Prolific historian and Professor of African Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, United States of America, Toyin Falola, on Wednesday, in Lagos Nigeria, warned Nigerian leaders, particularly in political governance to listen to the nation’s youths, especially on their various complaints on issues ruining the collective development of the country.
He added that Nigerian youths, particularly the larger percentage of those who no longer have confidence in the quality of education and certificates they are being given, are saddened about their situation. He said all those worries and concerns are bad signals and should be addressed and not ignored by the leaders otherwise they may lead to the country experiencing a revolutionary mode of violence.
Falola made this known at the Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo as a guest speaker at the Second Distinguished Lecture series organised by the Department of History and International Studies of the university.
While speaking on the topic: History and the Nation, he told the large gathering that it has become a big problem particularly in recent years for Nigeria as a country to get citizen loyalty and commitment to development because they are unable to benefit from the government as they should as Nigerians. He said such a situation is a bad omen and requires the leaders to take precautions to address it and that the time to do so is now.
The guest lecturer said history concerns memory such as comparing one government or leaders and problems people encounter during their administrations to another.
He said therefore, history could help the people to maintain identity and also develop a memory that would keep a nation in check. He, however, argued that history has a critical role to play in national development.
“A nation is rated by the level of its development and impact on the people. The process of national development is not an impromptu occurrence but a gradual and deliberate transformation that either happens in time or is created by major stakeholders in society. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s development has not only been slow, but it has also not shown any beacon of hope to take the nation to an aspired state. In other words, national development seems more of an after-thought than a deliberately planned nation-building.
“When the country gained independence in 1960, there was hope that Nigeria had found a path to self-development, actualisation, and the freedom to determine its resources without the interests of foreign bodies or European overlords. The fight for independence was premised on the ability of Africans and Nigerians to facilitate development either equally or better than the colonialists’ approach. Despite the colonial exploitation, independence came with enough resources and was reason enough for the country’s development. Nigeria was a symbol of hope, and this image was drawn not even from petroleum powers but from commitment to agricultural resources and other local industries that put the nation in good standing in all ramifications. The chances of rapid development continued to increase with the discovery of more natural resources like petroleum and other factors that became a major boost to the country’s economy.
“To put all these resources into use, the country has passed through different phases of development plans that have defined the phenomena associated with creating a state and ensuring stability in society. Nigerian developmental planning schemes and efforts started in 1945 to 1985, whereby, based on the availability of national resources, seven developmental strategies were drawn up to put the Nigerian situation into perspective. The British administration came up with three developmental plans from 1945 to 1951, 1951 to 1955, and 1955 to 1962. As expected, the British developmental plan was not for the primary purpose of developing the country but to help the British economy and facilitate the development of industries for the benefit of Britain in Nigeria. Hence, the social and economic growth of the country was left to capitalists for the benefit of Britain, leaving the Nigerian interests secondary.
After independence, many sectors of Nigerian societies were still controlled by these capitalists, and the post-colonial government adopted the methodology of the British colonial development plans for the country. The country’s development was targeted at the civilisation and modernisation of the nation in a way that would transform it to the level of the European state and build a credible Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in order to establish a thriving economy. The country’s post-colonial developmental plans were in four phases, 1962-1968, 1970-1974, 1975-1980, and 1981 to 1985. There was gradual progress, although more urban developments did not circulate to all areas of the country and development was largely situated in limited areas.
“The layout of national plans and strategy for national development was advancing until the country faced another tragic occurrence that gradually reduced the progressive development. Post-colonial Nigeria was faced with different political instabilities that derailed the governmental commitment to national development and planning at a different level. Intermittent military interventions in Nigeria’s political environment and the deliberate dismantling of democracy sowed the seed of regression that the nation is currently battling. Aside from military interventions, the country went into war with the secessionist Biafra, which claimed the lives of several citizens and drew the nation back on the progressive ladder. The government of the time were preoccupied with these incidences, and compliance with national developmental plans could not be maintained.
“In the 1970s, the Nigerian economy received a major boom after the exploration of crude oil and the increasing interest of the global community in it. At that point, Nigeria’s problem was not how to make money but how to spend it. As a result of this boom, the 1975-1980 development plan of the country projected about 43.3 billion naira capital expenditure for the transformation and development of the Nigerian economy and strengthening of other sectors of the economy. Unfortunately, during this period, the Nigerian economy began to worsen and the expectation was dashed. With a country that struck gold in terms of crude oil, one should expect reasonable development in the country as planned; however, the unfortunate personal interest of leaders, corruption, and mismanagement made the country take one progressive step and two regressive steps successively. The country’s problems have continued into the contemporary period, making it seem like it never had a developmental plan to bring about national development.
Currently, Nigeria is dubbed the 26th most corrupt country out of 180 countries rated in the world. Corruption has become a generational problem in the country without any hope of a solution. The cankerworm has found its way into all sectors of the Nigerian economy and society and is slowing down the developmental progress of the country. Since Nigeria attained independence, corruption has steadily increased until it has become ingrained in leaders and citizens. The effect of corruption on national underdevelopment has been very notorious as it causes the diversion of resources that could have been used to develop the country.
“Aside from this, insecurity and terrorism have destroyed some of the infrastructures and disrupted the Nigerian economy. In 2002, the emergence of the Boko Haram terrorist group in Maiduguri and their activities have caused thousands of deaths and millions of homeless individuals across the northern region of the country. More so, insurrections and kidnapping in the South-South, South-East, and other parts of the country have not made it easy to curb the security problems in the country.
“The poverty rate of the country has also skyrocketed in recent times. Four out of every ten Nigerians live in extreme poverty, and the rate is expected to increase before the end of 2022. This has been the effect of underdevelopment and regressive development of the nation that has been forming over the years. Poverty and low standard of living is the effect of underdevelopment and the failure of the government to stick to or create and implement workable developmental plans for the country. If the primary duty of every government and nation is to ensure the security and welfare of its citizens, then the Nigerian government has failed its citizens and the future is not certain.
“What then is the place of history in all of these Nigerian problems, and how can it put us back on our feet in our quest to achieve development in the country? The essence of history transcends the study of the past alone; it includes the study of the past to understand the present and plan for the future. The nation’s memory helps to understand a present predicament while reflecting on past problems and working towards solutions. History helps to bring back past wisdom, understanding, techniques and methodology to help solve today’s puzzle and create hope for the future. It has always been said that there is almost no event that does not have a similitude to its past circumstances and that the past holds answers to many of the contemporary ponderings.
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“The Nigerian economy was striving well in the past, and there was always food on the table of an average Nigerian. There was a time when insecurity was not as rampant as today, and people’s lives were as sacred as the word itself. There was a time when many Nigerian problems were not in existence, and when they were, they were minimal compared to now. History offers the nation an opportunity to look back at the beginning of the problems to understand the underlying reasons. History allows the nation to reapply past solutions to similar problems or develop them to fit into the contemporary nature of those problems.
“The Biafra War, the millions of people who died, and the destructions that occurred are historical evidence that should remind the people of the danger of war and terror. On the South African 16th of December anniversary of the Battle of Blood River, the dreadful acts of the likes of Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler, among other historical facts, have been written down to show the world how not to behave and what not to do at a particular time. However, the people have to know these historical facts before they can learn the lessons they hold and the evidence of the consequences that follow their respective actions. This shows that history can draw conscience into the hearts of men. Hence, in Nigeria, where history is not given the utmost attention, there are high tendencies that these values might not be successfully instilled in the hearts of the citizens.
“Historical awareness by the country’s leaders equips them for important decision-making processes. This is because it allows them the grace of understanding the consequences of their actions and prepares them for different expectations. This helps develop ideological leaders and deliberate citizens who understand their civic duties and responsibilities,” he stressed.
In his remarks while declaring the event open, the chairman on the occasion and Olota of Ota Kingdom, Ogun State, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, eulogised Professor Falola’s virtues, describing him as a great and committed historian.
He said he has followed Professor Falola’s thought on African history for many years and observed that he is passionate and committed to the sustenance of rich African history.
The monarch, who is also a professor said only what Nigeria and its people should be more concerned about now is to reflect on how fundamental issues on mankind and history can be uses to produce positive developments in the country.
He added that even though Nigeria is a fusion of many nations and divided along ethnic, religious and cultural differences, among others, such diversities could still be used for the peaceful co-existence and development of the country and its people.
According to him, “there is no society without history and so our interest is to reflect on how mankind can properly function to bring about the desirable development for the benefit of all.”
In his welcome address earlier, the Head of Department of History and International Studies, Dr Adewunmi Falode, said the topic was not only apt and timely but believed that both the students and other participants would benefit immensely from the wealth of experience of the guest speaker.