We shouldn’t forget economic growth and economic development are incomparable. The former leans towards GDP - the latter - infrastructural development . A nation’s GDP , therefore, can be substantial in figures while more than half the population lives in poverty.
Economic policies which had worked in America or United Kingdom may never work in Nigeria because Nigeria eschews fundamental structures and laws.
A premier of a region in Nigeria advocated for a Social democratic system in 1950s , but his opponents , peers , even his family members laughed at him behind his back .
Now we are still debating about solutions to raise the standard of living for ordinary Nigerians.
A minimum wage at N300k a month is meaningless if our general hospitals are death traps, our public schools are pathetic, exorbitant food prices everywhere , public parks and public libraries nonexistent…In my opinion this is how you know a country is ready or has a vision to sustain development.
1. Allocation of budget for Education & health: 20% each.
2. Food must be subsidised.
3. Incentives to make our doctors remain in Nigeria .
I don't know if I agree with these suggestions, but okay. It's spoken as if there's some money stashed somewhere to fund these things. My earnest hope is that we decentralise and let each state or region find solutions to it's problem. At this point, I just want govt out of our way for the most part.
Good question … Aguda LGA / Surulere receives between N350M to N400M a month . These resources are chiefly for recurring expenditures , such as salaries , administrative bills , etc.
Capital expenditures, as I write , do not exist; perhaps they don’t want us to know about any capital investment.
The average rent for a 3 bedroom flat in Aguda is roughly around N2.5M annually. The population has tripled since the last decade . From essential statistics Aguda cannot wear the toga of a lower class residential area.
Based on revenues and property valuation I don’t see why Aguda can’t have a decent public library. Development has never been a cheap ride . It is only in Nigeria that representatives of the common wealth of a nation will repudiate any institution which the concept of profit is not the focal point. The resources do exist. The problem are management, ethics , core values , discipline . A lawless county seldom develops any more than a country whose economic modules are obsessively imitative .
No foreigner would invest quality products in Nigeria . Why should they invest ? They are not stupid people. Why should they invest quality stuff in Nigeria and watch their investment in Nigeria compete with their native country companies?
Things like ethics, core values, discipline... what are they if people have no economic rights?
We put the cart before the horse. The true test of these values lie in your ability to determine your own economic fate. A society that deprives people of this basic right will never prosper. Trust me, most other things will align when this is sorted.
‘ Enough’ certainly will not go round because ample funds were not reinvested back into the economy .
N400M a month is approximately N4.8B annually. Aguda is not a destination for major investment projects but Aguda can still acquire basic infrastructure like a community hospital, library , etc.
I have visited remote , rural areas in United States. What strikes me is no matter how primitive , backward and provincial these places are they always have a community library , hospital, fire station , 24hrs police service.
Restructuring Nigeria is not a silver bullet . Going back to regionalism , parliamentary or 1953 constitution will not , so to speak , take us to the promise land . We are in this mess because we fail to plan how we want to live as a people . Legacies of slavery , imperialism, colonialism, decades of military reign has left us traumatised .
We don’t plan , that is , there’s no criteria to urban living with the exception of Ikoyi , Vi , Ikeja GRA , Bode Thomas/ Adeniran Ogunsanya axis.
A leader who happens to steal public funds at the Federal level will not automatically become an angel when Nigeria divides or restructure her administrative system.
Have you read the papers lately? See how much the former CBN governor of Nigeria embezzled? Why have a LG in the first place if it does not come with hospital , library , fire station.etc. ?
Lateef Jakande understood these issues very much which explains why he made sure every LG had a government college and grammar schools.
You think N350M to N400M a month will turn Aguda into an investment haven? Or fund it's libraries or capital projects for public goods after deducting salaries and government overhead? I doubt it.
Just so you know I do not disagree in principle with your argument. It's the feasibility of these wonderful things happening in the current structure of Nigerian political parties and governance system I find doubtful. Including the fact that you just can't do much in an economy that's not growing. There's just never enough to go round.
In the past few years, I have paid keen attention to some of my semi- literate family members who live in my ancestral village in Delta state. I’ve paid close attention to their stories- living, work, consumption, education, finance, social life etc. I’ve observed a few ups and downs and everything you have said here makes absolute sense.
The worst is that those who took the baton seem to be running the exact same direction. My wish is that we don't recount the damage done when they've, like Buhari, gone to eternal rest.
We shouldn’t forget economic growth and economic development are incomparable. The former leans towards GDP - the latter - infrastructural development . A nation’s GDP , therefore, can be substantial in figures while more than half the population lives in poverty.
