Independence? What Independence!
S‘Sad’ Independence Day! ad 59th Independence Day! What is there to be happy about? Would it not have been better, if Nigeria had stayed as a colony of Great Britain or as a British Territory like Hong Kong (HK) was till 1997? By the time HK was handed back to China in 1997, her GDP per capita was $27,215, in comparison to our own extremely low $315.55, as of the same time. There would certainly have been better infrastructural development - like a steady supply of electricity and water, strong educational and decent healthcare systems - all the things the British provided us with before they left in 1960; our natural resources, like oil and gas (which were just being discovered then) and the other uncountable mineral resources which Nigeria has been endowed with, would have been well harnessed by now, while we would probably have become one of the top 10 world producers and exporters of those which we were already exploiting in the 1960s, like cocoa and charcoal, instead of more or less abandoning them, upon the discovery of oil. Our institutions, would have been properly built into strong structures.
I say this, not because I am an unrealistic dreamer, but, because we can all see the development in HK (and Britain), even South Africa - though it was developed at the expense of the Black South Africans and apartheid - you cannot compare their level of infrastructural development to ours. After the Korean War of the late 1950s, about 2000 American Peace Corps Volunteers, working in various capacities such as teachers, health workers, engineers, policy advisers, mentors and so on, went to South Korea (SK) to assist them get back on their feet. Today, SK remains, maybe one of the only countries in the world, to have made the transformation from a 3rd world undeveloped country, into a 1st world developed nation.
By 1997, military rule was going out of fashion, and it would have been highly likely that the British would have handed over to a civilian government in Nigeria, like they did in 1960. But, by then, possibly with that type of solid British background, we would have been ready for self-rule. Education, Ports and Natural Resources Again like SK, HK does not seem to have mineral resources, so far, not in commercial quantities anyway. The secret of HK’s economic success, are education and harnessing its harbours into ports. Though Section 18 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)(the Constitution) sets out Educational Objectives of free education up to University level, and free adult literacy programmes, Nigeria still has only about a 51% literacy rate, and unlike SK and HK, we have failed to invest in education. I watched a television programme, in which former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, calculated that, roughly, what Nigeria has spent on education in the past 10 years, is about what South Africahas spent in one year! Education is part of the secret of economic success, but because majority of those who run the show in Nigeria are so poorly educated, Government places little or no value on education, as here, it is easier for a semi-illiterate to get into position of power and become 'rich' by looting, than for professionals like Doctors and Teachers, to irk out a decent living. HK, on the other hand, is a small place, with a population of less than eight million people, and it has a 99% literacy rate.
HK also has about 33 ports, with which she developed her economy, by becoming a major trading hub in Southeast and East Asia. HK’s Pearl River Delta Port, is the 5th busiest port in the world.
Nigeria, as big as we are, has only about six ports (to tiny HK’s 33), with Apapa Port being the busiest. Presently, access to Apapa Port is a nightmare, while the other Ports are under-utilised. While we should be promoting Nigeria as the largest trade hub not just in West Africa, but the whole of Africa, especially as we have such a huge population, Government seems unable to resolve the Apapa gridlock issue, which has resulted in it taking up to four or more days for trailers to gain entry to the Port to ferry goods, and consequently, a loss of trillions of Naira, in the bargain. If Government does not have the wherewithal to resolve this gridlock hindrance, why not hire foreign consultants to bring a solution to the problem, and others from HK, to teach us how to make our Ports run efficiently and more profitably?
Our huge natural resources, which Government has a mandate to optimally harness, by virtue of Section 16(1)(a) of the Constitution, have been rendered useless, since they have mostly been left to lie there fallow and unyielding by successive governments, due to their lack of focus and direction, and corruption, amongst other impediments.
Third Term Yet, out of extreme sycophancy and selfishness, some are foolish enough to mention a 3rd term agenda again! A 3rd term, to stay and do what? To cause Nigeria to further sink into the abyss of poverty and failure, leaving majority of Nigerians to continue to suffer untold hardship, while government officials and politicians live a lavish life of opulence and glamour? Since my return to Lagos from SK, I still marvel at the fact that, a few decades ago, they were poorer than us, and we actually gave them aid; yet, today, we are the ones in need of aid and assistance.
