By Sunny Ikhioya

I HAVE just read through a policy document from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, titled: “Turning the COVID-19 tragedy into an opportunity for a new Nigeria”. Written by the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, in a compellingly concise, simple and easy to read language, it touched on almost every part of our lives and I totally agree with it. But this country has never been short of very good policy documents, the challenge has always been with implementation.

Will the powerful men at the top – the presidency, legislators, governors, politicians and the ubiquitous civil servants – allow this beautiful policy framework to evolve? Will they allow it to work? Through man-made and natural disasters, man has once again found himself in a crucible: the fall of man and nation in some climes and the rise in other areas. Some say that the economic sun is stabilizing in the east, meaning the country of China. Will this be the case?

Nations rise and nations fall, nothing remains permanent. In the midst of all of these, where will Africa be placed? Whether we like it or not, after the Coronavirus pandemic is brought under control world wide, things are never going to be the same again. Doors have been shut to free entry and exit into countries, much akin to the 9/11 situation. People now have to depend more on the internet for transaction of business and nations will strive more to be self-sufficient.

Is this the time for Africa, nay Nigeria, to wake up? Is this the time for the sleeping giant to take its rightful place in the comity of nations? Is it a Utopian dream to expect less from us? The die is cast, it is now or never! It is either we free ourselves now or remain slaves for a long time to come. William Shakespeare wrote: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.” That is the circumstances that we are faced with as a nation: to ride with the tide or be stuck in its ebb. Will the nation of Nigeria ride with the tide? This is the big question that we are faced with because of the inherent contradictions in the way we do things. The foundation for our present distortion is very deep and until we dig deep to uproot it, we will continue to remain in the shallows.

It has never been the wish of the white man to make us better; circumstances have made the black man to go through all of these journeys and phases; each time, it has always been at the whims of the white man. When changes in technology are being considered anywhere in the world, the place of Africa is never considered; they just do what they feel is right for them and we in Africa just join the bandwagon.

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We have been programmed to follow and not to think. If we understand this better and the leadership is carried along to effect changes in this relationship, the goals that we strive for will be attained. But, if we continue to do business or run things here in the manner that has become our trait, we will fail. Divided we fall, united we stand; commonwealth and shared prosperity should be our common goal. The people cannot correct this; the leadership must put in place a framework for its implementation. We can become a First World nation, that is, if we are ready to take the plunge. There is a speech credited to the notorious British racist, Lord Babinton Macaulay, written in year 1835. Immersed in controversy because of its denial in certain circles, there is no smoke without fire as Macaulay’s racist tendencies are very well documented in history. He was quoted as follows: “I have travelled across the length and breadth of Africa and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief; such wealth I have seen in this country,   such a high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think that we would ever conquer this country unless we break the very backbone of this nation which is her spiritual and cultural heritage… Therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Africans think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.”

So if we take this statement in its context and content – some have also attributed it to India – it is clear that the distortion in our way of life – culture, education, language, etc.- was a deliberate policy executed by the British to keep African nations under perpetual subjugation. The French also applied same to their colonies. So, if we can realise this and reset our mindset, we can move forward; after all, it has been proven that intelligence is not attributable to race and tribe, rather it is mainly through environmental and cultural factors that it can manifest positively.

If, at some point in history, we were at par with the white man’s civilisation, why can’t we bring it at par again? It requires refocusing. We must first unite the people along one common goal, we must pool our resources together, especially the ones that concern our human capital and harness them. Tribal and religious barriers must be pulled down and reasoning must be elevated to the level of science. We must reprogramme our education and give emphasis to indigenous researches and development. If our government and politicians are sincere, the people will follow. We can see from the performance of our doctors and healthcare practitioners that they can match the best in the world if given the required encouragement. It is an opportunity for indigenous scientists to take over, none should be overlooked.

The Provost of Luminar International College of Alternative Medicine, Prof Joseph Akpa, says he has found a cure for the coronavirus pandemic. He should be investigated and his product subjected to the necessary scientific analysis and ably supported by the government. There is no technology or scientific breakthrough in China that does not have the stamp of government; they are encouraged to dare, even at the risk of failure. Anambra State government under Mr. Peter Obi did same for Innoson Motors; such must be replicated round the country in key areas and core competencies.

Our doctors, pharmacists, scientists and others must work at producing our own vaccines and drugs and not depend on foreigners. You can only trust what you produce; so we do not get sucked into conspiracy theories emanating from the Western and Eastern parts of the world and doing so much damage to our respective psyche. This is the time to up our game; when almost all of us are in our respective enclaves here in Nigeria and not in foreign lands; and we must survive,   whether we like it or not.

I will end this piece with a quote from popular activist and columnist, Owei Lakemfa: “Africans and the underdeveloped world should focus on what benefits their people and how they can also contribute to human development and not be cheerleaders at the turf of battles for global leadership “. I hope someone is reading this.

Ikhioya, a social commentator, wrote from Warri

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