When will Nigeria develop?
When it comes to economic development, all Nigerians have a role to play. Since I was a young man, there was nothing any Nigerian government hasn’t tried to improve the economy of the nation. Often, the supply side of the economy doesn’t react positively to the demands of the people. When you reflect on the nation’s level of economic development, you begin to wonder what is actually the problem.
A young graduate who has recently joined the queue of the unemployed in Nigeria on completion of his master’s degree, asked me a question at a conference recently: “uncle, when will Nigeria develop?” “Very soon,” I told him. I equally told him “you must have hope and faith in Nigeria.” I thought my responses weren’t satisfactory going by his facial expression. After, a while, he murmured, “uncle what is hope?” I can’t answer that question since my strategy for survival is not “hope.”If those in government are asked same question the young man asked me, it’s doubtful they would provide a satisfactory answer as to when Nigeria will develop.
I know individuals have different answers to the possible causes of Nigeria’s economic backwardness. Despite governments’ efforts for almost six decades at developing and sustaining the Nigerian economy through administrative and economic measures much hasn’t happened. For instance, Development/Rolling Plans, backward integration, import substitution, Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), Seven-Point Agenda, Transformation Agenda, SURE-P, 6-3-3-4 system of education, Vision 2010, Vision 20:2020, Green Revolution, etcetera, have not brought significant level of development to Nigeria. Why?
It isn’t because Nigeria lacks qualified economists. The economy is unstable due to policy inconsistency and politicization of policies by governments. Nigeria’s policies are politicized by governments applying the “Nigerian factor.” “Nigerian factor,” is a phrase explaining all that is negative in the country- corruption, bad governance, cabalistic influence, nepotism, cheating, arrogance, greed, and budget “padding” amongst others. All policies of government can only be implemented effectively within an enabling environment with the government maintaining law and order. Policies shouldn’t create an atmosphere of confusion because policy makers often don’t consult stakeholders at the formulation stage. Most times, elected and appointed public officers aren’t democratic in formulating policies, as they don’t consult the people they represent. Such policies barely work in a democracy.
As I write, the Naira has lost 85 percent of its value in two years. The nation’s Gross Domestic Product has contracted by 2.2 percent, inflation is above 18 percent, manufacturing has contracted by about 3 percent. To worsen the situation, the crude oil which Nigeria produces has fallen by 70 percent in production. This is in addition to the low price of this commodity in the international market. The nation has recorded a loss of about N3.0 trillion due to militancy in the Niger Delta, according to reports. Consequently, the government’s revenue has declined but Nigeria is still standing.
Nigeria is still standing. Statistics however, show that about 50 percent of Nigerians, say, about 80 million are unemployed. As if all measures and policies of government are counterproductive, World Bank has recently released a report that Nigeria is one of the five poorest countries in the world. Really, this is an indication that all administrative and economic measures have not yielded positive results because science and technology were not made the foundation on which all these agendas rest.
Our culture makes us poor as a nation. Any society that finds it difficult to develop must begin to re-examine its culture in order to identify causes of failure. Due to the high level of illiteracy in the country, most Nigerians are mystified by science, technology and industry because these are yet to be integral components of the larger Nigerian society. Instead of accepting science and technology as a way of life, some Nigerians have remained gullible and animistic. Instead of looking at science and technology for solution to our developmental problems, Nigerians resort to religiosity in solving problems relating to industry, management and medicine, with the result that spiritualism is affecting our economic growth. That is why religion is becoming the fastest growing industry in Nigeria, while manufacturing is gradually declining.
Economists have said often that every economic activity requires some developed infrastructure as prerequisite for growth and industrialization. The level of infrastructural development determines which factors of production can be profitably employed in the production of goods and services. Relatively developed infrastructure helps in quick coordination of economic activities.
Infrastructure in this piece refers to those facilities, structures and institutions whose inadequacy and incompleteness lead to the limitation of the productive forces of a society. These include among others, scientific and technological institutions, basic industries, energy, transport, communication network, financial institutions, etcetera. Within the context of industrial development strategy, Nigeria has an opportunity to promote the development of first class infrastructure such as telecommunications, roads, railways and electricity supply which are considered critical for the effective operation of the industry. Besides the mobile telephony network in the country, Nigeria currently lacks good roads in most parts of the country. The railway system and electricity supply for about 180 million people are not effective. This neglect over time demonstrates lack of seriousness on the part of the government.
For Nigeria to develop, there must be strong institutions. Nigeria must revive the nation’s educational system and make it science-oriented. The nation must have a stable polity. Nigeria must be governed by meritocracy, while ensuring that at least about 10 percent of our national honours and awards are preserved for scientists, engineers, and technologists. Nigeria must improve on infrastructure especially electricity supply, roads and railway network. It is government that will provide these in collaboration with private organizations. Policies must be well researched and thought out before implementation. Also, implementation of policy must be thorough, and the government as well as its agencies must cultivate the culture of discussing issues with stakeholders. Before items are banned, there must be plan to provide alternatives.
MA Johnson