Dear Friends,

Just yesterday, I got chatting with some friends on Nigeria. And the recurring question is :Why is Nigeria not working? For months now, that same question has been agitating my mind. Why is Nigeria not growing like other nations? Why are successful policies failing in Nigeria? Why is the same IMF prescriptions that transformed neighboring Ghana unable to transform Nigeria?

I think we should look at why our nation is not working.

Happy discussion!-+

shinystar,that is a good point of discussion,but for us to make nigeria work or will i say: for us to change nigeria i think we should start by changing ourselves.i.e we have to start with ourselves first,when we move from our point then we can move others and that is how it goes to the top.
Geolalisa.

Each state should be independent i.e. produce for themselves.
It will end all this rubbish resource allocation gist and lazy Governors will have to look for resources in their rubbish states.

Dear Shinystar,

Thanks for this great topic.

Nigeria is not working because our leaders are not working but BUSY STEALING. I have said this before and will continue to say it. I remember the events/changes that took place during the short time Buhari and Idiagbon were in control of government affairs. Their achievements are recorded by history although many people seem not to appreciate dictatorship/military regimes.

This is a country where many state governments have received statutory allocations of over N72 billion in the last three years and yet can neither pay monthly salaries regularly nor complete meaningful projects.

Nigeria as a country is abundantly blessed with diverse resources, the government of the day and previous governments have all the instrument required to drastically reduce corrupt practices and ensure sanity, discipline and significant development. They also have what it takes to ensure the welfare and security of citizens. THERE IS NO REASON WHY NIGERIA SHOULD NOT WORK IF OUR LEADERS ARE WORKING WELL.

NIGERIA CAN WORK IF OUR LEADERS FORBID STEALING AND RENDER SELFLESS SERVICES.

Regards, ONOVO (maziudeinya@yahoo.co.uk)

In response to above post:

I think we blame our leaders too much. Our leaders did not drop out of the sky. These people are from among us, they lived among us and they reflect what we as Nigerians have become. Our problem isn't oil, roads, food,  Our problem is us. The way we think is twisted, and we refuse to love ourselves enough to change.

You have probably heard several stories of how patients in critical conditions die at hospitals because of no electricity. If we loved ourselves, we would demand without rest and make sure that all hospitals have reliable backups, because one day, someone we love may very well be in critical condition in a hospital.

We attend "all-night" prayer sessions binding all manner of spirits, gyrating as though by our loud speaking we can make God do 'jara' for us. As Yorubas will say, this is "oju-aiye" (pretense). How can a christian who has enough faith to bind some supposed principality not have enough faith to make a lasting change at his/her workplace. We keep invoking God's name in everything but our actions towards ourselves and fellow Nigerians show we really are not serious about anything. The words we speak outside of church contradicts our prayers 80% of the time 

Finally, you all remember the poll that placed Nigerians as the most happy people on the earth? Some think this is a good thing. It isn't. You  might think it implies resilience. I think it points instead to our laziness and careless attitude. Rather than change things, we are content to sit by and look, hoping some mugu will risk his life to make things better while the rest of us enjoy.

Only a madman does the same thing over and over again, and expects a different result. I personally have little faith in the current generation ruling us (these guys were in power from when we had independence, through our first coup, until now). They remind me of the first israelites who left Egypt. Their minds have been warped and all we can do is wait for them to die out or get too old to rule (or maybe amadioha strikes the lot of them down  ) so that new blood can come in (Utomi, Duke, Dora I am looking at you  )

"The eyes of the future are looking back at us and praying for us to look beyond our own time"

Listen to Sorrow, Tears and Blood by Fela, then ask the question again. . .

Nigeria's not working cos of the following reasons outlined below:

1. Incessant looting of our treasures
2. Brain drain of our educated peeps
3. Worship and reverence to money
4. Too many people in one place(more than 150 million)
5. Unemployment in every sector
6. Eradication of the middle class(its either too rich or too poor)
7. Restiveness among youths.

SOLUTION: bLOODY rEVOLUTION, Yeah, bring it on!!!

The simple answer is
"CURRUPTION".
If Nigerians can say no to curruption, i think this country would be a better place for all to live in.

Nigeria is working. The government alone is failing woefully, but Nigerians like you and me are working.

Seun,

I share your view most passionately. I have always believed that whatever one becomes has much more to do wit oneself than the govt. But that is if govt is alive to its minimum responsibilty. I agree Nigerians are working but most are not. More would have been had the system better than it is. The point is our system is not working and there is little you can accomplish is such a state. Even if you are dogged and enterprising, there is a limit to what you can become. That is my pain and the reason why i believe this country is not working.

Let others react.

Due to ignorance, we are achieving less than we can achieve under this government. In time, we'll learn.

In absolute terms, Nigeria is ok. We shouldn't be comparing ourselves to countries that are much older. This is like saying a secondary school student is a dunce because she is not as smart as a professor. Give us time, we'll grow.

