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Hello Nigeria! A Word is Enough for the Wise By Adam Kolo
Niger Famine: A Lesson To Nigeria “To know who you are is the beginning of wisdom” said Professor Ali Mazrui, the famous African historian. But to Nigeria it seems this philosophy is a contradiction. Nigeria has known herself as a nation for over forty years now yet the teeth of wisdom have puzzlingly not yet grown in her mouth. Or perhaps the teeth could have been there but have unfortunately overgrown their normal size to the extent that they no longer aught to be called wisdom teeth but rather wisdom teeth.
Despite the abundant God-given natural resources this country is blessed with the common Nigerian still finds it difficult to make both ends meet. Infact not to aggravate but to allay it, let alone trying to make both ends meet which has since long, long time ago transcended the affordability of the common man, Nigerians will smile mouth to ears if they could only keep even “one end” secured. Despite the huge reserves of the black gold nature has freely endowed Nigeria with most people in this country find it more easier to live on black berries and live in black (unlit) homes. Despite the Myriad solid mineral resources the Free-Giver h as generously treasured for us in the soil of our country very few people could confidently vow that they had ever used or even seen the “petrocharcoal”- the natural charcoal-or coal which should have by now been in virtually every Nigerian home. This is, of course, not to sweep the fact under the carpet that little benefit reach most Nigerians especially the rural populace from the national cake wind falls and from the so-called dividends of democracy despite the truth that the largest percentage of electorate votes come from the rural areas. It is very unfortunate indeed to inadvertently but inescapably mention that the Nigerian poor who, by virtue of his vote and franchise right, should have been having his nose high in the air amidst abundance and satiety is inversely turned the head of the cow for him to hold the horns for the greedy rulers to milk the cow.
The Nigerian poor had gleefully started grinning when he learnt that there was food crisis or food insecurity in Niger thinking that the world was to come to his aid and thinking with conviction that the reporter could have wanted to mention Nigeria but mistakenly made a slip of tongue and said Niger. Later when he learnt that it was Niger precisely not Nigeria he was nonplused. This reminisces me of Nigeria’s deceit and complacency during the Abacha administration. Once during an Eid-el-Kabir then, authority of Saudi Arabia made an offer to fly in some consignments of the excess of the slaughtered sacrificial animals of Muslim pilgrims to Nigeria for distribution to the poor and needy, our government deceitfully turned down the offer. But the reality cannot be hidden even by the most dreaded guillotine. Many Nigerians had wanted the offer. And perhaps little did Abacha thought that his god-father and predecessor, Babangida had once during his militocratic regime tacitly allowed an Italian firm to dump some toxic wastes on the Nigerian soil (at koko village in the Niger-Delta riverine area). Of what benefit was that to Nigeria and Nigerians? What do you call someone who offered you food when you were in dire need of it and someone who offer you poison when you desperately fleeing from it?
Inspite of the theoretical fact that Nigeria hosts and is currently being ruled by purportedly the acclaimed largest single ruling party on the African continent that is, PDP little moisture and nutrients get to the Nigerian grassroots from the soil of the acclaimed miraculous umbrella-bearing political party that is believed, by its partisans, to have possessed the political prowess to distribute power to the people. Therefore, as a result of the precariousness and susceptibility to the greed, selfish, embezzling and power-thirsty rulers, the Nigerian soil is heavily leached and impoverished for the tender roots of the grassroots to obtain any nutrients and moisture to thrive.
Permit me to focus briefly my telescope at Ethiopia and Somalia. In these lands hunger and poverty walk on their feet. If you have never seen hunger skeleton-turned human beings before you would pass the starving people of these countries for walking corpses. In Ethiopian hospitals two patients are assigned to each single bed. Many people especially in the rural areas survive on leaves. In Somalia the story is never different. Coming down to our immediate neighbor, hunger has laid and hatched eggs in the francophone country of the Republic of Niger. If the hatched youngs of the famine and hunger are like the polio virus---they know no national or state, local government or regional boundary---they can sneak into Nigeria, lay eggs and hatch just as they did in Niger Republic. Although even at present there are reports that at the extreme northern fringes of the Nigerian boarder with Niger Republic the famine has also affected some areas there.
Had it not been for God Almighty’s infinite mercy on Nigeria we could have been suffering from what has befallen the people of the Republic of Niger. Millions of people are starving and very many have starved to death, mostly children. Ironically, the fortunate living ones live off grasses and leaves. Reminiscently, I for more than once have heard elderly people saying that a long time ago there was famine in Nigeria. People in search of food would dig into the holes of ant s for grains (to use as food). Many survived on a kind of xerophytes called “tabila: in Hausa. Animal died too.
