NIGERIA is an enigma. That is not to say Nigerians are difficult people. What puzzles one is that those time-tested theories and practices that work in other similar climates easily run into troubled waters on this shore. It is one of the reasons a clergy was to assert as a matter of fact that 'Nigeria is a prodigal country crawling at 51.' While its peers are exploring the vast opportunities on higher planets, Nigeria is propounding hypotheses on how to migrate an economic bracket of global reckoning.Maybe belated awareness is a blessing. She is conscious that the panacea is for Nigeria's return to the basics. The reawakening is imperative because of the rising threats to the stability of the country as a result of socio-economic injustices. The majority of the population remain marginalised by a privileged few with access to economic and political powers. The disproportionate system has been sustained in the last 51 years, even though the political leadership had given the general impression that it was out to change the status quo ante. The inherent advantage in a multi party arrangement, which should allow for a healthy competition in quality and qualitative service delivery in the political environmental has not brought in the necessary succour to the people.The leadership failure is epitomised by the rampant cases of corruption allegations, coupled with abandoned multi-billion contracts across the country. Yet, Nigerian leaders have never been deficient in taking initiatives and enunciating policies with intent to redress the economic imbalance in the system. In the next four years, the country plans to use the six existing zones as a collective springboard for national development. From its content and structure, the initiative appears like a veiled attempt by Nigeria to go back to the basics, that era when regions served as catalyst and synergy for growth and development. Under the new plan, the authorities will spend a sum of N1002.381 billion to boost 'intra and inter-regional co-operation.' A regional divisional council will be created in each zone with a federal fund to 'stimulate competition' among the zones.All the effort is hinged on an ambitious vision to bridge the disparities among the zones. The government arrived at this strategy in view of what was percieved as the huge economic potential of a collaboration by the constituent states in each zone. For more than 50 years, the country has traversed similar path under different guise and nomenclature.There was the era of roIling plans, which many had thought could guarantee a highly prosperous and bright future for the citizens. Then came the period of Operation Feed the Nation under the Obasanjo regime and thereafter, Shehu Shagari's Green Revolution and Ibrahim Babangida's Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which was intrinsically an affirmation that the country had sunk from the era of oil boom to a time of gloom, to put it mildly.As it comemmorates its 51 independence anniversary, Nigeria cannot be sincerely said to be going back to the basics because of the initiative for intra and inter-regional co-operation. The goal of achieving equality and balance in development indices across the zones is unrealistic. Each area can only be encouraged to move at its own pace by expanding its economic capacity through harnessing internal resources maximally. That is the surest way to self-reliance, lesser dependance on the centre and healthy rivalry among the units of the federation.Again, there is a lack of the spirit of accommodation among most of the current political actors. Many of them see their opportunity as members of the ruling class as not a privilege to serve humanity, but to deceive the people and create a larger than life image for themselves. Therefore, the advocacy by those charlatans for regional co-operation and collaboration is suspect, if not, dubious.That notwithstanding, Nigeria needs to go back to the basics in order to overcome most of the present challenges that seems to have obliterated the enviable records of her progenitors and glorious history at post-independence. The first step lies in the operators of the system appreciating the value of building institutions and investing in human capacity. The other is fashioning a constitutional framework that guarantees real autonomy to each federating unit to use its resources for the maximum benefits of its people.Oderemi, 08023501874 (sms only).
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