TheCable

Each time we are rated low by world-class organizations—that are data-driven, we would kick against it (without showing superior statistics to the whole world), but when it is positive like the World Bank just did, we would embrace it, celebrating it to the top of “Olumo rock.”. Is this peculiar to the administration of baba alone? No! Every administration before the current administration behaved same way. In this part of the world, we play politics with everything. And this is why we are where we are today.

Moving away from our childishness and unseriousness as a nation, I want to speak in synopsis on Buhari’s trip to China in 2016 and look at some of the professed-takeaways from that trip, on the condition that they have become flesh, dwelling amongst us today. Remember, on the 10^th of April, 2016, PMB made a-4 day state visit—aimed at enhancing two-pronged relationship with China and securing the support of the Chinese for Nigeria’s development agenda. Buhari’s visit to China was the 28^th in ten months of his first tenure! And it was to China was to improve some key sectors of our budding economy: Power, solid minerals, agriculture and rail transportation.

In the power sector, North South Power Company Limited and Sinohydro Corporation Limited signed an agreement valued at 478,657,941.28 for the construction of 300 Mega Watts solar power in Shiriro, Niger State. Has this been done? Baba is trying his feasible best, but we need to ask questions, on the condition that we truly want to move forward as a people.

Also, for the housing sector, a deal of 250 million dollar was sealed to develop an ultra modern 27-storey high rise complex and a 2.5billion agreement for the development of the Lagos Metro Rail Transit Red Line project. Have we achieved these feats too?

We need to ask questions on baba’s takeaways from his visit to Xi Jinping’s house and every trip he made before and after China’s trip in 2016. If the takeaways of the past are still like a desert mirage, then how are we sure the current takeaways from Buhari’s visit to the house of Putin will become a reality in the days to come? We cannot afford to be wasting money on fruitless-trips when we are complaining that we are broke as a nation.

Taking this issue a little further, I am of the opinion that there cannot be any significant relationship between strong countries and weak ones. Developed countries will never want developing countries to become developed. If developing countries become developed, then developed countries will lose their edge over them. Take for instance, if Nigeria becomes developed, China and Russia would lose their edge over us. And the truth is; they will not want that to happen and African leaders need to understand this reality and stop taking their begging bowls to them. We do have what it takes to become very strong as Africans.

I remember when Obama invited some young African leaders (who weren’t up to 40years old) to the White House during his first term in office and while they were having a discourse on the continent of Africa, Obama mentioned a partnership between Africa and America. I remember one of the bold and intelligent-ladies in the hall on that day rose to ask a question on the kind of partnership that can exist between a strong country like America and weak African countries. The truth is; what kind of partnership can exist between the strong and weak? If the strong agrees to partner with the weak, the goal will be to exploit the weak.

Obama was sincere and frank—when he said his first major assignment was to serve the people of America. He went further to say that everything he does is to serve the people of America. If he agrees to do anything in any country, the goal is to further serve the people of America, not the country in question. He said that was the reason he was elected to lead America. Until baba and other African leaders understand this, they would not stay at home, building a continent that truly works. Putin was not voted into power to build Nigeria; he was voted into power—to further serve the Russian people and to extend the frontiers of their influence on earth.

I looked at all the takeaways from Buhari’s trip to Russia, and I couldn’t see just one thing that Nigeria would go to Russia to do for them. It’s clearly a relationship between the strong and weak. Putin is no Santa-Claus. If he gives you one dollar in Nigeria, he is certainly going to take 1million dollars from you.

On Ajaokuta Steel Company, how will it work productively when we do not have a stable supply of electricity? We need to first have a constant supply of electricity. We do have what it takes to achieve this, because it does not require rocket-science to get it done. But what has been preventing us from achieving this feat is disingenuousness. Nothing can be built in the dark. We need light to build a nation that works!

It was very easy for Singapore to speedily build a robust nation, because they had good roads, world-class hotels and hospitals, constant supply of electricity and they demonstrated to the whole world that they could protect their country. It was very clear—as water—to all that they were serious about building a great nation, so it was easy to attract world-class companies into their country. If we are truly serious about making Nigeria work, let us deliberately build good roads, make our electric power supply stable, build world-class hospitals and hotels, and demonstrate to the whole world that we can truly protect our people. Until we fix all our self-inflicted problems, baba’s trips all over the world remain unnecessary.