As I watched it on the CNN and BBC the news was terrible to hear and the pictures were horrible to behold. Poverty is ubiquitous in Niger Republic as it is here. It has, like the boring worm, eaten into people’s flesh and petrified it only for hunger, armed or unarmed to penetrate and emaciate them out turning them into living framework of bones clothed in trail and wrinkled skin. The minors---children and women---are the most vulnerable ones. My heart bleeds, my eyes weep and my head goes “cranium quaking” when ever I recall the horrifying pictures of those poor victims.
The world, or the international community went-sympathizing and commiserating with the Nigeriene people and government. But to my utter exasperation the Kopi Anan-led global body was shamelessly crying of austerity. That she (the UN) needed donations from philanthropic donor countries before she could extend a humanitarian aid hand to Niger Republic. What a big shame!
The number of people affected by the Niger Republic food crises has so far been put at 3.5 million. This is appalling. If such a population of human beings could, in today’s world, be politically left to suffer untold fang of hunger before eventually rushing to their aid after they had been helplessly desperate, then the United Nations (UN) and the international community should have better been seen as being affected by a virus that rendered them dysfunction in crucial moments. Even though the UN had eventually managed to extend a helping and commiserating hand to the people of Niger Republic together with some individual countries, the world should have responded earlier and swifter. The UN, using its early warning system, should have foreseen this monstrous phenomenon since the year the draught occurred. For nobody could have been more aware better than the African Union (AU) and the UN that a considerable part of the West African sub-region had last rainy season recorded low precipitation. The consequences of draught are known. Little grains were harvested from the draught-stricken farmlands.
I beg your indulgence to digress a little, should we say it is a sheer irony that UNICEF could swiftly and successfully detect and trace the number and whereabouts of polio victims in the world when Kano State government based on certain reasons refused to grant greenlight for the administration of the polio vaccine in her domain? Then why the food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) which, like UNICEF, is a parastatal of the United Nations couldn’t live up to the expectation by emulating her sister agency? The FAO, or the UN herself in conjunction with AU should have sensitized the world earlier to be on the alert that country X has been foreseen to be likely to face food crises and therefore, they should come to her aid the moment the early warning system blew the whistle.
What a bright idea! The world can adopt this concept as a working principle that whenever a country has been known to have experienced a natural or otherwise phenomenon that may yield negative consequence on the nation and/or her neighbours, the world right from the time of manifestation of the signs and symptoms of the foreseen phenomenon should keep an eye on the country. In addition, the world should, as an effort to prevent the occurrence of the mishap, mobilize the international community for prompt dispatch of humanitarian aid to the country if need be. The world had better realized that this lazy attitude of coming to a country’s aid long after occurrence of the phenomenon had better been stopped.
“An aid will always be an aid” said a lecturer of mine. This is a pregnant fact. Isn’t it? In many Nigerian States natural disaster-displaced people are given, as an aid by the respective states emergency relief Agency (SERA), such valuable items as plastic buckets, blankets, a measure of grains and dilapidated (mostly primary school) classrooms as refugee camps. If one could be given such a “VIP” treatment in one’s own country and in one’s own state what kind of treatment would you expect to be rendered to you by a non-national or state organization? There is nothing so valuable in life as relying on oneself and living from the brow sweat of one’s own labour. But when a natural disaster like this one happened to a people nothing they could do better than to surrender themselves to the arms of humanitarian aids.
Therefore, you Nigerienes should always not forget to nurse in the bottom of your hearts that this is an act of God. You should exercise patience and perseverance. You should not be absolutely hopeful in life neither should you be absolutely desperate. You should remember that after the calm comes calm, as the cliché goes.
To Nigeria I say a word is enough for the wise. What has happened in the neighbouring country of Niger Republic suffices to teach Nigeria a life long lesson. Nigeria should always bear in mind that the famine in Niger Republic does not have anything to do with absence of petroleum in the Nigerian soil. It is an act of God, maybe caused by widespread poverty and irresponsiveness of the Nigeriene government and the international community to nip the disaster at bud stage. Therefore, Nigeria should not jump up and down gleefully thinking that since she has petronaira and abundant (untapped) natural resources she is naturally immune from the feasibility of suffering from the scourge of similar natural mishap. After all, the wealth is there, sure but the health of the Nigerian socio-economic sphere is absent. Neither is the dreamt immunity a semblance of that of the section 308 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which is in the firm grip of the Nigerian leaders. No immunity from famine can only come from God, and God has never told Nigerians that, He will not make Nigeria taste the bitter syrup of famine. Or apparently God may have left the matter freeing our hands, if we like we save ourselves (with His Grace) and if we so wish we drag ourselves into the cauldron of famine by our handiwork, or appropriately by the handwork of our leaders.
