RETHINKING NIGERIA

REDUCING DISTRUST, RESTIVENESS, AND INSECURITY 

How do we move forward in the midst of the rot and distrust? How do we guarantee peace and prosperity for the majority of our people? How do we as the most populous Black nation on earth begin to truly lead Africa and earn the much-needed respect for every Black man on the face of the earth? My take is that we need to restructure or implode. The signs are clear from terrorism and banditry in the North, to Militancy in the South, to Self-determination in the East and the West - we may actually be sitting on a time-bomb that may explode anytime except something is urgently done.  

AVOIDING DOOMSDAY PROPHESIES...

In rethinking or restructuring Nigeria, we need to focus on the following:

1. POLITICS AND POLITY - Rethink the relationship between the centre and federating units. Strengthen the Judicial System and other allied Institutions. Depopulate the Exclusive Legislative List to allow Federating Units sizeable control over their internal affairs and economic fortune. Reduce size, and cost of governance, especially at the centre.

2. ECONOMY - Control of Resources, Liberalisation of key sectors like Energy, Infrastructure Development and Tertiary Education. Allow Regions to lead Economic growth focusing on their comparative and competitive advantages.

3. SECURITY - Remove Policing from Exclusive Legislative List. Allow States Policing. Upgrade the DSS and create effective Federal security to support State Police. Reform immigration and border controls.

4. OPTIMISING THE POTENTIALS OF OUR YOUTH POPULATION - Nigeria has a median age of 19.2 years with 70% of the population below 40 years and a population growth rate above 2% - we need to take deliberate steps to save and positively redirect the future rather than allow our young people become the devil's workshop. We, therefore, need to Articulate a strong Youth policy. Work to reduce the number of Out-of-School Children, abolish or modernize the Almajiri system. We also need to focus on sectors that can absorb the Army of the unemployed such as Agriculture, A focus on Human Capital Development - Primary, Secondary and Vocational Education, Health and Social Welfare.