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59 pages

English

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The future of Nigeria is predictable. Ever since the British created Nigeria in 1914 without regard to the cultural differences and incompatibility of the people in the northern and southern protectorates, the nation has been wracked by problems. The Nigerian civil war fought from 1967 to 1970 is just one example of the violence that has crippled the nation. With the Nigerian people issuing a sustained call for change, it's clear that they are not satisfied with the current system of government. So far, leaders have not responded to the discontent, but they'd be well served by holding a referendum to decide what kind of government to adopt. This referendum must be conducted if Nigeria has any chance of stepping away from the precipice. With a referendum, the government would not only make headway on overcoming the problems but regain the trust of its people. If Nigerians don't continue to demand change - and if leaders don't start paying attention to them - the country will continue to be plagued by discontent, ethnicism, disunity and unpatriotism, leading to eventual deamalgamation and balkanization of Nigeria.

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Publié par	Book Venture Publishing LLC
Date de parution	06 mars 2019
Nombre de lectures	6
EAN13	9781643483443
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0152€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA

MICHAEL OWHOKO
Copyright © 2018 by Michael Honren Owhoko.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
BookVenture Publishing LLC 1000 Country Lane Ste 300 Ishpeming MI 49849 www.bookventure.com Hotline: 1(877) 276-9751 Fax: 1(877) 864-1686
Ordering Information: Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Control Number 2018960115 ISBN-13: Softcover 978-1-64348-342-9 Pdf 978-1-64348-343-6 ePub 978-1-64348-344-3 Kindle 978-1-64348-345-0
Rev. date: 09/17/2018
Cover Design: Ogbenyi Egbe
Preface
One major temptation faced by authors all over the world is the urge to add new ideas to manuscripts already submitted and scheduled for publishing. However, where the publication process has gone beyond a level that can potentially distort cost structure and optimization, then an option of a reprint and updated edition takes preeminence. This is the status of this b ook.
Since it was first published with the title: Nigeria on the Precipice: Issues, Options and Solutions , new thoughts had resonated, prompting the need for rebrand and inclusion of additional information, necessitating the need for a change of title to The Future of Nige ria .
The new title, The Future of Nigeria , includes additional key centrifugal forces that are inimical to the unity of the country and the toll they have unleashed on the people, provoking skepticism about the future of Nigeria and causing endless hovering of dark cloud around the country. Literally, what Nigerians see daily is a state of hopelessness while the country is pulled apart by these unhelpful for ces.
Besides the centrifugal forces, The Future of Nigeria also recognises solid mineral as an important natural resource endowment of the component states that is yet to receive the desired attention from government. If these resources are produced and fully accounted for under a genuine federal system of government, each region or state can self-sufficiently stand on its own without dependency on the centre (the Federal Government) for financial lifel ine.
With a strong financial base, each state or geopolitical area will not be petrified joining the growing support clan of those calling for a change of political system and restructuring of Nigeria to a more equitable system that will potentially encourage financial autonomy. The current unitary system masked as federalism where power is concentrated at the centre, breeds nepotism and encourages slothfulness and laziness among the constituent sta tes.
Solid Mineral is therefore highlighted as an important resource that is available in each state or geographical area of the country with the capacity of providing the needed revenue to the regions, which also have the advantage of transforming the mono-commodity nature of the country’s economy to a multi-dimensional revenue- based econ omy.
In addition, the solid mineral is expected to take the spotlight away from the Niger Delta region which plays host to hydrocarbon resources and where there has been youth restiveness resulting from agitation for resource control. Petroleum resources remain the main foreign exchange earner, constituting over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s export earni ngs.
The future of Nigeria becomes a compelling title when viewed against the backdrop of the sociological complex nature of Nigeria and the struggle for control of power and resources by its leaders for ethnic and sectional gains at the expense of national interest, which have consequently led to erosion of premium placed on its fut ure.
Unfortunately, nothing to assure citizens that equity and fairness could be restored to revive declining trust and interest for the unity of the country. However, with proper exploration of the solid mineral across the states of the federation as strategy for economic balance, coupled with a restructured federation, the future of Nigeria may be bright, otherwise, bottlenecks like ethnicism, religion, nepotism, parochialism, sectionalism and self-centredness may be difficult to upstage and be consigned for pragmatic and holistic-based approach for improved living conditions of Nigerians under an atmosphere of trust and hone sty.

