Credo World Media: MISSIVE FROM MY UNBORN CHILD
CredoWriters
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
MISSIVE FROM MY UNBORN CHILD
MISSIVE FROM MY UNBORN CHILD
WakdokSamuelStephen.
I was excited reading your epistle, though it was written in English language I was able to read it here for in our world were God prepares us for earth; we speak the language of love which is universal. I will be bringing a billion watts of love along because from the pitch of your letter, your world will do better with more love. We live here as a community of souls but we have already been assigned our countries of birth since our God is omniscient. When I got your letter, I informed my fellow Nigerians-in-formation about the state of the nation in
While the unborn babies going to other countries are learning how to drive cars and fly planes, we were advised to learn how to paddle bicycles because of the deplorable condition of Nigerian roads and the fatality our nations air space. The planned deregulation of the petroleum sector we learned will also make the products dearer and out of reach. Our mates going to
As a family of proud Nigerians to be, we had an audience with God and asked him why the
I felt your pulse while reading your letter and I can tell how bitter most Nigerians have become. The religious and ethnic gulf is growing daily and I was even told how people now look for accommodation according to religious divide. There are Christian areas and Muslim areas especially in
We are interceding on behalf of our country of destination and we know God is ever faithful. It may take a while but definitely the storm will be over. We can't wait to come and join hands with you to build a thriving nation because we know that the grace of God will surely be possible but with the co-operation of men. We cannot afford to allow things to keep falling apart, we really need the centre to hold but until we come please keep holding the forte.
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Friday, October 23, 2009
THE YOUNG SHOULD GROW
WakdokSamuelStephen.
I had to change school in my Primary 2 because the proprietress of the school was relocating abroad. When I got to my new school, its motto was:” The Young Shall Grow". That was 24 years ago, funny how time flies. Looking back at all the years gone by, comparing the kids we were and who we have grown to become, that motto makes sense. There have been various transitions through life stages from biological to education, to family, exposure, relationship, career and many others. In 1985 Nigeria was 25 years as an independent nation and we are 49 years today with our jubilee march to the golden age of 50. When I think again on the past and present I am tempted to review the motto to "The Young Should Grow".
When we were young we looked forward to the future with pride, a bright future at that. We were made to believe that if we worked hard, read well, passed our exams etc we will get to be the future of the nation. We will have good life and all that comes with a qualitative life for deserving nationals of a naturally endowed country. This was very true. At twenty five, Nigeria as a nation was young and talking about the maxim; the young shall grow we ought to have grown now beyond where we are. But when we look back and see the level of realization or failure ,one would ask; is it enough to just wish that the Young Shall Grow? Can’t we rather assert that the Young Should Grow? If we had four refineries way back, they are now shadows. If we have more cars on our roads now, after spending billions of naira we have the worse roads ever. If we have more hospital buildings and churn out more doctors today, we have always caused the doctors to migrate and looking at the population explosion with the decay in health facilities we are an unhealthy nation. Checking out the exponential growth in universities and schools but observing the standard of education, the quality of teaching and incessant strikes, we should answer if we have really grown. We had several textiles in Nigeria years ago, today all the textiles in Kaduna and most elsewhere are wiped out and with them thousands of jobs and linkages gone. This is definitely not a plus for industrial growth. If we hosted COJA in 2004 and U-17 world cup and at various times hosted various tournaments, we have found it extremely difficult to host the U-17 world cup in 2009 without FIFA threatening to withdraw the hosting right.
The dramatic irony of it all is that the average Nigerian wants us to grow. I stand on the hills as an average Nigerian to lend my unheard voice: The Young Should Grow. I want us to redefine our destiny, we should rediscover our prosperity, and reclaim our lost glory. It is excruciating to see smaller African countries with little or no resources out smarting us in various ways. Look at sports, education, health, stability, unity and even Leadership. It is so upsetting that no Nigerian has won the M O Ibrahim Award for African Leadership which comes with a Five million dollars cash prize and subsequent annual grants. The award committee can not even find a suitable candidate for this year's award which is a big indictment on Nigerians; four out of every five black men in the world are Nigerians. Our sheer size, resources, clout in the international political system and the role we play in the global stage need make us perpetual winners of this award. If only we had transformational leadership in this nation this kind of award should not elude Nigeria. The most striking thing is that M.O. Ibrahim the founder or Celtel is a Sudanese. Sudan has been at war for close to 30 Years either between North and Southern Sudan and most recent the Darfur region of Western Sudan. After establishing Celtel and taking it to the peak of telecommunications he sold the company to Zain and part of the proceeds is used to promote leadership and good governance in Africa. That is lesson in corporate leadership for us in Nigeria.
