 |
| We the people Nigeria; the map of Nigeria designed with the colour of the Nigerian flag. |
According to the statistics from World Health Organization, Nigeria has population of 185,990,000 in respect to the figure generated in 2006. According to African Argument publication, "nearly 70% of Nigeria’s population of 180 million people are aged below 35, yet they are virtually nowhere to be seen in the corridors of power" That is a big challenge as many of these young men and women are not integrated properly into the team of people that make decision in the country.
"WE THE PEOPLE - Building A New Democracy in Nigeria As a Model for Africa" is a sound educational book written by 18 different authors from different parts of Nigeria. The main objective of the book is to change the mindset of Nigerian citizens towards how to make Nigeria better, and clean corruption in the country from bottom - top. The authors in the book are:
- Dr Chidi Achebe, M. D MPH MBA
- Prof. Deborah E. Ajakaiye, PhD FAS FNMGS FGS OON MNI
- Inam Akrasi and Anne-Elizabeth Akrasi
- Prof. Okay Ibeanu, PhD
- Miss Jemila Ibrahim, BSc
- prof. Uduogie Michael Obi Ivowi, PhD FNTI FNAE
- Dr. Gary Maxey, PhD D. Miss
- Prof. Aminu S. Mikailu, BSc MSc PhD
- Prof. Peter U. Nwangwu, MSc Pharm.D PhD FACCP FASCP
- Gabriel Nwanze, BSc FMNES ACE
- Lewis Obi
- Prof. Grace C. Offorma, BA.Ed. M.Ed PhD FCON
- Prof. Elewechi Okike, PhD MPhil MSc BSc FHEA FRSA MNIM
- Prof. Damian Opata, PhD
- Dr. Abimbola Oyindamola Odumosu, BSc PhD DSE
- Dr. John Tor-Agbidye, DVM MSc PhD
- Dr. Obinna Ubani-Ebere, PhD RFG CABCS CACM
- Engr. Okwuagbala Uzochukwu Mike, B. Eng
The above names are the chapters authors that contributed in the book. Each author discussed unique area of interest. There are 18 authors in the book whom are intellectually sound. The author of this article is one of the contributors. We will discuss these chapters for better understanding and for proper knowledge.
The Book Chapters
Chapter 1: The Nigerian ConstitutionChapter 2: Analysis of the Content and Demands of the Nigerian Constitution: How Nigerian leaders have failed WE THE PEOPLE
Chapter 3: Destruction of the National Fabrics and Foundation: Evils of Pervasive Lawlessness, and Role of Personal Accountability
Chapter 4 The Ideological Crisis of Nigerian Political Parties: Some Reflections
Chapter 5: Review of Corruption in Nigeria: Causes, Effects and Solution
Chapter 6: Corruption in the National Assembly: Abuses in Budget Approvals, Confirmation Hearing, Oversight Duties and Constituency Projects
Chapter 7: How Corruption Keeps Nigeria Underdeveloped: My Personal Experience, Professor Peter U. Nwangwu
Chapter 8: The Roots and Foundations of Corruption in Nigeria: Corrective Tools for Mitigation in Public and Private Sectors
Chapter 9: The Benefits of Building a New Nigeria That Will Bring Back Most Nigerians in the Diaspora
Chapter 10: Towards A Holistic Development Trajectory for Nigeria
Chapter 11: WE THE PEOPLE movement: Lessons from History: The French Revolution and The Total Transformation of France
Chapter 12: The New Breed of WE THE PEOPLE: The Character and Commitments required to Build a New Democratic and Progressive Nigeria
Chapter 14: The Role of the Youth in Building a New Nigeria Through the WE THE PEOPLE movement
Chapter 15: The New Breed of WE THE PEOPLE: Cultivating the Spirit and Mindset of Excellence in the Nigerian Youth/Grassroots
Chapter 16: Transforming the Nigerian Educational System for a more Prosperous and Progressive Nigeria
Chapter 17: Intellectuals as Nation Builders
Chapter 18: The A, B, C of How to Transform Nigeria Permanently
The Nigerian Constitution
A constitution is an aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity, and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. Some parts of the constitution of Nigeria are stated in this chapter. Constitution is important for every country.Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999
We the people of the Federal Republic of NigeriaHaving firmly and solemnly resolve, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God, dedicated to the promotion of inter-African solidarity, world peace, international cooperation and understanding
And to provide for a Constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country, on the principles of freedom, equality and justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people
Do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following Constitution
Highlight from the above Constitution Quote
The part that Nigeria is indivisible and indissoluble is one of the major reasons the agitation to divide the country is not working. Many have tried to break out from Nigeria and become independent country but it has not worked out. The Nigeria civil war resulted because the Igbo tribe wanted to be on their own and answer Biafra. The Constitution is a bond and has held the country together.Other Areas discussed in Chapter 1
There are many other areas discussed in the chapter one of the book. These areas include chapter II of the Nigerian Constitution (Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy) and Chapter IV of the Nigerian Constitution (Fundamental Rights). There are some clauses in these two chapters that are very important to understand. Sometimes it seems as if our government does not see these sections or maybe they see them and cover their eyes because they do not want to see them clearly.Example is chapter II section 14 subsection (1), (2a, b, & c).