Analogy is not the same with accuracy. Do not use the height of your neighbour to measure your door height. I could remember at the onset of the famine in Niger Republic one state government VIP was being interviewed by a journalist who asked the VIP what was his government’s reaction about the reported hunger in Niger Republic. He replied, “… we Nigerians are better off. We are not expecting such natural disaster to happen in this country and even if it may occur the largest part of this country is not drought-prone…” Rowing in the same boat with him is one geography lecturer whom I once overhead telling his students that famine is caused by drought. That is true. But what stirs my heart most is most people’s obliviousness of the other side of the coin. If by analogy we say that famine is brought about by drought and Nigeria unlike Niger Republic has relatively negligible portion that is arid and so draught –prone and, therefore, we should not apprehend or anticipate famine. What on earth my people could have entered into our heads and made us forget that apart from draught there are one-thousand and one ways of bringing about famine; floods, soil erosion, landslide, tsunamis and similar strong winds and rainstorms, locusts, birds, etc.
Or do we walk about with shoulders high that being globally acclaimed the most religious nation on earth we are, therefore, automatically immune? We must do something tangible. Agriculture should be earnestly revived and excess food should be reserved, poverty should be relentlessly and selflessly extirpated so that hope would be rekindled in the hearts of millions of the Nigerian poor, their standard of living exacerbated and their damage ameliorated.
Gone are the days when we used to have “leaders” in this country. But nowadays unfortunately no matter how long you and I defied sun, rain, hunger and thirst and exercised our franchise right we always end up putting our valuable mandate in the hands of the wrong persons. We always end up electing rulers who can only command and loot instead of leaders who are responsive and responsible. It is high time the Nigerian “ruler” woke up from their power-drunkenness slumber and attended to the high expectations people are having in them. It is equally high time they stopped folding their arms and watching things fall apart by selfishly leaving the centre to petrify.
Interestingly, it is obvious that in these kinds of circumstances when the public raises eyebrow about some governments deeds or misdeeds the typical Nigerian leader often wears a propagandistic visor over his face, claims innocence and hungs his affected patriotism on the officialese that Nigeria is ours to build. Yes, that is true. But builders and labourers cannot erect a firm and beautiful building without a well-charted blueprint and responsible overseer. There is no shortcut to the reality: the hard way is the only way. Let he who has the heart of Sardauna, the sincerity of Tafawa Balewa, the zeal of Azikiwe and the determination of Ghana’s Nkruma take heed and work selflessly towards the betterment of his country and fellow nationales.
And oftentimes, in an attempt to cleanse themselves of people’s suspicion and dodge the EFCC and ICPC’s handcuffs, some leaders lie publicly by claiming to had been born with sliver spoon in their mouth. Little did they know that literarily, those born with silver spoon in the mouth are half human while those born with flesh gum are human. Have you got the logic? Therefore, no amount of ‘Insha Allah” and “by the grace of God” can change our perception of them. We have known that even though there is a pocketful of upright leaders in Nigeria, most of them are inhumane. We have known that most of them are hiding skeletons in their closets ; no wonder they prefer to live in maximum prison-like edifices. We cannot go anywhere like that. There has to be a change. The sky is the limit, and the last good leader is not yet born. There is hope in the Nigerian future and, hope does not come but when you are ready to divorce your despair.
When the beard of your neighbour caught fire, says an adage, you sprinkle water on yours. The beard of some people of the Republic of Niger has caught fire we Nigerians therefore, should wet our own beards. Nigeria should take serious caution from the Niger Republic phenomenon and roll up her sleeves to see that (by God’s grace) what has happened in Niger Republic did not spill over or occur in this country.
It is always easier to plan a strategy and conceive a plan than to implement or execute it. How can she do that. This can be achieved, I think by mass food production as Governor Shekarau of Kano State said, when he was inaugurating a programme of his administration, could extirpate hunger and poverty. Mass food production is one of the vital objectives and golden goals every shrewd country would want to achieve. For, both human begins and animals must eat food to survive. But forget not that one cannot drink petroleum to survive nor one can eat coal, gypsum or tin survive either. But can one sell petroleum and purchase or import food. Yes, but that is very detrimental to the national economy of the importing country. However, one can sell petroleum and boost home food production. This is more healthy to the economy of the petrol-selling country.
