NIGERIA AT 54: IS THIS THE FUTURE?

NIGERIA @ 54: IS THIS THE FUTURE?

YES, BEHOLD THE GLORIOUS FUTURE

It has been almost a score of weeks since I engaged in an intellectual battle of wits and words on the podium of debate but as an intellectual who knows about the bright future of Nigeria I cannot fold my hands and watch in stark oblivion as my dear nation groves for a torchlight in the dark trenches of indignations and invectives. A century after the conception of the fetus called Nigeria, the fetus is no longer a child but a matured man celebrating his 54th birthday with tremendous mirth. Sifting through the pages of history to learn from what the heroes and heroines of struggle have done. Indeed I can boldly share the gospel of the glorious future in which we find ourselves.

Facts are sacred and opinions are free. It is an acclaimed fact that every nation on earth has one challenge or the other. The most revered nations of the world; United States, United Kingdom, Germany and a host of others all have their peculiar problems and challenges. The rate at which a nation overcomes her challenges gives birth to success. The most populous black nation in the world, Nigeria successfully contained Ebola Virus Disease with eight deaths from 20 reported cases; EVD has now landed on the soils of North America and Europe with their experts screaming for help from Nigerian geniuses. The US is in hanky-panky over the dilemma of a possible outbreak of EVD but Nigeria in her glorious future is unperturbed.

Nigeria is gradually overcoming insurgency with headlines about bomb blasts and gunmen massacre getting obliterated from our tabloids. The US still faces threat from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Terrorism is Terrorism irrespective of where it occurs. With the glowing light of education flooding the dense darkness of ignorance that have permeated Northern Nigeria; the insurgency which is one of our greatest challenges will find its permanent place in eternal abyss. The Federal Government created 125 Almajiri model schools equipped with state of the art learning and teaching facilities with a target of reaching 400 model schools.

In a bid to heed to the words of one of Africa’s great minds, Nelson Mandela which says that; “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, in the past 54 years Nigeria ensured that the mighty streams of education flowed to the nooks and crannies of the nation. Nigeria as at today has 40 Federal Universities, 39 State Universities and 50 Private Universities which sums up to 129 universities in 36 states. Nigeria’s educational sector has nursed literary sages, giants in intellectual corridors and iconic individuals like the first African Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Prof. Chinua Achebe, Ken Saro Wiwa, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Philip Emeagwali (1989 Gordon Bell Prize winner), Prof. Eyitayo Lambo and a host of others. A great future blessed with great minds booming with creativity and innovation.

In this momentous year; 2014, Nigeria emerged as the biggest economy in Africa and 26th in the world which depicts the growth in our economic sector. The nation is known as the largest exporter of crude oil in Africa and the United States’ largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa and supplies a fifth of its oil (11% of oil imports). The US depends on an independent Nigeria for crude. Beyond the preponderance of oil deposits is the availability of invaluable mineral resources; gold, bauxite, coal, limestone, tin, iron ore, lead and zinc. Apart from the resources, 33% of Nigeria’s territory is arable which shows other sources of income to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Nigeria has one of the fastest growing telecommunications markets in the world, major emerging market operators (MTN, Etisalat, Airtel and Globacom) basing their largest and most profitable centres in the country. Nigeria has got wonderful prospects coupled with our growing population which means a growing market. 28% of Forbes’ 40 richest African entrepreneurs are from Nigeria which includes Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote who was among TIME magazine’s shortlist of 100 most influential people on earth for year 2014. A prodigiously gifted nation blessed with wealthy individuals.

The sweet memories from the memoirs of our heroes past remind us that our success is not momentary but ripe enough in this momentous year for the celebration of our glorious FUTURE. 

Goodluck Jonathan

NO, SOUNDS LIKE A JOKE

It been quite an age, I smell dust in solemn romance with history, as the warm-images of the past stroke my vivid-memories of what the past held. This brings to remembrance the dreams I had for the future of this courtroom. Speaking of the future, my motherland is six years away from her diamond jubilee as she clocked 54. But the multi-billion dollar question still seems unanswered; Is this her future?

October 1, 1960, the midwives of our nation’s independence held the nation with so much optimism, joggling her left and right while singing the songs of hope and redemption. Like a barren woman who had just finally become a mother, the fathers of our nation recited to the listening ears of child-Nigeria, what they wanted her to become. They whispered in her ears the echoes of tomorrow, painting her a picture of her future, and telling her to believe in the beauty of her dreams.