It states:
14. (1) The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice.
(2) It is hereby, accordingly, declared that:
(a) sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority;
(b) the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government: and
(c) the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
Lets look at the part that stated that it is the primary responsibility of the government to secure the people and seek for their welfare. The issue of security has been a hot topic in Nigeria for the past 8 years now. The government of Nigeria has failed her people as she is not able to tackle the security challenge in Nigeria. Many Nigerians have died because of weak security in the country. The issue of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has claimed many lives in the country.
Analysis of the Content and Demands of the Nigerian Constitution: How Nigerian leaders have failed WE THE PEOPLE
It is important to analyse the constitution of every country for deeper understanding. This is covered in chapter 2 and some areas will be discussed here. The authors of this chapter are Prof. Peter U. Nwangwu, Prof. Deborah E. Ajakaiye, and Dr John Tor-Adigbye.The Constitution, the highest law of the land, is a documentation of the collective will and wisdom of the people of Nigeria, for the purpose of directing the actions of the government towards achieving the good welfare of all persons in our country, "WE THE PEOPLE," on the principles of freedom, equality and justice; and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people (Nwangwu 2016). According to Nwangwu, Constitution is not set up by one individual. It is is a product of sound team work of people from different parts of the country.
Section 15 (5): The state shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuses of power.
Analysis: The Constitution of Nigeria, the highest law of the land, demands that the government shall abolish all corrupt practices and power. But is this really working among the politicians in Nigeria? The answer is no as corruption lays eggs in Nigeria state. The transparency in the state of Nigeria is low.
Section 17 (3): The state shall direct its policy towards ensuring that -
(a) All citizens, without discrimination on any group whatsoever, have the opportunity for securing adequate means of livelihood as well as adequate opportunity to secure suitable employment.
Analysis: What the above part of Constitution explains is that every citizen of Nigeria has equal right to secure a job in any company so far the person is qualified for the job. The aim of the above has been defeated because there are some places that are made for the children of rich men and top politicians to be employed in the country. Since establishment of Central Bank of Nigeria, do you know that many people have been recruited and yet the job vacancy advert is not seen by job seekers. Many have been employed in CBN but are linked to government officials or the rich people in the country.
Destruction of the National Fabrics and Foundation: Evils of Pervasive Lawlessness, and Role of Personal Accountability
Accountability is one of the qualities of good leadership. A leader that wants the growth of the country he leads must be accountable. He must be able to account on how funds are spent from the national account and the income. This is one of the major reasons why developed nations are getting it right.Many Nigerian leaders, those in local governments, states and national level have destroyed the country's fabric. The level of lawlessness among them is bad. Many of them are not investigated during and after their leadership irrespective of the crimes they committed. The level of lawlessness in Nigeria is discouraging.
According to Abimbola O. Odumosu, the author of the chapter 3, lawlessness is evil. All laws are made to create orderliness in the society, and respect the rights of the citizens. He went further and stated that most law enforcement officers in Nigeria are routine law-breakers. When people who suppose to enforce the laws are breakers of the law, what will our society be like?
The Ideological Crisis of Nigerian Political Parties: Some Reflections
The author of chapter 4 is Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu. He is a lecture that has sound experience in writing. He is grounded in political issues.What comes to your mind when you hear the word ideology? According to Oxford Online Dictionary, ideology is a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. There are many political parties in Nigeria and each has its way of carrying out political activities.
