence by the Boko Haram (lately ISWAP); the campaign for self-determination by IPOB (the Independent People of Biafra); that of Oodua Peoples’ Congress; random seemingly politically-motivated gun violence, resulting in attempted or actual murders;and incessant kidnappings for ransom. It must be said, however, that the phenomenon of kidnapping appears to be motivated more by economic factors than anything else, and that is conveniently our next focus.The attempt to tackle such incidents have prompted seemingly disproportionate and discriminatory deployment of security agencies across the country particularly in the South-East, as is evident from the suffocating check-points in the following location:                 

 

Security Checkpoints Along Onitsha To Enugu Expressway as an example of a siege.

A journey of a mere 86 kilometres from Onitsha to Enugu takes hours due to the incredibly suffocating numerous checkpoints along the highway as written by a concerned road user. He gave details as follows:

1. Army Gate Onitsha

2. Nkwelle Junction

3. Awkuzu Junction Army 

4. Awkuzu Junction FRSC

5. Dunukofia LG hqts Police 

6. Enugwu-Ukwu Junction Police

7. Amawbia Junction Police 

8. Unizik Junction Army 

9. Mopol base Awka Junction Police 

10. Prince and Princess hostel front army 

11. Amansea boundary Police 

12. Ugwuoba boundary Police 

13. Ugwuoba bridge police team

14. Ugwuoba Junction Army 

15. Ugwuoba Junction NDLEA

16. Ugwuoba Junction FRSC

17. Ugwuoba Central Army 

18. Oji River Junction Army 1

19. Oji River Junction Army 2

20. Ezeagu express Army 

21. Near Nkwo ezeagu Police 

22. Near tiles factory Police 

23. Umumba Ndiuno express Police 1

24. Umumba Ndiuno express Police 2

25. 9th Mile Checkpoint

26. Nude express (approach to ninth mile) Police

27. Ngwo express Army 

28. Ngwo express anti terror squad

29. Onyeama Hill (near refuse dump) Army 

30 Onyeama Hill (near coal mine) Army 

31. Abakpa Interchange Police 

32. Abakpa Junction FRSC. 

 

 

 

 

ECONOMIC INSECURITY

The worsening poverty in the country is so alarming that, not only are we reportedly officially in a recession, Nigeria with nearly 40 million people on the verge of extreme hunger has now been classified as the poverty capital of the world, replacing India and some other very poor countries with that dubious distinction. This malaise feeds the political insecurity addressed above, as the lack of opportunity for economic empowerment breeds a ready army of restless youths who are easily recruited by the political elite and used as little more than cannon fodders in fighting their political turf ‘wars’ or settling political scores.

 

It is, however, worse than that, as it informs the phenomenon of vote-buying, where prospective voters sell their franchise for a better future for as little as N10, 000 (US$12.00). The consequences are thus not hard to imagine: people assume political office (acquire political power) on the basis of a flawed illegitimate process (by compromising the electorate) as opposed to a fair contest based on programmes or ideology. Unfortunately, given that the practice is not new, it is simply a repetition of a seemingly endless cycle which does not look like breaking anytime soon – certainly not in the run-up to the next elections in 2027, in respect of which campaigns have clearly commenced in earnest. What with the on-going horse-trading and jockeying for power(manifested in the gale of defections which I earlier alluded to). I have already discussed this malaise under my OZEKPEDIA neologism – Electionocracy, Selectocracy, Judocracy, Executocracy and Legislatocracy[14]. Perhaps, the Joseph Stalin – Live Chicken anecdote best illustrates this[15].

 

 

 

PHYSICAL INSECURITY

Arguably one of the most glaring example of physical insecurity could be found inkidnapping, armed banditry, pipeline vandalisation and crude oil theft. This is also a manifestation of economic insecurity. The losses sustained by oil bunkering and theft have eroded whatever gains we could have achieved with oil prices at an all-time high in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine War. Suffice it to say that it is simply unacceptable that the Government is unable to secure its physical assets in a sector which is its most important foreign exchange earner (its cash-cow) and the source of the bulk of the means of settling its bloated staff pay-roll; where recurrent expenditure far outstrips capital expenditure.

