by Eric Blair |
happy independence |
Nigeria celebrates its 55th year as an independent nation but as the people of Nigeria celebrate, they should not forget the level of achievement the country as a whole has been able to manage over this period which brings instant sadness to our faces. We have found that many Nigerians do not like to speak out about the problems in their nation especially online as they try to help paint a better picture of the country to mislead less informed people. This assumption is easily validated by posting anything negative about Nigeria on social media websites like Facebook which will often attracts the supporters of mediocrity who come to rescue the image of a country torn apart by corruption and selfishness. Here, we discuss the mishaps of the past 55 years which has held the country of Nigeria from achieving greatness.
The population of the country has aided in inflating the total GDP as the growing GDP has not been reflected in the lives of more than 95 per cent of Nigerians who still live on less than $4 a day. The country has a population of over 170 million people with 5 per cent of the population living much better than 95 per cent of the population. Hence, their numbers come in at 8.5 million people. These 8.5 million people are mostly able to afford the internet and they come online to spread ignorance and dampen the reality of the situation in the country and in simple terms, these people can be described as the highly vocal minority who have aided in hindering development by hampering wide-spread awareness.
Growing GDP is good for the nation but a majority of the population did not make it past tertiary institutions because of the poor educational efforts of the government hence they lack the skills to push the economy further. The country is also highly lacking in professionals as a result and as such, many industries booming around the world like the IT industry are still underdeveloped in the country (E.g. The website of one of the biggest banks in the country still looks like it was designed by a 4 year old living in Japan).
More liable industries results in more job opportunities but right now, we have graduates who all basically graduated from the same field of study making jobs in their field even more difficult to find and the result of this, are doctors, lawyers, agricultural scientists, political scientists, mathematicians, and many more, all working in the banking industry. The perception of studying in one field and working in another field is the norm in the country and the unemployed have no choice if they want to survive.
Growing GDP is good for the nation but a majority of the population did not make it past tertiary institutions because of the poor educational efforts of the government hence they lack the skills to push the economy further. The country is also highly lacking in professionals as a result and as such, many industries booming around the world like the IT industry are still underdeveloped in the country (E.g. The website of one of the biggest banks in the country still looks like it was designed by a 4 year old living in Japan).
More liable industries results in more job opportunities but right now, we have graduates who all basically graduated from the same field of study making jobs in their field even more difficult to find and the result of this, are doctors, lawyers, agricultural scientists, political scientists, mathematicians, and many more, all working in the banking industry. The perception of studying in one field and working in another field is the norm in the country and the unemployed have no choice if they want to survive.
Corruption which has led to the loss of $400 billion in 33 years (several times over what is needed to solve the power issues in the country) makes Nigeria one of the most corrupt nation in the world as all most politicians care about is gaining power in other to misuse public funds. It’s no wonder politics is so attractive to Nigerians but not because of bringing change to the country but actually, to get into office to syphon public funds without fear. There is no fear because several politicians who contributed greatly to hinder the development of the country still walk freely in the society today.
Many people do not realize that these politicians are indirect mass-murderers and have played important roles in ensuring the death of millions of Nigerians. In the world today, over 900 children die per hour as a result of poverty and many of those children who die are Nigerians as well. Now when public funds to improve healthcare and provide support for the poor are stolen due to corruption, the leaders are responsible for the deaths of individuals as a result of their actions, but yet, these people walk freely in the country, and return after some time to contest for political office again. It’s basically a nation where you could get away with anything as long as you’ve got money in the bank.
Going back to the state of the economy, the figures may seem to be getting better, however in reality, the living standard of the people get worse every year as the wealthy mostly enjoy the benefits of the growing economy. It’s been 55 years and as a country, the nation is still learning the basic steps needed to achieve success. Standard of living is at less than $3,200 annually and the nation is one of the top oil producers in the world. Furthermore, various naturally occurring resources like tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, and zinc are present in respectable quantities in the country but because these resources do not bring in “fast money” which is what the politicians are interested in, they are ignored, and all focus is placed on oil.
As the people of Nigeria celebrate the independence of the country, they need to remember that nothing tangible has been achieved in this time frame. Acceptance is the first step on the road to recovery and Nigerians must accept their failures to finally move forward towards greatness. Please leave your comments below. Cheers.
Many people do not realize that these politicians are indirect mass-murderers and have played important roles in ensuring the death of millions of Nigerians. In the world today, over 900 children die per hour as a result of poverty and many of those children who die are Nigerians as well. Now when public funds to improve healthcare and provide support for the poor are stolen due to corruption, the leaders are responsible for the deaths of individuals as a result of their actions, but yet, these people walk freely in the country, and return after some time to contest for political office again. It’s basically a nation where you could get away with anything as long as you’ve got money in the bank.
Going back to the state of the economy, the figures may seem to be getting better, however in reality, the living standard of the people get worse every year as the wealthy mostly enjoy the benefits of the growing economy. It’s been 55 years and as a country, the nation is still learning the basic steps needed to achieve success. Standard of living is at less than $3,200 annually and the nation is one of the top oil producers in the world. Furthermore, various naturally occurring resources like tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, and zinc are present in respectable quantities in the country but because these resources do not bring in “fast money” which is what the politicians are interested in, they are ignored, and all focus is placed on oil.
As the people of Nigeria celebrate the independence of the country, they need to remember that nothing tangible has been achieved in this time frame. Acceptance is the first step on the road to recovery and Nigerians must accept their failures to finally move forward towards greatness. Please leave your comments below. Cheers.