AT Independence in 1960, Nigeria looked promising to be one of the ten most developed countries in the world because of its large population, relative harmony, and natural resources of land, agriculture and animal production, variety of minerals, crude oil and gas, among others.The political leadership, even though largely semi-feudal, semi-colonial and conservative, was nationalistic, dignified, and credible. The leadership had a standard of conduct in public office and refused to fall below it. They did not allow anybody to steal public funds and get away with it and with impunity. There was budgetary discipline. The level of unemployment was kept low because of agriculture, mining, government owed and run public institutions, direct labour by public institutions, and respect for the dignity of labour. Health care and education were qualitative and free.Even those services in education and health care that were provided by private institutions, (such as Christian missionaries) were heavily subsidised by the government. Workers were paid living wages and salaries regularly by all employers. Salaries and wages were regularly upwards through government salary review commissions. There was automatic annual salary increment for all workers by all employers of labour.In order to take care of the negative effect of inflation, workers were paid Cost Of Living Allowance (COLA) regularly between periodic salary and wages reviews. Contractors were paid in time according to agreement and the progress of work done. Cheating at work, corruption, stealing and waste of public resources did not exist when compared with the situation today. The socio economic system was based on public interest first and any legitimate and enlightened self- interest second. Public interest was the condition for sustainable self- interest. The country was more cohesive and stable.Almost immediately after the coming of the Second Republic in 1979, reversal of the leading role of the state in the socio-economic system enrolling all developments in Nigeria began to take place with the inevitable emergence of lower quality of political leadership, corruption, stealing and waste of public resources, indifference of government to organised violence, resulting in massive loss of life and property, collapses of public services and industrial undertakings because of lack of state protection where quality of life of the people is involved. Mindless importation of every foreign product, foreign exchange frauds, and contradictory and fraudulent government statements on national issues became rampant. Now government does not enjoy public trust and support.For Nigeria today, the operating system is Capitalism but even at this stage of its development it has proved to be bankrupt, parasitic, irrelevant, inhuman, dependent on imperialism, and not capable of sustaining itself without stealing from government resources. This capitalist system has to be replaced by a known, current and tested socio-economic and political system, which is more progressive, capable and protects the dignity of the human person.Since the beginning of government in the history of mankind, there has always been, for each country, at any particular time, a socio-economic and political system controlling all developments in the country, and the system logically and inevitably produces a political leadership appropriate to it. This system always determines the progress or otherwise of the country. Nigeria is not and cannot be an exception to this reality.The PRP is a revolutionary and democratic socialist political party that is committed to socialist reconstruction of Nigeria, starting with the leading role of the state in the socio-economic and political system for the purpose of ensuring peace, equality, the dignity of the human person, and progressive, even development of the whole country, and electoral democracy.For the PRP, public interest is primary and enlightened self-interest is secondary. The party is opposed to capitalism, privatization of the economy, deregulations, commercialization, and the ideas of minimum government, which violate the provisions of Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.In the mean time, while we are unable to implement PRP's socialist objectives because of fraudulent money politics and manipulations by the government in power, we are prepared to work with others in a democratic alliance for the purpose of implementing a minimum programme of achievement. We believe in popular democracy arising from free, fair, and credible elections capable of leading to a legitimate and performing government. But this cannot come about without laying the foundation for it and concretising it.The PRP believes that the unequal and unjust economic relations in Nigeria, the resultant disabling level of corruption, stealing and criminal waste of public resources, neo-colonial dependency, lack of harmony between the nationalities, impunity of political leadership, and poverty of all description, are at the root of the negative state of the nation. A socialist reconstruction of Nigeria through electoral democracy and the leading role of the state in the socio-economic and political system will correct the threatening negative state of the nation and enable Nigeria to achieve a sound economic take-off stage before the year 2022 and become one of the 10 most developed countries by the year 2032.The all-round development of Nigeria has been consistently hampered by colonialism, neo-colonialism, capitalism, and imperialism during the past 108 years in spite of the human and material resources of the country. Some other countries that constitute about one-quarter of humanity and that adopt methods of socialist reconstruction have now (within less than 100 years or even less than 50 years) emerged the most successful in the eradication of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, unemployment, provision of health care, national security, national cohesion, national stability, and national defense. Some are even competing with the most powerful countries in manufacture, industry, and national defence. Nigeria has not solved any of the fundamental problems of nation building facing the country.This summit should prepare the ground for a Political Conference, and a National Referendum, and a Constitution, for free people.Being excerpts of a paper presented at the national dialogue of eminent leaders in Lagos, last week.
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