As the bickering escalates on multiple platforms across Nigeria and the globe, on the upcoming Nigerian election, here are some food for thought on developmental policies and the selection process of our leaders in Nigeria to enable development.
Firstly, Nigeria’s development is far too important for us to implement neoliberal policies that are designed for us to fail. We need a bold government that will push back against these imposed policies that continue to see the extraction of value from our economy rather than the creation of wealth. We need to focus on production and not consumption. Nigeria should not be sold as a big market for importation of goods but as an endowed country with vast resources, especially human resources, as factors of production. We also need the emergence of more nationalistic business elites to work collaboratively with the government for the collective good of the country and not for accumulation of individual wealth that are deposited and invested in more advanced countries.
Secondly, on the selection of leaders, Nigeria is a serious enterprise and not a fantasy league, as such we need a model of democracy that works for us by considering the track record and performance of potential candidates. We don’t want to select leaders based on theories, or wishful thinking, we want to entrust this large entity to tried and tested individuals that are selected based on their score cards- and not based on “politics of the belly” or “empty promises” but based on solid track record of value creation.
Therefore, it is time we review our selection process and development policies to ensure alignment with the desired state befitting of the giant of Africa because very soon the widening inequality will also drive the “haves” and their future generation out of the country on self-imposed exile. Which way Nigeria depends on how truly nationalistic we are as a country- especially the elites and the political class!
