Nigeria-at-59-the-journey-so-far-in-nigeria-since-independence-and-what-future-lies-ahead
September 7, 2020 | News
NIGERIA @ 59 - THE JOURNEY SO FAR IN NIGERIA SINCE INDEPENDENCE AND WHAT FUTURE LIES AHEAD
While we congratulate Nigeria at 59, all is not yet well with us as a nation from all angles. To do justice to the subject matter about Nigeria’s journey so far from Independence, will be like writing an encyclopedia with many lengthy paragraphs and pages. But in other to be precise, many of us older ones, and the well-learned younger generation of Nigeria’s history, are quite familiar with the fact that the crusade for Nigeria’s Independence, spearheaded mostly by educated Nigerians, was not an easy one. This agitation came to a hilt with Chief Anthony Enahoro’s motion for independence on the floor of the then Federal House of Parliament in 1957. And according to Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa at Independence Day on Saturday, October 1,1960; “Today is Independence Day. The 1st of October, 1960. A date to which, for two years, Nigeria has been eagerly looking forward to. At last, our great day has arrived, and Nigeria is now indeed an independent Sovereign Nation.”
Then the British Union Jack was lowered for Nigeria’s symbol of self-rule as the country’s Green-White-Green flag was hoisted by Gen. David Ejoor. For certain, there was a “sense of pride and patriotism for being a Nigerian back then”. We also recall the July 1961 U.S. first official visit of Nigeria’s First Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who was invited back then by John F. Kennedy, as a Special Guest in Washington DC, during which Tafawa Balewa visited major historical landmarks in representative parts of the United States and “addressed a special Joint Session of the United States Congress” that was convened in his honour. Only a select few are accorded the honour of addressing a Joint Session of the United States Congress. Certainly, no Nigerian Head of State has been accorded this honour since Tafawa Balewa, as far as we are aware. According to the website of the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, since 1874 when the King of Hawaii first addressed a Joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, there have been only 112 such privileges granted to foreign leaders and dignitaries. Tafawa Balewa’s powerfully delivered speech to the Joint Session was punctuated many times by loud, sustained standing ovations. That is not a regular occurrence, either. And in all the cities he and his entourage visited, which included New York, exultant crowds of Americans came out to wave at them hospitably, and U.S. Government Officials bowed reverently when they shook hands with the then Prime Minister. Such was the depth of respect Nigeria inspired in 1960s America.
Nigeria in the 70s had one of the strongest currencies in the world with 75 Kobo = 1 Pound Sterling and 60 Kobo = US$1. Back then, there was constant power supply, excess jobs, Finland once called Nigeria “a future world power”, Gowon once said then that “Nigeria’s only problem was how to spend money.” Back then, neighboring countries like Ghana and its citizens were trooping to Nigeria for ‘greener pastures’. In the 60s, 70s and early 80s, Nigerians who studied in the UK, US, and Germany, usually came back home immediately they are done because jobs were waiting for them on arrival. In fact, it was difficult for them to make their choices of preferred jobs. But today, 90% of Nigerians who studied in the UK, US, Canada, etc., do not come back home again after graduation because there are no jobs at home to engage them. And we cannot really blame them. Everything has changed for the worse, as young Nigerians are the ones trooping out in droves to Ghana, South-Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Angola, etc. in search of greener pastures that are not there. Not to mention those who lose their lives across the Mediterranean Sea, or end up as slaves in Libya. Indeed, our post-Independence generation and the military have ruined the entire country.
Presently, Nigeria at 59, the Dreams of our Nigerian Founding Fathers have all been crushed. Where is Nigeria now? What happened to us? The close to two decades of Military dictatorship plus the advent of Civilian administration since 1999, have left a Nigerian populace that is more disappointed with its political leaders than before. Nigeria is 59 currently, but all we see around us as Nigerians, is that no economic index is favourable. Unemployment is high and getting worse. Exchange rate has remained stubbornly high; prices of goods are rising; external reserves are dwindling; Excess Crude Account, ECA, is being steadily depleted and debts are at the highest level since Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala got us out of the debt trap in 2004. On May 29, 2015, the President announced that Nigeria was generating 4000MW of power daily and he declared that it was “unacceptable”. Today, 4000MW per day had become the exception; the daily power supply is now stuck at less than 3000MW. It has taken us four years to crawl back to power generation levels last experienced in 2012. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), should by now probably consider changing its name to Nigerian Loss Exchange because it has been on the downtrend for the last three years. Nothing suggests that 2019 will be different from the previous years. If anything at all, investment in the NSE will continue to decline as the remaining portfolio investors sell and move out. They really have no reason to remain.