The young should grow. Nigeria should have grown more by now. We can only grow when and if we break the jinx of "Pharaohic ruler ship" in Nigeria. Why must we keep running abroad when we have more than what it takes to make Nigeria better than those countries? At a point Dubai was a desert but look at what they have transformed that desert into today. Singapore was so tiny to survive on its own that they begged to join Malaysia as a federation and they were even expelled. Singapore depended on neighbouring countries for land to be used for military trainings, they imported sand at a point because they sit on water, and Singapore has a land area of 685 sq km only with a population of about 5million people. Today Singapore has transformed from a third to a first world country. Years ago Brazil was only known for its samba dance, football and sugarcane. With a land area of 8.5million square metres and a population of above 192 million people, Brazil is second to Nigeria with the highest number of black population in the world. Today Brazil has catapulted itself to become a technological and economic giant. Rio de Janeiro just won the right to host the 2016 Olympics and the country aims to invest 356 billion dollars in infrastructure alone over the next 30 years that is about 11.8 billion dollars yearly. Nigeria with a land mass of 923,768 and an estimated population of 140 million people ought to have become a power house by now when we imagine that almost all the mineral resources found on earth have deposits in Nigeria. Our capital investment has fallen over the years. Singapore is smaller than Nigeria in population and land mass, it has grown. Brazil which is bigger than Nigeria in terms of land mass and population too is growing at an increasing rate. So size whether big or small is not the cause for failure, ditto for population.
We have all the resources and brains to transform our nation into a comfortable and wonderful land for every citizen and resident to live peacefully with dignity. We have people and ideas that can make the system work for us. Why then are we second class citizens in our land? We can destroy hunger, erase power outages, eliminate bad roads, eradicate poverty, stop further de-industrialization, arrest unemployment, kidnap crime and assassinate corruption. We can grow, the young should grow. Nigeria must grow. We should make it grow.
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I had to change school in my Primary 2 because the proprietress of the school was relocating abroad. When I got to my new school, its motto was:” The Young Shall Grow". That was 24 years ago, funny how time flies. Looking back at all the years gone by, comparing the kids we were and who we have grown to become, that motto makes sense. There have been various transitions through life stages from biological to education, to family, exposure, relationship, career and many others. In 1985 Nigeria was 25 years as an independent nation and we are 49 years today with our jubilee march to the golden age of 50. When I think again on the past and present I am tempted to review the motto to "The Young Should Grow".
When we were young we looked forward to the future with pride, a bright future at that. We were made to believe that if we worked hard, read well, passed our exams etc we will get to be the future of the nation. We will have good life and all that comes with a qualitative life for deserving nationals of a naturally endowed country. This was very true. At twenty five, Nigeria as a nation was young and talking about the maxim; the young shall grow we ought to have grown now beyond where we are. But when we look back and see the level of realization or failure ,one would ask; is it enough to just wish that the Young Shall Grow? Can’t we rather assert that the Young Should Grow? If we had four refineries way back, they are now shadows. If we have more cars on our roads now, after spending billions of naira we have the worse roads ever. If we have more hospital buildings and churn out more doctors today, we have always caused the doctors to migrate and looking at the population explosion with the decay in health facilities we are an unhealthy nation. Checking out the exponential growth in universities and schools but observing the standard of education, the quality of teaching and incessant strikes, we should answer if we have really grown. We had several textiles in Nigeria years ago, today all the textiles in Kaduna and most elsewhere are wiped out and with them thousands of jobs and linkages gone. This is definitely not a plus for industrial growth. If we hosted COJA in 2004 and U-17 world cup and at various times hosted various tournaments, we have found it extremely difficult to host the U-17 world cup in 2009 without FIFA threatening to withdraw the hosting right.
The dramatic irony of it all is that the average Nigerian wants us to grow. I stand on the hills as an average Nigerian to lend my unheard voice: The Young Should Grow. I want us to redefine our destiny, we should rediscover our prosperity, and reclaim our lost glory. It is excruciating to see smaller African countries with little or no resources out smarting us in various ways. Look at sports, education, health, stability, unity and even Leadership. It is so upsetting that no Nigerian has won the M O Ibrahim Award for African Leadership which comes with a Five million dollars cash prize and subsequent annual grants. The award committee can not even find a suitable candidate for this year's award which is a big indictment on Nigerians; four out of every five black men in the world are Nigerians. Our sheer size, resources, clout in the international political system and the role we play in the global stage need make us perpetual winners of this award. If only we had transformational leadership in this nation this kind of award should not elude Nigeria. The most striking thing is that M.O. Ibrahim the founder or Celtel is a Sudanese. Sudan has been at war for close to 30 Years either between North and Southern Sudan and most recent the Darfur region of Western Sudan. After establishing Celtel and taking it to the peak of telecommunications he sold the company to Zain and part of the proceeds is used to promote leadership and good governance in Africa. That is lesson in corporate leadership for us in Nigeria.