Thankfully, Section 137(1)(b) of the Constitution, only provides for a maximum of two four-year terms for the President; and while by virtue of Section 9(2) of the same Constitution, Section 137(1)(b) can be amended, the provisions of Section 9(2) make it almost impossible to make any amendments! A vote of not less than two-thirds of the House proposing the amendment, and a resolution of not less than two-thirds of all the members of the Houses of Assembly, is required to push this amendment to allow a 3rd term, through. So, for those who are afraid that Baba (President Muhammadu Buhari) and his so-called ‘cabal’ are returning in 2023, never fear - it is highly unlikely - they will never get the resolutions from all the State Houses of Assembly- at least I don’t see the PDP States, acceding to it.
The Cons of Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution
While this difficulty in amending the Constitution works to the advantage of not being able to include a modification for a 3rd term this time around, which would be detrimental to Nigerians and the country, the reality is that, on the other side of the coin, useful and progressive constitutional amendments are also almost impossible to implement, leaving us exactly where those in the military, who crafted the 1999 Constitution, wanted/want us to be.
The Unitary system of Government which obtains in Nigeria, where the Central Government - in our case, the Federal Government, reigns supreme, and most powers remain concentrated in it, with only a few being delegated to the States, will be difficult to change, because the requirements by virtue of Section 9 of the Constitution, needed to make the changes as per the National Assembly and the Houses of Assembly, will never be realised. For example, in the case of revenue allocation, States that have no oil or gas and are enjoying the present revenue allocation arrangement, will never agree that mineral resources should be moved from the Exclusive Legislative list to the Concurrent, as they may see such a movement as an upset to their ‘apple cart’, a threat to the easy revenue allocations which they are presently receiving, and the loss of their indirect control of those resources.
Likewise, for those who are clamouring for either the creation of at least one more State in the South East to be at par with the six State zones, or for us to return to the old regional system, the provisions of Sections 8 and 9(3) of the Constitution, make it almost impossible for this dream to be realised. It is obvious that, those who crafted the 1999 Constitution wanted the North to have an advantage, giving the North West and North Central (including Abuja) seven territories each, with the North East and Southern Zones, except the South East (Igbo Zone), having six States each.
Going Forward Going forward, since we are unable to do it ourselves, instead of wasting our scarce resources on ferrying large entourages on fruitless trips to Japan and UNGA (United Nations General Assembly), and visiting Baba in the UK when he goes on medical tourism, that money would be better spent on taking and bringing key people to and from places like SK to study their development model (and how to rear cows whose beef is tender, juicy and succulent like theirs, without parading them openly grazing on the roads, since Nigerian beef is so tough and stringy - because the Koreans eat a lot of beef), HK to learn about running our Ports better, Israel on security issues and to learn how to develop solutions, to transform the vast desert land in the North to viable land suitable for RUGA and farming, Malaysia, India, and Singapore for a somewhat inexpensive and yet, effective healthcare system, Singapore on how to stamp out corruption, SK and Singapore on keeping our environment clean, China on electricity generation and supply, Australia, Saudi Arabia and China on how to harness our mineral resources optimally, England on a good welfare programme for the poor and unemployed, Denmark and England on how to improve our Judiciary, and nearby Ghana for the rule of law and how to improve our educational system (since a considerable number of our children, seem to go there to further their education).
What we learn from places such as this, will then be adapted to suit our own purposes, and not simply copied and pasted.
“WHAT IS THERE TO BE HAPPY ABOUT? WOULD IT NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER, IF NIGERIA HAD STAYED AS A COLONY OF GREAT BRITAIN OR AS A BRITISH TERRITORY LIKE HONG KONG (HK) WAS TILL 1997?.....THERE WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN BETTER INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT..... NATURAL RESOURCES, LIKE OIL AND GAS.... AND THE OTHER UNCOUNTABLE MINERAL RESOURCES WHICH NIGERIA HAS BEEN ENDOWED WITH, WOULD HAVE BEEN WELL HARNESSED BY NOW..... OUR INSTITUTIONS, WOULD HAVE BEEN PROPERLY BUILT INTO STRONG STRUCTURES”