 

NON-STATE ACTORS

However, as usual with all these facets of insecurity, its physical manifestation overlaps and correlates with the activities of Non-State Actors who have laid siege to large swathes of the country and who – reportedly, particularly in parts of the North-West, North-East and North-Central extort taxes and issue identity cards(in effect, constituting themselves into a parallel government of sorts). They have carved out fiefdoms – physical locations – over which they hold sway and into which the agents of the Nigerian State venture at their own peril. This is our present reality.

 

 

 

EDUCATIONAL/SOCIAL INSECURITY

The frequent industrial actions embarked upon by academic staff of our public universities have become a metaphor for everything that is wrong in that sector. It is so endemic and problematic that it is merely stating the obvious to characterize it as a crisis of insecurity. This has prompted many to urge the Government to declare a State of Emergency in the sector. I did that as far back as September 12, 2013, upon my release by my kidnappers from a most horrific 21 day kidnap in their dungeon. It is related that government only usually paid half of salaries and allowances that became due while lecturers were on strike. The Federal Government explained this by insisting that it cannot pay for work not done. In the midst of such recriminations, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture: that it is the future of millions of Nigerian students – our very future – that is at stake here.

 

Given that the vast majority of our undergraduate student population attend public Universities (private Universities are beyond their reach), the scale of the problem becomes all too obvious. Needless to say¸ their prolonged stay out of school as a result of the lecturers’ strikesalways exposed many of them to social vices and tasked the patience of their parents and guardians. In other words, just as with the other types of insecurity discussed above, this, too, has economic and other security implications, as it impinges on the well-being of not only lecturers, but the social fabric of the nation at large in the broadest possible sense, because, as the saying goes, an idle hand is the Devil’s workshop.

 

Beyond tertiary education, the rest of our educational system is decrepit and in shambles, with rising levels of out-of-school children (especially in the far North), decaying infrastructure, ill-motivated, poorly-trained teachers and rampant incidents of exam malpractices, cultism and sexual harassment – especially by teachers, targeted at students - amongst others. Our funding of education as a proportion of our GDP (or even annual budget) is abysmal and way below the level prescribed international and regional development institutions. This is very depressing and worrisome as it obviously portends grave danger for our future in every possible way, particularly with the rising incidence of brain-drain: the incidence of our brightest and best leaving the country in droves in search of the proverbial greener pasture.

 

 

 

 

CAPITAL FLIGHT

In this regard, an economic implication of the prevailing insecurity in our educational system is the humongous amount of foreign exchange transferred out of the country yearly as students’ school fees through the Central Bank of Nigeria. This ‘capital flight’ has contributed to the sustained pressure which the Naira has been exposed to in the recent past which has seen its value crash to the unprecedented level of currently over N1,500 to the US Dollar. Talking of the exchange rate crisis, this is yet another manifestation of our ongoing economic insecurity which has defied all solution and instead has gone from bad to worse.

 

As a result, a least one foreign airline (Emirates) earlier suspended operations in Nigeria, citing inability to repatriate the proceeds of its ticket sales which are, of course, dollar-dominated. Indeed, no better evidence of this is needed than the Government’s re-designation of the Naira. Regardless of the benefits or merits of the policy, it does appear to have brought its own problems (unintended consequences) as it is apparently responsible for the said free-fall in the value of the Naira brought about by speculators. This, once again, demonstrates the interwovenness of the various aspects of insecurity.

 

 

 

HEALTH INSECURITY

 

This has been a persistent challenge since the golden era (in the 70s) when Nigerian health systems were second to none – at least among developing countries. At that time, the University of Ibadan was a leading centre of tropical medicine and was patronized by patients from as far afield as the Middle-East. Today, the reverse is the case, as a combination of factors have so undermined our health services and institutions (including brain-drain) that Nigerian public hospitals have (in the words of many a military putchist in the past) become mere consulting clinics. Today, Nigerians have become much sought–after as health tourists in India, Egypt and Dubai, with the attendant drain on our scarce foreign reserves – thereby further underlining our economic security.

 

SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT: NIGERIA IS NOT NECESSARILY THE WORST PLACE ON EARTH

It is imperative to confront and dismantle the pervasive stereotypes that have maligned our image on the international scene. True enough, we have our challenges.  But contrary to persistent foreign narratives that seek to portray Nigerians in the most negative light, the UK Metropolitan Policestatistics reveal that Nigerians are not among the top nationalities convicted for drug-related offences, sexual offences, violent crimes, or theft within the referenced period[16].

