Leadership in Nigeria
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Before I begin my story, please help me out with this question if you think you can:
In a certain area of lagos, a 2bedroom flat double balcony now goes for 7-8million naira and a yearly rent is about350-400,000 naira. In the 70′s and 80′s these same apartments were within the reach of almost everyone and we had water rushing in our houses now we go to the well. An amenity that was available 30yrs ago for a common man is now a luxury. Why?
Deregulation? This is the biggest farce and comedy I have ever heard of. Lets compare prices
Petrol in Oil producing nations (Naira equivalent): Saudi Arabia N18; Kuwait N32; UAE N57; Venezuela N7; Qatar N32; Iran N17; Algeria N31; Libya (Gaddafi era) N22. So what are we talking about?
why are the public corporations putting a financial drain on our national purse. In theory they are suppose to provide essential services but they keep threatening us with the deregulation of the downstream oil sector but the fact is in practice the price of kerosene and diesel is already deregulated, they now go for 142 and 165 respectively. The drag about the deregulation argument is that the prices will be determined the international market, which means that even if the price of crude is high-which means more revenue for Naija- the fact that we still import refined products means that Nigerians will pay through their nose for products which theyre naturally endowed with and if the price falls internationally-which means less revenue-the government will still increase the price locally to make up for the shortfall. so its a loose loose situation for Nigerians. Deregulation/liberalization is a good idea for other nations, but we all know Nigeria is a country that turns logic on its head.
Anyway, back to my story.Staying awake every night, from 12am to 3am here in Houston to listen to the radio shows and newspaper headlines has become a way of life for me since I moved here last year. Staying awake isnt just because I want to update myself with the latest happenings back at home, or due to insomnia; its because I want to have a better understanding of the plight of the people back at home since its not my style to update myself from 3rd party channels ( word of mouth or them say them say).
When I had the opportunity to visit Nigeria in august this year for a wedding of a very close friend of mine, I was glad not because I would have the chance to celebrate her own day but also to see my beloved nation, Nigeria.
When the plane got into the Nigeria air space, the pilot didnt have to tell me where we were. The topographical layout of the nation spoke by itself. When the plane touched down, the pilot said “welcome to Nigeria, the paradise of Africa”. Only a few people applauded this comment. As I walked off the plane, cleared immigration (of course, you need to pay for matching ground) and claimed my baggage and stepped out to the open space, the words of Chief Obafemi Awolowo became flesh and made sense to me, after his conviction in the 60s, his words were “in darkness I have left you and in darkness will I return to meet you”.