We used to have the great pyramids of groundnut, and Nigeria was known as one of the world’s highest exporter of cocoa and palm oil. Nigeria accounted for 42 per cent of the world’s exports of shelled groundnuts. Our total export volume was 502,000MT. This declined to 356MT by 2016. Nigeria lost her leadership position and was overtaken by the USA, China, and Argentina. Nigeria was also the largest exporter of palm oil in the world and accounted for 27 per cent of total global export volume for palm oil. Indonesia alone recorded US$16.5bn, 54.5 per cent of total palm oil exports. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not listed among the first 15 as at this moment. The discovery of oil wealth, has become a curse to us as a nation rather than being a blessing. Unlike Nigeria, India did not experience the curse of crude oil. And its leaders were mostly not corrupt. They embraced education and applied it. Today the country’s economy is growing higher than the global average. Nigeria is dragging down the average. Nigeria was in recession in 2016 when the world was growing at three per cent or more. The world is now entering into a recession. Nothing in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework or the 2020 Budget suggests that we can grow above the global average next year. On the contrary, everything points to another negative growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Crude oil might dive below US$55 per barrel. Is depression not knocking at the door?
According to a public affairs analyst, Dele Sobowale, “the pieces of evidence of deepening recession and possible depression are already gathering momentum and only a little bit more need to be added before the Nigerian economy goes into an uncontrollable auto-pilot taking us where we don’t want. I am aware that, like most governments, this government ignores advice. They wait until things go from minor disturbance to a major crisis before acting. Even then the steps taken are seldom effective because they have been overtaken by events. Nigeria tragically living on borrowed time says World Bank. First of all, what makes the statement most striking was the fact that it was uttered by a Senior Agricultural Economist at the World Bank, Dr. Adetunji Oredipe – obviously a Nigerian. So, it is going to be almost impossible for our leaders in Abuja and the state capitals to hide behind the nonsense that the World Bank does not wish Nigeria well. This is a Nigerian telling the truth to us whether we like it or not. Dr. Oredipe has not gone far enough. Nigeria is not only living on borrowed time, but we are also living on borrowed funds and depleting economic resources. Time is, of course, a major economic resource which is prodigiously wasted by those of our leaders who take months to act, or not even act at all; take years to react to a law suit instituted against us in a foreign land and then take even more time to respond until we find ourselves with $9.6bn to pay to a foreign adventurer. They cannot understand Oredipe.
“Apart from updating the statistical data, Oredipe has merely informed us that our nation is doomed on account of dependence on crude oil which is no longer capable of providing this country with the revenue required for rapid GDP growth. Oredipe, perhaps wanting to spare us the implications of our current status as groundnut and palm oil producer did not draw the obvious conclusion. The nations now leading us in groundnut and palm oil production were once our customers. With their new position as leading producers, they have become entrenched competitors. Even if we now want to increase the output of these commodities significantly in our new drive to diversify to agriculture, we will face stiff competition when attempting to export our products. More to the point, we are not now even in any position to increase the output of farm products for several reasons…”
Sadly, with everything that is currently happening in the country, which have been shaking and threatening its unity, especially the insecurity situation in the country, it is even more worrisome to note that our political leaders at all levels are going about their often ‘self-centered-driven agendas’ – like people who have not learned, and are not willing to learn from the mistakes of the past that have brought us to where we are today. Even with the glaring reality that, for some couple of years now, it is becoming more evident that the “majority of Nigerians no longer believed in the structural arrangement of the country and the way things were going”, the custodians of our collective wealth and resources are trotting about as if ‘all is well’, when in fact it is not. One would have thought that, after 20 years plus of Nigeria’s supposed Democratic rule, which ordinarily should have greatly improved the living standards and wellbeing of the Nigerian common masses that went through hell under the hands of the Military; it is however sad to see how Nigerian Politicians have not only pauperized its citizenry but have also widened the gap between the rich and the poor, the governed and the government, the haves and the have nots. This leaves one to conclude that indeed, all of the expectations, high hopes, aspirations, and promises of a better Nigeria by our Founding Fathers that struggled for our Independence; have all been dashed and dragged on the mud by the actions, inactions, decisions and indecisions and self-serving tendencies/attributes of the country’s Political Leaders at all levels over the last five decades.
