By Fatimat Ibrahim Abedoh.
HOTPEN – The question ” what is the Nigeria of my dream” I have asked the youth, children, adults, elites and uneducated Nigerians, while most of them have no dream for as regard Nigeria, ” what is there to dream about, Nigeria has no dream” is an answer I often get. As they have lost hope and have little or no interest in her. There are but a few who still holds a belief in her.
Many of us have forgotten that we all make up Nigeria and the journey to realizing our dreams about her starts with us just like the late Sir Tafawa Balewa and late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, we all have a role to play.
Nigeria today where safety and security are not guaranteed, where the Health sector is lethargic, and education is indifferent, where students are made to stay at home while our leaders and lawmaker’s children all school abroad, while the fate of the poor students is tied to the incessant Asuu strike action.
The father probably a security guard whose salary is not enough to meet daily needs hits a dead end as he cannot afford to send his child to a private school.
If asked what is” the Nigeria of your dream” then he would say a place where there is a free, quality education system where students interests are prioritized.
“All men dream but not equally” Ten Lauren.
The Nigeria of my dream is not just peculiar to my Perspective.
The Nigeria of my dream is that of every other Nigerian who believes in our nation.
The Nigeria of my dream lies in the regret of the young man in his late twenties who hit the street immediately after sunrise in search of his next meal as he couldn’t secure a job after graduation.
The Nigeria of my dream lies in the tears of that old woman who could barely walk yet go to the market to make ends meet, and still have to fight the anti-street traders as she can’t secure a shop.
The Nigeria of my dream lies in the heart of the teenage girl who always dream to be a doctor, lawyer and engineer but is made to marry early as her parent can’t see her through school.
She is robbed of her childhood and deprived of being the child she is by becoming a bride.
The Nigeria of my dream lies in the sweat of the children who hawk by the roadside instead of being in the classroom like others.
They peep inside classrooms whenever they see one and wish to be there like other children of their age do.
The Nigeria of my dream lies in the heart of the helpless mother who lost her son to the cold hands of death by unknown gunmen while awaiting his return from school. A mother whose son was brutally killed by terrorists and couldn’t get to see a piece of him.
The Nigeria of my dream lies in the heart of the Almajiri who roam the street in hunger and cold.
The Nigeria of my dream lies in the heart of the poor man who can’t afford the hospital exorbitant bill of the hospital to treat his child.
The Nigeria of my dream is there in the fear of the poor Farmers who can’t go to their farms for fear of bandits.
The Nigeria of my dream lies in the pain of those who kept hoping, praying and dreaming that the country be free of terrorism.
The Nigeria of my dream is to be a place where we can achieve oneness, a state of tranquillity and togetherness.
Where unity doesn’t remain a dream but rather a reality.
Abraham Lincoln once said, ” A house divided against itself cannot stand”.
Unity yields development in all ramifications of the society which includes social, political and economics e.t.c.
A quote by Gerald R Ford, ‘ let us remember that our unity is a priceless asset. I dream of a Nigeria where one day our togetherness and coexistence will reflect our motto – unity, faith, peace and progress.
Millions of students with excellent academic performance had graduated, and millions of other students would keep graduating with no hope of a job. If then we are to ask each one the ” Nigeria of my dream” they all have their story to tell of their dreams.
I dream of a Nigeria where we all can dream and live the dream.
I dream of a Nigeria where travelling would be an adventure and secure, where road driving, train rides and trekking is safe.
I dream of a Nigeria where students are not made to stay at home, where students are not denied the privilege to end their study for the stipulated years due to the Asuu strike.
I dream of a Nigeria where half of the populace wouldn’t have to live in abject poverty. children going to bed on empty stomach not knowing where their next meal will come from.
I dream of Nigeria where we would birth more talents like Oluwatobilola Amusan, Ese Brume and Asisat Oshola who make our anthem to be sung and our flag raised on podiums all around the world.
I dream of a Nigeria a place where we could sleep and wake up whenever. where human life and property matter, where the street and forests are safe.
The Nigeria of my dream is one where the youths as leaders of tomorrow are given the chance to take the front line, to rule without fear of Godfatherism.
I dream of Nigeria where we have leaders that would fulfil the promises they made to us.
The way forward to achieving our dreams demands a lot from both the government and the people in all ramifications.
Realizing the Nigeria of my dream, the Nigeria of our dreams simply requires building a better me and a better you.
” No matter who you are or where you may be, you can do something to change the world for the better”. -Dr. Edward L. karmer.
We all wish for change but the bigger change begins with all of us, then our household, the community, the state, the country, the continent and then the world.
Our individual development will birth the national development we seek. Samuel smiles and says ” the strength of a Nation depends on the character of the people”.
We could realize our dream if Nigeria’s mission is to unbundle the system and make it work for everyone and not only for a few.