The young should grow. Nigeria should have grown more by now. We can only grow when and if we break the jinx of "Pharaohic ruler ship" in Nigeria. Why must we keep running abroad when we have more than what it takes to make Nigeria better than those countries? At a point Dubai was a desert but look at what they have transformed that desert into today. Singapore was so tiny to survive on its own that they begged to join Malaysia as a federation and they were even expelled. Singapore depended on neighbouring countries for land to be used for military trainings, they imported sand at a point because they sit on water, and Singapore has a land area of 685 sq km only with a population of about 5million people. Today Singapore has transformed from a third to a first world country. Years ago Brazil was only known for its samba dance, football and sugarcane. With a land area of 8.5million square metres and a population of above 192 million people, Brazil is second to Nigeria with the highest number of black population in the world. Today Brazil has catapulted itself to become a technological and economic giant. Rio de Janeiro just won the right to host the 2016 Olympics and the country aims to invest 356 billion dollars in infrastructure alone over the next 30 years that is about 11.8 billion dollars yearly. Nigeria with a land mass of 923,768 and an estimated population of 140 million people ought to have become a power house by now when we imagine that almost all the mineral resources found on earth have deposits in Nigeria. Our capital investment has fallen over the years. Singapore is smaller than Nigeria in population and land mass, it has grown. Brazil which is bigger than Nigeria in terms of land mass and population too is growing at an increasing rate. So size whether big or small is not the cause for failure, ditto for population.
We have all the resources and brains to transform our nation into a comfortable and wonderful land for every citizen and resident to live peacefully with dignity. We have people and ideas that can make the system work for us. Why then are we second class citizens in our land? We can destroy hunger, erase power outages, eliminate bad roads, eradicate poverty, stop further de-industrialization, arrest unemployment, kidnap crime and assassinate corruption. We can grow, the young should grow. Nigeria must grow. We should make it grow.
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Saturday, October 17, 2009
WHO IS AFRAID OF DEREGULATION?
WakdokSamuelStephen
Who is afraid of deregulation? If anyone should be afraid of deregulation I believe it is the government and not the people. The crux of the matter is that government is not deregulating the petroleum sector, but they are about to deregulate the IMPORTATION of petroleum products. Deregulation is the removal of government regulation and control thereby easing rigid structures, but what we are about to witness is only the removal of subsidy because Government is not in control of the petroleum sector. If The Nigerian Government was in control of the sector, they will not be complaining of a powerful cabal. Will the government have found it this difficult to stamp out corruption in the sector if they were in control? By the way who are the players in this sector if not fronts and cronies of the Government? I believe that the sector has long been deregulated; the sector has since been outside the control of the government officially. What has been going on in that sector is that the government has been using their fronts and cronies to import juicy oil products. This does not speak of a regulated sector. The regulation has only been a burden on the average citizens, but for the parasitic power brokers; it does not exist.
Subsidy is a form of subvention paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or to prevent an increase in price of a product. The problem with Nigeria's subsidy on petroleum products is two fold. Firstly, our successive governments have been paying subsidies to selfish middle men and importers because we do not have producers in the downstream sector, we only have rent seekers. Secondly in truth it is only the ordinary Nigerians that have been subsidizing the petroleum sector in real terms. The masses have been going without the necessities of life for government to pay subsidy to shylocks. I have always opined that the only thing government really subsidizes is corruption. Why then is government who is powerless to sanitize the rot in the petroleum sector so bent on withdrawing subsidy paid by the people if the people do not want it withdrawn? The present structure of the Nigerian Economy makes it inevitable for the petroleum sector to be subsidized to avoid a crowding out effect on the poor. The prices of petroleum products have far reaching implications on all the facets of our national lives.
Ordinarily since petroleum is a natural resources found in Nigeria, we are supposed to have a three sector economy when dealing with local consumption of the product
Y= C+I+G. Where Y= National Income, C= Consumption, I= Investment and G= Government Expenditure.
Since our various governments over the years have failed to invest effectively and efficiently, we have been forced to operate a four sector economy of
Y=C+I+G+(X-M) where X-M is the net of exports over imports.
Unfortunately since we depend on imported refined petroleum products for almost all our consumption of oil products, we are faced with a different model unique to only Nigeria among Oil exporting countries of
Y= C+I+G+ (M-X).
