Appraising 2012 And Projecting 2013
The year 2012 has no doubt come and gone, but the ripples will remain green for a long time to come.
Nigeria and Nigerians indeed are pondering and will continue to ponder on the events that characterized the year. It was in 2012 that the worst air disaster, Dana aircrash which happened on 3rd June at Ejigbo, an outskirt of Lagos State, killing over 153 passengers,6 crew members on board the plane and about 60 persons on the ground.
It was also in the same year that a sitting governor of Kaduna State, in person of Ibrahim Yakowa alongside a retired Army General, Owoeye Azazi, with their aides all perished in a Navy aircraft crash in Bayelsa State while returning from a burial.
As if that was not enough, the mother of all floods devastated over 12 states, drowning hundred upon thousands of Nigerians, with property worth millions of Naira destroyed. Nigerian Governments at all levels should however be commended for their proactive /reactive actions that led to the combat of the menace.
It is also note worthy that the newly found culture of terrorism driven by Boko Haram insurgents since 2009 heightened in 2012. Several lives and property have been destroyed and are still being destroyed on daily basis. Thanks to the security agencies whose responsibilities have unfortunately been expanded by the ungodly activities of Boko Haram who ironically tout to be fighting a religious war.
The Joint Task Force, JTF has however braced up to the challenges occasioned by this sect and are no doubt nipping the problem in the bud. It is rather unreasonable and pathetic that in the 21st century when other developing nations are struggling to make headway in technological advancement, Nigeria is battling to curb self inflicted injuries in the name of terrorism. Only God will save us.
The 2012 also witnessed upsurge of other criminal activities, with kidnapping, sea piracy and armed robbery topping the list.
While the Northern part of the country was(is) groaning under the Boko Haram insurgence, the South-South and South East are enveloped in kidnapping jamboree.
A recent record showed that millions of Naira are being lost monthly to kidnappers through ransom payment.
It will not be fair if I end this report without highlighting some of the positive developments in the country within the same 2012. It is on record that the Federal Government through its National Independent Power Project, NIPP has increased power generation in the country. We may not have hit the target, but it is plausible to note that power supply has improved remarkably in Nigeria.
Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the President of the country, admitting that his government might be slow has promised better days ahead.
In the area of infrastructure, the country has witnessed massive rehabilitation of roads, especially after the rainy season. Agriculture has however not been given the required attention. The reason being that apart from manufacturing, agriculture remains the highest employer of labour globally and no wonder unemployment is staring the teeming Nigerians on the face. Though the Federal Government has been harping on the need to use agriculture as a tool to combat unemployment, the impact of such ideas are yet to be felt by the people.
Since technology or development can better be evolved from within or at home, it is pertinent for Nigeria to start looking in wards for a home grown technology. If you ask me where to find it, I shall without hesitation direct the country to Aba, in Abia State where almost every house serves as a factory for production of one product or the other.
The Niger Delta or South South Zone is yet another area with high technological/developmental potentials. The so-called illegal refineries, otherwise referred to as bunkering spots could be legalized, upgraded and used in solving the country’s petroleum products scarcity problem. What it simply requires is to gather the operators of the illicit business, provide them with tools and of course empower them to produce refined products for the country. A fraction of what goes into fuel importation in the country could solve this problem once and for all. No nation has developed with foreign technology historically. Technology is either stolen or developed within; afterall development is the ability of man to conquer his environment.
Now that the 2012 is gone for good, what are the expectations of Nigerians in 2013? Nigerians like their counterparts all over the world expect good life through improved infrastructure and basic amenities.
With the high level of natural endowment of resources in the country anything short of living above poverty line will be unacceptable and resisted.
Youths which constitute major percentage of the country’s population expect to be employed gainfully. Therefore, it is the duty of government to provide these jobs by creating a conducive atmosphere for business to thrive.
Nigerians expect improved security. A situation where citizens are not safe to go about their lawful businesses for fear of armed robbery attack and kidnapping, yet we have a government who most times provides security to only its apologists, leaving the larger society to their fate. By the number of human and material resources that abound in the country, Nigerians should not have any business with poverty.
The major part of 2012 was spent on strikes. It was either the Resident Doctors, ASUU or Teachers were on strike or one controversy or another was occupying the country. Nigerians therefore expect a more stable polity that will guarantee industrial harmony in the country. This is necessary for sustainable economic growth.
It is only when there is absolute peace in a given society, that government can think and plan right. ###