 

In drug-related offences, Nigerians are absent from the top 15.

In sexual offences, Nigeria does not feature among the leading nationalities.

In violent crimes, Nigerians are again not listed.

In theft-related offences, Nigeria remains unmentioned among the most represented nationalities.

 

These credible findings affirm that the vast majority of Nigerians abroad are law-abiding, industrious and upright citizens who contribute immensely to their host societies in various fields—ranging from commerce and academia to technology, sports and the arts.

              

As Dr. Tony Akah, mni, aptly puts it “Nigeria is not the worst place on earth. Stop the stereotypes – Nigerians abroad are not the problem. Let us stand proud, armed with facts, not falsehood.”

 

THE CHALLENGE AND THE IMPERATIVE OF CREDIBLE LEADERSHIP

 

So much for the diagnosis. What about the prognosis? What are the prospects for addressing the bleak picture painted above? Is it all doom and gloom or is there room for hope? Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Is the situation irreversible? What can be done to reverse the trend? As usual, hope springs eternal and we should never say never. We have been written off before .

.and each time, we always pull back from the brink. So, what does it take fix all these challenges - to right all these wrongs and get the ship of the Nigerian state back on an even keel?

 

To start with, the ship analogy is an apt one, as this is the most important single item in any tool-kit deployed to tackle our multi-faceted challenges. It is in this regard, that the prescription of late Prof. Chinua Achebe, becomes ever so apt (leadership).

 

 

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Leadership in Nigeria can be improved if the leadership of the country embraces transformational leadership values. Transformational leadership has core values of goals, visions, and the means to unite with followers to ensuring that such goals are achieved. He also takes the responsibility of ensuring that people are mobilized to participate in the process of change, and encourages a sense of collective action.

 

Essentially, transformational leadership strives to make leaders out of the available followers. Such generated leaders are dispersed across sectors of economy to ensure that the mission and visions of progress created at different centres of power are executed based on the needs of citizens and that the later actively involved in goal implementation. With this, the transformational leader takes people beyond pre-occupation with basic needs and scraping by, as it is today in most parts of the country, and sets the pace for individual and national self-actualization. As a matter of fact, transformational leaders work independently and courageously to make choices that are best for the country within the international system of economic, political and cultural interaction; lead the citizen to bring back quality and excellence to education, revitalize infrastructural facilities and modernize productive activity in agriculture and industry; insert skilled indigenous professionals and labour centre stage of building national development infrastructure.

 

Transformational leadership is inward looking and conscious of the benefits that its society can derive from the international environment. It takes the responsibility of the national or local problem depending on the layer of leadership; deploys skill, knowledge imagination and energy to solution to most problems and assists followers to realize their hidden and untapped capabilities. The transformational leader is always physically present to monitor projects at sites. He also receives report from the subordinates to ensure that policies and projects are implemented according to designs and specification. This style of leadership relegates corruption to the background, and brings sanity, transparency and accountability to the fore. This is the legacy of transformation left by transformational leaders in many countries of the World.

 

Available evidence in the development literature on transformational leaders who have significantly reduced poverty in their respective countries during the past quarter century does not generate any consistent conclusion regarding the factors that contributed to the successes. The leaders of the success stories of the Asian Tigers inChina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, all demonstrated strong commitment to development, with clarity of vision and of goal. Nigeria can, through grooming its present and future leadership on the model of transformational leadership tenets, attain the height attained by these nations.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

1.  Transformational Leadership for Sustainable Development

Nigeria should institutionalize transformational leadership to drive inclusive national progress. This leadership style focuses on empowering citizens to become change agents, aligning sector goals with public needs and promoting self-reliance and innovation.Transformational leaders lead by example, monitor projects directly, and ensure transparency and accountability. They prioritize excellence in education, infrastructure, agriculture, and industry, while elevating skilled local professionals.To implement this, leadership development programs should be introduced, with a focus on ethics, service and citizen engagement. This will reduce corruption, boost efficiency and lay the foundation for long-term national renewal.

 

2.  Technology is key

Nigeria must embrace technology, especially in its electoral processes to enhance transparency and credibility. Political actors should uphold the spirit of democracy by recognizing elections as a peaceful contest of ideas not a do-or-die affair. Winners should be magnanimous in victory and losers gracious in defeat, prioritizing national unity over personal ambition.