For the Nigerian beard to remain wet so that sparks from the fire that has caught the Nigeriane beard cannot kindle a fire on her own, public fund looting, embezzlement and bribery and corruption should be generally regarded by every Nigerian as our sworn enemies and we must collectively wage war on them. Such stirling virtuous qualities as honesty, sincerity, transparency, accountability, responsiveness and responsibility, discipline, sacrifice and the fear of God should be the reigning virtues in every heart; in very organization, institution or home. However, alas, woe is me! Unfortunately and very unfortunately the opposite is the case. Especially the typically Nigerian leaders who, like the owl, always hide from people.
Very unbecoming of many of the Nigerian leaders who when Nigerians were desperately raising their hands up, importuning the Almighty God to send down His succour on them being educationally, healthwise, security wise, politically and above all alimentarily neglected by their leaders, had been busy clamouring for bullet-proof “rides”. What a callouse heart! Only few among them have any love, the true love of their people at heart. This could be one of the reasons that informs people’s pointing at them with accusing finger; and their attitude of deafening people’s ear with the blurring sounds of the siren of their vehicles, scaring people away only for their emperial excellencies to, like the lightening, speed off unnoti ced or unseen. Fellow Nigerians, unless both the leader and the led changed for good, we will end up girating around an illusion conjectured by the dirty work of our hands. Partners in progress. I am entreating you and myself, let us come back to the course laid down by our national heros in the like of the Zik of Africa, Sardauna of Sokoto, Tafawa Balewa, Chief Anthony Enahoro to mention but few.
The nemesis of the honesty and patriotism that led to the death of some of those great nationalists will eventually mete its venom on the dishonesty and selfishness of the nowadays’ leaders of this country, sooner or later! Here or hereafter. For as the saying goes, you cannot eat your cake and have it. For if you brag that you have embezzled plenty money therefore let the worst happen, God has one thousand and one ways of dealing with the dubious, you may die and leave the wealth and bear the unbearable burden of misappropriating public funds in the hereafter. You may amass the looted wealth but you may suffer from untold psychological problems. Or the well of your looted wealth may dry up leaving you in dire despair and genteel austerity, only to be jeered at whenever you passed by people. Honesty is the best policy. Secondly, justice must be allowed to remain blindfolded. Neutrality in justice is the key that opens to the avenue of stability in political, social, religious and cultural existence of a nation. However, when by hook or crook, or by mistake an attempt is made to untie the fold over the face of justice in order to favour someone the consequences, in the short or long run, are always disastrous to the socio-political well-being of a nation. Therefore, the Nigerian judiciary being of the arms of democratic government should be accorded the adequate freedom it deserves for justice to reign in this country.
Thirdly, transparency and accountability should be the watchword of every discreet government. Projects executed, funds expended, policy formulated programmes intended should be made a clean breast of to the general public. The various media of mass communication play a vital role here in invariably and traditionally bringing the information to the thresholds of the general public. The current Obasanjo administration’s “Due process” is in the right direction. Only that the might and will to make it succeed must not come from one side---the Federal Government---rather the might and will should radiate from including the state and local governments, individuals, private organizations and institutions nationwide.
Concerted effort by all stakeholders must be put in place to ensure that it is a long-term measure and that it did not deteriorate back into “undue process”. It should be concretized and empowered legislatively and should not therefore, be ignobly left to remain in advertisements and commercials alone. Here is a clarion call the import of which I should particularly be elated if it reached the ears of the hearts of our leaders. I suggest that any time government state or federal constituted or reconstituted an agency, commission or parastatal charged with a national or state duties, it should be backed up with the appropriate legislative law enforcement agents who would see to it that members of the public, or whom it is constituted for abide by the law of the off-shoot ministry.
Fourthly, the issue of bribery and corruption has been raising serious alarm especially in the wake of EFCC’s success in making big catches ever since it was constituted. Bribery and corruption like the HIV/AIDS can incapacitate and kill the spirit of any government and people. They can tarnish the image of a nation or people elsewhere. Like what the world takes Nigeria for today. Bribery and corruption are the worst enemies of justice. And, without justice, according to the reknown 19th century Islamic reformer and scholar Usman Dan Fodio, a nation that has a faith cannot survive. But a nation that is just but does not have a faith can survive. The pertinent question to ask here is can Nigeria survive if the current trend does not change?
