By Afolabi Aribigbola

|

T he first week of the new year 2023 was devoted exclusively in this column to looking retrospectively at year 2022 that ended some few days ago. Of course, with nostalgia we found that the country performed very dismally in virtually all aspects of her national life.

 This week like most concerned and discerned Nigerians will focus on seeking ways and means to change the negative narratives associated with the country in the recent year. This is hinged on the premise and understanding that it is not enough to continue to bemoan the failure and ills bedeviling the country without suggesting viable ways out of the doldrum and to also join forces with rational men and women whose overwhelming interest is seeking realistic solutions to the multivarious challenges confronting the country.

 This is essential because as we shall realize, we don’t have another country beside Nigeria and therefore must seek realistic feasible ways to improve and prosper the country and her people. To accomplish this, presuppose the need to look backward to identify areas of deficiencies, shortcomings and crises that require urgent and decisive attention. It was on the above basis that our column this week is designed to proffer solutions to some of the important issues of concern and problems pointed out previously. In other words, last week, that happens to be the first week in the year 2023 was conclusively devoted to highlighting the major problems and challenges that confronted Nigerian in the past year, while, the very second edition in 2023 will focus on resetting the agenda for the country if any, towards resolving  the lingering intractable problems pervading the entire national space of the country.

The disquietedness and disorder in the education sector especially in tertiary level where public universities were closed for eight months due to workers strike stand in bold relief and need to be frontally address in the new year. To ensure stability and sustainable development in one of the most challenged sectors in Nigeria require decisive and deep-rooted realistic solution. Not the usual past cosmetic approach designed to get the lecturers back to class immediately without really and sincerely addressing the issues in contention that warranted disagreement in the first instance. This requires declaring emergencies in the sector, emplace stakeholders meeting and genuine intention and commitment to the sector. The country must come out clear on how to fund and manage the sector. This is very germane otherwise the country will continue to radiate in circle while its human development sector and its dwindling fortune. To ensure stability in the education sector the country must take proactive steps to eliminate incessant and ensure that no strikes and its destructive effects occur this year and beyond. The uneasiness in the sector as revealed recently is a pointer to the fact that problems still exist in the sector. This was because the core that prompted the prolonged eight-month long strike in the public universities are yet to be resolved. This must be resolved with dispatch.

Of a truth, Insecurity in Nigeria which has been escalating over the years to which its crescendo peaked in 2022 must no longer be confronted with kid gloves in the new year. It must also be frontally tackled to secure the country. Afterall, government of nations or society generally exists to secure their citizens. In 2023, this must be given the high priority it deserves. The country cannot afford to continue to witness decimation of her people like in war situation. The people and leadership must move beyond condemnation of these criminal evils acts to dealing with them by better equipping the armed forces and police. This need to be accompanied by proactive pragmatic solutions to address the cankerworm. Such a need approach must create and support local and community policing. Suffice it to add that in the new year, the huge insecurity confronting the country, serious genuine efforts must also be dissipated to eliminate widespread insecurity and associated killings in the country.  This suggests the creation and empowering of security agencies and establishment at sub national levels jurisdiction such as states and local government level. Concrete plan to rid the Nigerian society of criminals must be made and sincerely pursued in the new year and beyond, otherwise the country will be doomed for a long time to come.

Economic crisis and escalating poverty with its newest variant of multi-dimensional poverty ravaging the country need to be taken care of in the new year. _Efforts must be made this year to address the appalling degenerating situation.  To solve this problems creation of wealth for the country to generate sufficient resources and income for the country becomes expedient.  Redistribution of the available resources of the country between and among the growing poverty population and the few swimming in wealth is also necessary.  There is the need to embark on employment generation through industrialization and establishment of work places to accommodate millions of youths without employment.    The growing population of the poor and vulnerable needs to be ascertained and supported.  The past years also witnessed the resurgence of political violence.  This is very embarrassing after sixty years of self-rule and must be in the bud in the new year.  To achieve this, all political gladiators and leaders must become more responsible and show sincere leadership.  And not leaders that would be inciting and sponsoring political violence to secure the people’s mandate. Since they are the one creating, sponsoring and protecting the perpetrators of political violence and killings of opponents, they should be made to find solutions to the cankerworm.  The security agencies that have become pawns in the hands of politicians to encourage and permit political violence should be alive to their onerous sworn responsibilities of protecting the people and their properties. 

In a mush as the negative debilitating effects and narratives of the past year are clear and well understood and the fact that it is unacceptable, nauseating and offensive to many , the society must reset itself and set new goals and pragmatic agenda as well as solutions to resolving the different problems facing Nigeria. There must be clear and unambiguous statements on the directions to take, to take Nigeria out of the present doldrum into which  it has been thrown in recent years. This is necessary to get the country moving in a desire way to secure the welfare and prosperity of the people. A society without a clear goal, agenda and programmes to get it out of the woods like the situation in Nigeria at the moment will continue to wallow in abject poverty and crisis while its citizens will be exposed to serious suffering,  deprivations and wants . Things must change for the better in the country henceforth and this can only be accomplished with  well articulate agenda to address the problems highlighted above. This should also  be followed by proper and sound execution of programmes that are capable of assisting and supporting the weak and vulnerable in the country. Setting and implementing good agenda for the country is what can guarantee its future and those of her people.