Nigeria's policies and IMF's policies are not working because they have been attempting to change "Nigeria". How do you change Nigeria without bothering to change Nigerians?

Seun,

We share similar views. Nigeria, i believe, is the best place to live in Nigeria. I have enjoyed being a Nigerian. But the point is we are not comparing Nigeria with countries like US, UK and France. What about small countries like Ghana, Signapore, China and Bostwana? That is the point.

How much time will it take us? Don't misunderstand me, I believe in Nigeria but I get frustrated sometimes with Nigeria's backwardness. I know we don't deserve to be where we are.

Nigeria is better than China - you can criticize the government to an extent without being executed.

The capital of Ghana is said to be fine, but what about the villages? How many people live in Accra?

I don't know much about Singapore and Botswana, but they probably don't have our enormous population.

How long have we had democracy? 8 years. Obviously we need a little more time. We just need peace.

Nigeria is not working because the system isn't working, you cannot hold the government accountable for everything directly but you can indirectly, a lot of Nigeria's problems take root from Poverty, there are thieves beacuse they want money, Niger Delta is unstable because of poverty, police ask for bribes because of poverty, 419 because of poverty, The government as to fix up the system by building more nessecities like good schools and hospitals and the government must spend the money from exports on projects that can reduce poverty directly and indirectly, then the systam will start to work

In our daily lives, there are things that we can largely control, and things that are largely outside our control (which I'll refer to here as externalities).

However, we hope that these externalities do not impede our pursuit of happiness on this earth.

Unfortunately, in Nigeria, externalities DO impede our pursuit. For example, a person would like to get from A to B in a short time, but the poor state of roads and the chaotic state of transport (outside his control to do much about) mean that his hopes are not met, and he is not has happy as he could have been.

So why is this so? How is it that many of the things that an average individual can do little to change are in such a state that they hinder his pursuit of happiness?

I'd say that the blame should lie primarily with those people who have the most power to change these things, i.e. the leaders of Nigeria.

But how did the leaders end up with the personality traits and the lack of skills that render them unfit to change the way things are? Well, they must have adopted SOME of their personality traits from the culture they grew up in (like the conservative attitude towards change; the undue deference to elders that quashes good ideas; the lack of a scientific approach in their thinking; the need to be seen as powerful and wealthy which leads some to acquire more wealth than they are legally entitled to. . . you get the picture.)

In addition, the educational system in Nigeria does not properly equip students of today to be good leaders of tomorrow.

So how did this culture develop? And how did the educational system become so inadequate?

Well, poverty is a factor - the poorer people in a society are, the more likely they are to defer to powerful and wealthy people (and to aspire to be wealthy, too!). Also, the more likely they are to scorn science in favour of the supernatural in the search for material well being. In the same way, a lack of funding for education means that students do not receive the good quality education they need to be good leaders.

And how come there is this lack of money at a private and public level? Well, it's because there are many externalities that prevent an individual from reaping rewards for his hard work (like poor law enforcement, weak infrastructure, etc.). The same kinds of externalities mean that government funds are poorly allocated and managed.

But we've already established that when externalities do this, they are a manifestation of NIGERIA NOT WORKING.

So in short, Nigeria does not work because Nigeria does not work.

@Ka, your analysis is wonderful. You'll make a newborn baby feel like Albert Einstein with your conclusion.

Ok to be frank with you, you had a great argument and analysis but your conclusion is only fit for a big "What The Hell"!

How can Nigeria work? She was created to be moribound by the British from indepence.
Anyways till Christ tarries we would be like this, kin sepe(its not a curse)
P.S. happy discussion, some of us developed migraines because of the same question

I believe the problems of poverty are complex and the priviledge of power is temptful

Corruption and mismanagement can occur anywhere in the world, but what is importamt is not the corruption but how the people and government react to it, for example in Nigeria, if a Kid steals something people at the scene can start throwing stones and attempting to beat the crap out of the kid or even kill him and no one does anything(that to me is more shameful than corruption or poverty), elsewhere in the U.S for example the kid would be given the rightful punishment, It's all about accepting and rejecting, if poverty is alleviated to a small extent and the education is there, the police functions, the infastructure is put in place, then Nigeria can move even more forward, But Nigeria is moving, the country is growing, but it's growing slowly because the infastructure is weak to an extent where necessities become luxeries, but on a brighter note the nation is showing signs of improvement and there is hope still

I think we should all work on ourself. Strife to live a fufilled life, a purpose driven life, strife for satisfaction in your day to day life. Make the system work for you. If you are working then from your perspective Nigeria will be working
P.s Say a prayer for Nigeria

Guys

Nigeria is a great country with great people, potentials and ma power but the reason why Nigeria still remains the way its today
due to tribalism and selfcenteredness and the way forward is when we Begin to see the man from the other tribe as our brrrother, so love to one another and those in power offer to the nation what they can offer and not what the nation can offer them as well as working for the nation whole heartedly ad not for looting seek,

finally when we start loving our country and being proud of it as the Americans do(God bless America) only them would we see our great and loving country Nigeria go back to its status of bring the giant of Africa again(God Bless Nigeria)

Nigeria is quite ok. All the things that government can't provide, we entrepreneurs will eventually provide.

omo r u out of ur mind?
nigeria is working , slowly

Nigeria is made up of ppl. So if u say dat Nigeria is not working den u r directly saying that d ppl r not working. This concept"may" be so because as a ppl we have put d negatives in d frontburner of d nations affairs rather dan d positives e.g. nepotism,tribalism,corruption e.t.c is glorified in nigeria becoming d norm.

