Reclaiming Africa’s Heritage: A Call to End Dependency and Foster Self-Reliance

We, as Africans, could have done better in preserving our cultures and heritages, which have robbed us of the richness that abounds in the continent. Our leaders also would have done better in accepting IMF and World Bank conditionalities hook, line, and sinker. There is no way these organizations would give us prescriptions that would make us less dependent on them and their funders.

Above all, we cannot also shy from the fact that Africa has been programmed to be what it is to preserve the looting spree of the West and their allies. The time has come to take the continent back. Is it going to be easy? No. Is it possible? Yes! But the process of reclaiming what belongs to us is likely to be a painful sacrificial endeavor.

One of the things Nigeria must do now is stop borrowing for consumption. The government said it is raking in trillions every month. That money should not go into palliatives that the elites will loot through proxies. Palliatives are like analgesics that can not cure some chronic pains. Palliatives in Nigeria have never worked, and nothing tells me they will work now. Cheap transportation, affordable housing, free education, and some aspects of healthcare are better palliatives.

Nigeria is running the race against time because I see bigger nations sabotaging us in the way of Russia and Ukraine. They do not like us and let us not force ourselves on them. I believe Africa can be developed by Africans.

For us as a people, it is time to look inwards and remain focused on harnessing our resources to develop Nigeria. We developed the world with rubber, cocoa, palm produce, and crude oil from this land. We cannot afford that luxury with our gas, which we also have in abundance. We should stop the rent-focused and foreign goods are better mentality.

If we refuse to take advantage of this opportunity to diversify with the type of revenue this government is making at this time, the future generations of Nigeria will not be kind to us.

Let us plunge our excess money into productive ventures in gas, energy, education, sports development, and research. Let us also learn the art of savings.

Nigerians are not lazy people. If power is available, many small and medium scaled enterprises will sprout to employ our people. Many inventors will rise from all the geo-political zones. How did we forget that Biafra produced its local weapons and fuel so soon?

It is disingenuous to borrow money and share it. Such profligacy has never developed any nation; for Nigeria in particular, I do not think it would lift anybody from poverty. All the money borrowed should be channeled towards innovation, cheap transportation, food security, investments, and alternative energy sources, promoting investment opportunities and generating employment opportunities for our people.

For Nigerians, we tend to focus only on the federal government’s failings and failures. That attitude shields the states and local governments from proper interrogation on how they spend money on our behalf.

It is time to fight for the local government’s autonomy and beam searchlights on them and the state governors. We, the followers, cannot forget to do the right things all the time.

When we are transparent and accountable in our little corners, only then can we also interrogate what others are not doing well. That is why the Bible urges us to remove the log in our eyes before attempting to remove that of others – Matthew 7: 3-5

Grace and peace!!!