This is an explosive situation that calls for a 'state of emergency'. The following are to be observed'All those in self-or paid employment must be empathetic and ready and willing to give something that can reduce the suffering of the unemployed. Individualism must be destroyed, community tendency must be revived'Monthly security vote of the president and governors must be publicly known and accounted for, after being determined along moral, instead of legal lines'All levels of government must govern using the syllabus approach. This approach allows you to treat and locate one issue according to its weight and need .It also fixes timeline on a selected item.Note in a typical secondary school curriculum, topics in a particular subject are selected based on relevance in time and space. For example, the study of the CELL is one of the earliest listings in the syllabus because its knowledge has a direct bearing on subsequent topics. And there is a time line. In the same vein, electricity has direct bearing on most aspects of Nigerian socio-economic lives; indeed its resolution will reduce drastically the issue of unemployment. Foolish attachment to PHCN will not solve the problem. Solution lies in the immediate liberalisation of the generation and distribution of electricity. Increase in tariffs will not make it attractive to investors and it cannot lead to improved services as long as PHCN remains the only institution of power. There must be not less than six companies all generating ,distributing and marketing of power. The market should be left to determine the tariff each will charge. The current state is like foolishly insisting on only NITEL and disallowing MTN, Etisalat, Glo from participating in providing telephone services. The liberalisation exercise in the power sector should not take more than one year insecurity. When governments focus on items that cannot guarantee gainful employment and wellbeing of Nigerians , then a few individuals will protest. Protests can be in the form of armed robbery, Boko Haram and kidnapping, particularly when a few Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) are irresponsible, lawless and immoral in their styles of spendingWhat are the President and governors doing with the security votes they get every month'At 51, Nigeria should get its acts right. Leaders should make the people count even after their votes have earlier been counted. The space between the leader and the led is getting wider. The process of closing up must start now even if we are already 51 !!!All the same, happy birthday, NIGERIA.Prof Dele FapohundaBabcock UniversityIlishan RemoOgun State.
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