To this end the removal of subsidy on importation of petroleum products will further result in a fall in the already fallen standard of living of our people. The primary economic function of any serious minded government is to ensure a macroeconomic stability through controlled inflation, equitable distribution of income, ensuring a stable price regime, provide employment opportunities or the enabling environment and at least a balance of payment equilibrium. For a country like Nigeria with over 70% of the people living below the poverty line, removing subsidy on a critical commodity like Oil without analyzing the purchasing power parity and the par capita income of the people is very obnoxious.
The Global economic crisis brought to fore the shortcomings of the free market economic system propounded by Adam Smith the Father of Classical Economics. In his work, The Wealth of Nation published in 1776, Smith argued that collective prosperity will follow when individuals seek profits for themselves with minimal interference from government. But we have seen where greed and irrational economic decisions have led the global economy to a near collapse. The question however is what collective prosperity will follow when our government deregulates and allow selfish individuals seek excess profits at the detriment of a generality of the populace. Is it at this sensitive period of economic melt down where even government of capitalist countries are pumping in more funds to support their economies that the government of a starving nation will be withdrawing subsidy?
The demand for petroleum products by Nigerians is perfectly inelastic, meaning no matter how much the price goes up, demand will not reduce because our lives depend on petroleum products and the marketers know it. Consequently once government withdraws subsidy, the prices will keep going up because it is proven economically that prices are rigid upwards in underdeveloped economies. All the petroleum marketers need to do is to continually induce artificially scarcity. The first law of demand and supply states that when demand exceeds supply, the price of that commodity rises. The proponents of deregulation will argue further that the second law states that when price goes up demand will fall or supply will rise resulting in a glut which will further reduce prices. But perfect competition does not exist in Nigeria and the market is not adequately developed due to lack of information and the infrastructure needed to guide us towards a pure economy. Knowing these imperfections and the dynamics of distribution of products in Nigeria coupled with the evil activities of middle men, we will not attain equilibrium. The case of deficit supply is further exacerbated by lack of local refining capacity. We can further decompose consumption to
C= α+by. Where α is the autonomous consumption and b is the consumption dependent on income.
Based on the infinite inelasticity of the demand of petroleum products by Nigerians, the product will be consumed irrespective of whether income is earned or not, we assume that α= 100.
Therefore: α =C. Meaning the whole consumption may be independent of income.
As such the consumption of petroleum products (CPP) will tend towards infinity: ∞
And holding the purchasing power parity (PPP) constant
We have:
CPP/PPP = ∞/1 = ∞, where infinity =∞
CPP/PPP is reduced by government subsidy to have
∞+ G S = CC
(CPP/PPP) = ∞
Where G S = Government subsidy, CC = controlled cost.
Withdrawing subsidy will give us a model of
∞+ G S – G S= U C where U C = Uncontrolled cost
Therefore: CPP= U C= ∞
So with deregulation of the sector the cost of petroleum products will always rise and tend towards infinity and it will cause a spiral rise in inflation
Based on the above model, when we factor in the deflated income which is DY/I
Where DY= disposable income (Income – Tax)
And I= inflationary rate
The higher the levels of taxation and inflation, the lower the disposable income left for individuals and households to spend. When this limited deflated income is now spent on petroleum products and their derived demands, nothing or just a little will be left to save or invest in other spheres of life like education, housing, health etc.
If the government really wants to deregulate the petroleum sector, they must be strong enough to sanitize the oil sector, invest in the local petroleum industry, and build more refineries in all the six geo political zones. They must provide adequate transportation network and ensure we have stable sources of power to reduce dependence on oil as alternative sources of generating domestic and industrial energy. It is appalling for a government to be talking of a cabal in the oil sector or corruption. That is a confession of failure. As a producer of crude oil we ought to benefit from the comparative advantage but only a few have benefited all along, what the majority is faced with is a comparative disadvantage. The fundamentals of the petroleum sector are too delicate an issue for government to toy with. We are not afraid of deregulation; I am only ashamed of the excuses government is offering as the justification for full deregulation of the petroleum sector.
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http://credoworld.blogspot.com
stcredoworld@gmail.com
Who is afraid of deregulation? If anyone should be afraid of deregulation I believe it is the government and not the people. The crux of the matter is that government is not deregulating the petroleum sector, but they are about to deregulate the IMPORTATION of petroleum products. Deregulation is the removal of government regulation and control thereby easing rigid structures, but what we are about to witness is only the removal of subsidy because Government is not in control of the petroleum sector. If The Nigerian Government was in control of the sector, they will not be complaining of a powerful cabal. Will the government have found it this difficult to stamp out corruption in the sector if they were in control? By the way who are the players in this sector if not fronts and cronies of the Government? I believe that the sector has long been deregulated; the sector has since been outside the control of the government officially. What has been going on in that sector is that the government has been using their fronts and cronies to import juicy oil products. This does not speak of a regulated sector. The regulation has only been a burden on the average citizens, but for the parasitic power brokers; it does not exist.
