In my counted years of infantile existence full of endless dreams, I can say with full conviction that I have never for once envisaged moving out of this country despite being surrounded by many friends that shares the views of launching their careers in diaspora, an act now known in colloquial terms as “jappa” which has become synonymous with Nigerian youths lately.
Excelling in Nigeria has always been my dream, as it is often said, there is no place like home. While growing up, we watched movies, news on the TV and we were always plunged into the depth of wonders on when our country will achieve such a level of development.
Ruminating in my young mind constantly is the inclination towards getting answers to why things are how it is here, but i have always conceived the idea that attaining such giant strides as a nation requires purposeful leadership,
As a nation with a strong root and firm background, we cannot easily be consumed by the doom the alarmists keep predicting or what the non-state actors keep perpetrating.
For a nation to be laced with a plethora of issues, there must be something special about such entity, just like the saying, people will always like to ruin beautiful things.
But the way we battle these adversarial elements in unity which could serve as the fortifier of the potency of our weapon to crush these challenges bedeviling us could be our means of hope and diligent approach to attaining the Nigeria we so desire.
Nigeria will continue to thrive in whatever circumstances if building the Nigeria of our dream becomes a priority and a clarion call to every citizens of this nation.
Amidst all the prediction of the doomsday projectors, Nigeria still continue to sail as an indivisible entity. This sustainability alone is a pointer that we shall overcome whatever challenges staring at us. The gloom we see today will not last forever.
The Nigeria of our dream is where Abdullahi can travel from sokoto to conduct a business with Chibuzor in Anambra without harbouring any mutual mistrust, where Olakunle will stand in towering height in defence of Bassey or Efe.
Our nation today is witnessing mostly the problem of inherent dislikes among citizens, perceived marginalization and ignorance, coupled with gullibility, poor leadership and poor policies being executed.
The nation enmeshed in an agitation tussle with some section of the country in their quest for sovereign fissiparity persistently expressing their perceived marginalization.
Such angst can only be quashed when our leaders seek to understands the imperative nature of social cohesion, political inclusiveness and cosmopolitanism,
Some political traders has so far been pouncing on the vulnerability of some of our youths to heat up the polity and achieve their political points.
But we are glad today the youths are rising up in their quest to salvage our nation through their political consciousness which transcends beyond party lines.
We are a nation littered with natural resources, and in this enclave resides great potential to become one of the leading countries in the world.
We are lovers of peace and the abundance of our ethnicity could be properly harnessed through social cohesion, cultural relativism and functional interdependency to achieve Nigeria of our dream.
Nigeria of our dream will be when the populace become so luscious and creative. The Giants of Africa nomenclature isn’t bestowed on us by mistake. It may seem like we areca sleeping giant currently.
But such status can still be sustained if we properly planned our future and put forth national interest.
I observe the joy and happiness in the faces of all Nigerians whenever our super eagle team triumphed in their quest for glory, everyone roars in uniformity without considering the background of the players.
This can also be replicated in our daily activities, for Nigeria of our dream cannot be attained when we stand divided.
The Nigeria of my dream is where the country will guarantee the security of lives and properties. Where i shall have an absolute confidence in my leaders, where i wouldn’t need to bribe my way to the top to achieve any feat, where there will be no bottlenecks in the bureaucracy of our civil service.
Where we shall collectively nurture belligerence stance towards corruption, where the young minds are sensitized and orientated at an early age to understand what patriotism is.
Where there will be a total judiciary Independence and no selective justice..
The Nigeria we so desire will be when the nation in selecting their leaders do away with ethnic or religious sentimentalism and choose leaders with ingrained and innate capacity to deliver.
Where ethnic profiling and stereotyping would be a thing of the past whenever atrocities are being perpetrated, and frontline criminals will be called out outrightly.
Economically, Nigeria of my dream is when we shall thrive mainly as an exporter rather than an importer to achieve a favourable balance of payment in our national economy.
Where we can convert our population strength into a useful one by becoming more productive to boost our economy. Where our dilapidated industrial hub will be revived and revamped, and majority of our population will be gainfully employed.
Achieving the Nigeria of our dream will require our leaders to espouse national interest before personal interest by exuding purposeful leadership trait and cutting down our national expenses through reducing the flamboyancy enmeshed with our governance in other to balance up and increase our continuously dwindling, receding and waning national revenues and foreign reserve.
