Independence Quiz 1

Chris Alih

For Nigeria’s problems to be properly tackled, they must first be defined and outlined. They must be isolated – quarantined if you will – in order to determine the root causes.

The goal is to treat causes not symptoms. To turn off the tap, not mop the floor. The efficacy of a solution is determined by the frequency of occurrence of the problem being solved. The goal is to reduce the frequency of occurrence, curb damage or totally eliminate the problem. But the problem of Nigeria is one bred with time, yielding a compounding interest of great national catastrophe.

A nation’s health (well-being of the people) is contingent on her economic status. The economic status is contingent on the productive activities of the people, these activities need an enabling environment provided by the government, the government must not only have the interest of the nation at heart, but must possess the willpower, foresight and intelligence to provide and allocate sufficient resources to make this enabling environment possible.

It is obvious that the state of a nation is determined by a healthy relationship between the governed and the government. This is the nucleus of the problem. Nigerian being a multi ethnic/cultural and religious nation makes the task even more daunting. Nonetheless, a nation built on principles backed by strong institutions would have enough stability to handle the storm, but sadly, Nigeria is built on the ‘principle’ of corruption and impunity. This is the core of the problem, and the following is my proposed solution..

This is an Ambush. Let’s start with the first team.

– Adults

This is the ‘immediate’ response team. The only thing worth saying here is “vote in competent leaders”. Adults already understand the problem, they know the solution, they’re just too lazy to do the needful. Adults should vote for leaders that understand their plight. This is the genesis of the solution. Once a responsible leader is on seat, I believe the required actions would be obvious to him; namely: attending to Education (this should be first priority), it will prepare the foundation for the second ambush team.

– Children

This is easier said than done but it’s the most practical and sustainable solution I could think of. We can start with the young ones, our children, the leaders of tomorrow. They should be taught the value of national pride, patriotism, and integrity. This should be wired into their psyche before society corrupts them with the norm. Children should grow up understanding that they’re Nigerians first. They should understand due process, hardwork and what a functioning system entails. They should be angry at corruption being the norm when they’re old enough. This should start from the home, with concerned parents, then to be continued at school with teachers.

These obvious solutions are not meant to yield immediate results, but they’ll serve as precedence shaping the psyche of the nation. Once a healthy feedback loop between an understanding government and a patriotic public is established, everything will snowball from there.