Tafawa Balewa, the first man to bath child-Nigeria said to her in the independence-bathroom that day; “child-Nigeria, you’d play an active part in maintaining peace and preserving civilisation. I promise [on your behalf] that, you’ll not fail for want of determination”.

54 years down the line, the child has become the mother of the man, but not the kind of mother he envisaged. Preserving civilisation has become too burdensome a task, maintaining world peace still lies in “dreams-street”, she grapples with the ailing problems of survival.

What is civil in the rule of insurgents on Nigerian soil? What is peaceful about polarization along ethnic, religious and political lines? As we age-on, we are in motion and commotion? The “phoenixing” of Abubakar Shekau, the thrice dead Boko Haram leader keeps reminding us of how far we are from peace and security.

We are opposed to abortion, but on a daily basis there’s an abortion of our dreams. Many say we are in the future since the future started yesterday, but I say to them; tell that to the Chibok girls who have been held captive for over 160-days with no hope of freedom, and hear them lynch you with words of the how much they love to be in the past than in some sad future.

The world gives us a round of applause for our swift containment of the Ebola virus disease; Washington post refers Texas to us to learn how to curb the deadly virus. Rather than focus on how to convert this positivism to the betterment of our healthcare system, our insensate leaders are in a tug-of-war to decide who takes credit. PDP today, APC tomorrow; politics has become the terrorist responsible for the isolation of future and desolation of our destination.

The captains of the Nigerian ship sail with burnt maps and broken compasses, yet you ask why we are headed for the land of the unknown? 2015 has taken over the minds of political stalwarts, that today no longer matters to them. Lord Byron said, the past is the best prophet of the future, but sadly our past doesn’t prophesy our future-In 1980, a dollar was less than a Naira, with N1=$1.08, but today $1=N154.8. The withdrawal of the U.S. from purchasing Nigerian crude oil led to the dwindling of our economy, before big-brother-China came to our aid. Dependence in Independence!

Speaking of brotherhood, I hear our “little-brother” on the Gold coast wants to lighten our dark-paths, lest our future be without power. What are brothers for?

Malcolm X aptly expressed education, “as the passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to them who prepare for it today”. The situation remains sadly-sore as UNESCO emphasizes the over 10million Nigerian children who are still out-of-school, with another similar figure having access to nothing but crippling facilities, leaving us at the relegation zone of world education. If Education is the passport to the future, and Nigerian children do not even have the passport, don’t you think it’s rather illogical to say we are in Nigeria’s future?

Questionable education, Insecurity garnished with insurgency, political insanity, social imbalance, economic dependence and so on. If this is the future, then I want to belong to the past! I rest.

CONCLUSION: This column is about you, it presents the two sides of a case courtesy of two writers from different schools of thought. “Audi alteram partem” means hear the other side before passing your judgement. Take the gavel, make your decision and slam because you are the judge in this courtroom.
NIGERIA @ 54: IS THIS THE FUTURE? Send reservations, comments and suggestions to 0813-224-5150 or 0813-697-3059 or dcourtroom12@gmail.com

THE COURTROOM: NIGERIA @ 52; WORTH CELEBRATING?

NIGERIA @ 52; WORTH CELEBRATING?

NIGERIA @ 52 NOT WORTH CELEBRATING                                                                           

Good day my Lords in this courtroom, I appreciate your unending interest in the things of the state, may the God of justice pay us in due currencies.

Her name is Adesuwa, she was born to my dear uncle about 5 years ago, she was about 8kg at birth, and beautiful was an understatement to describe her looks and comeliness. Adesuwa was of so much promise as she responded positively to all the challenges that come with child birth. She became bigger by the day, she cried only when necessary, she ate in due time, she took her mother to the toilet in the middle of the night as it is natural for young ones like her. In this awesome state, my uncle and the rest of the family travelled abroad including Adesuwa.

Just last week, two weeks after they returned to the country, I was at Adesuwa 5th birthday party just to find out that Adesuwa could not walk nor speak. She was spoon fed, directed by her parents in all manner of activities. At 5years of age, Adesuwa had never been to the four walls of any school apart from her home. Is Adesuwa worth a 5 million Naira party or should that money be spent on her health conditions?

