So, here we are after 61years of being an ENTITY with no tangible production industry to boast of. Agriculture was once the pride of a Black man, Nigeria especially. I still remember how they’d tell us about the cocoa, maize, yam and even groundnut that Nigeria produces and how these crops were exported to other countries, which add a lot of value to the Nigeria Economy.
Today, Nigeria imports almost all of her basic necessities, even toothpicks. Isn’t that going too far? But that is the sad reality. Our production industry is nonexistent.
Even the things we pride in producing are no longer produced by us. This wouldn’t have been painful if we only consumed what we produce. Here, we can’t even vouch of a lot of things, but Nigerians even treat their own production with disdain.
We are behind in the production of technological equipment, but we are the ones who buy the most sophisticated among them.
The kind of phones, cars and even electronic appliances we use are so expensive beyond our production power. But we are not bothered.
We live our lives based on theories not reality. No wonder we reproduce that even in academics. We produce scholars in fields of disciplines, and they are just theoretical gurus. When it comes to practical application, they are really behind.
So, are we producers or consumers? The question is rhetorical and the answer lies within you. All the same, I will wait for Winifred Òdúnóku and Joxzy OTOR for further elaboration.
Winifred Òdúnóku
In the early 80s, Nigeria prided in feeding off the crops grown in her own soil while getting healthier by the day.
Nowadays, though we still plant some staples like rice, we basically depend on importation of the majority of our processed food items.
Most of which fear how they are manufactured may not want us to consume them. Coupled with the fact that rumors’ arise from time to time on how some imported corn beefs were made from human corpses or how an infected person’s blood was mixed in the batch of Coca cola being sent to us.
Come to think of it, would we have to worry about these things if we produce and process all the food, we eat by ourselves? I guess not.
However, we still have major agricultural products like cassava, corn, cocoa, millet, palm oil, peanuts, rice, rubber, sorghum, and yams being planted by farmers across the nation.
The bad news is that many farmers are looking for a better source of livelihood because they are not making enough profit from this occupation compared to their inputs including purchase of implements for mechanized farming and good transportation from farms to the point of sale.
Another factor is that the country has shifted its focus entirely on petroleum whereas agriculture used to be the main economic stay of Nigeria once upon a time. Consequent upon this, farmers are reducing in their numbers daily, and good fertile soils to plant are also being polluted by oil spills in some parts of the country.
Beyond agricultural produce, Nigeria still depends on a number of other countries for other basic needs. Talk about household materials and equipment, technological advancement tools like laboratory implements and what have you.
Well, we are still good manufacturers of “optimistic spirits” so we may not totally nail our Nation to the cross yet.
As far as an average Nigerian is concerned, “God will help us” make our country better. So, here’s no need to beat this for too long. Is there?
®️ Winifred Òdúnóku
Joxzy OTOR
I will tell you a sad story of a 61-year-old. A human old enough to nurture his children who would, in turn, be nurturing other children. A human who does not know the number of offspring he has; nor does he have a thing order than the chants of praise of his lost glory. A human at 61, who is so incapacitated that he cannot care for his children.
And when the children start to question his choice of living harshly with his children, he allows for them to gather, and instead of communicating effectively like a father to his children, he consumes them. That is the story of my country, Nigeria!
Nigeria, a nation that was known for its fertile land and productivity, a country that prides itself in its sufficiency, a nation that is called the giant of Africa. Oh! How the mighty has fallen, from being an active Producer to the point of the serious consumer.
How did we become so full of emptiness?
How did we become a borrower?
How did we become this angry hungry wolf waiting to prey on the innocent?
How did we become so power-thirsty that we no longer feel the pain of the multitude?
How did we get here?
Farmers can no longer farm in peace without the fear of being kidnapped or worse still killed. So, we rely heavily on imported goods to survive.
The government is not making it easy to have access to imported goods either, so the very poor masses starve until they die of malnutrition.
How do we get out of this mess?
How do we secure a better tomorrow?
How do we remedy this situation?
How did we fall from the apex to the rock bottom?
From the producers of good humans to the consumers of evil deeds (carried out by humans). The system is messed up and the people will blame it on the government while the government blames the past government. Without putting in place the notion “Excuses are the bed in which the irresponsible lay”. How do we start becoming producers and not consumers?
It is simple, we call a spade a spade and not excuse our corruption or grace. We hold hands together to build and we do not pull down the good, built by others.
®️Joxzy OTOR