In human capital development, there should be development and motivation of people, the development focus should be changed from building things to building people.
When you build a person, you are building the nation.
The youths are the backbone of any country’s development.
Indeed if Nigeria is to be sustained as a viable entity there must be a very nice plan to tap the energy and enthusiasm of the youth population to fast-track political, social, and economic development.
The significant role of youths in Nigeria’s prosperity and development cannot be overemphasized, youths are one of the greatest assets any nation can have not only as they are legitimately regarded as the future leaders, but they are also potential and the greatest investment for a country’s development.
If our youths are gainfully employed, then they will not be available for street Marchers, banditry, armed robbery etc.
Leaders with leadership virtue should only be elected, leaders for the republic of Nigeria not for a particular tribe.
The restoration of education standards at all levels, where as much as 25% of our budget is allocated to education, improve curriculum, train teachers and develop structures.
An educated populace is not only aware but will be economically productive.
The rehabilitation and improvement of the health care sector, open and affordable by the average citizens, access to a good health facility is a right of all.
Fighting to achieve national unity, promoting equality among ethnic groups.
As the quote by the United Nations report on Nigeria’s common country analysis, ” Nigeria is a deeply divided society considering the plurality of ethnic, religion, and regional identity that define her political existence.
Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has struggled to sustain national integration.
For decades, different segments of Nigeria population had at different times, expressed feelings of marginalization, of being dominated, oppressed, threatened or even targeted for elimination”
However, we could change the narrative, if we work for hand in hand casting away our differences.
This could be achieved with the struggle and commitment of both the government and the people.
While the government should work with the Constitution and shun favouritism to achieve national unity, the people as well should be open-minded to embrace their differences. Learning to agree to disagree.
Preaching cultural integration, extending national youth service Corp duration, promoting equality among ethnic groups, initiating social groups and activities like unity school, national festivals and sporting activities.
Initiating developmental projects across the regions without bias would guarantee our national unity.
There are over 250 ethnicities and over 500 different dialects, Nigeria is known as one of the most diverse nations in terms of ethnic groups.
It would be indeed colourful, graceful and peaceful if we could come together channelling our loyalty towards national interest rather than tribe or religion.
Poverty is always one of the major causes of any country’s problem, it instigates a lot of vices in society. In every country, poverty does exist, although the rate differs amongst the countries. It is a problem that affects both developed and developing countries.
However, Nigeria’s poverty rate has skyrocketed making the country the headquarter of poverty in the world as of 2018, and as of now.
Nigeria is one of the most poverty-stricken countries, more than half of its populace lives in abject poverty.
The leaders who are supposed to help regulate the economy are the selfish ones who Hurd and embezzle money just for themselves instead.
Sleep as a luxury of life, become a thing many can’t afford due to the rings of poverty. while some of the children in the streets have one tattered cloth on making them be mistaken for insane people, our leaders are fighting for wardrobe allowance.
Most Nigerians live below the national. Poverty line of $1.25 per day.
A lot of households have had to minimize their food consumption to the littlest and adjust their lifestyles to the decreasing income.
Further, Nigerian households are not just poor, they also face significant challenges in assets such as education and health, access to essential services and insecurity.
In a country blessed with abundant natural and human resources, millions of people are pushed below the poverty line and it keeps rising daily due to corruption, bad government and over independence on oil revenue,e.t.c. poverty in Nigeria could be their fore regarded as man-made not natural.
This could be reversed with the combination of vision, courage, integrity and prudent policy.
Corruption is what leads to the increased level of poverty, thus subjecting its citizens to little or no trust in the government, poverty makes citizens sensitive to government failures which always gear revolt and civil unrest.
The government needs to be downsized, a situation where 82% of the federal budget goes to pay less than 2 % of the populace is outrageous. It should be reduced to a reasonable percentage and then the rest be circulated in a just and fair way.
In our public services, a performance Management scheme should be installed. Rewards should be awarded based on competency.
There should be an increase in foreign exchange in areas of competitive advantage like rubber, cocoa and palm oil.
The 9th Nigeria Economic Summit identified a set of five growth drivers, which are: security, sector reform, infrastructure, job creation and investment. Investment opportunities need to be explored in these five growth areas.
We lack growth, and development would only occur at a sustained level of growth.
Economic growth can only be realised through investment in the productive sector.
Ensuring that we only elect a leader who is sincerely concerned about Nigerian citizens.
Leaders who are ready to submit themselves to the leadership virtues. leaders who would demonstrate accountability by keeping us informed.
A decent quality of life is our birthright, and it is the sole responsibility of the leaders to ensure and give us the guarantee.
Fatimat Ibrahim Abedoh is a level 400 student at, the Department of Information and Media Studies, Bayero University, Kano. Email: abedohfatimat@gmail.com