Subsidy is a form of subvention paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or to prevent an increase in price of a product. The problem with Nigeria's subsidy on petroleum products is two fold. Firstly, our successive governments have been paying subsidies to selfish middle men and importers because we do not have producers in the downstream sector, we only have rent seekers. Secondly in truth it is only the ordinary Nigerians that have been subsidizing the petroleum sector in real terms. The masses have been going without the necessities of life for government to pay subsidy to shylocks. I have always opined that the only thing government really subsidizes is corruption. Why then is government who is powerless to sanitize the rot in the petroleum sector so bent on withdrawing subsidy paid by the people if the people do not want it withdrawn? The present structure of the Nigerian Economy makes it inevitable for the petroleum sector to be subsidized to avoid a crowding out effect on the poor. The prices of petroleum products have far reaching implications on all the facets of our national lives.
Ordinarily since petroleum is a natural resources found in Nigeria, we are supposed to have a three sector economy when dealing with local consumption of the product
Y= C+I+G. Where Y= National Income, C= Consumption, I= Investment and G= Government Expenditure.
Since our various governments over the years have failed to invest effectively and efficiently, we have been forced to operate a four sector economy of
Y=C+I+G+(X-M) where X-M is the net of exports over imports.
Unfortunately since we depend on imported refined petroleum products for almost all our consumption of oil products, we are faced with a different model unique to only Nigeria among Oil exporting countries of
Y= C+I+G+ (M-X).
To this end the removal of subsidy on importation of petroleum products will further result in a fall in the already fallen standard of living of our people. The primary economic function of any serious minded government is to ensure a macroeconomic stability through controlled inflation, equitable distribution of income, ensuring a stable price regime, provide employment opportunities or the enabling environment and at least a balance of payment equilibrium. For a country like Nigeria with over 70% of the people living below the poverty line, removing subsidy on a critical commodity like Oil without analyzing the purchasing power parity and the par capita income of the people is very obnoxious.
The Global economic crisis brought to fore the shortcomings of the free market economic system propounded by Adam Smith the Father of Classical Economics. In his work, The Wealth of Nation published in 1776, Smith argued that collective prosperity will follow when individuals seek profits for themselves with minimal interference from government. But we have seen where greed and irrational economic decisions have led the global economy to a near collapse. The question however is what collective prosperity will follow when our government deregulates and allow selfish individuals seek excess profits at the detriment of a generality of the populace. Is it at this sensitive period of economic melt down where even government of capitalist countries are pumping in more funds to support their economies that the government of a starving nation will be withdrawing subsidy?
The demand for petroleum products by Nigerians is perfectly inelastic, meaning no matter how much the price goes up, demand will not reduce because our lives depend on petroleum products and the marketers know it. Consequently once government withdraws subsidy, the prices will keep going up because it is proven economically that prices are rigid upwards in underdeveloped economies. All the petroleum marketers need to do is to continually induce artificially scarcity. The first law of demand and supply states that when demand exceeds supply, the price of that commodity rises. The proponents of deregulation will argue further that the second law states that when price goes up demand will fall or supply will rise resulting in a glut which will further reduce prices. But perfect competition does not exist in Nigeria and the market is not adequately developed due to lack of information and the infrastructure needed to guide us towards a pure economy. Knowing these imperfections and the dynamics of distribution of products in Nigeria coupled with the evil activities of middle men, we will not attain equilibrium. The case of deficit supply is further exacerbated by lack of local refining capacity. We can further decompose consumption to
C= α+by. Where α is the autonomous consumption and b is the consumption dependent on income.
Based on the infinite inelasticity of the demand of petroleum products by Nigerians, the product will be consumed irrespective of whether income is earned or not, we assume that α= 100.
Therefore: α =C. Meaning the whole consumption may be independent of income.
As such the consumption of petroleum products (CPP) will tend towards infinity: ∞
And holding the purchasing power parity (PPP) constant
We have:
CPP/PPP = ∞/1 = ∞, where infinity =∞
CPP/PPP is reduced by government subsidy to have
∞+ G S = CC
(CPP/PPP) = ∞
Where G S = Government subsidy, CC = controlled cost.
Withdrawing subsidy will give us a model of
∞+ G S – G S= U C where U C = Uncontrolled cost
Therefore: CPP= U C= ∞
So with deregulation of the sector the cost of petroleum products will always rise and tend towards infinity and it will cause a spiral rise in inflation
Based on the above model, when we factor in the deflated income which is DY/I
Where DY= disposable income (Income – Tax)
And I= inflationary rate
The higher the levels of taxation and inflation, the lower the disposable income left for individuals and households to spend. When this limited deflated income is now spent on petroleum products and their derived demands, nothing or just a little will be left to save or invest in other spheres of life like education, housing, health etc.
