Save our Country

I wrote this essay in school recently and well....the results of the essay competition was not announced; logistic reasons maybe. Anyways I decided to post it here; soooo here it is, it is titled "Save Our Country"


Nigeria! The 8th most populous country in the world with an enviable supply of natural resources yet she remains a substantial member of the less developed countries (LDCs) category. Unemployment rates keep taking an upward turn, the standard of living is one of the poorest in the world, income per capita is considerably low and constant power supply has continually eluded us. Our technological base is definitely not one to be envied, abandoned projects trail the Nigerian experience, corruption has eaten deep into the society both at the higher and lower levels and the list goes on and on. However, as the economic adviser to Mr. President, I recommend the following economic principles which I am sure single out facets of the problems that plague this country and also provide solutions to these problems. These recommendations if implemented will set Nigeria on the path toward being one of the most desired countries to live in by the year 2025.
The quantity and quality of a nation’s labour force is one very crucial factor that contributes to permanent economic growth. Here in Nigeria, we have the quantity but we need to enhance the quality of the available quantity. For Nigeria to excel, she has to discipline herself and engage aggressively in investment as it regards the development of human capital. Education in Nigeria has been described as being “dysfunctional” largely because of the decaying infrastructures in the educational sector; the nation should therefore channel a reasonable proportion of public expenditure towards correcting this problem. Countries like China have taken advantage of their surplus labour and are engaging in numerous productive ventures, other nations even flock to their terrain to take advantage of the quantity and quality of their labour force, there is the fact that Chinese workers were able to build a 15-story hotel in just six days. Nigeria should not be left out of the league of countries that are making waves with their surplus labour force: we should improve human capital, remembering that “The most valuable of all capital is that invested in human beings” – Alfred Marshall
Corruption! Corruption is one of the major diseases affecting virtually all countries in the LDC category. There is corruption in our schools, in our offices, in the government houses, on our roads, in our homes; corruption has become an integral part of the Nigerian society. Emphasizing more on the mammoth place of corruption in Nigerian politics, I propose that one can hinge the corrupt nature of Nigerian government officials on their future expectations. Future expectations simply mean that individuals behave a certain way because of what they expect to happen in the near future. Evidence shows that large-scale corruption began with the oil boom in 1970; Nigerian government officials knowing that in the near future, revenue from the export of oil will no longer accrue to them decide to take the share of the oil wealth that belongs to them and their family (immediate and extended families) while they can. I remember seeing a cartoon in the newspaper; the cartoonist was exposing the sort of dysfunctional reasoning that Nigerian leaders possess. The politician that the cartoonist drew was shown insisting that until he and his family had taken their share of the national cake there was no way he was going to relinquish power. You may ask: How do these, politicians take their so-called share of the national cake? Well, some of them channel huge amounts of money into projects that exist only on paper, others do not even bother to cover their tracks, and they just ship the money in large amounts overseas contributing to the development of other countries while the citizens they swore to serve continue to wallow in abject poverty. During elections these supposed reformers come forward with captivating manifestos, however when they occupy office all of these promises are forgotten in the euphoria of the benefits of such an office and any of them (if any) who may still have good intentions upon occupying office are overwhelmed as they realize that they are not equipped, not prepared for such a position, and that they lack feasible and logical means of carrying out their intentions or plans. This should not be so; I propose that Nigerian leaders should have credible accolades that signal to the market, which is the electorate that they are capable of handling the job assigned to them and the demands of the office they intend to occupy, Job Market Signaling should become an integral part of the electoral process here in Nigeria. Also for development to take place corruption has to be eradicated, if not all of the increase in growth will still not translate to the grassroots and the standard of living will remain poor.
Furthermore, let us look closely at the concept of the invisible hand and the free market system in economic theory. These two concepts propose that individuals seek to fulfill private interest and in so doing social interest will also be fulfilled via the invisible hand mechanism. If as individual Nigerians we seek to develop ourselves; and by developing ourselves I mean developing our personalities, expanding our knowledge base, breaking new grounds, we would individually contribute to societal development. If we develop ourselves well enough, along the line we would also be developing our society. Let us remember that the developed countries are not necessarily developed because their economic policies are better than ours, no; their development can be traced to the large number of developed minds existent in their societies, in America there are over five million self-made millionaires, self-made in the sense that their wealth was not inherited or transferred via won competitions and the like, these people worked for what they have and their wealth is reflective in the society as a whole. In order to develop Nigeria into the Nigeria of our dreams we must channel our private interests toward the fulfillment of societal interests.
Economic Planning, planning is a crucial factor for success be it individual success or collective success, success is a function of strategic planning. For Nigeria to be tagged as desirable to live in we must not neglect the important role that economic planning has to play. Economic planning is simply the mobilization of resources toward achieving well-defined goals, economic planning in Nigeria has largely been unsuccessful due to many factors including corruption, bureaucracy, lack of professional economic planners and so on and so forth. Despite the long trail of abandoned plans and projects trailing the Nigerian experience I believe that there is hope for planning in Nigeria, we should not simply adopt economic planning but strategic economic planning, which is economic planning that is characterized by milestones, commitment, transparency and continuity. There should be physical evidence that the plan is being carried out; this will boost the confidence of the electorate in the government, it will also induce private companies to participate in the development process.
In all, for Nigeria to be the one of the most desirable countries to live in by 2025, each and every Nigerian should be ready to shoulder some responsibility. We should hold our leaders accountable and ensure that those who are elected into office are those who have signaled that they can take on the job, we should consciously channel our private interests toward the fulfillment of societal interest and in all we must believe strongly that Nigeria has the capability to develop, remembering that “Development is impossible if it does not first take place in the minds of men” – Carnicross