I have over the years noticed that one factor that impedes Nigeria’s progress and socio-political reform is her complacency. Nigeria always takes a pride in showing the world that she is okay. And the world knowing that Nigeria has petroleum reserves would easily be taken in. I believe if the world did not forget that not all that glitters, as the saying goes, is gold it would not have taken Nigeria with any seriousness. We Nigerians know well the adverse condition we are in. The owner of the room knows better where it leaks. I even wonder how the world managed to add another feather to the Nigerian cap that Nigerians are the most happy people on earth. I wonder and will always wonder how will poverty, hunger and uncertainty be signs of happiness! Fellow Nigerians you had better joined the “bandwagon” in believing that we are being made a jest of because of the crazy attitude of our leaders, oh I forgot, rulers’ rather, copying the rat’s game.
Fifthly, the most ancient but surviving “profession”- agriculture-should receive all governments’ priority attention. That without agriculture there shall be no food and consequently life will be in danger or absence entirely is an understatement. I believe no one will put a question on the philosophical statement that life is worth living for. If that is the case then food is worth toiling for. As if I heard your mind whispered “why?” and your tongue uttered “how?”. To answer your inquiries I think I don’t need to tire myself and perhaps you by quoting scholars, publications, dates and pages. Seeing is believing. If you can afford just travel to Niger Republic, or endeavour to make it a “temporary” habit of gluing yourself to a telly or satellite television station like the CNN, BBC, etc. The answers are there. Based on the noble African culture of espirit de corp your neighbour’s laughter is yours and your neighbour’s cry is yours. Nigeria has done a job well done. Nigeria has donated millions of Naira to Niger and the first batch of the consignment of items aid donated by Nigeria to Niger has been slated to leave Nigeria for Niger on Friday 5 August.
There was a time when I had a chance of watching one documentary programme about Africa on the CNN called “Africa at Risk”. Truly, is at risk. Wars, skirmishes, poverty, food crises here and there and what have you are still reigning on the horn-bearing continent. If you like shut your eyes and plug your ears with your fingers, apart from Niger, these countries Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania and Somalia have been biting their fingers over the untold conditions they are in. “Please make yourself clear”, someone requested me. I jokingly replied, “I can only make myself clear if when the sun rises, the hand can cover it. Or until the c amel can pass through the eye of the needle”. The untold conditions I mentioned are famine and poverty---the unique trademark of the African continent. In addition, Malawi has been reported to have been in a critical condition of famine. The UN says over four million people have been affected. Now, AU and the UN what are you supposed to do?
I beg your pardon. I am so garrulous that often when I started talking my better half would sleep and wake up without me arriving at a period. Now back to track, I was discussing agriculture. Yes, for Nigeria to achieve sustainable food security I suggest that provision should be made if one does not already exist, in the Nigerian constitution with all the necessary legislative paraphernalia that will prioritise agriculture in the Nigerian government system. No nation will ever prosper when her agricultural sector is shaky.
The US, the UK and China are among the world’s most advanced agricultural countries. The US, for instance, despite her breakthrough in industrialization and in information and communication technology (ICT), depends substantially on agriculture. That is why the US did not hesitate to continue to subsidies agriculture despite pleas and clamours by many countries particular ly the third world countries that she should withdraw the subsidy. The American farmer is one of the most clever and shrewd farmers in the world. Today in the US many poultry farmers are having their day. They are so environmentally conscious that instead of disposing of the faeces of their birds, they collect them in huge quantities, dry them and burn them into charcoal for their various domestic uses. Thus, by mere engaging in this petty business many of them who are so dollar-wise and cent-clever could earn a lot of the one-eye watermark currency. This is an opportunity for anyone who is interested in exploiting it. Let there be a start somewhere. I will be the pioneer poultry-dung dealer. I should like to start off by booking Baba Aremu’s Otta Farm poultry dungs so that even if the venture should fail to thrive due to Nigerians’ pocket condition, I know, Baba President would bless me for pioneer ing and cleansing his farm of the obnoxious-smelly grey substance and pardon me.
A reafforestation law should be made by the Nigeria legislators which will ensure environmental security. Such law is obviously more needed in the northern part of this country where the few standing trees are felled for firewood, and the scanty vegetation rendered the zone desert-prone. The law should make it a duty upon every adult to plant and nurse some trees in his/her house, farm or at his/her shop. Similarly organizations and institutions both governmental and otherwise should be obliged to do so in and around their premises. Alternative sources of fuel such as coal and gas should be made available and affordable by government to all Nigerians.