Economic policies which had worked in America or United Kingdom may never work in Nigeria because Nigeria eschews fundamental structures and laws.
A premier of a region in Nigeria advocated for a Social democratic system in 1950s , but his opponents , peers , even his family members laughed at him behind his back .
Now we are still debating about solutions to raise the standard of living for ordinary Nigerians.
A minimum wage at N300k a month is meaningless if our general hospitals are death traps, our public schools are pathetic, exorbitant food prices everywhere , public parks and public libraries nonexistent…In my opinion this is how you know a country is ready or has a vision to sustain development.
1. Allocation of budget for Education & health: 20% each.
2. Food must be subsidised.
3. Incentives to make our doctors remain in Nigeria .
4. Libraries in every LG.
5. Fund research institutions, etc.
I don't know if I agree with these suggestions, but okay. It's spoken as if there's some money stashed somewhere to fund these things. My earnest hope is that we decentralise and let each state or region find solutions to it's problem. At this point, I just want govt out of our way for the most part.
Good question … Aguda LGA / Surulere receives between N350M to N400M a month . These resources are chiefly for recurring expenditures , such as salaries , administrative bills , etc.
Capital expenditures, as I write , do not exist; perhaps they don’t want us to know about any capital investment.
The average rent for a 3 bedroom flat in Aguda is roughly around N2.5M annually. The population has tripled since the last decade . From essential statistics Aguda cannot wear the toga of a lower class residential area.
Based on revenues and property valuation I don’t see why Aguda can’t have a decent public library. Development has never been a cheap ride . It is only in Nigeria that representatives of the common wealth of a nation will repudiate any institution which the concept of profit is not the focal point. The resources do exist. The problem are management, ethics , core values , discipline . A lawless county seldom develops any more than a country whose economic modules are obsessively imitative .
No foreigner would invest quality products in Nigeria . Why should they invest ? They are not stupid people. Why should they invest quality stuff in Nigeria and watch their investment in Nigeria compete with their native country companies?
Things like ethics, core values, discipline... what are they if people have no economic rights?
We put the cart before the horse. The true test of these values lie in your ability to determine your own economic fate. A society that deprives people of this basic right will never prosper. Trust me, most other things will align when this is sorted.
FYI, "property valuation" doesn't mean anything in an economy that has no property markets though.
‘ Enough’ certainly will not go round because ample funds were not reinvested back into the economy .
N400M a month is approximately N4.8B annually. Aguda is not a destination for major investment projects but Aguda can still acquire basic infrastructure like a community hospital, library , etc.
I have visited remote , rural areas in United States. What strikes me is no matter how primitive , backward and provincial these places are they always have a community library , hospital, fire station , 24hrs police service.
Restructuring Nigeria is not a silver bullet . Going back to regionalism , parliamentary or 1953 constitution will not , so to speak , take us to the promise land . We are in this mess because we fail to plan how we want to live as a people . Legacies of slavery , imperialism, colonialism, decades of military reign has left us traumatised .
We don’t plan , that is , there’s no criteria to urban living with the exception of Ikoyi , Vi , Ikeja GRA , Bode Thomas/ Adeniran Ogunsanya axis.
A leader who happens to steal public funds at the Federal level will not automatically become an angel when Nigeria divides or restructure her administrative system.
Have you read the papers lately? See how much the former CBN governor of Nigeria embezzled? Why have a LG in the first place if it does not come with hospital , library , fire station.etc. ?
Lateef Jakande understood these issues very much which explains why he made sure every LG had a government college and grammar schools.
You think N350M to N400M a month will turn Aguda into an investment haven? Or fund it's libraries or capital projects for public goods after deducting salaries and government overhead? I doubt it.
Just so you know I do not disagree in principle with your argument. It's the feasibility of these wonderful things happening in the current structure of Nigerian political parties and governance system I find doubtful. Including the fact that you just can't do much in an economy that's not growing. There's just never enough to go round.
Every thought articulated here - pure gold.
In the past few years, I have paid keen attention to some of my semi- literate family members who live in my ancestral village in Delta state. I’ve paid close attention to their stories- living, work, consumption, education, finance, social life etc. I’ve observed a few ups and downs and everything you have said here makes absolute sense.
This was a sobering read.
The worst is that those who took the baton seem to be running the exact same direction. My wish is that we don't recount the damage done when they've, like Buhari, gone to eternal rest.