Re: Theresa May: The grandeur and illusion of empire

I agree completely with what you say in your article. I also believe that the emergence of Donald Trump as President of USA is good for us. He has contempt for us and is telling us to go to hell if we wish. This is good for many of our naïve leaders who always troop to America in the belief that we shall get support for genuine development from the USA. They have to learn that the White Man has no business helping the Black Man to develop and become his own master. If we strive and develop as the Yellow Man led by Japan after the Meiji Restoration did, they will come to terms, work with us and respect us, as they once did before the imposition of the Atlantic Slave Trade.

We have enough natural resources and finances if greedy leaders will allow fair disciplined allocation of the funds available in such a way as to fund development, while giving hope to the poorer classes. How many African or Asian countries export oil and gas? Even USD40.00 per barrel should be a windfall and judiciously used Nigeria should have escaped from poverty by now. Had Murtala-Obasanjo Regime not abandoned the 3rd National Development Plan, destroyed the Public Service, and rejected the discipline imposed by adherence to Planning and enabled Planning to continue, Nigeria would today be numbered among the Asian Tigers or be known as the African Lion. For the Nigerian Economy grew from 1970 to 1975 at the annual average rate of 11.75%. Ten more years at that rate and with the Plans for education and manpower development achieved, Nigeria would have escaped from poverty and we would not have the terror and security problems of today.

How can we get our leaders to unleash the latent power of the population in all parts of Nigeria, particularly in the North by getting everyone properly educated and numerate so that within 15 years there will be no so-called disadvantaged states and no need to use ‘Federal Character’ and ‘Quota’ practices to enthrone and compound mediocrity? This has made us so internationally uncompetitive and kept us in our dismal situation.

We must return to Nnamdi Azikiwe’s dream of RENASCENT AFRICA with Nigeria at the vanguard and see how the dream can be realized.

Philip C. Asiodu, Lagos.