Despite the brevity of the fifty year mark in the life of a nation, it is nevertheless a good time to take stock and also to take a look at what the future holds for the nation.
In this regards, many commentators have, in going down memory lane, compared what was in the good old days to what it is now. Many in doing this have recorded a low scorecard full of gloom in the nation’s past and present while predicting doom ahead for the nation.
Taking a look of the happenings around them, they easily argue that life is short and brutish, that there is very little economic and political liberty and that the government has not contributed positively to the pursuit of happiness of the people. There is no doubt that the country is nowhere near where it should be given its potentials; it is also true that personal and national growth both in economics and profile has been stunted by the lost and misapplied opportunities.
Nevertheless, the majority of the people in dwelling on this view point, fail to see the progress that has been made, the green shoots that are sprouting everywhere around us, the foundation that has been laid etc. In general, these people usually miss the big picture by concentrating on its crooked corners. The postulation is that since fifty years is a short time in a nation’s life, we should use this jubilee season to look at what has majorly been responsible for our woes and have put us where we are so that we can take the lessons on board as we continue the long distance race and thus do all within our power to avoid similar pitfalls along the way and in the future. Most importantly, we should count our blessings, build on our strengths and consolidate the positive layers of improvements, albeit little, that we have around us.
The birth of the nation was heralded with so much hope. It was projected that the nation would grow faster than Malaysia, Singapore and even South Korea. These countries classified as Asia tigers have grown economically and developed astronomically that they now challenge the developed economies while Nigeria is still wallowing in poverty and underdevelopment.
It is almost with shame that one recalls that 50 years ago, these countries were all at the same level and Nigeria had a higher prediction of turning out the brightest. Instead, poverty, disease, infrastructural collapse and decay nurtured by corruption and large-scale fraud and thievery are all that we have to show for our 30 years while these tigers have grown economically from strength to strength.
Read More:http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/workforce/2010/nov/15/workforce-15-11-2010-001.htm
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