Nigeria
is a country blessed with both human and natural resources. Natural resources
crown to this country is quite proliferate-ranging from oil, groundnut, cocoa
as well as palm oil to mention a few. These have added values to the country in
one way or the other, making it to stand shoulder to shoulder with other
countries in the world. So at dawn of the independence, Nigeria was regarded as
the giant of Africa in terms of economic buoyant. In related development, human
development thrived equally as the country was germinating after her
independence-all these gave Nigeria a good foresight of how wealthy the nation
would be before centenary celebration of the independence.
Undoubtedly,
oil and other mineral resources have puff out Nigeria economy in the recent
year. The natural resources interlocked and sky across the nook and cranny of
the country. Majorly, agriculture thrives in the north, cocoa production in the
west, while oil boom gives the country a new garment in the world market. Early
independence, most of these resources was managed shrewdly for the progress of
the country. As agriculture saved the country from dearth and kwashiorkor children gained strength; through Operation Feed the Nation, many did not die of hunger
as happened in other parts of the world. Then most of the yields in cocoa
production were pumped into the education, to ensure high level of literacy in
the country while exportation of crude oil gave county ego to speak in the
world.
But
it is sardonic that the country only concentrates on the crude oil. Oil, one of
the fastest growing goods in the world is major latitudinal point where the
sun of Nigeria believed to rise. Is the sun rising up to this moment? Many a
time the fuel price in the world favours the country and add boast to the GDP
as well as GNP, but most of the time people in the country may not perceive the
aroma of national sauce in the economy boom let alone tasting it-only the time
when there is greater fall in the price the citizens know the destiny of their
national pouch.
The
fall and rise of the fuel price has led to different tussles at home and abroad
among the conscious citizens who wish to eradicate the rots and ravages, decay
and decadence with their tenacity that the integrity of this nation must be
championed by the resources she has. Arguments on dailies, debates on
television even pedestrian scuffle shows the concern of the people on how lack
of balanced equation in the national wealth and lifestyle of a common man.
Sometimes
people compare their lifestyle to those countries that concentrate on crude oil.
Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq live on crude oil together with
gold and feed their nations without hiccups; this nation has in common the
wealth of these nations and in agriculture we are meant to thrive. But going by
the way others are going, the nation lives on oil and gold as others mentioned
earlier our vision is expected not to be a mirage.
The
worst part of it is the so called subsidy removal in January 1st
2012. In the history of this nation, many cannot forget the hurdle of this
fateful day in the beginning of ’12. Pandemonium across the nation, hullabaloo
on the street as well as roar in the air seemed to stop the horrors that tend to
germinate after the remover of the fuel subsidy-those who lost souls in their
family can attest to this. In the meantime, the nation was promised to drink
milk from the gourd of national gold, because the subsidy removal will erase
dearth in the land and people living in abject poverty will forget the horror
of penury. Have we achieved this? The only thing the nation has witnessed is
the galling fall in currency being punctuated by the exasperated price of crude
oil in the world. What is the means and the end?
The
rot is not only in oil. What about agriculture? Prior to oil boom in Nigeria,
the major source of revenue for the nation is agriculture. Agriculture
developed at all regions in the country; rearing of animal, production of rice,
vegetable such as carrot, onion, leguminous crops reigned in the north, in the
south, west particularly cocoa, kola, palm oil, cassava etc. developed while
south eastern Nigeria had similar farm produce with exception to cocoa, kola,
as known in the west but now oil has erased farming in their lives. But if east
gives excuse that farming has gone into extinction due to crude oil, the same
is not expected in the west. What is the cause?
The
cause of gradual death in farming in western Nigeria is not the blame of farmers.
Most farmers are not well sensitized as time changes. Due to government
concentration in oil boom, farmers remain primitive in carrying out their
activities in the farm. A lot is unaware of modern day farm tools and implement
to engage in large scale farming-to fetch them money and increase the wealth of
the nation but the only thing left now is family consumption. It would have been
better if that is the case but young generations now are out of the system and
agriculture turns to eyesore.
The
worst thing in this sector is rural-urban drift. Many youth believe that city
is their home while village is for the aged ones. Elders are left in the rural
areas but their essence there adds no value to their early profession because
of old age. Anyway, the blame is not on their side. If not that government turn
aside from farming, youths are to be educated on how to make use of the modern
day farm implements, build standard school in their area, and provide essential
social amenities in order to make them access what their haring after in the
cities, causing congestion therein.
To
spit sea-like wave of saliva in discussing issues of this country there may not
be total cleanse of rots of the nation. The need for progress in this country
is not only by carrying placards and swim in the sea of sweat, not only by
writing with oceanic ink, not only by promises that end up to be stranded in
the journey of fulfillment, not only by making policies that resulted to be
decayed like rotten tomato on the street of implementation, but the what the
nation needs is total consciousness-a
real awake from slumber, self-defence, loyalty, integrity and tenacity which is
sine qua non to make the dream becomes a reality.
All
says health is wealth but when there is health and wealth together with dearth,
what will be the result? The nation is wealthy and claims to be healthy but
dearth streamlines health and wealth in this nation, making the rich man to be
poor and the healthy nation to become ill. Who will cure this national ailment?
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