I wont waste time talking abt d failures but i will talk abt how dis great nation can be better and dat is by emphasisn\ing on things that unite us as a ppl rather on things dat divide us,changing our mentality so dat we see issues based on there merits rather than on sentiments.

We are great and we can be much greater. First things first we must change starting frm u n me.

Oga Seun - i know you are used to people kissing your hiney (maybe including yours truely), but I have to call you out on the [i]faulty [/i]logic behind your statements. To say that the government of a country is not working well but the country is working may sound sensible initially but is actually naive and meaningless once considered.

These following statements are also either naive, may sound like truths at face value etc but are really not sound logically.

Seun:

Nigeria is quite ok. All the things that government can't provide, we entrepreneurs will eventually provide.

- This one is so naive its not even funny. Then my dear friend, what will be the purpose of a governing structure? We might as well scrap it right, and run around like lawless buffoons. Providing for oursleves and doing as we darn well please---puhlease!

Seun:

Due to ignorance, we are achieving less than we can achieve under this government. In time, we'll learn.

In absolute terms, Nigeria is ok. We shouldn't be comparing ourselves to countries that are much older. This is like saying a secondary school student is a dunce because she is not as smart as a professor. Give us time, we'll grow.

- uhm, I thought the initial comparison was to uhm, let's see G H A N A! Ghana is not much older than Nigeria. Additionally, a good government, like any good organization is not based on AGE/YEARS. It is based on good, working, well thought out processes with checks and balances, and meaningful provisions for lawful adaptations to the processes. These processes must also be properly and [b]consistently [/b]implemented. We don't need donkey years for such. We need the willingness, determination, and brains to begin to attempt a positive change in Nigeria. I am confident we have the mindpower. Willingness and determination - that one is anyones guess.

I think everything boils down to our values system in Nigeria.
All too often we tend to want to address the EFFECTS of the system on which our society has been developed instead of tackling the CAUSE and we end up where we started.
It seems to me that We have a belief in that country that everything can be solved through shortcuts, and it has ultimately brought us to the point where we are today as a Nation.

This shortcut-system has eaten too deep into the very fabric of the society, it basically affects our way of thinking as a society, our way of life, our daily activities, and is clearly reflected in the policies and decisions our leaders make on a day-to-day basis - BECAUSE they are products of the system.

This sytem is the reason why every Nigerian knows they don't have to do driving tests before they get a driving license. It is the reason for the high level of "illiteracy" among Nigerian students - they know just what to do to pass their exams. It is the reason why there are so many uncompleted/substandard projects in Nigeria - the contracted firms know they don't have to prove competence before they can get such Projects. It is the reason why there is so much deceit in the Land, so much intolerance. It is this system that dictates to our brains that we can get anything we want if we KNOW 'WHO TO GO TO'. It is the reason why there are so many churches and men of God in Nigeria. We want to believe that the church or 'God' can offer us a quick way out of our problems.
Almost all our problems - From lack of Electricity to lack of stability in our National football team in Nigeria, can be traced in one way or another to this value system - The shortcut system, Fire-brigade system, instant gratification system or any name you want to give it.

Somebody mentioned population as our problem. It is no secret that the population of China is at least ten times our population but somehow they've got the balance right.
What is the difference between both countries - The system, my friend.

The reason why Ghana is seemingly ahead of Nigeria, is because they got a leader who was bold enough to address the CAUSE of their problems rather than the effects - The system.

Until we decide to change our system guys, there is no way we are going to make any lasting changes in our country.

Peace.

Lack of effective leadership and the embracement of materialism state of mind, in our society.

@Rubbermaid: You haven't said anything at all. Does a country consist of the government or the people?

If Ghana is so wonderful, why did 'we' have to force so many Ghanians to leave in the Ghana-must-go era?

@ Admin,
Ghanians rushed en -masse to Nigeria when their economy took a bad hit from
the same plague in N igeria now-massive monumental maladministration-when
we got tired of being hosts to millions of illegal aliens we asked them to leave(circa 1982).
We can't compare the infrastructure and rule of law in Ghana to Nigeria now

Corruption and bad military leaders. inefficient leaders are to be blame

In as much as d lack of credible leadership has been the bane of nigerian underdevelopment let us nt omit d fact dat we d ppl have a roll to play in d development of dis country. As a popular saying goes" a ppl get d leadership dey deserve".

Stop asking what your country can do for you and ask yourself, what can you do for your country. by JFK 1960s