Corruption

Corruption has become the very heartbeat of the Nigerian nation, without corruption Nigeria is not Nigeria as we know it and hardly will anyone argue that corruption is not the root cause of the problems prevalent in the Nigerian society. The Nigerian society has become the festering ground for seeds of corruption; the political leaders are corrupt, the civil servants are corrupt, the leaders and schoolteachers are corrupt, the law enforcement agents are corrupt, our parents are corrupt, the children are corrupt and even the unborn babies in the Nigerian society bear traits of corruption. Every society bears little traces of corruption here and there but for the Nigerian society it has become an epidemic, it is EVERYWHERE! In Africa, once one mentions corruption the first thought goes to Nigeria, not necessarily because we are the most corrupt African nation but because we are relatively the richest African nation (in terms of natural resources) with the least evidence to show for the natural riches God has bequeathed us. Corruption has diverted a large portion of the riches abounding in this nation to the great unknown.
During one of my ECO 323 classes, our lecturer told us a story about this respectable professor and his politician friend and what had transpired between them, I’ll just describe it in dialogue form as I imagined it.
Politician Johnny comes to visit Professor John (Politician Johnny was one of the irresponsible ones back in the university days and now he occupies a privileged position in the government). Politician Johnny arrives with a convoy of cars; the cars looking like they just got off the assembly line and bodyguards that look like they had conducted personal training sessions with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Professor John is standing in front of the faculty building and as Politician Johnny approaches students stare with their mouths hanging open and fingers pointing and I bet some of them are already thinking: “I’ll be willing to do anything for him and others: “How I wish I was in his shoes”
Johnny: John!!how far? Long time no see….where u dey since?
John: I’m fine, thank you. How is the family?
Johnny: Family dey jor (Johnny whispers: But dat my wife don dey tire me sef)
John: Okay
Johnny (all smiles, waving his hands at the bodyguards and the cars): See wetin I don get and u know wetin happen…opportunity dey wey u fit use get ur own.
John: Johnny, I can see what you have but the question I will pose to you today is whose money has been used to procure these items; yours or that of the electorate?
Johnny: Na who e concern ehn?
John: IT CONCERNS ME! (Johnny flinches) It concerns the Nigerian electorate that voted you into office; it concerns the underprivileged in the Nigerian society, IT CONCERNS NIGERIA! You’re a lying, thieving, corrupt individual and I insist that I will not join you and your pack of scavenging wolves to commit such outrageous sins.
Johnny’s mouth is wide open, he cannot understand some of the words that just came out of John’s mouth but that is not the problem, it is just that he was expecting a handshake, a pat on the back, something like: “Johnny! You don hammer”. So Johnny takes the only feasible option that is available to him; tuck tail and run. John does not approve, he'd rather go find someone else who approves, at least: "unlike birds do not flock together"
Let's boil this down to the Nigerian situation, imagine that 99% of Nigerians were like Professor John; they see evil and they speak out against it we'd gradually be saying goodbye to corruption by now. However, this is not the case, most Nigerians prefer to be indifferent and some even wish they were in the shoes of the individuals perpetuating evil in our society. To solve the problem of corruption in our nation, we should take a cue from 1 Thessalonians
5:22 which says "Throw out anything tainted with evil" (MESSAGE translation). In place of evil let's substitute corruption; shun, speak out against and expose all vices of corruption that are prevalent around you; treat anyone who perpetuates corrupt activities at the expense of his/her nation as an outcast and I'm sure we'll start to see some change. Once we begin to publicly (not privately) disapprove of the activities of our politicians they'll have no other choice but to change or run; and since it is said that a leopard cannot change it's spots, they just might have to run, thus paving the way for sincere, change-hungry citizens to populate the corridors of power.

