The 21st edition of the Nigerian Economic Summit was held in Abuja from October 13th to 15th, 2015, under the rather broadly construed but timely theme: “Tough Choices: Overcoming the Challenges of Inclusive Growth and Global Competitiveness.” The portions of the proceedings which I was able to follow were truly inspiring. But that is very often the case in our nation; our problem is not a dearth of brilliant minds to generate the ideas needed to effectively confront our challenges and propel us into that future which we all have been dreaming of for several decades. The problem is that we express those great ideas but refuse to bring them into the realm of execution.
In a similar manner, some of the ministers nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari were stellar in their performance before the Senate as they fielded questions during the screening exercise. One just wonders: How many of these same people will go on to perform as brilliantly in the actual execution of the duties with which they will be charged on behalf of the citizens of this nation?
Yes indeed, some choices are really tough to make – and Nigeria is in that position right now where only the making of tough choices can turn our lot around. Many of us know what this means in our personal lives as well. A man I knew was faced with a very tough choice when his eldest daughter became paralysed after a serious car accident. Taking care of her constant medical needs required resources which he could not afford for more than the first couple of years. Even then, it was not that he could really afford them; it was done more out of the hope that his daughter’s situation would eventually be reversed. It soon dawned on him, however, that his family was in it for the long haul, and when that happened he had to take a tough decision: Should he (could he) continue to pour all his resources into the care of the bed-ridden child and thereby jeopardise the health and well-being of the other members of the family, especially his three other daughters who had to be fed, clothed and educated? He chose the well-being of the others and stopped the purchase of the expensive medicines and other medical supplies needed by his infirm daughter. Tough choice.
Back to the Nigerian Economic Summit. The former Prime Minister of Georgia, Mr. Nila Gilauri, spoke on how his country’s celebrated transformation was achieved through the making of some very tough choices. According to Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, one of the discussants at the event, some countries apparently got to a point where they realised that the cost of corruption had become too high, such that even those who benefitted from the net aggregate still fell victim to corruption. At that point, they knew something almost revolutionary had to be done – and they went ahead to do so. Mr. Gilauri spoke about a drastic simplification of the regulations relating to doing business, stressing that this was crucial for attracting investors.
Some of the examples Mr. Gilauri cited were quite revealing. Comparing the ease of doing business in Nigeria and Georgia, he pointed out that whereas it would take some 77 days to register a business in Nigeria, that same process would take only a single day in Georgia; and that instead of the 260 days needed by an investor to obtain a construction permit in Nigeria, only 12 days would be required in his country. Another drastic step taken by the Georgian government was to fire all the traffic policemen in a single day – and traffic was said to have actually improved! In Nigeria, the attitude of government is to assume that everybody is a crook, so they put as many stumbling blocks as possible in our way in the form of (stupid) regulations.
Now, the challenge we have as a nation is: Are we ready to make the tough choices which are staring us in the face? Why do we hold all the summits, seminars, workshops and conferences where we develop roadmaps and draft strategic plans, only to file them away in drawers in our ministries? Why are we lacking in the guts required to bite the bullet and do the needful? A favourite expression which the former Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (then University of Ife), late Professor Hezekiah Oluwasanmi, often used to characterise us students then was “chicken-hearted and lily-livered” – something he would not tolerate in any of us. Why do Nigerian leaders balk in the face of challenges? Why do they come out as chicken-hearted and lily-livered when the occasion calls for courage and decisiveness?
What are some of the tough choices we are required to make at this point in our development as a nation? I believe that one of the most important is a clear demonstration that those in leadership do not have the right to steal the nation’s resources and get away with it. We need to bring to book all those who have done harm to the lives of Nigerians by diverting funds meant to serve the people. Until we actually see former governors, ministers, and even heads of state convicted by our own courts and put behind bars, Nigeria will continue to stumble along, with potential not becoming reality. One hopes that President Buhari is ready and willing to lead in making this particular tough choice!