Irrespective of high number of political parties in Nigeria, these parties lack ideology. According to the report from Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), there were 91 political parties in Nigeria as of November 2019. In the absence of shared common commitments to an ideology, there is a high level of indiscipline, conflict and disarray in political parties in Nigeria.
We see members of one political party move to another party because they want to contest for particular positions as their initial party did not give them the ticket to do so. They want to assume power either by hook or by crook. They do not have WE THE PEOPLE at heart but want to gain political power. That is why many of them when elected forgot about the welfare of the people that voted for them.
In the chapter, discussed is overview on the transparency of Nigeria when compared with other countries of the world. Corruption has not only become pervasive in Nigeria but it is more or less a way of life, much to the detriment of the Nigerian society and economy (LU Odo 2015). Nigeria ranks high in corruption since Transparency International began its survey on corruption. Nigeria corrupt state gives the country bad reputation and Nigerians in diaspora have been deprived many good opportunities because of this. It really have negative effects on WE THE PEOPLE both those at home and outside the country.
Irrespective of the level it has eaten deep into the country, things can still change to better. WE THE PEOPLE of Nigeria can cause effective changes to good. There are solutions to reduce corruption in Nigeria to minimal level. This can be done by job creation, selfless service, accountability quality, youth empowerment, voting right and proper law enforcement.
The Nigerian National Assembly consists of two group of politicians. They are the Senates and Members of House of Representative. The National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a bicameral legislature established under section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution. It consists of a Senate with 109 members and a 360-member House of Representatives.
According Lewis Obi who wrote the chapter 6 of the book, "Barely a week after the National Assembly was inaugurated in June 1999, it was discovered that the speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Salisu Buhari, not only forged his education certificates but he has also falsified his age. This is little among the heavy corrupt practices that go on in Nigerian National Assembly. Our legislatures are really messing up and painting the image of the country black.
The members of the National Assembly pay themselves the highest any legislature in the the world could earn. Nigeria GDP is not up to the GDP of some developed countries and yet our legislature pay themselves more than double of what other legislatures from other parts of developed countries are paid annually.
In the picture below, you will see the annual earning of each senator's pay in from different countries and compare them with that of Nigerian senators.
From the table, a senator in United States of America earns $174,000.00 every year and a Nigerian senator earns $2,183,688.00 annually. This includes basic salary, hardship allowance, constituency allowance, newspaper allowance, wardrobe allowance and other allowances. It is better to remove the body of House of Assembly from Nigerian governing team because they are robbing the country.
Budget padding is not new among the Nigerian legislature. They steal from the country when they are making budget. A budget that suppose to cost N60 billion they quote it as N100 billion because they want to make their personal money from that. It is a corrupt practice. On 20th July 2016, the former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dr. Yakubu Dogara, dismissed the chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee of the House, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin. Later Jibrin opened up that what caused his dismissal was because he did not allow the addition of high amount of money into the right amount for proposed budgets. The senators are killing the country with corruption. They highly increase the cost of executing projects due to their greediness.
In the chapter 7 of the book, Prof. Peter Nwangwu started by narrating a story of how corrupt practice took place in Queen Elizabeth Hospital during the Biafran War or simply put Nigerian Civil War. The food items supplied to the hospital then were to feed the victims of the war because many suffered from malnutrition which is one of the effects of war. He was a young man then at 18 years and worked as paramedic at the hospital. One of the workers in the hospital packed large quantity of food and gave to her friend without physician's prescription. Nwangwu seeing the lady stopped her because that was a corrupt practice. The variety of the food items were returned back to the food store. His action was act of accountability. If to say the friend to the health worker went with the food like that, many would go hungry. This is one of the ways corruption in other areas have kept many dying and hence leaving our country underdeveloped.
He also went ahead and narrated a story on how he applied for health project in Nigeria. He moved from United States to Nigeria to set up medical plant that would manufacture drugs to improve the healthcare of Nigerians. This project did not go well and speedy because top officials wanted bribe and he is not a fan of bribery. This deprived Nigerians many things they would have benefitted from the professor of pharmacy and pharmacology with experience. This shows how corruption has kept our health sector underdeveloped.