Contents
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 The Historical Development of Nigeria
Chapter 2 The Federal System as an Acceptable Social Contract
Chapter 3 The Unitary System as the Origin of Nigeria’s Endless Dilemma
Chapter 4 The Challenge of Petroleum Resources
Chapter 5 Solid Minerals Resources Optimism
Chapter 6 The Rise of Agitation
Chapter 7 Rescue Efforts
Chapter 8 The Hard Solution
Chapter 9 The Future Outlook
Conclusion
Endnotes
Introduction
The future of any country is conditioned by a combination of factors, among which are the people, history, culture, value system, system of government, political leadership, honesty, sincerity of purpose, justice system, political ideology, economic system, and educational sys tem.
How these factors are managed and administered within the context of equity and the people’s interests and aspirations will determine the level of progression, and by extension, the future of the country. A country’s future is predictable using these factors, and Nigeria presents a good c ase.
Nigeria is a multiethnic society with diverse cultural differences. The heterogeneous nature of the various ethnic groups makes the country eminently qualified as a sociologically complex society, particularly when viewed against the people’s unf linching loyalty and primordial affinity to their respective roots and cultural values. This background shapes their thought processes, preferences, perceptions, and opinions, making the entire system take a complex form. This is the genesis and basis of tribalism or ethnicism in Nige ria.
Consequently, objectivity is overwhelmed by emotions induced by primordial attachment over issues of national importance in Nigeria. Depending on who is looking at what issues and the side of the divide on which he or she is rooted, objectivity is downplayed for parochial interest. This is evident and has almost become the norm in all strata of society, particularly in institutions and during the policy decision-making process. This also plays out at the highest level of governm ent.
Implicitly, there is a correlation between the heterogeneous nature of the Nigerian state and its complexity. Over the years, this complexity has become a threat rather than a blessing to the corporate existence of the federation, and this is made worse by the inability of successive regimes and administrations to translate the complexity into socioeconomic advantage. As a result, the country’s complex configuration has continued to generate interest in the Nigerian socio-political sp ace.
Unfortunately, the interests are not related to the outcome of any growth progression but are in relation to the discordant tunes fuelled by an inability to manage the complex nature of the country despite the country’s growth potential. This experience is particularly worrisome because it poses serious concern to the future of the country. The nation is being stripped of quality policies that could engender the right framework for the peace and progress that have eluded the country over the ye ar s.
Ironically, everybody appears to be aware of this problem in the country, yet nobody is ready to openly challenge this monster by supporting measures that will promote truth, objectivity, and transparency – which apparently is the panacea the country requires to achieve peace and make progress. Moreover, the country’s leadership has not been able to demonstrate enough courage to develop processes that will influence character and truth. Rather, they pretend not to know the truth, preferring to carry on as if all is well despite the ominous signs of corporate illn ess.
As noted, the complex corporate entity of Nigeria is a product of collective but incompatible behavioural patterns induced by powerful cultural elements. Of these elements, ethnicism and religion are the major ones that constitute a clog in the wheel of the country’s progress. These elements shape and inf luence opinions as well as impact the decision-making process at all lev els.
Consequently, the country and the various multiethnic groups that make up Nigeria struggle to live harmoniously from all fronts. But the more this is done, the more it becomes clearer that the cultural differences constitute a major challenge to national harmony and peaceful coexistence, and that has defiled the management capacity of the country’s political leaders hip.
This, more than any other consideration, is responsible for the current reverse development in the country despite the availability of enormous resources. Whereas other countries with similar circumstances are making progress, Nigeria is not only lacking in things that engender progress but also advancing in things that encourage relapse, thereby pulling the hand of the national clock backw ard.
What kind of country is it where citizens, including the political class, work at cross purposes – even where it is glaringly evident that their positions are inimical to the general good of the country? I have continued to ask myself this question and have yet to receive an appropriate response. Ironically, anytime I ponder on the Nige