                          

3.  Structural and Sectoral Reforms

There is the need for deregulation, trade facilitation and investment in infrastructure in Nigeria. The heroes who fought for a free and self-reliant Nigeria did not envision a country perpetually reliant on foreign imports and decaying infrastructure. Investing in agriculture, manufacturing, tech and SMEs honours their legacy by building a more resilient and diverse economy.

 

4.  Currency and Market Reforms

Reforms like the removal of fuel subsidies and floating the naira are steps toward economic realism, that is, reducing corruption-prone spending and allowing market forces to determine exchange rates. These measures, while painful in the short term, will correct longstanding distortions that have kept Nigeria from becoming globally competitive.

 

5.  Human Capital Development

Improving education, healthcare and vocational training is cannot be over emphasized. Nigeria’s economic challenges are not just about policies, they are also about people. The call for skill acquisition centres in every Local Government Area and removal of hiring restrictions that unfairly exclude youth is a commitment to inclusive growth. These actions strive to give every Nigerian a stake in the future, echoing the nationalist ideals of empowerment and social justice.

 

6.  Cultural and Moral Renewal

As most spiritual leaders will say, there must be individual ‘revival’ before national change can happen. Spiritual and moral transformation, including a return to the fear of God, is a response to Nigeria’s moral decay. Corruption, violence and selfish governance are seen not just as institutional failures, but as ethical ones.

 

7.  Anti-Corruption and Governance Reform

Recovered stolen public funds should be reinvested into the economy. Corruption, which undermines every aspect of national development must be combatted through stronger institutions, legal accountability and plugging revenue leakages.

 

8.  Youth and Civic Engagement

There’s an urgent need for youth empowerment; not just through employment but through moral reorientation and civic responsibility. Political thuggery and social vices msut be shunned, replacing them with discipline and national pride. This speaks to a fundamental question: are the youth inheriting a nation worth serving? These recommedations aim to make that answer “yes.”

 

9.  Economic Nationalism

I strongly encourage supporting local industries, from buying Nigerian-made products to boosting exports and reducing imports. If Nigerians adopt this mindset, they would not only be fulfilling individual dreams but also stimulating the economy. State and local governments should be empowered to drive development in agriculture, SMEs, tourism and local industries by granting them more fiscal autonomy and access to development financing.

 

10.              Strengthen Regulatory Institutions

Institutions like the EFCC, ICPC, CBN and SEC must be depoliticized and equipped to enforce laws against corruption, financial crimes and market abuse. Regulatory failure has allowed looting and economic sabotage to go unchecked for decades.

11.              Prioritize Energy Sector Reform

Stabilizing the electricity supply is critical for job creation and industrial growth. Some areas that can be considered include:

i.            Incentivizing off-grid solutions (solar, hydro).

ii.          Privatizing and restructuring inefficient government-owned energy assets.

 

12.              Institutionalize Budget Transparency and Citizen Oversight

Make budget processes fully open, including real-time tracking of allocations and spending. Citizens should have access to dashboards showing how public funds are used.

 

13.              Reform Land Use and Property Rights

Revise the Land Use Act of 1978 to allow more secure property ownership, especially for farmers and entrepreneurs. Clear land rights would unlock credit, investment and private sector development in underserved regions.

 

14.              Establish a National Employment Guarantee Scheme

Adapted from global models (e.g., India’s MGNREGA), such a scheme could provide temporary jobs in public works (roads, sanitation, afforestation) to reduce unemployment and boost consumption while infrastructure is improved.

 

15.              Build an Inclusive Digital Economy

Expand broadband internet access, especially in rural areas, and promote digital literacy to unlock opportunities in tech, online business, remote work and innovation. Nigeria's youth need to be part of the global knowledge economy.

 

16.              Institutionalize Diaspora Investment Channels

Encourage Nigerians abroad to invest directly into SMEs and infrastructure projects by creating transparent, secure diaspora bonds, investment clubs and tax incentives. Nigeria's heroes dreamt of unity—this is a way to make it borderless

 

CONCLUSION

 

It is clear that our urgent task as a people is to achieve a credible leadership recruitment process, especially at the highest level. One might well wonder: what is wrong with the present one and how can we correct it? The answer is not new: it is the same answer that has been proffered over the years, but whose application has unfortunately, proved to be the Gordian Knot, a hard nut to crack.

