Road Map to National Development

“Anybody saying it can’t be done is liable to be interrupted by somebody doing it. Nothing is impossible to the human spirit. Just dare” Anon

How are we going to get to the promise land? This is the question people of faith ask. Yes the skeptics simply say it can’t be done. People of faith want to know their role. The part they have to play….their contribution. What is the roadmap to our economic breakthrough?

We have looked outward to long. By now we should have realized that our help is not from abroad. We need to look upward and inward. Real help is in our midst. What we can get at best from abroad are mere shadows and not substances. Temporary and short-lived reliefs are not permanent solutions. Charity they say begins at home. We need not fight globalization. All we need to do is to make our products and services global in usefulness and relevance.

Can you conceive a tomorrow where your shirt will not be regarded as modern or standard if it is not made from Adire or Aso-oke. I know someone is saying this guy has gone bananas. Believe it we need to adjust our mindset to change our lot. When GSM was introduced into the country they said it was not possible. An indigenous company made it a reality!

Do we need more respect then we need to accord it to ourselves. We need to stop going to international meetings with cap in hand begging for alms. We have got to help ourselves. We have to live within our means. The starting point is by appreciating what we have gotten at our disposal right now. All we need to do is to repackage and rebrand our products.

We have to break from this vicious cycle of poverty. Vicious by the way means self sustaining. It is self sustaining because it is powered by habit i.e. the things we do daily. We need to make a conscious effort to break into the cycle of wealth. This too is sustained by habits.

We need to change our consumption, investment and saving patterns. It is not really about how much money enters how hands but how much we are able to save and invest. Poor People or nations usually claim that they don’t save and invest because they are unable to earn good income. The rich people and nations save and invest a fixed proportion of their income no matter how meager or fat.

Another area where we need urgent change is in our housing and rent structure. In developed world, you do not pay 2 years rent in advance like we do here. Rent should be paid on a monthly or quarterly basis. Imagine how much money you will free up for investment if we follow a similar pattern. I hope the house of assembly or representative will address the issue.