Nigeria is Fifty-One! Some days ago this featwas 'celebrated' across the 36 States and theFederal Capital Territory that make up the country. From Bauchi to Akwa Ibom, and from Enugu to Osogbo, the scenes were virtually the same; Governors inspecting the guard of honour comprising of members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies and afterwards making the customary independence day speech in which yet more promises were made to residents and citizens of the various states on the good that will yet become their lot by contributing to and continually believing in this entity called Nigeria.SOMBRE CELEBRATIONSHowever the Independence Day celebrations were this time round, a little bit sombre as opposed to the pomp which had characterized previous independence anniversaries. The President and Commander-in-Chief himself chose to celebrate the event at the Aso Rock villa in recognition of the realities with which the country is confronted on several fronts. Whilst the President's style and venue of celebrations has attracted numerous unfortunate comments from some political watchers and members of the opposition, it surely cannot be denied that what is required at this time of our national life is indeed deep and sober reflections on the part of those saddled with the administration of the affairs of the country, on the social, political and economic fortunes of our country. The occasion of the 51st anniversary to my mind should not be used to celebrate whatever gains it is felt Nigeria has achieved in the period between 1960 and today but rather should be devoted to a reflection on what could have, but was unfortunately not achieved. As Abraham Lincoln stated, a towering genius does not celebrate the ordinary. Such a person disdains paths already beaten by others. He seeks areas of endeavor yet unexplored and conquers them. The focus should be on what have we missed or got wrong as a Nation'And this truly should be the case, for when the founding fathers of our country gathered in Lancaster House to put in place modalities towards the self governance of Nigeria, they had visions of a country that would be a shining example to others not only within the continent of Africa but also outside of it. In fashioning the independence Constitution they were very much aware of the diversity of the ethnicities that make up the country. They recognized the strengths and weaknesses of the regions. Yet amidst all these they saw diversity not as disadvantage but more as a blessing to the new nations. The notion of Unity in diversity was born.So as to allow for even development, each region was positioned to benefit from its resources at its own pace. While the West had the Cocoa Plantations, the East was buoyant with Palm Oil production while the North had its Groundnut pyramids. Each Region was complementary of each other in an atmosphere of healthy rivalry. With the income that came in, the governments at the Federal and Regional levels were able to provide amenities necessary to improve the lives of the citizenry. Efforts were also made to improve upon those already put in place by the past colonial administrations. Public schools and Hospitals were well funded and equipped. The roads were maintained. It was a time of bliss. Unfortunately it did not last.OIL BOOMWith the Oil boom came a myriad of problems primary of which was and still remains the almost total dependency on oil as the only source of revenue for governments at the Federal, State and Local Government Levels. As the bulk of this revenue goes to the Federal Government, the other tiers of Government are left with funds which are far inadequate to address the various needs of the people. The Federal Government itself expends much of what comes to it on recurrent expenditure with little to embark on projects which would positively affect the lives of the people.The result is self evident. There are now numerous ill-equipped schools and hospitals. Roads which were once the pride of the nations are now almost impassable. Indeed I have in the course of this series of articles commented severally on some of these problems and developments. However, special mention and attention must again be paid to the decay in transportation infrastructure.TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENTFrom the beginning of time, transportation or movement has always been of paramount importance to man. Man has always been in search of a means to move himself from one point to the other. In the ancient times, animals were the primary means of transportation. With the invention of the wheel, things took a turn for the better. The invention of the wheel had a profound effect on almost all aspects of human endeavor including agriculture as large expanses of land could easily be tilled with horse or cattle drawn ploughs. With the passage of time, trains and cars also came into the picture. The rapid industrialization of America is easily traceable to the efficient operation of the rail system in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Thousands if not millions of Americans could move from one part of the vast contrary to the other in search of the proverbial golden flee. With the car people did not need to live very close to their places of work. People could live in the suburbs while working in the cities. The motor car brought rapid development to areas otherwise thought to be remote. In a nutshell, an effective means of transportation is a sine qua non for development.THE PROBLEM OF TRANSPORTATION IN NIGERIAOver a century ago, the British constructed two major rail lines. The first one connects Lagos on the Bight of Benin and Nguru in the Northern State of Yobe. The second one connects Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta to Kaura Namoda in the north eastern state of Borno. Interestingly, the aforementioned two major rail-lines were constructed in such a way that goods could be moved from all part of the country regardless of the distance and taken to the nearest railway station. For example, goods from the present Ekiti and Ondo States were expected to be transported to Osogbo which served as the nearest railway station. The same thing applies to other part of the country that did not have the benefit of rail line.In the same manner, goods coming from Europe and other overseas countries were expected to be transported to the hinterland thorough the two major ports of Lagos and Port Harcourt. They were then dispatched through stations such as Abeokuta, Osogbo, Offa, Ilorin, Jebba etc. The goods were then conveyed from the rail ports to the hinterland.PRESENT SITUATION AND THE NEED TO MODERNIZE THE RAIL SYSTEMAs at 2003, it is on record that Nigeria's rail system had 3,557 kilometres of track. Out of this 19 kilometres were dual gauge while the remainders were standard gauge. As earlier said, Nigeria has just two major rail lines serving the entire country. Rail links with neighbouring countries such as Niger and Cameroon still remain a subject of discussion till date. Expansion of the rail system even within the country continues to be the dream of successive administrations.The revival, resuscitation, development and modernization of 21st century rail system is a sine qua non to the liberation of the country from the shackles of primitive and outdated rail system we presently operate. Until very recently when some works were carried out on the almost abandoned Nigerian rail lines, most Nigerians no longer remembered that railway even existed in the country! Such was the extent of the neglect the rail system suffered in our dear country.The roads are not better. Nothing seems to work. Virtually all the Federal and State roads are death traps. The fact cannot be ascribed to a particular individual but to all politicians, civil servants and workers in these sectors. The cities, towns and villages are overcrowded with imported, third hand or fourth hand vehicles and motorcycles which are celebrated with wine and prayers as new when purchased by Nigerians. Nigeria has become the dumping ground for condemned vehicles.With good roads and rail networks people could live in neighboring Ogun and Oyo States while commuting daily to work in Lagos. Many of those who currently live and work in Ibadan would gladly chose to live in the serene environments existing in towns like Iwo and Ikire if they had adequate means of commuting to work from those places.The present decay is however such that continues to take its toll on the nation. The current high cost of cement has been partly attributed to the huge cost of transporting it by road. Recently a major manufacturer of the product announced that the cost of the cement would drop for the simple reason that it succeeded in transporting a huge consignment of cement to Ibadan by rail.CONCLUSIONAs the country celebrates its 51st Anniversary, there is a need to undertake an appraisal of the failings noticeable in the Country's service delivery with emphasis on safety of life and property, poverty, electricity, transportation, health and agriculture.
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