"Nigeria is the giant of Africa"
I use to believe this and I know most average Nigeria youths believe in the "greatness" and "future" of this country. Well, I am going to present facts (kegs) that will open your eyes to the state of the nation today and why the future is bleak.

Keg 1 : Debt Crisis

"Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II Lamido Sanusi, Wednesday in Kaduna raised alarm that the federal government spends a whooping 66 per cent of Nigerian revenue on servicing debt interest, while 34 per cent of the revenue was used for capital and recurrent expenditures."

To read more:

http://dailypost.ng/2017/04/06/fg-spends-66-revenue-service-debt-interest-emir-sanusi/

Well, I came across this one (keg) earlier on and I was shocked and terrified. To drive this home, imagine a worker who earns a gross salary of N100,000 but N66,000 is spent from the N100,000 every month to pay interest from the people he borrowed money (loan) in the past leaving him with a net salary of N34,000 per month to spend and save. If this continues, where do you see the worker in let's say 10years?

The answer to the above question is the financial debt mess that Nigeria is currently in.

So if you are still surprised on why NASS blocked Buhari from borrowing the "$30b-Collapsing-loan", this is the reason.

As it stands now, Nigeria can't carry out a mega economic infrastructural project without partnership or borrowing. So tell me exactly how " E go better" ?

Next!

Interesting

Keg 2: Power (Electricity)

" The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, says the Nigerian government’s target of providing 10,000MW of electricity by 2019 is still achievable"

Read more:

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/232929-%E2%80%8E10000mw-still-achievable-by-2019-fashola.html

My first reaction to this is "lmao". Let's say by miracle this target is achieved, do you know that the maximum carrying grid capacity (transmission) is 7200MW and the optimal is 5000MW?

So how are they going to transmit the so fantasized 10,000MW?

It is disheartening and devastating that that currently we are generating 4500 megawatts max for a population of 180million people while South Africa has 40,000 mega watts with population of just 50 million and Brazil has 100,000 mega watts with a population of 192 million.

How do you run a 21st century economy with insufficient and epileptic power supply?

Looking into the future when do you think Nigeria will solve its power generation problem?

Hmmm, Nsogbu dikwa

Maybe after the gun powder explodes we would have a better country

Keg 3: Health Sector/Care:

I don't want to go into how dilapidated our hospitals are because most of us know. Our politicians and rich people (including pastors) all travel abroad for treatments. After all, the number one citizen is currently in UK receiving treatment.

So what I will point out here is the fact that our only hope, the medical practitioners are dissatisfied and unhappy about their job and most of them are planning to leave the country. Relax and read the tweets from https://mobile.twitter.com/rhaihan_jannah/status/861491962096099328?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C7571141662 on twitter:

1. Medical practice in Nigeria is in shambles and the way it is right now, nobody is here for it. Figuratively and literally.

2. My older brother is also a doctor and he was one of the lucky ones to finish his residency programme at the age of 30. Young, vibrant, ready.

3. Being a Consultant at 30 is no easy feat considering the pathway required to reach this milestone. I'll explain.

4. The usual pattern in Nigeria. Get into uni at 16/17, struggle and persevere (hurdles are infinite) through med school for 7 plus X years.

5. Where X = extra months/years lost to ASUU/Doctors strikes, riots, hospital shut down, insecurity-related interruption, Repeat year etc

6. After this, you emerge out of school and take the hippocratic oath and you're handed a Temporary Certificate of registration with MDCN.

7. The council will only give you a permanent registration when you have completed another 12 months of hellish Housemanship.

8. NB: Housemanship placements are not handed out to new doctors neither is there an organised nor central scheme for recruitment. Na per head.

9. So it involves alot of applying and interviewing and having "long leg" and grace and prayer and some people grease hands and maybe juju.

10. Whatever works. So you can get into a training hospital,finish and acquire that full registration before 2 Years elapses(from graduation).

11. Note that this placement search may take a few months or years in some extreme cases. Well, you get in, push through and giving. Then NYSC

12. NYSC is another thing entirely. Let me not begin. I won't finish. But that takes out another year. So you have, 16 + 7 + X + 2 (at best)

13. You're a 25+x year-old post NYSC doctor who is thrown into the labour market. Contrary to popular belief, there is a market for doctors too

14. And My God, is it a nightmare!!!

15. But say you get a temp job somewhere and then begin to map out your career. To be a specialist, you take exams and wait for residency.