A place where our educational sector will be given utmost priority. With our public schools going to extinction, the Nigeria of our dream should be where the citizens can attend public schools with pride instead of the new normal of private school enrollment and abandoning our public schools that is known to have produced many intellectual personalities to rot.
Where our tertiary institution will compete with the best institution all over the world, by innovating new ideas through diligent research and producing great and intellectual graduates that are equiped with not only theoretical knowledge but basic skills to practice and innovate.
Where the fundamental determinant of selecting those to represent us in sport or any other field will be fully based on merit, competence and technical skills and not sentiment in other to see ourselves competing globally with the best.
Recent outing of Nigeria at the Olympics gave us some glimpse of how united we all can be in one course and competence can make us all proud, where many were shedding tears of joy that temporarily washed away our national sorrows when Tobi Amusan won gold medal at the just concluded common wealth games.
In that moment of National pride, she reminded us with her tears what it means to be a patriot. In that brief cathartic moment we had a spiritual rebirth of our nation, seeing our potential for greatness in her world-stopping and world-topping achievement.
The realization that it only takes one patriotic Nigerian to show us a national example was humbling.
This is a picture of Nigeria of my dream.
The Nigeria i dream of is where contract shall be awarded without inflating it or taking kickbacks. Where the rural settlers in the most remote villages would have access to portable water without walking down many miles to access water.
Where when an auto-crash that occurs will not be linked to as a result of dilapidated roads, where meaningful infrastructures will be littered across the country and citizens enjoying the dividends of democracy effortlessly.
Where leaders will be held accountable for not delivering on their promises, and where morals will be given to our social justice.
Where the CBN will become an independent body and not under the coffers of the elites.
Where those at the grassroots will feel the presence of the government without government presence only being limited to states capitals.
Where an average Nigerian can be employed in any of the government ministries and agencies without necessarily been employed through connections to influential individuals, but based on competence.
Where the voices of the masses will always be heard and not suppressed or attract retribution.
Where our leaders will see their position as an opportunity to serve and not to be served.
With all being said about the Nigeria of our dream we so envisaged, there are several models, approaches and methods we need to adopt in realizing this dream.
Many countries have designed models in the past, and these models gradually catapulted them from a third world countries to a developed one. We can also replicate same in Nigeria by developing policies that seeks to address our plights , and also driving structural, transformational and fundamental reforms that will improve us as a nation.
But first of all, it is pertinent we emphasize on the issues of national unity considering our ethno-religious and multi-lingual characteristics, national unity and integration ought to be one of our major focus.
Our societies and cultures requires some measures of integration. When this is achieved, the rest of the challenges can be easily curtailed.
In spite of our multi-ethnic existence in terms of our tribal identity, we can continue to be a united country. National integration will enhance our social, economical, religious and political sustainability.
We should live with each other and accept one another as Nigerians, we have torrents of reasons to achieve national unity, because the promotion of peace, unity and harmony serve as instrument of national socioeconomic development, it can also serve as our ability to reduce crisis and conflicts in other zones, it can also lay good foundation for our economic development, promoting political development and creating conditions for our progress, enabling us come together as brothers and sisters and friends. To work as one people to achieve common goals, and also involve us in the affairs and progress of one another and also that of the society.
The Nigeria of our dream for many will be when we eventually become a developed nation like the western world, devoid of infrastructural problems, a law abiding society. But are we as Nigerians ready to accept ourselves moving from our current state? This calls for an introspection.
One of our major problems has been the lawless acts of individuals, vandalizing public properties and flouting rules, the traffic on our roads gives us a glaring insight into such scenarios, the developed nations tackles these issues, and realizing Nigeria of our dream, such issues are to be adequately tackled.
Transportation is one of the key area of our society, and we all ply the roads to move from one place to another to carry out our daily activities, this aspect is so critical that the government established a ministry for it, so attention should be given to improve it and make our society less stressful.
The government in trying to enhance and improve the transportation of commuters in our various cities should develop a model or strategy that can drastically reduce traffic congestion, traffic and parking problems, air pollutions emanating from the cars, accidents and breakdowns.
Finally, the government should enact laws and execute policies that seeks to address the increasing poverty rates in the country by establishing effective poverty alleviation programs or initiatives and also creating jobs. They should also expand our national economy in other to attract foreign investors, because foreign investment in our economy by extension create employment for the teeming population and also boost local businesses.
When we are able to attain these feats, then Nigeria shall be a dream place for all.
Yakub writes from Abuja
