I had an interesting conversation with a friend about the current state of the economy. During this conversation, I sensed that my friend was dealing with the economic situation that has left a lot of Nigerians in a bad part quite differently. While I had a more grim outlook on the prospect of the country, she was more on the positive side of things which took me aback because I am aware of her financial situation.
So I tried to find out what her rationale was regarding the economic situation in the country. I wanted to know how she saw a positive outcome in the long or short run considering all the bad policies, inflation, and production crisis bedevilling the country. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything concrete she could tell me other than that people were overreacting and there was nothing the government could do about the situation, but I do beg to differ.
Many Nigerians are aware of the economic situation of the country and aren’t expecting the current president (whose legitimacy is subject to controversy) to turn things around in a short while. We are aware that tough decisions have to be made to take the country out of the mess it currently is in, however, the manner and approach in which he has gone about some of his policies have put more pressure on the Nigerian people.
The removal of the petrol subsidy was brash and impacted the economy negatively, but that's only just the tip of the iceberg. Subsidy in education and power(electricity) is also impacting the lives of many Nigerians. The value of the currency keeps plummeting, reducing the purchasing power of most Nigerians. If you add insecurity in the North and the kleptocracy of the political class, we can all agree that we've hit rock bottom.
Most Nigerians are aware of the state of Nigeria, however, their attitude towards these national issues does not inspire hope. To many Nigerians, this is only a phase that would soon pass. I do not share their optimism. Most of our problems are man-made and unless they are addressed, I do not see any way forward.
What's the way forward?
More Nigerians need to become politically involved. I understand that the events of the last election left a sour taste in the mouths of many Nigerians but if we are to make any changes, we need to get involved in politics from the grassroots and demand better leadership.
Secondly, we need to do away with religious and tribal sentiments. The political class have used these two things to divide the Nigerian people and they cart away our commonwealth. The North and South have been ripped off by their leaders. They do not care about the people. We need to stop romanticizing bad leadership for religious or tribal reasons. It has gotten the country nowhere
Firstly, we need to review our value system as a people. I saw a tweet that captures the flaws in our value system and it goes like this:
... Nigeria's problem isn't bad leadership, it is bad people & a culture of aggrandizement. It's at the core of our being. it's why "Do you know who I am?" is the most popular line on our roads. It's why we edify money. I'm not sure how to flesh it out.
The only way to flesh it out is by championing merit, competency and every good virtue. We need to start this cultural change from our homes to our workplaces or any organization we find ourselves in. I hope to achieve this in this community and it is one of the reasons I am passionate about how we as a community project ourselves to the world. We need to change the narrative and this is a platform to do so.
In conclusion, I believe strongly in championing the course of a new Nigeria. This doesn't mean I am blind to the problems we face as a country, and I will advise that people do the same. It is the only way to change things. This is not business as usual. Things must change and we need to start having robust conversations about how we can change things.
Posted Using LeoFinance Alpha