Furthermore, I think it has since a long time ago become a cliché that government should open-- handedly and wholeheartedly invest in agriculture. In fact no amount of investment in that sector will be too much. Should we no go back to farm taking hint from the truism that Nigerians are giving birth to more mouths to feed and the Nigerian soil is yielding little food to eat? A nation’s wealth is determined not by its mere industrial and technological development but also by its self-sufficiency in food production. Therefore, like the US government’s subsidy gesture to her farmers the Nigerian government should not think thrice before sh e subsidizes agriculture.
I think I could read the present Obasanjo administration’s mind as to why it streamlined budgets on agriculture. The Obasanjo administration, perhaps, is trying to achieved simultaneous multilateral development in all the social and economic sectors of this country. This, to be achieved by a country like Nigeria, I say it pointblank that it is impossible. And I don’t think any empirical reason could prove that possible. There has never been a nation in history that was able to achieve multilateral development of all sectors simultaneously. Again, just like human being whose growth and develop ment are in stages so shall Nigeria’s. This is logical. This administration of Obasanjo and Atiku should therefore stop playing to the gallery and totally shun complacency and face the reality.
To ensure all-year-round food security moreover, government should make it an obligation, a special one, upon itself to boost irrigation farming in Nigeria particularly in the arid zone of this country. The golden desiccated lose sand of the sahel region of this country can be turned into moist productive land. The US has been able to do that. I beg your pardon, if you say US is too great a nation to compare or emulate then I can tell you that Egypt, an African country lying in the north African desert has been able to, since time immemorial, achieved th is breakthrough. And I think you know, and if you do not know you should, that without the Nile river in Egypt the story would have been different now.
This is for the north. As for the southern part of this great country indefiable effort should be made by government to control gully and other forms of soil erosion caused by heavy rains. Oil is blessing but it can be pernicious when mishandled. All efforts should be made by government and other stakeholders to see that oil spillage and environmental degradation due to gas flaring and other oil-associated activities are checked. Owing to the weather condition of the south many food items especially fresh ones get easily petrified. To minimize this phenomenon government should encourager establishment of modern food preservation methods. Could these noble objectives be realized, Nigeria would soar higher. I believe I am not of course the first person to counsel Nigerian on such issues and certainly I will not be the last. Nevertheless, by repeating or building on what others did or said in an advocacy for one’s own country one is doing a service to one’s own country rather than a disservice.
All observed and said, it is indeed worth writing in gold and exhibiting in the limelight the role played in the international system by the Africa’s most populous nation. Nevertheless, my breath is choked any time I remember that when it comes to home making Nigeria is docile. Here lies the crux of the matter. Definitely, playing to the gallery and winning no goal is the worst victory. The Hausas say leaving faeces in your stomach does not “kill” the hunger in you. It is hightime Nigeria had realized that her attitude of leaving home replete with rampant poverty and wanton inflation will rather one day make an alchemy of the gold in which her name was written by turning it into rusted iron, and by putting out the limelight in which her name was exhibited. And laudably, eventhough I have mentioned it more than once that when Niger’s beard caught fire not only did Nigeria pour water over her own beard but also helped in quenching the fire from Niger’s beard, Nigeria should be on continuous alert.
Therefore, in the final note, forewarned is forearmed. Nigeria had better awaken from her slumbers and realized that prioritizing agriculture is the only answer. Let us make agriculture the pillar upon which the Nigerian economy shall rest. Relying solely on petroleum will never be the panacea to solving our current economic problems. It is pertinent we realized hat it is a “law” that agriculture shall always be as it has always been, the basis of a nation’s prosperity no matter how technologically advanced the nation may be.
“Wanna find out? You’re welcome”. But mind you, there is no shortcut to the reality. The hard way is the only way. If you know you are a kind of person who can be influenced by the region you come from, or the ethnic group you belong to, or the religion you profess to do a disservice to Nigeria. I advise you to make a rethinking. Allow not your tongue to speak before your heart. And, make your heart your own vizier not. Bribe no one and be bribed by no one. Corrupt no one and be corrupted by no one. Work hard no matter what and where and love thy neighbour as you would want your neighbour lov e you. Nigeria, to you I finally say, “A word is enough for the wise”.
ADAM KOLO DEPT. OF MASS COMM., UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI P. M. B. 1069 MAIDUGURI—BORNO STATE. .
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