Nigeria And The 2023 Presidential Election
The name Nigeria is the amalgamation of over two hundred and fifty ethnic groups with different languages and tribes. Although the British government said Africa does not have history at all because they were unable to find any written record before their arrival which reveals the culture of the people, traditions and way of living.
Researchers are of the view that there are some form of oral tradition which records the system of governance in Africa; our trade relations and other initiatives made in our domain before the introduction of slave trade in the 18th century.
The explorative venture of the British gave Africans the privilege to have access to education which paved the way for the various nationalist leaders in the country as they were being equipped with basic knowledge to liberate their people from foreign domination.
People like late Pa Anthony Enahoro, late pa Obafemi Awolowo, late Pa Nnamdi Azikwe and late Pa Ahmadu Bello, all play a distinctive role towards the liberation of Nigeria from foreign control but they were unable to design a blueprint which will reveal a short and long term economic planning for the country.
In 1923, late Pa Anthony Enahoro first agitated for the Independence of Nigeria after which the nationalist leaders followed suit and this paved the way for the various constitutional conferences that were organised locally and internationally for the purpose of giving independence to Nigeria.
Nigeria gained independence in 1960 but sixty-two years after Independence, the country has nothing to show for it in the committee of nations as it continues to maintain its position as the world poverty capital.
Epileptic power supply, insecurity, poor health system, low quality of education, food scarcity among others, are of major concern.
Beyond every reasonable doubt, the expectations of Nigerians are on the high side as they are of the view that a new president should emerge in the country who will make a positive turn around in a few months, not knowing that good governance is not rocket science.
Whether the man is from Chad, Ghana or Aidan, they are not interested in his origin. Even if he's a 129years old man, Nigerians are just interested in having a president that will be able to provide practical solutions to the lingering challenges confronting the nation.
Constitutional amendment - Nigeria keeps changing the engine of the vehicle every eight years without changing the brain box of the vehicle.
The president of a country is the engine with which the country will be able to implement proactive policies that will have a direct impact on the common man on the street, while the brainbox of the government is the necessary powers to function properly.
There is a need for a constitutional amendment in the country which will give more powers to the state and local government to impact positively on the people.
Security - there is the need for an overhauling of the security architecture of the country. The appointment of security personnel should be based on merit and not on tribe and efforts should be made to improve the welfare of security personnel.
The federal government as a matter of urgency, should allocate 10million barrels of crude oil to the German government so that they can deploy 21st century security personnel and equipment to the Northern parts of the country as a short term approach to stop frequent attacks in the country.
The federal government should also give constitutional powers to the state government to create state police as this will enable them to properly police their state.
Agriculture - an hungry man they say, is an angry man. As a short term approach, the federal government needs to open all the Nigerian borders for food importation while adequate funds should be released to the bank of Agriculture for it to be able to fulfil its constitutional role of providing funds for mechanised farming in the country.
Long term interest-free loans should be given to functional farmers in the country for them to be involved in large scale farming as this will not only reduce the cost of food items in the country but will also create jobs and increase the revenue profile of the government at all levels.
In economics, the higher the quantity produced, the lower the price.
In the area of power supply, countries like Ghana and South Africa have access to 24hours power supply. Nigeria, the so-called giant of Africa, cannot boast of ten hours power supply in the country.
This did not only affect the manufacturing sector, it has also increased the cost of doing business in the country and this is an embarrassment for the country in all ramifications.
During the administration of former president Obasanjo, approval was given for the construction of additional eight power stations, costing 16 million dollars. Out of the eight power stations, only three were built; the rest is history.
Countries like Ghana generate fifty thousand megawatt of power while Nigeria can not boast of six thousand megawatt of power.
To start with, the federal government should procure forty thousand 500KVA transformers which will be distributed to the thirty six states of the federation. All transformers that have lasted more than twenty years should be replaced with a new one.
All obsolete cables should also be replaced with new ones as this will reduce low shedding and the little power generated will be maximised productively to add value to the economy.
Efforts should be made to attract a foreign firm that will increase the power generation in the country to one hundred thousand megawatt.
Statistics have shown that Nigeria spends 500 million dollars annually on health tourism. The federal government needs to use the recovered looted funds to construct first class medical facilities across the country which will be able to provide solutions to the various health challenges of the people.
There is a need for the government to improve the welfare of health personnels so that they will be able to function optimally.
21st century governance will translate to the unity of the country while the country will be able to restore her lost glory in the committee of nations.