If the government really wants to deregulate the petroleum sector, they must be strong enough to sanitize the oil sector, invest in the local petroleum industry, and build more refineries in all the six geo political zones. They must provide adequate transportation network and ensure we have stable sources of power to reduce dependence on oil as alternative sources of generating domestic and industrial energy. It is appalling for a government to be talking of a cabal in the oil sector or corruption. That is a confession of failure. As a producer of crude oil we ought to benefit from the comparative advantage but only a few have benefited all along, what the majority is faced with is a comparative disadvantage. The fundamentals of the petroleum sector are too delicate an issue for government to toy with. We are not afraid of deregulation; I am only ashamed of the excuses government is offering as the justification for full deregulation of the petroleum sector.
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Thursday, October 8, 2009
EPISTLE TO MY UNBORN CHILD
By WakdokSamuelStephen.
My dear child, even before your mother brings you to this world, I am already writing you a letter. I do not know how long it will take you to be able to read but I am certain you will read even at an earlier age than I did. Even before you know how to read in the white man's way you will have started reading the environment around you, the society you will be born into and the life you will meet and live. As a child watching the dramatization of Things Fall Apart on the Television in the mid 1980s, life was more peaceful, more purposeful, and full of hope for a bright future. Our mothers pushed in the labour wards or at homes for us to be born into Adam's earth. Our mothers sit and gist in the evenings as they watched us their children play. When we got home tired these mothers would tuck us into our beds in many cases spring beds. Our fathers leave home for work at day break, very certain that their families would not starve or want anything and they were very sure to return home to their families after work. We called all tooth paste maclean and called all soft drinks coke. We were not afraid of the dark because NEPA and now PHCN was not what it is today. We used our hands to drink water directly from the tap and did not know what a borehole looked like. There was no pure water. We learnt A, B, C and 1, 2, 3 on slates .We did not have or even see generators as kids. Transport fares had not gone up, food stuff and basic commodities had not skyrocketed. Infact we grew up to know deflation rather than inflation. God's name was not used to make money, education was for all who were determined to acquire it, and in short life was life.
Then SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme) came with its ugly harsh conditions on Nigerians from 1986. Stagflation took hold of our economy. Poverty became our wealth, firms including bakeries closed shops, and bread disappeared from the tables, we no longer ate blue band as we called it. Corruption soared among our leaders, 419 was born, the military became more politicized than ever. We were growing up from primary school to secondary school through the years, and so were the problems of our dear Nigeria. Inflation, unemployment, poverty, lack of capacity building and utilization, ethno-religious disharmony and crises. The middle class was wiped off in the late 1980s, we saw all these and we were supposed to be the new breed. My child you will come to read in the bible where Christ said if you put new wine in an old skin, surely the skin will burst. Babangida toyed with our intellectual heritage as a nation. They conducted elections but never gave the winner. They botched a republic that was supposed to be the connection between the history and the future and with it, the then present was sequestered and with us hanging in the balance.
Life became hell for many, insecurity grew by both night and day, universities became lost hopes of glory, we came into the university after secondary school, but Nigeria in the 1990s was at the brink of collapse. Abacha, they said was holding the nation to ransom, the university system was not spared. We have become older and bolder and we risked our lives for “aluta” that “victoria” may be “ascerta”. When on June 8th 1998 General Abacha died, many saw the end of an end or so we thought. The beginning of another beginning commenced when on May 29th 1999, Democracy was returned from limbo, the people danced and rejoiced, the new President (Obasanjo 1999-2007) who narrowly escaped Abacha’s ‘dachau’ came on board fire brand. He said he was born again; it was not going to be business as usual. Corruption was to be bound hand, feet and even mind and thrown into the bottomless pit. But promises came with lies, foreign exchange was burnt chasing ghost foreign investors when the home front was burning with crises and bomb explosions, tourism became the official function of a president saddled with enough domestic challenges. Sadly, my dear Jos the tin city, the home of peace and tourism was set ablaze on the 7th of September 2001 and it culminated into the declaration of a state of emergency in 2004. No one knew safety again not to talk of peace. The structure of the economy was still not deepened nor widened and once again we failed to diversify our economy. The black gold, our mono economy life wire sold above 150 USD per barrel but it didn't translate into a better life for the people except for the few "friends of silence". We had to buy our own fuel in our country at an internationally determined price. Even our police force had to embark on a strike.
