SAN FRANCISCO, October 24, (THEWILL) – The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has described Nigeria as a giant in Africa punching below its weight.
He said despite the prospects and opportunities provided at independence, corruption and visionless leadership have been the bane of the country.
Maintaining that he had nothing against a National Conference, he insisted that such conference must be a sovereign conference.
Tinubu made the lamentation and observations in a business lecture titled, Nigeria: Charting a New Path to National Rebirth , which he delivered at the 70th anniversary of the Island Club, Lagos, on Wednesday .
He however congratulated the Island Club for the giants strides it has made in the 70 years of its existence.
“Seventy years is a long time. That the Island Club is still alive today, 70 years after its establishment in October 1943, testifies to the fact that it holds to something important, something that has withstood the tests and vagaries of time and something that fulfills its members far beyond a good laugh and a pleasant evening. These things can be had at other places but this club offers more.
“Drawing its members from innovative and creative segments of society, the Island Club was, from the start, set to be great.
“The Club has marched and advanced during the years. If only this nation had followed the trajectory this Club set, we would be a nation in reverie. Instead, we are one quaked by regret.
“Though older than Nigeria, the Club still shines. Unfortunately, the glow of Nigeria has turned to dross; the nation is a gem obscured by the grime of venal and menial leadership.
“Today, I state the name ‘Island Club’ not only has geographic significance, it also has poetic or figurative bearing. Yes, we are located on an island but the Club is also an island of good management, unity and vision in a sea of national muddle and confusion.
“Though having to adjust at times to the dizzying political thermometer of the country and in response to the sometimes-conflicting demands of its members, Island Club has pulled through. “It stands stronger today because it has figured out the recipe of cooperation and compromise for the common good, “ Tinubu said.
On the problems with Nigeria, Tinubu said , “As a nation, we gained our independence. It was a happy and hopeful day.
Since then, most of the years have been spent squandering the chances wrought by independence. The nation has cried more than its share of tears… Unfortunately, the glow of Nigeria has turned to dross; the nation is a gem obscured by the grime of venal and menial leadership.
“And where does Nigeria stand today?
“Today, we loiter on the road of confusion because we are guided by leaders who themselves need guidance.
“The dream of a robust and great nationhood has been deferred. Nigeria now limps and pleads for crutches to help it just to stand.
“Former United States (U.S.) Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, while delivering a lecture at entitled “On the Dawn of Nigeria’s Second Century: Challenges to a New Generation” at the University of Ilorin convocation ceremony brought fresh insights into Nigeria’s current precarious conditions in various sectors.
“I share most of his positions and postulations and couldn’t agree more that Nigeria though a giant in Africa is punching below its weight.
“For Ambassador Carrington, the greatest challenge to Nigeria’s development is corruption closely followed by insecurity. The most gripping of Carrington’s lecture are the data and statistics about Nigeria’s. He was very provocative on the position of Nigeria, nay Africa, in the global equation.
“Let me quote Carrington. “The latest Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme, better known as the UNDP, was released in March this year and lists the world’s 46 lowest ranked countries. Thirty-seven of them are in sub-Saharan Africa.
“All of the bottom 26 is African with the single exception of Afghanistan. Out of 187 countries surveyed, oil- producing Nigeria is ranked 153, the lowest, by far, of any non-African member of OPEC. Indeed, with the exception of Angola (which ranks 5 places higher than Nigeria), all other members, including war-ravished Iraq (107), are included in the ranks of the more developed. Your neighbor, Niger, at 187 has the dubious distinction of coming in last.”
“It would not be so sad if we closed our eyes in order to dream of a better Nigeria. Instead, we close our eyes so that those who lead us can make things worse. We must stop the charade. We no longer have the luxury to play such a distorted game.
“We lap up the story of our yesterday as we recall with nostalgia Nigeria’s post-independence era. Though turbulent at first, Nigeria soon settled down to calmer waves and we saw development all over as we settled into nationhood. A crop of leaders forged in the nationalistic struggle for independence and schooled in some of the best institutions in Europe and America took charge and charted a course for our nation.
“They had a vision and made us dream of a country where though tongue and tribe may differ, still stands in brotherhood. Those were the days when with pride we declared and carried the badge of nationalism and being Nigerian.
“Unfortunately, as we entered the second decade of nationhood, the bottom fell out. We all know about our descent into spasms of military dictatorship and civilian miss-rule that led to the collapse of the second republic. I will not dwell much on this point, but suffice to say here that we are a people still in search of true nationhood. The derailment of our dreams and the blurring of our national vision by some of our past leaders have consequences for both our present and future.
“Today reminds us of yesterday. Of how we perhaps headed in the wrong direction. Today, we fret regarding the course of the nation and even about its longevity. Some stay she will fail. Some say she has already done so. Some believe that tomorrow can only be one of doom.
“For years, the idea of a national dialogue has been bruited. Government has always slapped the notion away. Now, devoid of ideas and with its back to the wall of poor performance, the current government grabs at the notion much like a drowning man does a life vest.
“Yes, we need to talk. I remain an ardent supporter of the call for a national conference that is sovereign and truly open to all. That is the only route out of the woods. We must bring Nigeria back on the path of true federalism. A staged-managed affair scripted and monitored to achieve the narrow political aims of narrow political minds in Abuja will do nothing but whet Confusion’s appetite. Anything short of a Sovereign National Conference will be like trying to apply a bandage to a tornado. So soon after calling forth this event, we have seen the deceptive, unsure steps of the government.
“Many of those that attacked my position in questioning the sincerity of the government are now retreating from the Jonathan Conference. All I ask is that you watch not with blind hope but with a watchful eye. I believe you will come to see this as the dark alley that I see.
“Now, back to the larger issue, the picture of Nigeria as it now stands. If you ask me to describe the state of the nation I would say it is an ambivalent one.
“Nigeria is a nation standing half in the light of progress and promise and half in the darkness of injustice. We live in a period of grave uncertainty. As things now stand, we have no idea where the nation is headed.
“We live in a fast-paced world but Nigeria is only crawling. In front of us, progressive development moves quicker than us. With each day, the distance between development and us increases. Behind us, calamity moves fast, gaining ground on us. With each day, it comes nearer and near to us. “
