THE PROBLEM WITH NIGERIA Some years back, I read an article by Professor Wole Soyinka which asserted that

the problem with Nigeria is the unwillingness of Nigerian leaders to lead. This made perfect sense to me. We can all see this unwillingness in their brazen looting of the public treasury. But it also got me thinking. Why were Nigerian leaders so unwilling to lead their own country? Was it because they didnt care about their country? Or were they just bad people? However, in the article, the professor also mentioned that this unwillingness has been Nigerias problem for the past three decades. That was what actually struck me hard. Not the actual sentence (which was obviously true) but what the sentence implied. That for the past thirty years, ALL the leaders weve had had been bad. Logically, this can only mean one of three things: one, that the only ones capable of winning politics in Nigeria are bad people; two, that everyone who goes into politics in Nigeria is bad; or three, that all Nigerians are bad. Like the evil English King said in the movie Brave Heart that the problem with Scotland is that its filled with Scots, I think the problem with Nigeria is that its filled with Nigerians. Theres nothing wrong with the soil, the water, the terrain. Theres also nothing wrong with the weather or even the natural resources. The only thing wrong with Nigeria are the people residing in it. Okay, before Im crucified for treason, please let me explain. Yes, Im saying we the Nigerian people suck big time. But its actually not our fault that were like this. Its as a result of decades of brainwashing. Decades upon decades of merely living in Nigeria has caused a psychological trauma in all Nigerians which has made us believe a lie that has so fundamentally changed our way of thinking. This essay aims to identify the basic problem with Nigeria; the fundamental flaw which seems to originate all other problems Nigeria suffer from today. Before I move on, it would be prudent to establish some basic facts. To begin with, it is widely accepted that Nigeria is not a poor country. In fact according to an economic intelligence publication, Nigeria is said to be a very rich country which generates trillions of revenue from oil and non oil sector. So rich that about seventeen billion naira was budgeted towards the celebration of the 50th Independence anniversary. Secondly, its also widely accepted that Nigerians are not unintelligent. [give facts to support this, even the fact that they are the leaders in fraud]. So if the country is so wealthy and inhabited by smart people, what then is the problem with Nigeria? Why is there so much suffering? Why is there so much corruption? Where does all our brilliance and money go? The answer to those questions can be found in one of the most popular saying in the country which goes: To make it, its all about who you know and not what you know. Over the years, we Nigerians have learnt from the previous generation and the generation before them that the only way to make money in Nigeria is by having connections. Why? Because its only when you have connections that you can get into political office which is of course the only place you can make money in Nigeria. Which brings us to the fundamental difference between Nigerians and citizens of developed countries. In developed countries, when you want to make lots of money, you start up a company. In Nigeria when you want to make lots of money, you go into politics. And that right there is the basic problem of Nigeria. The general public, over the course of decades, have been brainwashed into believing that theres more money to be made in the public sector than in the

private sector. The result of this is what you see today. Everyone who wants to make money flocks to the public sector. They use all the resources available to them to devise a means of getting into office. And when they finally get in, they use all their time and brilliance in plotting new ways of stealing money: new projects; new programs; new schemes; all with the sole purpose of lining a few pockets. One of the problems this now creates is their unwillingness to lead. But can you blame them? They got into office to make money, not to lead. And is it really just the leaders who are involved in this? Moving billions of Naira is not easy. Making billions of Naira disappear from public fund is even more complicated. Several people are involved. From the top leaders to the most insignificant follower; the one who probably complains of corruption more than anyone else in the country. But hes not going to say anything about the fraud now, is he? Because he believes that if hes loyal enough and works hard enough, he may one day get lucky and be offered a position of his own. And thats where the problem gets complicating. Because a good ninety percent of people in Nigeria who scream corruption are also paying their dues so theyll either be able to feed off their bosses in office or if theyre lucky enough, they themselves may one day be given office. The whole case of bribery, corruption, high crime rate, frightening food insecurity, poor state of our education and health systems, mounting unemployment, broken down infrastructure, worsening insecurity, flawed electoral system, pervasive inequality and the utter disregard for due process and the rule of law by our leaders; everything can be traced back to this basic flaw. Everyone believes money can only be made in political office and so everyone focuses everything into getting in public office. That completely destroys our private sector causing widespread unemployment and also destroys our public sector causing widespread corruption. Just this one belief is what is crippling Nigeria. Do I think this problem can be solved? Yes. How? The same way it was created: through brainwashing. We need to re-program the Nigerian citizens into believing that theres more money to be made in the private sector than in the public. In my opinion, this can only be done in two ways. Two very complex, cunning ways. But thats for another day. Today, it suffice to say that if this brainwashing succeeds, all Nigerians seeking to make large amounts of money will flock to the private sector, imputing their crafty embezzling brilliance into making what people want. This will not only grow our economy, but will also leave the public sector for those not really interested in money (a concept Im sure is very strange to many) but who just want to lead.