I Have a Dream:The Nigerian Dream

On the 28th of August, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his electrifying speech “I Have a Dream”. He visualized the day when the Negros will be free from the shackles of segregation and will be treated just as equally as the Whites; and yes his dream did transcend the dream world to the world of reality. Well……I also have a dream;the Nigerian Dream.
I have a dream that one day our great country Nigeria will no longer be seen as the stronghold of corruption but will be seen as the citadel of integrity, loyalty and accountability.
I have a dream that one day the wealth under our feet (our natural resources and the like) will no longer be concentrated in the hands of a few individuals but will be spread across the coffers of all Nigerians.
I have a dream that one day the corridors of power will no longer be populated by thieving, corrupt, visionless politicians but will be traversed by honest, capable and above all change-hungry patriotic citizens.
I have a dream that Nigerian workers (especially those occupying posts in public offices) will no longer rely on the “get what you can while you can strategy” but will acknowledge the fact that there is dignity in labour.
I have a dream that every Nigerian worker irrespective of his class or duties will take to heart this quote by Martin Luther King: “If a man is called to be a street-sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say here live a great street-sweeper who did his job well”.
I have a dream that one day the love affair between oil and Nigeria will cease and other sectors of the Nigerian economy will receive as much attention as the oil sector is receiving and will be treated just as well as the oil sector is being treated.
I have a dream that one day the words most spoken in our ministries, our schools, in the labour market will no longer be “who do you know” but will become “what do you know” and “what can you do”.
I have a dream that one the Nigerian society will no longer thrive on the principles of nepotism and favouritism but will thrive on the principle of meritocracy.
I have a dream that every Nigerian will recognize the fact that we must shoulder some responsibility and that the task of electing leaders who can deliver rest in our hands, because the so-called politician who is rigging the elections is doing so by enlisting our help.
I have a dream the: The Nigerian Dream. You may say: “forget o jare and thank God you are just dreaming because before all you are talking about can be achieved in Nigeria only God knows”, well Martin Luther’s dream saw the break of dawn, so can mine. I believe that Nigeria will become the most desirable nation to live in by 2025 and you and I are going to make it happen. We are in crucial times here in Nigeria; this is the moment of truth, and we have no other choice but to answer the clarion call, throw off the shackles that have come upon us as a result of past events and break forth into a future of endless possibilities.

Can Poverty Be Eradicated???

Statistics show that almost half of the world’s people (over three million people) live on less than $ 2.50 per day and at least 80% of all humanity live on less than $10 per day. In Nigeria alone, 64% of the population lives below the internationally recognized poverty line of $1.25 per day. Virtually all nations have on their agenda the eradication of poverty, every potential government latches on to the catchphrase “the eradication of poverty”. However the elephant in the room (the question we never ask ourselves) is “Can poverty really be eradicated?”
Let us start by looking at this question from this perspective: There is this principle called the 20/80 principle (the pareto law). Economically stating this principle and integrating it with all this talk on poverty; it means that 20% of the world’s population controls 80% of the world’s resources. According to statistics, the richest 20% accounts for three-quarters of the world’s income and the world’s wealthiest countries (approximately 1 billion people) accounted for 36.6 trillion dollars out of world income of 48.2 trillion dollars (that is, 76% of world income) in 2006; these statistics thus validate the 20/80 principle as it regards the world’s economy. Given these statistics and the fact that as individuals we tend to think foremost of ourselves, I mean so long as it does not affect me how is it any of my business; it simply means that the world’s resources will remain in the hands of the smaller 20% and the problem of poverty will by no means be solved. However, let us factor in the possibility that some of these smaller 20% are blessed with kind hearts and then they are engaged in so much philanthropy as is the case nowadays, how come poverty is by no means being assuaged since some of the world’s resources are now being diverted from the 20% to the larger 80%. This is where corruption, inadequate policy programs and inefficient administrative techniques come in. It is no secret that the larger proportions of the 80% reside in the developing nations and that these nations are in dire need of aid to battle poverty and in fact large amounts of aid has been sent over, but over the years the effect of this aid has largely not been felt. A large percentage of aid sent has knowingly found its way to private pockets and a substantial percentage has been used up on inadequate policy programs and even policy programs with potential have been inefficiently administered. Also government funds earmarked to tackle poverty have by no means fared better. In the face of these statistics and problems that confront us, let us seriously ask : “Can poverty really be eradicated”.

