Urgent measures should be taken to save Nigeria from imminent disintegration. Were Nigeria to be a human, she would be manifesting all the clinical signs that herald death. She is, however, a nation-state. Are the state of the country’s distressed economy, dysfunctional educational system, comatose health sector, infrastructural deficit, technological backwardness, national disunity, and pervasive security challenges not indices of a failed state?

 

Many examples suffice to prove that Nigeria is failing. Public primary and secondary schools in many states and local governments have become death traps. While some of their classrooms exist without rooftops or are overtaken by floods, others are without teachers. These, unequivocally, increase the rate of examination malpractice. Public universities are even worse off. The perennial ASUU-Federal government face-offs have crippled our elite institutions of higher learning as their gates have been shut to any academic or research activity for over six months in 2022 and over ten months earlier in 2020. This leads to constant alteration of the academic calendars and the elongation of students’ stay on campuses – where they are churned out “half baked”

 

Sadly, it is not only the educational sector that has suffered neglect. The economy of Nigeria is already in a tailspin, with the naira in a dance of shame in the global money market. Yet, no plan that elicits hope has been initiated at the Federal level. The strangulated economy remains abysmally consumerist.

 

To save the economy, a judicious, implementable, and workable plan is needed to diversify the country’s economy. This will include building of more industries for the production of goods that will make Nigeria become exporter of goods and not only importer of goods. Earning foreign exchange and providing jobs for millions of unemployed young graduates.

 

If the economy is not reworked, then unemployment will increase. If unemployment increases, then crime will be on a rife. The nexus cannot be controverted.

 

The security situation in the country also calls for attention. Kidnapping for ransom, nefarious murders, attacks on security formations and public institutions go unabated. There should be a new approach in addressing these challenges. Security chiefs must be given marching orders to perform. None performance should be followed by consequential sack and replacement based purely on merit. A square peg in a round hole will be an aberration for the country and the cost too heavy to carry. Security of the country should be apolitical.

 

But most importantly, steps must be taken to unite the country. This is because a disunited country cannot make progress, politically, economically and technologically. Urgent measures should be taken now to save Nigeria from bowling over the precipice. A stitch in time saves nine.

 

Written by CHIEDU UCHE-OKOYE

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