In private and public conversations about the country, one thing seems to be crystal clear, this nation has derailed. We are no longer on the path to the place where we ought to be. Even more painful, we don’t seem to know where we are.
So, this week on WhatsApp Conversation, the question is; what are the things we need to put in place to get back on track. Not just any track but the right one.
Lanre Oseni
For Nigeria to get to the right track, we need a new constitution to address de-tribalism, de – ethnicism, revenue, allocation of funds to regions, infrastructural distribution, ministerial distribution, de – religious bias, who is to take charge of education & Health sector development, etc. Getting the right leaders (President/ Vice President, Governor/ Deputy Governor, Senate President Speaker House of Representatives, Ministers for Power, Education, Health, External Affairs, Mineral Resources, Labour, Telecommunications and Science & Technology. We must stop rotational presidency but each political party must produce the best candidate for presidential and governorship election.
- Choose merit to pick Chiefs of Army, Air Defence& Inspection General of Police, General Officer(s) Commanding as well as Commissioners of Police.
With the above, Nigeria will be back on track!
Mayarm Salisu
Getting a nation as diverse as Nigeria back on track is a hard task, it won’t happen in a decade but we must start the process. First, we must look beyond our individual ethnic diversity and focus on what matters – the country.
Do we have a Nigerian identity? Is there a rallying call? Is there a consciousness of patriotism? That’s the starting point. If we don’t get started from there, everything we build will be superficial.
We have lessons to learn from the past; we can take it as a grand experiment that what we had in the past is a lesson in how not to build a nation. We can then lend a leaf from first-world nations and grow our own country. God bless Nigeria.
Barrister Moses Udom
I have always emphasised it wherever possible, the first culprit, the clog in our wheels of progress is the constitution. Who created this constitution and for whom? Those are the questions. Until we reshape the constitution we cannot reshape the country. All the excesses of power and abuse of office stem from the fact that the constitution is not firm where it should be. We need to revisit that, thereafter, we can move on to other things and reform the entire system.
Femi Babafemi
It goes down to one thing and one thing only. Institutions must be made stronger and people must be made to face the consequences of their actions regardless of who they are. Let the rule of law work, this will create a multiplier effect where every other goal we want to pursue for our economic growth or otherwise will be achievable.
Once people are made examples, institutions are in place to cut the cost of governance and there are consequences for actions; we will be able to put Nigeria on the path of greatness.
Tomisin Salami
First, you need the right people to do the right job. That’s where it starts – round pegs in round holes. With that done, there is also a need for military might. Yes, as crazy as it sounds, we need our military to be rock solid.
A strong military means there is the security of lives and property that will trickle down to the economy.
Yes, with the stability of the country, we will be able to bring in investors. We are already talented, we are relentless, one thing we are dealing with is security. If we take that off the table, things will fall in place.
Remember, the more military might, the more influence we have on the continent. The more influence, the more social currency we can spend on the world stage. This is the key to not just being great but staying great.
Tosin Awoniyi
Nigeria is a country that is full of so many natural and mineral resources, such as natural gas, gold, lead, zinc, rare metals, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, and arable land. But unfortunately for us in this country, we are not enjoying all these natural and minerals resources because of the bad leaders that we have.
Some of the things that Nigeria should do to get back on the right track are the following: We (Nigerians) need to strive very hard to have good leaders in this country: First and foremost- Employment: The government should be sincere in providing adequate jobs for the masses. If we have good leaders and the leaders (governor) are ready to govern each state to the best of their knowledge, I think Nigeria would get on the right track within the shortest period of time. For Nigeria to get on the right track, there should be an adequate social infrastructure (such as power, water, transportation, and communication network). Although all these systems (social infrastructure) are capital intensive and costly, all the same we still need all these social infrastructures if we want Nigeria to get back on track as soon as possible. Nigeria Economy: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is projected to continue to decline because the economy is forecast to grow more slowly than the population. So to draw my conclusion, I think the government should find something to do with the aforementioned point(s) if they (government) want Nigeria to get back on track as soon as possible.
How about we relax and talk about music Next week. The question is: “In your opinion, what is an album with no bad songs? Why are you picking the album?” To be part of the next edition, send your response to 08136601345 via WhatsApp or SMS