Month: October 2020

In the middle of the 15^th century, Africans were taken and sold as slaves to Europe. The slave trade went on for nearly 358 years. Yet, one day, slavery stopped.

So, on 1 January 1808, the Transatlantic slave trade ended. Thanks to the efforts of William Wilberforce.

The British forces attacked and conquered Lagos in 1851. Consequently, they amalgamated Nigeria in 1914.

Yet, one day, slavery stopped.

The colonization of Nigeria ended in 1960 after 46 years of British rule when Nigeria gained Independence.

Thus, the British left behind extractive political and economic institutions that continue to ruin Nigerians.

For 60 years now, Nigeria’s political class uses these extractive political institutions to repress its kind.

It will stop now or later.

212 years ago, we were slaves to Europe and America. Let’s not forget that.

The revolution is sustainable. To sustain an uprising, we need love and compassion, not hatred and blame. This is to say, using hatred and humiliation can create short term success. Quick success leaves our main issues unresolved. For example, when the Inspector General of Police renamed SARS to SWAT. This was too quick.

Above all, starting a revolt is similar to lighting a match. It can burn out. Sustaining a revolution, on the other hand, is akin to starting a fire. It means ensuring that there is enough fuel to keep the fire burning as long as required.

The transformation of hatred into respect and empathy for the interest of humanity makes a revolution sustainable. in other words, it is better to share in the sorrow of a person than to rejoice from the death of another.

A typical example is the “truth and reconciliation” process that happened in South African after the ousting of apartheid. What brings us together in this end SARS protest is the sorrows of all the victims and their families.

Learning from the Greats

Sustaining the revolution is about awakening a different kind of power in people and not necessarily by replacing the people in power. We harm ourselves by harming another person. We must stir the love within us. In keeping with the words of the great Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi:

“The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit, born of an intellectual conviction of the need for change in those mental attitudes and values which shape the course of a nation’s development. A revolution which aims merely at changing official policies and institutions with a view to an improvement in material conditions has little chance of genuine success.”

The goal must be peace and development and not harm. The approach to attain peace and development also matters. This means the revolution must be nonviolent. In line with the words of Martin Luther King Jr:

“We did not cause outbursts of anger. We harnessed anger under discipline for maximum effect.”

The revolution is sustainable through the spirit of love.

The GDP of Nigeria in 1970 was 12.55 billion USD, while the population of Nigeria in the same year was 55.98 million. Thus, the GDP per capita of 224.10 USD.

As of 2019, GDP was 446.543 billion USD, and the population of Nigeria was 200.96 million. So a GDP per capita of  2,222 USD.

We are in a far better place than we were 50 years ago. Could things have improved further? The answer is a “big yes” because developed countries are doing so much better. Comparatively, the GDP per capita of the USA in 2019 is 65,112 USD. These data show why Nigeria is poor. From 1970 until 2019, between 47% – 53% of the population of Nigeria has continued to live in extreme poverty.

To change the narrative, firstly, we must have a roadmap for the future. Secondly, from this plan, we need to prioritise investment in education. Thirdly, we have to provide a dependable level of security of lives and property. Fourthly, we need to fix our electricity problem. A secure environment provides a basis for business investment.  Also, an educated population supplies skilled human resources to organizations.

Nigeria is facing numerous challenges than presented here. Every generation had its lazy youths and privileged few. The current large population of Nigeria exacerbates its poverty, but China fixed their problems. Where there is a will, there is a solution. We have to keep working smart and hard.

Nigeria is failing because of extractive political and economic institutions. Countries that thrive have inclusive political and economic establishments. Institutions make countries richer or poorer. It shapes economic policies that determine how politicians behave. It also ascertains if politicians are answerable to the citizens or not.

Extractive political entities create economic policies that keep people poor. While inclusive political organizations form economic plans that enrich their citizens. Extractive institutions benefit a few elites.  On the other hand, Inclusive institutions encourage a larger part of the population to participate in innovate economic activities that creates wealth for the Nation.

Great Britain, now the United Kingdom is rich today because its political system has undergone revolutions. In 1688, the Glorious Revolution established the Parliament to govern Great Britain at the expense of the Monarchy. It is now the 21st century and the English political system has continued to undergo reforms. A broad coalition of people, merchants, traders and unions with shared interests pushes reforms in the British political system.

The British colonized Nigeria. Independence from the colonial masters in 1960 was a critical juncture for Nigeria who is turning into a failed Nation. This was an opportunity to uproot the extractive systems built by the British. Yet, that did not happen. Instead, the extractive ways that continued in Nigeria have created a poor society with an inferior educational system.

To move forward and develop inclusive entities that will drive innovation in Nigeria, we must invest heavily in education. Serious reforms have to be carried out in the political system that we currently run but there will be losers. These losers are those who benefit from the extractive systems. They will be the ones standing in the way of change.