Reviving the sleeping (or is it dead?)‘Giant of Africa’

Back in the 60s, and through to the 70s, it would have been fair to describe Nigeria as the ‘Giant of Africa’. The country was blessed with human, economical and natural resources that were the envy of many all over the world. In the 60s and 70s, Western investors and multi-nationals flocked into the country in search of the ‘bounty’ that is oil.

Our highly intelligent, well-educated economic and political leaders seem to be well placed to do business with our Western ‘friends’, for the benefit of all Nigerians. Oil profits were pouring in from all angles. By the time the 80s came, the country began to experience the first signs of economic depression. Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) became the order of the day.

It was discovered that profits coming in were been diverted, not into sustaining the ‘Giant of Africa’, but into the increasingly deep pockets of our ‘elites’ in power. Many amassed unbelievable wealth and heaped untold misery on millions of their own people. Several figures have been quoted, but I wouldn’t even bother to suggest any here.

In the mid-80s, the migration of the crème de la crème of Nigeria – young, bright, well-educated and intelligent- began. They left the country en masse and made their way to the UK, USA and other parts of the Western world for better lives. ‘Humpty-Dumpty’ (a.k.a Nigeria) fell down and broke her back by the mid-late 90s, when the combination of Babaginda and Abacha, among others, presided over the worst political and economic period in Nigeria’s recent history.

Nigeria is nearing the end of the first decade of the 21st century and things have gone from bad to worse. Virtually all its educational, health, manufacturing and other infrastructural institutions have been left completely derelict. Millions of Nigerians are living in grinding poverty – of mind, body and spirit. Wole Soyinka describes the country as ‘the open sore of the continent’. The Giant of Africa is comatose! The key question now is whether she can be revived or is it the end?

Who has the answer?

For the last 30 years, previous governments have never really investigated the root cause of the problems of Nigeria – the fact that at all levels of society, there is a pandemic of corruption, greed, societal neglect and abuse of power and privilege. As a people, ther has been no inward search to admit a collective failure in really caring and loving Nigeria.

Enough words have been spoken and written by many, particularly those who have been in past governments about ‘One Nigeria’ and Long Live Nigeria’, but action have been abysmal. The country's leaders have not provided the answers. In fact, I don’t believe they will ever provide the solution to the problems – unless citizens of Nigeria join in and be influential players in the struggle to revive the ‘Giant’.

Where do we begin?

As a new dawn beckons, this time with ‘Citizen’ Yar’Adua, I believe real democracy – ‘the government of the people, by the people and for the people’ – must now begin. The government needs to immediately embark on a process of ‘participatory democratic governance’ that will be unique to Nigeria’s dire situation.
Before we go further, let us look at what this process means and how it is working in another environment.

In the UK, issues of neighbourhood regeneration and community/social cohesion dominate the current political and social discourse. The government is keen to encourage local communities to be empowered and take part in the decisions that affect their daily lives. It has placed responsibility on local authorities and other government parastatals to develop effective engagement strategies with local communities on key issues that will help improve local areas.

Before the building of houses, roads, hospitals and other key landmarks, the community must be consulted and involved in the process. In fact, the government can withdraw significant parts of allocated budgets, if consultation with the local people is not satisfactorily carried out. This is what is known as participatory democratic governance. The political, social and economic structures and institutions that govern UK society are constantly scrutinised by several government ‘quangos’ (e.g. the UK Audit Commission), civil society organisations and other infrastructural agencies. The ultimate decision maker is the electorate when they exercise their democratic rights.

It is vital in any democracy that political leaders are consistently held accountable for their actions; begin at local levels. The governance structures, especially at local level in Nigeria are currently inadequate. The management of schools, hospitals and other public edifices have been completely neglected by local politicians. This neglect continues to have a destructive, and in many cases, fatal impact on the lives of Nigerians.

Chairmen of local councils, for example, needs to be transparent and consistently scrutinised as they have so much influence and power on the lives of local people. But where are the governance systems to put the scrutiny, transparency and accountability structures in place?

Working together

The current situation in Nigeria is such that indigenous professionals in the institutional sectors of our society e.g. health, education are heavily burdened with insurmountable problems.

Most Nigerians in the Diaspora have gained vast amounts of skills from the Western world, which can be replicated in Nigeria. It is time the government puts a concrete strategy in place to engage with the Diaspora on how they can work with their counterparts at home in regenerating our social, economic and political structures.

It is not enough to ask them to come and ‘invest’. Yes, investment is good. But what is desperately required is patriotic commitment of their time, skills and abilities to help revive the ‘Giant of Africa’. Initially, it could either be through volunteering projects, like the one being established by a Diaspora development organisation in the UK, Development Impact for Nigeria. This is a project, which aims to offer a 3-week placement opportunity for Nigerians living in the UK, with local community area projects with a focus on education, health, entrepreneurial skills development and citizenship. This is only a start and is available to those who may eventually want to invest their skills in a paid capacity to help in civil society renewal and transformation of our infrastructural institutions.

It is time we recognise that these institutions represent the heartbeat of society and if they are not functioning, it can be the death of our society.