The saddest part in all of this is the fact that the ‘same crop of political leaders’ that are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” have continued to recycle themselves within the system to remain relevant in the scheme of things and to continue to hold on to political power and influence. That is why already, they have started gearing up for 2023 general elections; to continue the ‘vicious circle’ of bad governance, abdication of statutory duties, self-perpetuating high-level corruption, gross unaccountability to the public, gross abuse of the rule of law with impunity, etc., at the Federal and State levels of Government.
While we honestly believe and pray that God will ‘divinely turn things around in the interest of the common masses of Nigeria, let Nigerians themselves also start (and continue to support those already) doing things differently by: stop praising our political leaders at all levels for doing ‘nothing’, demand for more accountability from our political leaders; realize that the future fate of the nation is in our hands.
However, like we said in one of our recent write ups, let us continue praying that our “present crop of political leaders” in all levels of government, will have a change of heart, adjust their ways, by learning from the past mistakes, and the examples from other developed countries’ governments across the world, on the way forward for Nigeria. We can make our democracy work if and only if we allow the principles that guide it, to work in the Nigerian system. The voice of the people is the voice of God. It is time for “people-oriented goals” to be genuinely and holistically pursued/implemented with disregard to all other selfish interests. As we wish Nigeria a Happy 59th Independence Celebration, let us all strive to do the right things.
Zik Gbemre.
October 3, 2019
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
While we congratulate Nigeria at 59, all is not yet well with us as a nation from all angles. To do justice to the subject matter about Nigeria’s journey so far from Independence, will be like writing an encyclopedia with many lengthy paragraphs and pages. But in other to be precise, many of us older ones, and the well-learned younger generation of Nigeria’s history, are quite familiar with the fact that the crusade for Nigeria’s Independence, spearheaded mostly by educated Nigerians, was not an easy one. This agitation came to a hilt with Chief Anthony Enahoro’s motion for independence on the floor of the then Federal House of Parliament in 1957. And according to Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa at Independence Day on Saturday, October 1,1960; “Today is Independence Day. The 1st of October, 1960. A date to which, for two years, Nigeria has been eagerly looking forward to. At last, our great day has arrived, and Nigeria is now indeed an independent Sovereign Nation.”
Then the British Union Jack was lowered for Nigeria’s symbol of self-rule as the country’s Green-White-Green flag was hoisted by Gen. David Ejoor. For certain, there was a “sense of pride and patriotism for being a Nigerian back then”. We also recall the July 1961 U.S. first official visit of Nigeria’s First Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who was invited back then by John F. Kennedy, as a Special Guest in Washington DC, during which Tafawa Balewa visited major historical landmarks in representative parts of the United States and “addressed a special Joint Session of the United States Congress” that was convened in his honour. Only a select few are accorded the honour of addressing a Joint Session of the United States Congress. Certainly, no Nigerian Head of State has been accorded this honour since Tafawa Balewa, as far as we are aware. According to the website of the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, since 1874 when the King of Hawaii first addressed a Joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, there have been only 112 such privileges granted to foreign leaders and dignitaries. Tafawa Balewa’s powerfully delivered speech to the Joint Session was punctuated many times by loud, sustained standing ovations. That is not a regular occurrence, either. And in all the cities he and his entourage visited, which included New York, exultant crowds of Americans came out to wave at them hospitably, and U.S. Government Officials bowed reverently when they shook hands with the then Prime Minister. Such was the depth of respect Nigeria inspired in 1960s America.