 

 We must evolve a new national ethos which prioritizes competence, merit and patriotism above primordial considerations such as ethnicity (place of origin), religion and social status. We must be Pan-Nigerian in our outlook – and in the choices of our political leaders – and discard and eschew sentiments. We must be objective and call a spade a spade – no matter whose ox is gored. We must be ready to call out a thief, a deviant, or someone whose source of wealth is either unknown or suspect. We must stop glorifying ill-gotten or suspect wealth by rewarding those who flaunt them with traditional titles or political offices. That was how it was in the olden days. We must return to those days – we must return to our traditional values and ethos where character, dignity and integrity were all that mattered.

 

More specifically, we must re-prioritize education as it holds the key to economic empowerment and prosperity. That was how the Asian Tigers achieved the famous leap from Third World status to First World economies. We must strengthen our institutions, particularly our electoral, economic, justice and law enforcement sectors.

 

Ours must become truly a nation of laws, instead of a nation of men - which it currently is. Justice must not just be an empty slogan, it must be done and seen to be observed in the choices, policies and programmes of Government at all levels. It must truly be blind, not just in the decisions of our courts, but beyond them – in the behaviours of ALL Government officials. They must, like Caesar’s wife, be seen to be above board. They must not be suspected of living above their means and they must NEVER flaunt wealth – either legitimately acquired or not. This is simply because THE OPTICS ARE ALL-IMPORTANT.

 

This re-orientation should apply across the board to include our armed forces, which must be re-trained to emphasise their professionalism. They must realize that theirs is a calling which is probably the highest of all: the readiness to put their lives on the line for their country and the rest of us. Equally important are other gate-keepers: the electoral institution (INEC), our law enforcement agents and the judiciary. Short of being angels or saints, they should either shape up or ship out. They simply cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hound; they cannot have it both ways.

 

Like the rest of our public officers, they should seek their work first and foremost as a service: they are there to serve the country and the public – not themselves. An honest public servant is seldom a rich public servant – unlike what currently obtains. Under the Constitution, a public servant is only permitted to engage in farming (or agriculture) and no other business. Unfortunately, this rule is currently more observed in the breach. This must change. Any public servant who is not satisfied with this or her salary and emoluments should have the courage and decency to leave honourably – otherwise he or she should face the consequences, if caught dipping his or her hand in the public till or otherwise violating the Code of Conduct  enshrined in the Constitution.

 

In this, we can learn a thing or two from China, which even though is a one-party dictatorship, has such zero tolerance for official corruption (it attracts the death penalty) that such behavior is the exception rather than the rule as is the case here. An extraordinary situation certainly deserves extra-ordinary solutions. We should not shy away from taking difficult decisions. Hippocrates and Albert Einstein’s dicta are quite apposite here.

 

With the 2027 elections fast approaching, the messaging must be loud and clear: electoral malpractices and violence – by anyone, no matter how highly placed - should not be tolerated. Whatever tools the umpire – INEC – needs must be provided - and more. Whatever else needs to be done must be done. Scapegoats should be made of deviant public-officials. The electoral process must be sanctified, as that is the only guarantee of credible outcomes or results.

 

Technology must be fully embraced to strengthen the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process. Elections should be viewed as peaceful competitions of ideas, not battles for power. Both winners and losers must prioritize national unity—showing maturity, humility, and respect for democratic outcomes. Above all, the will of the people must prevail: voters' choices must count and determine the outcome.

 

The importance of credible polls cannot be over-emphasized. When leaders emerge from such a process, they can easily be held to account. That is the best way of ensuring a Government of the people, by the people and for the people(Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863);and thus, finally solving the problem of Nigeria, as graphically illustrated by late Prof. Chinua Achebe as aforesaid. Credible polls are the only key that will unlock and address all the challenges identified above. They might not be a magic bullet but there is no viable alternative in terms of leadership recruitment.

 

 

However, the urgent need for a new people’s driven constitution cannot be over emphasized. A Constitution that truly reflects the will, diversity and collective aspirations of all Nigerians. A Constitution that serves as a binding covenant, a holy matrimony of unity, equity and justice. This is the only way to lead Nigeria out of its present quagmire (and nightmare) into a brave new world of safety, security and prosperity.