Thank God for the first time in our history on May 29th 2007 we had a civilian to civilian transition, though the game was not played by the books, at least the game was played. The new man came with cleaner records in terms of transparency and rule of law but he has no activity in his dictionary. As Ayuba my good friend said let the man be reactive if he can't be proactive.
Of course our world became more integrated than ever. They called it globalization. As a developing nation, an emerging economy, our degree of openness is skewed in favour of imports. We imported everything and exported job opportunities to other countries. We benefit less from the benefits and opportunities brought by globalization. Even in the AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) an attempt by the industrialized world to open up their markets to African exports, we the giant of Africa became loudly absent. Our Capacity utilization is at its lowest ebb and our markets (goods and money) at disequilibria. When the financial crisis snow balled into an economic crisis, we just melted. The portfolio investors clicked one button and there was a flight. Foreign direct investment of course dried up and true to the eroded structure of our economy we could not provide quick stabilizers. Deregulation and privatization are only perpetuating the structural disequilibria in our peripheral capitalist economy.
As children we only thought of where to play and what to eat and when to sleep, then been dragged from our beds to go to school, children now know fear, hunger, blood, sleepless nights and all manners of tensions. Nigeria's problems became more complex, the truth has not been told, but we are only lying to ourselves which makes us the biggest fools. Things are falling apart and fast falling. The centre is finding it difficult to hold. There is a killing spree be it physical wise, economic wise, political wise and other wise. My dear child, we the present generation are at a cross road. Do we continue with what the older generation is bequeathing to us or do we seek to redefine ours? If they have failed us can we afford to fail your unborn generation since we are bringing you to this world without your consent? Can we heal each others wounds and ultimately the wound of our dear country? Or do we also become priests in the funeral of our corporate existence? Do we allow the dynamics of economics, politics, religion, class, and resource control among others to disvirgin our faith in a viable and human future?
I am wondering when you are eventually born, if you will know innocence as we did when we were young. Will you and your peers be proud to be Nigerians? Already many Nigerians are sleeping at foreign embassies in search of visas to emigrate. Some who do not have that patience are using the trans Saharan desert routes to Libya en route Europe, while others are hiding in the cabin of ships to land in the Americas. Nigerians now prefer war ravaged Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ghana is now heaven while South Africa with the highest crime rate in the world is the place to be. Can mothers watch their children play again in a peaceful atmosphere devoid of hunger, fear and blood letting? Can Nigerians stop sacrificing their fellow citizens on the alters of selfishness, greed and violence? Will the rains of joy come and make the grasses of peace greener again? Will the rivers of security flow and allow the ocean of love envelope our land again?
Because I want you my child to have a better and more secured life than I have, I am praying that peace should return to Nigeria. I pray for socio-economic development to be pursued and attained. I pray for the restoration of the dignity of human hood but above all I pray for the centre to hold and hold firmly so that things will no longer continue to fall apart.
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My dear child, even before your mother brings you to this world, I am already writing you a letter. I do not know how long it will take you to be able to read but I am certain you will read even at an earlier age than I did. Even before you know how to read in the white man's way you will have started reading the environment around you, the society you will be born into and the life you will meet and live. As a child watching the dramatization of Things Fall Apart on the Television in the mid 1980s, life was more peaceful, more purposeful, and full of hope for a bright future. Our mothers pushed in the labour wards or at homes for us to be born into Adam's earth. Our mothers sit and gist in the evenings as they watched us their children play. When we got home tired these mothers would tuck us into our beds in many cases spring beds. Our fathers leave home for work at day break, very certain that their families would not starve or want anything and they were very sure to return home to their families after work. We called all tooth paste maclean and called all soft drinks coke. We were not afraid of the dark because NEPA and now PHCN was not what it is today. We used our hands to drink water directly from the tap and did not know what a borehole looked like. There was no pure water. We learnt A, B, C and 1, 2, 3 on slates .We did not have or even see generators as kids. Transport fares had not gone up, food stuff and basic commodities had not skyrocketed. Infact we grew up to know deflation rather than inflation. God's name was not used to make money, education was for all who were determined to acquire it, and in short life was life.
Then SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme) came with its ugly harsh conditions on Nigerians from 1986. Stagflation took hold of our economy. Poverty became our wealth, firms including bakeries closed shops, and bread disappeared from the tables, we no longer ate blue band as we called it. Corruption soared among our leaders, 419 was born, the military became more politicized than ever. We were growing up from primary school to secondary school through the years, and so were the problems of our dear Nigeria. Inflation, unemployment, poverty, lack of capacity building and utilization, ethno-religious disharmony and crises. The middle class was wiped off in the late 1980s, we saw all these and we were supposed to be the new breed. My child you will come to read in the bible where Christ said if you put new wine in an old skin, surely the skin will burst. Babangida toyed with our intellectual heritage as a nation. They conducted elections but never gave the winner. They botched a republic that was supposed to be the connection between the history and the future and with it, the then present was sequestered and with us hanging in the balance.