Just like my uncle at the birth of Adesuwa was Tafawa Balewa at the birth of the Nigerian state in 1960. He spoke with so much hope and vigor beholding the promising Nigeria right before him; he promised our colonial masters that we would by no means fail them for the lack of determination. But had he looked 52 years into the future, maybe he would have patterned his speech differently.

Once again, just like Adesuwa, the Nigerian Nation is not worth the fireworks, we are not worth a penny celebration. What is there to celebrate in a gun that cannot be shot, or a horse that cannot be rode? What do you celebrate in a drum that cannot be beaten, an eagle that cannot fly or a fish that forbids swimming? What is there to celebrate in the Nigerian Nation? Ignorance producing education, unsafe security, monopolistic economy, death care under the guise of health care, deaf communications, epileptic power holding or death trap transportation?

What do you celebrate in a man who lives with his parents at 52? What do you celebrate in a Nation whose leaders [rulers is the right word] have become totally insensate “one who confuses cockiness with confidence, tactlessness with toughness, strong-manship with statesmanship” as Prof. Niyi Osundare rightly submit.

My Lords, I therefore submit that if Nigeria at 52, being dependent on many other nations through import for livelihood is worth celebrating, then the sanity of those celebrating should be called to question.

Nigeria at 52

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NIGERIA @52 IS WORTH CELEBRATING

Nigerians through all ages will always remember October 1, 1960 as a day they got hold of what has eluded them for years. Independence from the hands of colonial masters, Great Britain, was a great achievement to compensate the struggles of political icons like Tafawa Balewa, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Jaja Wachukwu, and Obafemi Awolowo amongst many others. In a country like Nigeria where life expectancy is 47 years, you need not to be told that you are lucky and privileged to reach 52 years. I cannot but say Congratulations to my great country on her 52^nd birthday.

Life in itself is full of up and downs, any one at the age of 52 would have ideally undergone several retrogressions and achievements in life.

You don’t expect everything to be smooth. Why most of us fail to value what we have is due to the fact that we compare ourselves with other people. We emphasize on the achievements of others and neglect their failures, their weaknesses and their ailing sectors. The same goes for a country like Nigeria; I was flabbergasted at the endless list of invectives catapulted against Nigeria on her 52^nd birthday. Youths engaged themselves in posting all sorts of complaints and obnoxious ideologies on social networking sites. You don’t want to juxtapose Nigeria with United States of America; 238 years to 52 years. The difference is inundating!

Who is Nigeria? I guess nobody bears that name except a group of about 167 million individuals who reside in the Western part of Africa. The fact is that we are Nigeria, you and I; we are all responsible for the growth and progress of this country; male and female, young and old, rich and poor, literate and illiterate, Christian and Muslim.

The developments we have experienced as a nation are enough reasons to celebrate; Nigeria of 1960 is miles away from Nigeria of 2012. Once we were a nation with two Universities but now Nigeria can boast of over 100 universities. Fifty-two years ago, you will need to join a queue at NITEL to make a phone call but now you can call with your mobile phone anywhere and at anytime. Effective road network coupled with sound technology application has portrayed the nation in good light.

The most populous black nation in the world has gone through military juntas of 1966-1979 and 1983-1998 and yet survived as a nation. The nation survived 30 months of civil war that led to the colossal loss of over three million people to the cold hands of death. It was a bloodbath that launched the nation into oil boom. Despite the daily assault of Niger-Delta militants and terrorist attacks of Boko Haram on hapless innocent citizens of Nigeria, Nigeria still stays united and strong. Only few nations would have suffered similar fate and still remain united.

Once there is life there is hope; there is still hope for Nigeria, we just need a golden syrup of optimism and prepare ourselves for the bright future ahead. I strongly believe that one day; the prayers of our heroes past will get answered when Nigeria becomes a place where peace and justice reign. Happy birthday to Nigeria!!! It is worth celebrating

CONCLUSION: This column is about you, it presents the two sides of a case courtesy of two writers from different schools of thought. “Audi alteram partem” means hear the other side before passing your judgement. Take the gavel, make your decision and slam because you are the judge in this courtroom. Nigeria @ 52; worth celebrating?

Send reservations, comments and suggestions to 0813-224-5150 or 0813-697-3059 or dcourtroom12@gmail.com