AACS Fortnightly
(Mondays)
30th January 2023

From the Chairman’s Desk,

Nigeria – On the March Again (17-01-2022)

One year ago, specifically on 17th January 2022 when the political season was starting full blown, AACS wrote about a social contract with the people by aspiring leaders, and listed the issues below as key. To what extent have these issues been dealt with in the last 12 months of politicking? The issues in the write up rehashed today, remain what the incoming leaders must ensure.

“As the nation marches towards 2023, it would be good to avoid the ad hominem attacks, but focus on the real measurable things we should expect. Five quick things come to mind at AACS to help drive this chase. The nation of 200m people with huge potentials should debate and ensure:

a. Constitution – The 1999 constitution should be reconstructed, and proper federating units should be created, allowing these units to take charge on a lot of key developmental issues like revenue generation, health, education, social services, job creation and more.

b. Security – This must be front and centre of the debate, and a robust framework that improves the security of lives and property would ensure the nation grows, thrives and continues to be the preferred destination for FDIs. Even in uncertain times, Nigerian start-ups attracted $1.4bn in funding, an impressive 35% of the total funds raised on the continent in 2021.

c. Revenue Generation – This is key, because we are NOT a rich nation when our 2021 budget was $36bn to 200m people. We are a nation with huge potential that could do 10 times that number, and run a GDP of $2trn. We need to understand this, and start to walk the paths that crude will not take us.

d. Institutions – We need to agree that strong institutions are key to the growth and development of a nation. The security and legal architecture must be above tilting by leaders or powerful citizens, and we must subject ourselves to it. The events of January 6th 2021 in the U.S. proves this. If it had no strong institutions, it would have ceased to be a reference point for democracy.

e. Re-orientation of who a Nigerian is, and the push to the back door of issues such as religion, ethnicity, and all forms of biases that divide us, but concentrating on the matters that unite us and give each one of us the comparative advantage over citizens of most nations, holding on to our strength in numbers and diversity.

As we go on the march again, let’s focus on the real issues, and start the building of the greatest black nation in the world, a nation we all can be proud of. This is what makes everyone a winner.”

This Nation retains the potentials to be great, and the natural and human resources that abounds here, says it unequivocally.

Falil Ayo Abina

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