Thank you for the incisive article; the last two paragraphs nailed down the problem that has kept Nigeria, particularly these past 30 years, down.
It is my view that there was a different Nigeria that existed from independence to around 1985 when the malaise took hold. In that period, governance had a purpose – uplifting of the people and improving their living standard. To that end, governments worked with development plans to guide them. The first one -1962-1968 – gave Nigeria the Kainji Hydroelectric Power Dam which was completed on time despite the country being involved in the Civil War at the time. The Second National Development Plan, 1971-1975, brought new universities, airports, ports, refineries and the motor assembly plants. The last plan – 1975-1980 had Jebba HEP, etc. After that things went down; no planning and no coherence in governing. The Civil Service lost integrity and so cannot deliver.
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Getting this country back up will require revolutionary forces acting for a long period, for there’s no longer allegiance to a common faith (a shared destiny) or vision.
Thank you!
M T Usman, Abuja