Corruption is an unconscionable advantage, profit or gain of injustice through the abuse of authority and power (Obinna Ubani-Ebere 2016). Obinna Ubani-Ebere went further and stated "corruption anywhere does not occur in vacuum. What his statement implies is that corruption has channels through which it is carried out in different parts of the world. So if corruption takes place in Nigeria, United States, United Kingdom, Malaysia and the other parts of the world, there are carriers of such act.
The objective of chapter 8 of the book are: (1) Discuss the roots and foundations of corruption in the public and private sectors of Nigeria (2) Identify loopholes that breed corruption (3) Examine their consequences and (4) propose corrective tools for mitigation of corruption in Nigeria. According to Obinna, corruption is a product of greed. Greediness has make our leaders and individuals find themselves in the net of corruption which does not show any good image.
In the chapter, the propose corrective tools for mitigation of corruption in Nigeria by the chapter author centres on accountability. He stated that corrective tools to be used for the mitigation of corruption in Nigeria are political accountability, economic accountability, social accountability, religious, and judicial accountability. When these culture are cultivated in the country, there will be reduction in corruption level in the country and hence good transparency.
There are many Nigerians that will come back home if the country is made better for all. These Nigerians living in diaspora can bring in their own ideas to make things work out for good in the country. Many have good leadership skills, experience in health, technology and the rest. Their coming back home will make things better.
Building a new Nigeria may not be any easy but it is achievable. Many Nigerians in Diaspora would rather return to their homeland; many live and die in foreign lands, against their will. Therefore, in Chapter 9, we present a detailed and well-articulated discussion on “The benefits of Building a New Nigeria that will Bring Back Most Nigerians in the Diaspora.” Many Nigerian intellectuals and fine professionals live and contribute to the development of the economies of foreign nations, when they can be in Nigeria contributing greatly to the development of their own country.
Some people who were not doing well in life in some cases learned from people who have discovered their feet. If Nigerian leaders can think properly and create lasting solutions by forming better agenda, Nigeria will be one of the best countries in the world with time. We have all it takes to make this happen.
Before the revolution, many French citizens were living in poverty. There was high level of injustice in the country which include not paying of taxes by the rich people and members of the noble families in the country. The gap between the poor and the rich was so much.
After the high inhumane treatment received by the poor people of France then especially the poor cereal (grain) harvest of 1775 which sparked off the high cost of bread, the people began to ask themselves questions. They began to wonder why they were still living as they were not treated well by their government. This made them to challenge l'order etabli (the established order) and that ignited riots on the streets of Paris and social unrest. The riot culminated in the storming of the Bastille Fortress, an event that is considered by specialists as the high point of the beginning of the French Revolution.
According to Chinua Achebe of the blessed memory, "the trouble of Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character.
From the views of the chapter authors, there are commitments required to build a new democratic and progressive Nigeria. If these commitments are met, there will be a better Nigeria. These commitments are good governance, quality and inclusive education, human capital development, fiscal federalism, enhancement of food production and food security, and abhorrence of corruption, tribalism, social injustice, indiscipline, and mediocrity.
The author of the chapter stated that the best way to tackle corruption in Nigeria is starting from the bottom to the top. Starting from the top to the bottom will not make any much impact. Nigeria is a religious society. If the problem of corruption is to be handled, starting with churches and Islam places of worship will give the expected result. The practice of moral should be taught through these channels. This will make the people close their eyes to corrupt practices when they get to the top. Using the WE THE PEOPLE MOVEMENT can still be a way to build corruption-free Nigeria.
More than half the Nigerian population are made up of youths between the ages of 15 to 34 years. That is to say that over 85 million Nigerians are youths. The chapter 14 of the book WE THE PEOPLE - Building a New Democracy in Nigeria as a Framework for Africa is authored by Gabriel Nwanze and Jemila Ibrahim. The authors started by lamenting on the bad treatment given to the youths of the country. The youths of Nigeria are not carried on in political and economic affairs of the country. That does not tell good of the country. In summary, if they are given good opportunity in politics, the country will have better future.
Chapter 15 was written by Professor Peter Nwangwu. The chapter examine the elements and tools required to build the spirit and mindset of excellence in the new breed of Nigerian youth/grassroots. The practical counsel offered will help grow a new breed of Nigerian youths and grassroots that will empower the transformation process in Nigeria.
