2014: Our Expectations

This time last year, people were full of high hopes for the year 2013 as the greeting “Happy New Year” rent the air. At the end of the year, very few saw the “happy” as the year rolled over the population. In 2014, no effort should be spared in changing the situation.

Today marks a very happy moment in the life of everyone as it is not easy to survive another year in the light of life threatening situations that appear to be on the increase across the globe. It is like a general birthday celebration that makes people return thanks to God.

Permit us, therefore to wish our esteemed readers and all men of goodwill a very rewarding experience in the year 2014. The joy of this day that cuts across faiths, races, classes and ethnic groups should give a glimpse of the importance of life. It should also make everyone preserve it.

As persons undertake the traditional declaration of new year resolutions, they must look beyond self and commit to making Nigeria and the world as a whole a much better, safer and beautiful place. People must be prepared to make sacrifices and deliberately seek peace if life must be worth the living.

Over the years, the expectation has always been on the government and leaders at the various levels. But time has come for the people to extend it to themselves. They must expect themselves to participate more responsibly in governance. They must not only make demands, but contribute to building good leadership instead of destroying leadership.

In Nigeria, the first thing we expect this year is peace. It is already a cliché that without peace, no meaningful development can take place, but very few people draw lesson from it. As a people that went through a bitter civil war, it is sad that they are forgetting, so soon, what caused it and how avoidable it was.

We expect that governments at all levels will make peace and security their priority this year. We expect that all the ethnic groups will disband their militia groups as their continued existence will not only be a ready temptation, but might reduce every dis-agreement to a gun-fight. We expect that the precious people of the North Eastern Nigeria will drop terrorism and live.

It is sad that politics which was designed to cater for the interest of the people is becoming the most frightening subject in Nigeria. This may have been made possible by the lack of political education of the population, the gullibility of the youth and the pauperization of the masses. This must change.

Only recently, it was reported that the new political party – All Progressives Congress (APC) swept Yobe polls. While it might go to support the fact that the elections were not influenced, it tends to perpetuate the trend that always wants to make Nigeria a one party State. If it is not proper with PDP, it cannot be otherwise with APC and the fault is with the people.

In 2014, Nigeria cannot continue to anchor her economy on a wasting asset. Nigeria cannot continue to overlook the army of the un-employed. Nigeria must provide the environment for a robust private sector participation that is capable of giving jobs to millions and millions of people. As a developing country that has so much to do, Nigeria cannot say there is no job for her people.

Even as we expect so much to change, the agencies of the State that should mid-wife these changes are barely equipped for the role. In 2014, governments across the board must develop the civil service. We are not talking about sending Permanent Secretaries abroad on seminars; every cadre must be trained and retained.

We hope that the civil service would be compact, functional and professional. They must not be brow-beaten by the political class or made to compromise rules or facilitate corruption. We expect the civil service commissions to heal the service, reverse abuses and make it a rule based organisation.

Coming home to the Niger Delta, the expression of safety concerns should not be taken for granted. Apart from the failure of the Federal Government to implement the post-amnesty programmes, pollution in some of the areas have made life very dire. It is no longer news that a hungry man can become angry.

Incidentally, even the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has done very little to provide the bridge that would give the people a sense of belonging. Although, they have been told to stop awarding new contracts, the failure of the commission to take its work at the rural Niger Delta communities remains condemnable.

Finally, we expect that all the groups and individuals that have planned to undo Nigeria in 2014 should have a change of heart. The groups that have planned to make impossible demands on the government and use trade disputes to ground the country should remember that they have no other country but Nigeria.