16. Exams are hosted by the two colleges. West African or National college of physicians/surgeons as the case may be.

17. As at last exams, exam fees for West Africa was 150,000 plus other miscellaneous for study material, post, transportation to exam venue.

18. These exams are known for mass failure by the way. Pass rates are usually 10-30% at best. Its really about being in the percentile they want.

19 Console yourself and say "Its not that I failed, I just didn't pass well" Whatever works for you. Because No re-marking, no arguments

20. You can only wipe your tears and start saving up more money for the next stream of exams and burning all the candles while still working.

21. In the amazing event that your name is up there above the failure line, celebrate for a second. Then begin to hustle for a placement.

22. See placement procedure for Housemanship and multiply rigors by 10 to find one for residency.

23. You scale this hurdle and begin residency. The challenges in that program can't be exhausted in this thread. 'Budget' 5 or more years here.

24. You have strikes from all sorts of associations interrupting the programme and all kinds of internal health sector crisis, and then some.

25. Then, you finish. You're a fellow of the college of physicians or surgeons. You add FWACP/FWACS to your name. You have arrived.

26. You haven't even taken off. You're really just starting out in this terrible terrible country with no direction and misplaced priorities.

27. So, back to my brother. This is where he is. Young vibrant consultant radiologist with all the cards in his hands, yeah? But this is chess.

28. All my life, I've known him to be someone who loves Nigeria to a fault and has refused countless opportunities to leave the country.

29. So imagine my surprise when on Saturday while we were talking about our careers, he told me he was making plans to leave.

30. Leave the country. Write membership exams for royal colleges in the UK. Try for Arab countries. Move his family and everything OUT.

31. And he is serious. Because as a consultant radiologist, few as they are in the entire country, he still has to search for a suitable job.

32. A consultant radiologist in Nigeria has no offer of employment in any Government establishment and has to work in private facilities.

33. Private facilities who are manipulative users with no respect or sense of value for a professional that rare and seasoned. It is sad and appalling.

34. And my brother is only one of thousands of doctors, from every cadre, who are exiting this damned country.View conversation.

35. And those of us staying are finding alternatives in every sector. The flow is away from the hospitals. Far far away.

36. Poor and unpaid salaries. Terrible work environment. No infrastructure. No pension. No training scheme. Doctors doing the impossible.

37. Improvising. Sacrificing. Working impossible hours with heaviest patient load. Still no incentive, no progress, no prestige. Nothing.

38. The brain drain is here. It is live. Doctors are leaving, to other sectors and mostly away from Africa and its decay.

39. Funfact: Nigerian doctors leave the country and excel everywhere they go. There's hardly ever any doubt as to our success abroad.

40. You will work and be rewarded: renumeration and fulfilment-wise. You will make impact. You will thrive and be your best self.

41. (((I forgot to mention that those entry exams to residency expire after 5 years with no placement. If it does, you'll rewrite the exam))).

42. I belong to 4 whatsapp groups of doctors. Each group is buzzing with exit plans and maps. Pathways are being drawn. Everyone is planning.

43. These pathways have even become clogged and Nigerian doctors stampede IELTS and PLAB, USMLE, AMC registration portals.

44. Nigeria is not ready. Countries like Saudi Arabia who value professionals come here, conduct exams/interviews, employ doctors, fly them out.

45. Get them visas and permits, pay them triple the Nigerian salaries and give the accommodation and privileges.

46. Nigerian government would rather sack striking senior doctors then import Egyptian junior doctors and pay them double amounts to do less.

47. Alternative pathways after you medschool. 1. Do direct short service and join the military medical corps. Better guaranteed for stability

48. 2. Do a masters degree in public health or health management or something. Get out of those decaying hospitals. Make impact from outside.

49. 3. Join a HMO, become a phone clerk / health insurance person. 4. Become a politician. 5. Become a business mogul. 6. PORT. EXIT. MIGRATE

50. If you walk into a hospital in five years and they say there are no doctors, understand that it is true. And if you find a quack, know why.

The last one summarizes my point. Next