When Life Knocks You Down

One morning I was reading my bible and I saw this ant on my bed, so naturally I wanted to kill it, extinguish it from the face of this earth, I mean why should it be on MY bed!!! I beat that ant some 4-5 times, yet when I lifted up my finger form hitting it, the ant struggled to get up…………….to my surprise! That’s when it came to me, every now and then life deals persons blows and when life lifts up its finger, well from beating them…………they just lie there! They make no attempt to stand up from where life has thrown them. NO! stand up and gun for it…….yes you might struggle a bit, the ant also struggled and for a while could not find its way out of where it had fallen, but by the time I had looked back at where the ant had been it was no longer there, it had struggled out of the position it had fallen to well, maybe another person’s bed…………but the moral here is that when life knocks you down don’t just lie there and say oh well it’s definitely over for me. Get up and fight! Struggle you may but triumph you shall. The bible was speaking unmatched wisdom when it said, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise” Proverbs 6:6.

NIGERIA: Problems and Problems

Nigeria……..Oh Nigeria!! The 8th most populous country in the world with an enviable supply of natural resources yet she remains a substantial member of the less developed countries (LDCs) category. Unemployment rates keep taking an upward turn, standard of living is one of the poorest world in the world, income per capita is considerably low when compared with other countries; countries like Malaysia that we were playing with as at independence period have left us and have progressed to join the advanced countries. If we take a comprehensive comparison of available statistics, it will be clearly evident that Nigeria’s GDP is not so far away from where it was at independence. In fact, there was a considerate fall in GDP per capita until recently in 2008 when per capita income took an upward turn. Our technological base is definitely not one to be envied among other countries and one very obvious and painful aspect is the long list of uncompleted and unachieved plans that Great Nigeria has in her wake.
One reason that accounts for Nigeria’s stunted growth is the fact that she does not place the necessary emphasis as regards the development of technology. Studies have shown that technology is one of the factors that shift a country’s long run average supply (AS) curve outward permanently. The long run AS curve is the aggregate production curve in any economy and technology refers to an improvement in the technique of production, therefore, it follows to say that an improvement in the technique of production will mean increased efficiency in production, more products will be produced in less time and at lower costs, meaning increased income, and increased income resulting from productive activities will create spiral effects and help stimulate the economy. This permanent shift will definitely imply a sort of positive permanency as regards Nigeria’s economic growth. Very connected to technology is another very important factor that contributes to permanent economic growth that is; the quantity and quality of a nation’s labour force. We have the quantity but we need to enhance the quality of the available quantity. Quality here implies productivity, efficiency, an increase in the capabilities of the mind. For Nigeria to excel, she has to discipline herself and engage aggressively in investment as it regards human capital. Countries like China have taken advantage of their surplus population and are engaging in numerous productive ventures, other nations even flock to their terrain to take advantage of the quantity and quality of their labour force (Chinese workers were able to build a 15-story hotel in just six days!). Nigeria should not be left out of the league of countries that are making waves with their surplus labour force: improve human capital (she could employ Schultz’s five methods for improving human capital (as per economics student)) and improved human capital will also allow the benefits of improved technology to manifest in full measure.
I would also like to point an accusing finger at the leadership of this country for the condition in which Nigeria finds herself today. I know that so many people have noticed that in most African countries it so happens that the leaders are very fraudulent, it also follows that virtually all African countries are LDCs (I do not know of any that is not!). During elections these supposed reformers come forward with captivating manifestos, however when they occupy office all of these promises are forgotten in the euphoria of the benefits of such an office and any of them (if any) who may still have good intentions upon occupying office are overwhelmed as they realize that they are not equipped, not prepared for such a position, and that they lack feasible and logical means of carrying out their intentions or plans. Nigerian leaders particularly, are very corrupt, once they ascend office the major themes ringing behind their minds is to, “get all they can while they can”. I personally feel that the effects of military rule still have mild effects on the mentality of the average Nigerian leader. They all want to enter office, and then amass all the fortune they can in any way they can; it is every man for himself because you never know when they military boys might strike. With all respect, Nigerian leaders are also very uneducated (education is not measured by how many certificates you carry!) we the electorate are NIGERIA, we should be able to determine who comes in and who does not. Our leaders should be able to pass a test of initiative before they be allowed to even take part in the contests, our leaders should not be decided by a select few who necessarily may not have the adequate initiative to propel this nation forward, let those who are adequately equipped in the heart and in the mind be given room to undertake the job, we should also note that a very high percentage of uneducated individuals have the wrong notion that money is everything. However, we should take note of this quote by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, “In honest hands, literacy is the surest and most effective means to true education. In dishonest hands, it may be a most dangerous, in fact a suicidal acquisition”. A dishonest man equipped with education is bound to be like wild fire consuming everything in its wake.