Life became hell for many, insecurity grew by both night and day, universities became lost hopes of glory, we came into the university after secondary school, but Nigeria in the 1990s was at the brink of collapse. Abacha, they said was holding the nation to ransom, the university system was not spared. We have become older and bolder and we risked our lives for “aluta” that “victoria” may be “ascerta”. When on June 8th 1998 General Abacha died, many saw the end of an end or so we thought. The beginning of another beginning commenced when on May 29th 1999, Democracy was returned from limbo, the people danced and rejoiced, the new President (Obasanjo 1999-2007) who narrowly escaped Abacha’s ‘dachau’ came on board fire brand. He said he was born again; it was not going to be business as usual. Corruption was to be bound hand, feet and even mind and thrown into the bottomless pit. But promises came with lies, foreign exchange was burnt chasing ghost foreign investors when the home front was burning with crises and bomb explosions, tourism became the official function of a president saddled with enough domestic challenges. Sadly, my dear Jos the tin city, the home of peace and tourism was set ablaze on the 7th of September 2001 and it culminated into the declaration of a state of emergency in 2004. No one knew safety again not to talk of peace. The structure of the economy was still not deepened nor widened and once again we failed to diversify our economy. The black gold, our mono economy life wire sold above 150 USD per barrel but it didn't translate into a better life for the people except for the few "friends of silence". We had to buy our own fuel in our country at an internationally determined price. Even our police force had to embark on a strike.
Thank God for the first time in our history on May 29th 2007 we had a civilian to civilian transition, though the game was not played by the books, at least the game was played. The new man came with cleaner records in terms of transparency and rule of law but he has no activity in his dictionary. As Ayuba my good friend said let the man be reactive if he can't be proactive.
Of course our world became more integrated than ever. They called it globalization. As a developing nation, an emerging economy, our degree of openness is skewed in favour of imports. We imported everything and exported job opportunities to other countries. We benefit less from the benefits and opportunities brought by globalization. Even in the AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) an attempt by the industrialized world to open up their markets to African exports, we the giant of Africa became loudly absent. Our Capacity utilization is at its lowest ebb and our markets (goods and money) at disequilibria. When the financial crisis snow balled into an economic crisis, we just melted. The portfolio investors clicked one button and there was a flight. Foreign direct investment of course dried up and true to the eroded structure of our economy we could not provide quick stabilizers. Deregulation and privatization are only perpetuating the structural disequilibria in our peripheral capitalist economy.
As children we only thought of where to play and what to eat and when to sleep, then been dragged from our beds to go to school, children now know fear, hunger, blood, sleepless nights and all manners of tensions. Nigeria's problems became more complex, the truth has not been told, but we are only lying to ourselves which makes us the biggest fools. Things are falling apart and fast falling. The centre is finding it difficult to hold. There is a killing spree be it physical wise, economic wise, political wise and other wise. My dear child, we the present generation are at a cross road. Do we continue with what the older generation is bequeathing to us or do we seek to redefine ours? If they have failed us can we afford to fail your unborn generation since we are bringing you to this world without your consent? Can we heal each others wounds and ultimately the wound of our dear country? Or do we also become priests in the funeral of our corporate existence? Do we allow the dynamics of economics, politics, religion, class, and resource control among others to disvirgin our faith in a viable and human future?
I am wondering when you are eventually born, if you will know innocence as we did when we were young. Will you and your peers be proud to be Nigerians? Already many Nigerians are sleeping at foreign embassies in search of visas to emigrate. Some who do not have that patience are using the trans Saharan desert routes to Libya en route Europe, while others are hiding in the cabin of ships to land in the Americas. Nigerians now prefer war ravaged Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ghana is now heaven while South Africa with the highest crime rate in the world is the place to be. Can mothers watch their children play again in a peaceful atmosphere devoid of hunger, fear and blood letting? Can Nigerians stop sacrificing their fellow citizens on the alters of selfishness, greed and violence? Will the rains of joy come and make the grasses of peace greener again? Will the rivers of security flow and allow the ocean of love envelope our land again?
Because I want you my child to have a better and more secured life than I have, I am praying that peace should return to Nigeria. I pray for socio-economic development to be pursued and attained. I pray for the restoration of the dignity of human hood but above all I pray for the centre to hold and hold firmly so that things will no longer continue to fall apart.
Powered By Credo World- Media.
stcredoworld@gmail.com
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