Nigeria in the 70s had one of the strongest currencies in the world with 75 Kobo = 1 Pound Sterling and 60 Kobo = US$1. Back then, there was constant power supply, excess jobs, Finland once called Nigeria “a future world power”, Gowon once said then that “Nigeria’s only problem was how to spend money.” Back then, neighboring countries like Ghana and its citizens were trooping to Nigeria for ‘greener pastures’. In the 60s, 70s and early 80s, Nigerians who studied in the UK, US, and Germany, usually came back home immediately they are done because jobs were waiting for them on arrival. In fact, it was difficult for them to make their choices of preferred jobs. But today, 90% of Nigerians who studied in the UK, US, Canada, etc., do not come back home again after graduation because there are no jobs at home to engage them. And we cannot really blame them. Everything has changed for the worse, as young Nigerians are the ones trooping out in droves to Ghana, South-Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Angola, etc. in search of greener pastures that are not there. Not to mention those who lose their lives across the Mediterranean Sea, or end up as slaves in Libya. Indeed, our post-Independence generation and the military have ruined the entire country.
Presently, Nigeria at 59, the Dreams of our Nigerian Founding Fathers have all been crushed. Where is Nigeria now? What happened to us? The close to two decades of Military dictatorship plus the advent of Civilian administration since 1999, have left a Nigerian populace that is more disappointed with its political leaders than before. Nigeria is 59 currently, but all we see around us as Nigerians, is that no economic index is favourable. Unemployment is high and getting worse. Exchange rate has remained stubbornly high; prices of goods are rising; external reserves are dwindling; Excess Crude Account, ECA, is being steadily depleted and debts are at the highest level since Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala got us out of the debt trap in 2004. On May 29, 2015, the President announced that Nigeria was generating 4000MW of power daily and he declared that it was “unacceptable”. Today, 4000MW per day had become the exception; the daily power supply is now stuck at less than 3000MW. It has taken us four years to crawl back to power generation levels last experienced in 2012. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), should by now probably consider changing its name to Nigerian Loss Exchange because it has been on the downtrend for the last three years. Nothing suggests that 2019 will be different from the previous years. If anything at all, investment in the NSE will continue to decline as the remaining portfolio investors sell and move out. They really have no reason to remain.
We used to have the great pyramids of groundnut, and Nigeria was known as one of the world’s highest exporter of cocoa and palm oil. Nigeria accounted for 42 per cent of the world’s exports of shelled groundnuts. Our total export volume was 502,000MT. This declined to 356MT by 2016. Nigeria lost her leadership position and was overtaken by the USA, China, and Argentina. Nigeria was also the largest exporter of palm oil in the world and accounted for 27 per cent of total global export volume for palm oil. Indonesia alone recorded US$16.5bn, 54.5 per cent of total palm oil exports. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not listed among the first 15 as at this moment. The discovery of oil wealth, has become a curse to us as a nation rather than being a blessing. Unlike Nigeria, India did not experience the curse of crude oil. And its leaders were mostly not corrupt. They embraced education and applied it. Today the country’s economy is growing higher than the global average. Nigeria is dragging down the average. Nigeria was in recession in 2016 when the world was growing at three per cent or more. The world is now entering into a recession. Nothing in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework or the 2020 Budget suggests that we can grow above the global average next year. On the contrary, everything points to another negative growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Crude oil might dive below US$55 per barrel. Is depression not knocking at the door?