Data from the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) showed that only about 23% of students who entered Nigerian Universities have a credit pass in English language and Mathematics. Why this poor record among Nigerian students? One of the reasons is due to poor foundation. Many of our students do not have solid foundation educationally because the system is weak. In this chapter, Prof Peter Nwangwu offers some solutions to build better education in Nigeria. Among his solutions are employing capable and qualified teachers, government involvement to eradicate illiteracy, free education and retraining the teachers.
Also, the cost of politics in Nigeria is very high. This is one of the reasons many intellectuals in the country do not participate. There are many Nigerians who are intellectually sound and ready to assume leadership positions in the country. If these people are voted in irrespective of the fact that they may not be in weight pulling political parties, the leadership of the country will change to good.
We concluded the book with a discussion in chapter 18 on the A, B, C of how to transform Nigeria permanently. This discussion outlines 8 problems, in alphabetical order, that we must confront and solve to create a new Nigeria, including: Agriculture and Food Security; Bribery, Corruption, and Rule of Law; Crime and Insecurity; Democracy and National Development; Economy and Unemployment; Infrastructural Development and Residency Rights; Good Education (not schooling) and Youth Development; Healthcare and Protection of Life. We discussed the needs of Nigeria with these problems, but also offer workable solutions to the problems in a manner that will transform the Nigeria nation. Nigeria needs a qualified cerebral intellectual President, with character, integrity, and a strong and unyielding will to do the right thing for the nation, and for WE THE PEOPLE, consistently without fear or favour. Nigeria can be a great, clean, safe, and corrupt-free nation that will be celebrated and respected everywhere in the world.
You can buy the book from Amazon
Review of Corruption in Nigeria: Causes, Effects and Solution
The chapter 5 of the book WE THE PEOPLE - Building a New Democracy in Nigeria as a Model for Africa has its author as Engr. and Financial Advisor Okwuagbala Uzochukwu Mike. He is the one that wrote this review as well. Mike is experienced author in writing on corruption and social challenges. In soapboxie.com the articles written by him had stayed among the top 10 for six months.In the chapter, discussed is overview on the transparency of Nigeria when compared with other countries of the world. Corruption has not only become pervasive in Nigeria but it is more or less a way of life, much to the detriment of the Nigerian society and economy (LU Odo 2015). Nigeria ranks high in corruption since Transparency International began its survey on corruption. Nigeria corrupt state gives the country bad reputation and Nigerians in diaspora have been deprived many good opportunities because of this. It really have negative effects on WE THE PEOPLE both those at home and outside the country.
Irrespective of the level it has eaten deep into the country, things can still change to better. WE THE PEOPLE of Nigeria can cause effective changes to good. There are solutions to reduce corruption in Nigeria to minimal level. This can be done by job creation, selfless service, accountability quality, youth empowerment, voting right and proper law enforcement.
Corruption in the National Assembly: Abuses in Budget Approvals, Confirmation Hearing, Oversight Duties and Constituency Projects
Does corruption really exist in the National Assembly? This question is answered in the chapter 6 of the book. But without you reading through the book first, the members of Nigerian National Assembly are dinning with corruption everyday. They abuse the power given to them. They use their offices for personal gain. |
| Seal of the Senate of Nigeria |
According Lewis Obi who wrote the chapter 6 of the book, "Barely a week after the National Assembly was inaugurated in June 1999, it was discovered that the speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Salisu Buhari, not only forged his education certificates but he has also falsified his age. This is little among the heavy corrupt practices that go on in Nigerian National Assembly. Our legislatures are really messing up and painting the image of the country black.
The members of the National Assembly pay themselves the highest any legislature in the the world could earn. Nigeria GDP is not up to the GDP of some developed countries and yet our legislature pay themselves more than double of what other legislatures from other parts of developed countries are paid annually.
In the picture below, you will see the annual earning of each senator's pay in from different countries and compare them with that of Nigerian senators.
 |
| Annual pay of a Nigerian Senator as compared to other senators from few countries; source: WE THE PEOPLE - Building a New Democracy in Nigeria as a Model for Africa (Book) |
Budget padding is not new among the Nigerian legislature. They steal from the country when they are making budget. A budget that suppose to cost N60 billion they quote it as N100 billion because they want to make their personal money from that. It is a corrupt practice. On 20th July 2016, the former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dr. Yakubu Dogara, dismissed the chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee of the House, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin. Later Jibrin opened up that what caused his dismissal was because he did not allow the addition of high amount of money into the right amount for proposed budgets. The senators are killing the country with corruption. They highly increase the cost of executing projects due to their greediness.
How Corruption keeps Nigeria Underdeveloped: My Personal Experience, Professor Peter U. Nwangwu
The title above is not far from project titles and assignments given to some students in the Nigerian tertiary institutions. It can come in the form "Critically Analyze with Facts on how Corruption keeps Nigeria Underdeveloped" Indeed corruption has kept the country underdeveloped in many ways. It has deprived the citizens of the country many things they suppose to gain.In the chapter 7 of the book, Prof. Peter Nwangwu started by narrating a story of how corrupt practice took place in Queen Elizabeth Hospital during the Biafran War or simply put Nigerian Civil War. The food items supplied to the hospital then were to feed the victims of the war because many suffered from malnutrition which is one of the effects of war. He was a young man then at 18 years and worked as paramedic at the hospital. One of the workers in the hospital packed large quantity of food and gave to her friend without physician's prescription. Nwangwu seeing the lady stopped her because that was a corrupt practice. The variety of the food items were returned back to the food store. His action was act of accountability. If to say the friend to the health worker went with the food like that, many would go hungry. This is one of the ways corruption in other areas have kept many dying and hence leaving our country underdeveloped.
He also went ahead and narrated a story on how he applied for health project in Nigeria. He moved from United States to Nigeria to set up medical plant that would manufacture drugs to improve the healthcare of Nigerians. This project did not go well and speedy because top officials wanted bribe and he is not a fan of bribery. This deprived Nigerians many things they would have benefitted from the professor of pharmacy and pharmacology with experience. This shows how corruption has kept our health sector underdeveloped.
The Roots and Foundations of Corruption in Nigeria: Corrective Tools for Mitigation in Public and Private Sectors
Irrespective of how deep corruption has grown in Nigeria, the fact is that it has its supply. Its means of supply is its root. But no matter how deep it may be, it can be corrected. Things can still be in order when the right tools are used.Corruption is an unconscionable advantage, profit or gain of injustice through the abuse of authority and power (Obinna Ubani-Ebere 2016). Obinna Ubani-Ebere went further and stated "corruption anywhere does not occur in vacuum. What his statement implies is that corruption has channels through which it is carried out in different parts of the world. So if corruption takes place in Nigeria, United States, United Kingdom, Malaysia and the other parts of the world, there are carriers of such act.
The objective of chapter 8 of the book are: (1) Discuss the roots and foundations of corruption in the public and private sectors of Nigeria (2) Identify loopholes that breed corruption (3) Examine their consequences and (4) propose corrective tools for mitigation of corruption in Nigeria. According to Obinna, corruption is a product of greed. Greediness has make our leaders and individuals find themselves in the net of corruption which does not show any good image.
In the chapter, the propose corrective tools for mitigation of corruption in Nigeria by the chapter author centres on accountability. He stated that corrective tools to be used for the mitigation of corruption in Nigeria are political accountability, economic accountability, social accountability, religious, and judicial accountability. When these culture are cultivated in the country, there will be reduction in corruption level in the country and hence good transparency.
The Benefits of Building a New Nigeria That Will Bring Back Most Nigerians in the Diaspora
Nigeria as a country has both men and women that are doing exceptionally well internationally. They have outstanding results that they have achieved and are credited for such achievements. In 2017, it was reported through Information Nigeria that Peace Eze has emerged the overall outstanding graduate at University of Louisiana, U.S. This is one of the many waves Nigerians in other parts of the world are creating. Nigerians have talent people but bad leadership has made many to leave the country.There are many Nigerians that will come back home if the country is made better for all. These Nigerians living in diaspora can bring in their own ideas to make things work out for good in the country. Many have good leadership skills, experience in health, technology and the rest. Their coming back home will make things better.
Building a new Nigeria may not be any easy but it is achievable. Many Nigerians in Diaspora would rather return to their homeland; many live and die in foreign lands, against their will. Therefore, in Chapter 9, we present a detailed and well-articulated discussion on “The benefits of Building a New Nigeria that will Bring Back Most Nigerians in the Diaspora.” Many Nigerian intellectuals and fine professionals live and contribute to the development of the economies of foreign nations, when they can be in Nigeria contributing greatly to the development of their own country.
Towards A Holistic Development Trajectory for Nigeria
Chapter 10 discusses another important area in Nigeria's developmental approach. Several developing countries of the world, including Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, South Korea have crafted successful home-grown development agenda that emancipated them from primitive behavior and set them on a high pedestal of civilization. In Chapter 10, the author tried to paint a broad picture of components of home-grown development agenda that can set Nigeria on the right path to successful nationhood. Since other countries that were not doing well before have tried this approach before and it worked for them, it can still work for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.Some people who were not doing well in life in some cases learned from people who have discovered their feet. If Nigerian leaders can think properly and create lasting solutions by forming better agenda, Nigeria will be one of the best countries in the world with time. We have all it takes to make this happen.
WE THE PEOPLE movement: Lessons from History: The French Revolution and The Total Transformation of France
Chapter 11 is a team work of Inam AKRASI and Anne-Elisabeth AKRASI. The two outstanding authors in the field of writing took a look at what happened in France in the year 1789. Through such revolution that took place in France, the country began to get it right and many positive changes occurred in the country. From the authors point of view, the same change can occur in Nigeria if all work with one mind.Before the revolution, many French citizens were living in poverty. There was high level of injustice in the country which include not paying of taxes by the rich people and members of the noble families in the country. The gap between the poor and the rich was so much.
After the high inhumane treatment received by the poor people of France then especially the poor cereal (grain) harvest of 1775 which sparked off the high cost of bread, the people began to ask themselves questions. They began to wonder why they were still living as they were not treated well by their government. This made them to challenge l'order etabli (the established order) and that ignited riots on the streets of Paris and social unrest. The riot culminated in the storming of the Bastille Fortress, an event that is considered by specialists as the high point of the beginning of the French Revolution.
The New Breed of WE THE PEOPLE: The Character and Commitments required to Build a New Democratic and Progressive Nigeria
The chapter 8 was handled by Professor Grace Chibiko Offorma and Professor Uduogie Michael Ivowi. Nigeria is a sovereign nation that is blessed by God with rich soil, good climate and weather, and endowed with many mineral resources. The country does not suffer from any harsh natural disaster like earthquake, infernos, and tsunamis and yet our leaders cannot structure the country well.According to Chinua Achebe of the blessed memory, "the trouble of Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character.
From the views of the chapter authors, there are commitments required to build a new democratic and progressive Nigeria. If these commitments are met, there will be a better Nigeria. These commitments are good governance, quality and inclusive education, human capital development, fiscal federalism, enhancement of food production and food security, and abhorrence of corruption, tribalism, social injustice, indiscipline, and mediocrity.
WE THE PEOPLE: Building Towards Corruption-Free Nigeria from Bottom to Top
Gary S. Maxey started the chapter 13 of this book by saying that he love the country called Nigeria. He went further and made it clear that there are many things he finds interesting in the country. Among those things is the kinds of food being eaten in the country. He said, I will live and die in the country. He specifically said that he goes nowhere because of the love for the country.The author of the chapter stated that the best way to tackle corruption in Nigeria is starting from the bottom to the top. Starting from the top to the bottom will not make any much impact. Nigeria is a religious society. If the problem of corruption is to be handled, starting with churches and Islam places of worship will give the expected result. The practice of moral should be taught through these channels. This will make the people close their eyes to corrupt practices when they get to the top. Using the WE THE PEOPLE MOVEMENT can still be a way to build corruption-free Nigeria.
The Role of the Youth in Building a New Nigeria Through the WE THE PEOPLE movement
Youths are the powerhouse of every nation that wants remarkable development to occur in their nation. They have the abilities and capacities to make things happen. Anything they sincerely put their minds into will come through. The youths can contribute remarkably to the development of Nigeria through WE THE PEOPLE MOVEMENT.More than half the Nigerian population are made up of youths between the ages of 15 to 34 years. That is to say that over 85 million Nigerians are youths. The chapter 14 of the book WE THE PEOPLE - Building a New Democracy in Nigeria as a Framework for Africa is authored by Gabriel Nwanze and Jemila Ibrahim. The authors started by lamenting on the bad treatment given to the youths of the country. The youths of Nigeria are not carried on in political and economic affairs of the country. That does not tell good of the country. In summary, if they are given good opportunity in politics, the country will have better future.
The New Breed of WE THE PEOPLE: Cultivating the Spirit and Mindset of Excellence in the Nigerian Youth/Grassroots
If good mindset and spirit are cultivated by the growing generation of Nigerians, the country will be free from any form of strong corruption and bad leadership. When the youths see politics as service and not where to go and share the money of the masses among the ruling politicians, the country will be good. This will make us to have new breed of Nigerians.Chapter 15 was written by Professor Peter Nwangwu. The chapter examine the elements and tools required to build the spirit and mindset of excellence in the new breed of Nigerian youth/grassroots. The practical counsel offered will help grow a new breed of Nigerian youths and grassroots that will empower the transformation process in Nigeria.
Transforming the Nigerian Educational System for a more Prosperous and Progressive Nigeria
Education is good and its importance cannot be overemphasized. A nation with poor education system may end up lagging behind on global standard. A standard education can lead to standard development in any country. Their are many who are doing great today whose greatness started from schools. So, transformation of the Nigerian educational system will create brighter and prosperous future for country and her citizens.Data from the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) showed that only about 23% of students who entered Nigerian Universities have a credit pass in English language and Mathematics. Why this poor record among Nigerian students? One of the reasons is due to poor foundation. Many of our students do not have solid foundation educationally because the system is weak. In this chapter, Prof Peter Nwangwu offers some solutions to build better education in Nigeria. Among his solutions are employing capable and qualified teachers, government involvement to eradicate illiteracy, free education and retraining the teachers.
Intellectuals as Nation Builders
In chapter 17, we examined the important and robust subject of “Intellectuals as Nation Builders”. Most civilized and progressive nations of the world have been led by cerebral intellectuals with integrity who have blessed their respective nations by their intellectual prowess and preparations. Nigeria has produced many intellectuals, but Nigeria has not been fortunate to have a cerebral intellectual with integrity as leader of the country since independence. Cerebral intellectuals with integrity have shied away from leadership aspirations in Nigeria because the political process in Nigeria is mostly a very dirty game.Also, the cost of politics in Nigeria is very high. This is one of the reasons many intellectuals in the country do not participate. There are many Nigerians who are intellectually sound and ready to assume leadership positions in the country. If these people are voted in irrespective of the fact that they may not be in weight pulling political parties, the leadership of the country will change to good.
The A, B, C of How to Transform Nigeria Permanently
Yes, transformation can take place in Nigeria if we really do the right thing. There are measures we can take to get it right in the country. There are countries that have experienced positive transformation in the recent time. The same thing can still happen in Nigeria. But we have to work and agree together.We concluded the book with a discussion in chapter 18 on the A, B, C of how to transform Nigeria permanently. This discussion outlines 8 problems, in alphabetical order, that we must confront and solve to create a new Nigeria, including: Agriculture and Food Security; Bribery, Corruption, and Rule of Law; Crime and Insecurity; Democracy and National Development; Economy and Unemployment; Infrastructural Development and Residency Rights; Good Education (not schooling) and Youth Development; Healthcare and Protection of Life. We discussed the needs of Nigeria with these problems, but also offer workable solutions to the problems in a manner that will transform the Nigeria nation. Nigeria needs a qualified cerebral intellectual President, with character, integrity, and a strong and unyielding will to do the right thing for the nation, and for WE THE PEOPLE, consistently without fear or favour. Nigeria can be a great, clean, safe, and corrupt-free nation that will be celebrated and respected everywhere in the world.
You can buy the book from Amazon
References
- "About The House", National Assembly (Nigeria), retrieved 5 September 2018 via Wikipedia
- Deolu (2017), Nigerian Lady Emerges Best Graduating Student At US University | Photos, published by Information Nigeria, Nigeria
- INEC (2019), Political Parties, published by Independent National Electoral Commission, Abuja, Nigeria
- LU Odo (2015), The Impact and Consequences of Corruption on the Nigerian Society and Economy, Vol 4, No 1, published by AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities, Anambra State, Nigeria
- Orji Sunday (2016), Young people are not just the future of Nigeria. They are Nigeria today, Published by African Arguments, London, United Kingdom
- Peter Nwangwu et all (2016), WE THE PEOPLE - Building a New Democracy in Nigeria as a Model for Africa, published by American Congress Press, LLC, Texas, United States
- World Health Organization (2006), Nigeria, published by World Health Organization, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria
No comments:
Post a Comment