Rots of National Resources

Nigeria is a country blessed with both human and natural resources. Natural resources crown to this country is quite proliferate-ranging from oil, groundnut, cocoa as well as palm oil to mention a few. These have added values to the country in one way or the other, making it to stand shoulder to shoulder with other countries in the world. So at dawn of the independence, Nigeria was regarded as the giant of Africa in terms of economic buoyant. In related development, human development thrived equally as the country was germinating after her independence-all these gave Nigeria a good foresight of how wealthy the nation would be before centenary celebration of the independence.

Undoubtedly, oil and other mineral resources have puff out Nigeria economy in the recent year. The natural resources interlocked and sky across the nook and cranny of the country. Majorly, agriculture thrives in the north, cocoa production in the west, while oil boom gives the country a new garment in the world market. Early independence, most of these resources was managed shrewdly for the progress of the country. As agriculture saved the country from dearth and kwashiorkor children gained strength; through Operation Feed the Nation, many did not die of hunger as happened in other parts of the world. Then most of the yields in cocoa production were pumped into the education, to ensure high level of literacy in the country while exportation of crude oil gave county ego to speak in the world.

But it is sardonic that the country only concentrates on the crude oil. Oil, one of the fastest growing goods in the world is major latitudinal point where the sun of Nigeria believed to rise. Is the sun rising up to this moment? Many a time the fuel price in the world favours the country and add boast to the GDP as well as GNP, but most of the time people in the country may not perceive the aroma of national sauce in the economy boom let alone tasting it-only the time when there is greater fall in the price the citizens know the destiny of their national pouch.

The fall and rise of the fuel price has led to different tussles at home and abroad among the conscious citizens who wish to eradicate the rots and ravages, decay and decadence with their tenacity that the integrity of this nation must be championed by the resources she has. Arguments on dailies, debates on television even pedestrian scuffle shows the concern of the people on how lack of balanced equation in the national wealth and lifestyle of a common man.

Sometimes people compare their lifestyle to those countries that concentrate on crude oil. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq live on crude oil together with gold and feed their nations without hiccups; this nation has in common the wealth of these nations and in agriculture we are meant to thrive. But going by the way others are going, the nation lives on oil and gold as others mentioned earlier our vision is expected not to be a mirage.

The worst part of it is the so called subsidy removal in January 1^st 2012. In the history of this nation, many cannot forget the hurdle of this fateful day in the beginning of ’12. Pandemonium across the nation, hullabaloo on the street as well as roar in the air seemed to stop the horrors that tend to germinate after the remover of the fuel subsidy-those who lost souls in their family can attest to this. In the meantime, the nation was promised to drink milk from the gourd of national gold, because the subsidy removal will erase dearth in the land and people living in abject poverty will forget the horror of penury. Have we achieved this? The only thing the nation has witnessed is the galling fall in currency being punctuated by the exasperated price of crude oil in the world. What is the means and the end?

The rot is not only in oil. What about agriculture? Prior to oil boom in Nigeria, the major source of revenue for the nation is agriculture. Agriculture developed at all regions in the country; rearing of animal, production of rice, vegetable such as carrot, onion, leguminous crops reigned in the north, in the south, west particularly cocoa, kola, palm oil, cassava etc. developed while south eastern Nigeria had similar farm produce with exception to cocoa, kola, as known in the west but now oil has erased farming in their lives. But if east gives excuse that farming has gone into extinction due to crude oil, the same is not expected in the west. What is the cause?

The cause of gradual death in farming in western Nigeria is not the blame of farmers. Most farmers are not well sensitized as time changes. Due to government concentration in oil boom, farmers remain primitive in carrying out their activities in the farm. A lot is unaware of modern day farm tools and implement to engage in large scale farming-to fetch them money and increase the wealth of the nation but the only thing left now is family consumption. It would have been better if that is the case but young generations now are out of the system and agriculture turns to eyesore.

The worst thing in this sector is rural-urban drift. Many youth believe that city is their home while village is for the aged ones. Elders are left in the rural areas but their essence there adds no value to their early profession because of old age. Anyway, the blame is not on their side. If not that government turn aside from farming, youths are to be educated on how to make use of the modern day farm implements, build standard school in their area, and provide essential social amenities in order to make them access what their haring after in the cities, causing congestion therein.

To spit sea-like wave of saliva in discussing issues of this country there may not be total cleanse of rots of the nation. The need for progress in this country is not only by carrying placards and swim in the sea of sweat, not only by writing with oceanic ink, not only by promises that end up to be stranded in the journey of fulfillment, not only by making policies that resulted to be decayed like rotten tomato on the street of implementation, but the what the nation needs  is total consciousness-a real awake from slumber, self-defence, loyalty, integrity and tenacity which is sine qua non  to make the dream becomes a reality.

All says health is wealth but when there is health and wealth together with dearth, what will be the result? The nation is wealthy and claims to be healthy but dearth streamlines health and wealth in this nation, making the rich man to be poor and the healthy nation to become ill. Who will cure this national ailment?