According to a public affairs analyst, Dele Sobowale, “the pieces of evidence of deepening recession and possible depression are already gathering momentum and only a little bit more need to be added before the Nigerian economy goes into an uncontrollable auto-pilot taking us where we don’t want. I am aware that, like most governments, this government ignores advice. They wait until things go from minor disturbance to a major crisis before acting. Even then the steps taken are seldom effective because they have been overtaken by events. Nigeria tragically living on borrowed time says World Bank. First of all, what makes the statement most striking was the fact that it was uttered by a Senior Agricultural Economist at the World Bank, Dr. Adetunji Oredipe – obviously a Nigerian. So, it is going to be almost impossible for our leaders in Abuja and the state capitals to hide behind the nonsense that the World Bank does not wish Nigeria well. This is a Nigerian telling the truth to us whether we like it or not. Dr. Oredipe has not gone far enough. Nigeria is not only living on borrowed time, but we are also living on borrowed funds and depleting economic resources. Time is, of course, a major economic resource which is prodigiously wasted by those of our leaders who take months to act, or not even act at all; take years to react to a law suit instituted against us in a foreign land and then take even more time to respond until we find ourselves with $9.6bn to pay to a foreign adventurer. They cannot understand Oredipe.
“Apart from updating the statistical data, Oredipe has merely informed us that our nation is doomed on account of dependence on crude oil which is no longer capable of providing this country with the revenue required for rapid GDP growth. Oredipe, perhaps wanting to spare us the implications of our current status as groundnut and palm oil producer did not draw the obvious conclusion. The nations now leading us in groundnut and palm oil production were once our customers. With their new position as leading producers, they have become entrenched competitors. Even if we now want to increase the output of these commodities significantly in our new drive to diversify to agriculture, we will face stiff competition when attempting to export our products. More to the point, we are not now even in any position to increase the output of farm products for several reasons…”
Sadly, with everything that is currently happening in the country, which have been shaking and threatening its unity, especially the insecurity situation in the country, it is even more worrisome to note that our political leaders at all levels are going about their often ‘self-centered-driven agendas’ – like people who have not learned, and are not willing to learn from the mistakes of the past that have brought us to where we are today. Even with the glaring reality that, for some couple of years now, it is becoming more evident that the “majority of Nigerians no longer believed in the structural arrangement of the country and the way things were going”, the custodians of our collective wealth and resources are trotting about as if ‘all is well’, when in fact it is not. One would have thought that, after 20 years plus of Nigeria’s supposed Democratic rule, which ordinarily should have greatly improved the living standards and wellbeing of the Nigerian common masses that went through hell under the hands of the Military; it is however sad to see how Nigerian Politicians have not only pauperized its citizenry but have also widened the gap between the rich and the poor, the governed and the government, the haves and the have nots. This leaves one to conclude that indeed, all of the expectations, high hopes, aspirations, and promises of a better Nigeria by our Founding Fathers that struggled for our Independence; have all been dashed and dragged on the mud by the actions, inactions, decisions and indecisions and self-serving tendencies/attributes of the country’s Political Leaders at all levels over the last five decades.
The saddest part in all of this is the fact that the ‘same crop of political leaders’ that are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” have continued to recycle themselves within the system to remain relevant in the scheme of things and to continue to hold on to political power and influence. That is why already, they have started gearing up for 2023 general elections; to continue the ‘vicious circle’ of bad governance, abdication of statutory duties, self-perpetuating high-level corruption, gross unaccountability to the public, gross abuse of the rule of law with impunity, etc., at the Federal and State levels of Government.
While we honestly believe and pray that God will ‘divinely turn things around in the interest of the common masses of Nigeria, let Nigerians themselves also start (and continue to support those already) doing things differently by: stop praising our political leaders at all levels for doing ‘nothing’, demand for more accountability from our political leaders; realize that the future fate of the nation is in our hands.
However, like we said in one of our recent write ups, let us continue praying that our “present crop of political leaders” in all levels of government, will have a change of heart, adjust their ways, by learning from the past mistakes, and the examples from other developed countries’ governments across the world, on the way forward for Nigeria. We can make our democracy work if and only if we allow the principles that guide it, to work in the Nigerian system. The voice of the people is the voice of God. It is time for “people-oriented goals” to be genuinely and holistically pursued/implemented with disregard to all other selfish interests. As we wish Nigeria a Happy 59th Independence Celebration, let us all strive to do the right things.
Zik Gbemre.
October 3, 2019
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes