Another
Nigeria is Possible
By
Dr.
Otive Igbuzor
otivei@actionaidnigeria.org
In
the last one and a half decade, a lot of changes have taken place all
over the world especially on systems of government, development
paradigms and policies that could bring about development and
improvement on the quality of life of people. Previously, there were
various contending alternatives on the way governance and development
can take place. The system in the
United States
for instance was unique in its emphasis on
individualism, capitalism and free enterprise. The British system was
unique in its emphasis on welfarism especially with a very strong labour
party. The Soviet system placed a lot of premium on social and economic
rights, equality and protection of the working people and the vulnerable
in the society not only in the
Soviet Union
but all over the world. The Chinese system was also
unique in its emphasis on the empowerment of peasants. The Cuban system
was also spectacular in transforming its economy with only sugar cane as
a resource into a modern economy with great feat in health care and
other aspects of life. The Asian Tigers transformed their economies by
focusing on attracting foreign skills and investment while at the same
time developing local capacity with strong control. The Japanese system
was peculiar with special focus on human capital since there are no
natural resources in
Japan
.
However,
in the last one and a half decade with the collapse of the Soviet Union
and the end of the cold war, there is an ascendancy of neo-liberalism
with fanatical emphasis on the market as the only driving force of
development in a situation where the State will recede with increasing
control by International Financial Institutions and transnational
corporations characterized by privatization and globalisation. The
received wisdom today is that there is no alternative to market forces,
privatization, globalisation, World Bank and International Monetary Fund
(IMF) for any nation especially in the less developed countries if they
are serious about development.
In
Nigeria
, post independence development planning placed a lot
of emphasis on the State as the main moving force of development as
manifested in the second annual national development plan (1970-74) and
subsequent development plans. In fact, the State went further to
consolidate this by nationalizing some foreign companies and putting
restriction on the kinds of businesses that foreigners can engage in
through the Nigeria Enterprises Decree. The commanding heights of the
economy was placed in the hands of the State and entrenched in the
constitution. In the implementation of these policies, the culture of
debate was promoted even during colonial and military regimes. Thus,
during colonial rule, there was a National Conference in January, 1950
in
Ibadan
to discuss the Constitution that later became known
as the 1951 Macpherson Constitution.
After independence, in July, 1963, there was a National
Conference in
Lagos
which decided on the change of the 1960 Independence
Constitution to the 1963 Republican Constitution. During the military
regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, there was a national debate
organized by the political bureau, which came with the verdict that
Nigerian people prefer a socialist form of government. The Bureau
recommended the formation of MAMSER to mobilize Nigerians to actualize
the transformation of the country into a
Socialist
State
.
But
with the end of the cold war and ascendancy of neolibrealism, the
situation has completely changed in
Nigeria
. The culture of debate is being taken over by
violence. Agents of the State insist that there is no alternative to
neo-liberalism. They argue that there is no alternative to SAP,
privatization, capitalist led globalisation or NEEDS. The government
insists that people cannot protest unpopular government policies and
that a National Conference cannot be held despite persistent calls for
it even by Committees set up by the Federal Government such as the
Technical Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution. Even when
ethno-religious and communal conflicts occur, instead of utilizing the
time tested approaches of promoting dialogue, consensus, mediation and
other conflict management approaches, the government either declares a
state of emergency or threatens to issue one. Government officials
insist that the private sector even though it is undeveloped,
inefficient, parasitic and insincere must serve as the engine of growth
without adequate regulatory framework. A typical example is the
petroleum sector. Any time a spot check is conducted on Petrol Stations
to find out whether the quantity of fuel they sell is in accord with the
displayed price, it always show that majority of the petrol stations are
cheating the public. Meanwhile, many of these Petrol Stations are owned
by transnational corporations. Policies are conceptualized and
implemented without consideration of their impact on the poor and
marginalized.
In
order to arrest the trend of unbridled neo-liberalism and mitigate its
harmful effect on development of society, a committee of Brazilian
organizations conceived of and organized the first World Social Forum
(WSF) from 25th
-30th January, 2001
. Since then, the World Social Forum, which is not an
organization but a platform for open meeting place for reflective
thinking has been held every year. The WSF has formulated charter of
principles, which include opposition to neo-liberalism and world
capital; building alternatives with the slogan “another world is
possible”; pluralism and diversity; opposition to all authoritarian
and reductionist views of the economy and the use of violence as a means
of social control by the state; alternatives to the problems of
exclusion and social inequality that the process of capitalist
globalisation and environmental destruction engenders; creation of links
among organizations and movements with a view to increasing their
capacity for non-violent social resistance to the process of
dehumanization and violence used by the State and linkage of actions
from local level to the national level spiraling into the global agenda
to build a new world in solidarity.
There
is no doubt that the way
Nigeria
is being governed today is not the best possible
approach. It is possible to organize the process of constitution making
in
Nigeria
differently. The organization of political parties
and the conduct of election can definitely be organized differently. The
type of people that represent Nigerians at all levels of government can
be different. The way the economy is organized and the role of the State
can be conceptualized differently. The values being promoted today
characterized by corruption, greed, opulence, extravagance, collection
of dubious doctorate degrees and chieftaincy titles can be changed.
In
a bid to actualize the dream that ANOTHER NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE, the
Nigeria Social Forum (NSF) conceived with principles of the World Social
Forum (WSF) was inaugurated on
29th May, 2004
in
Lagos
,
Nigeria
. The Nigeria Social Forum is a platform for open
meeting place for reflective thinking and action. At the inaugural
meeting, a charter of principles was adopted, which stipulates among
other things; opposition to globalised neo-liberalism and domination of
the world by capital; building alternatives with the slogan “Another
Nigeria is possible”; pluralism and diversity; opposition to all
authoritarian and reductionist views of the economy and the use of
violence as a means of social control by the state; alternatives to the
problems of exclusion and social inequality that the process of
capitalist globalisation and environmental destruction engenders;
creation of links among organizations and movements with a view to
increasing their capacity for non-violent social resistance to the
process of dehumanization and violence used by the State and linkage of
actions from local level to the national level spiraling into the global
agenda to build a new world in solidarity.
Europe
or
America
will not develop
Nigeria
for Nigerians. Nigerians have to rise up to the
challenge of our time, mobilize the necessary intellectual and human
resources that will challenge neo-liberalism and develop the country.
Dr.
Otive Igbuzor
otivei@actionaidnigeria.org
ActionAid
International
Nigeria
Plot
461
Kumasi Crescent
,
Wuse
II,
Abuja
.
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