Date Published: 11/18/09

Dear Editor,

Nigeria is exposing her weaknesses

Let us not deceive ourselves; Nigeria is moving down the ladder. This brings to fore the touted making of Nigeria among the first twenty most developed nations come 2020. By the time you know it, billions of Naira would be sunk into vision 20-2020. So also it is envisaged that huge amount would have been deployed in the ironic Rebranding project. Our leaders go for wild goose chase and personal aggrandizements.

During the inauguration of President Zuma of South Africa, President Yar’Adua was spotted seated far behind Presidents of smaller African countries. Our President recently, while his home higher institutions were on several months of strike, decided to leave for Saudi Arabia for inauguration of a higher institution in that country. This was in preference to taking opportunity offered for Nigeria to be showcased at the United Nations, 

Furthermore, a Ghanaian Minister of Power had lambasted Nigeria for its inability to provide adequate electricity to its citizenry and traced it to lack of will-power; he even offered that Ghana was ready to supply electricity to Nigeria if request was made. Ghana’s former President Kufor has also insisted that we need no Immunity Clause (which he described as militarist) in our system if Nigeria was ready to fight corruption.  He opined that Ghana disposed of hers because it was designed for the military and had no space in any democratic setting. But our government is not serious with the matter; instead the Lawmakers in Nigeria are even planning to extend it to themselves as well.

Look at the little Senegal coming to our aide, growing her economy by refining our crude oil for our home consumption. That country would from now continue to view us as economically conquered nation.  Even our partnering with Sao Tome and Principe for exploration of her oil seems to have some challenges, one of it being that the Central African country of Angola that speaks the same colonial Portuguese language as her, is trying to double-cross us; all because of our unorganized stance in almost everything we do. Most people heading our governments at respective levels are only interested on how something would personally benefit them; the masses are secondary. And we need to regain our position.

 Dr. (Engr) Tunde Abayomi, Adeola Odeku, V/I Lagos