Given its size, population and natural resources endowment, nature has bestowed the opportunity to lead Africa on Nigeria but this is not seen to be effectively and efficiently played. Instead, the country is shipwrecking on many fronts: Known for having institutions with high profile corruption case; it is the poverty capital of the world; deficient in infrastructure. Everything bad that is meant to happen has happened in Nigeria and, mostly, it is because of human error(s)!
That we are not delivering any economic gain to the ECOWAS sub-region and the African continent and, yet, feel we are the giant of the continent is, at best, a wild goose chase or, better still, playing to the gallery!
Africa is the centre piece of Nigeria's foreign policy but what exactly is the country delivering to the continent?
We talk a lot about helping South Africa overcame apathied; talk a lot about helping in the restoring peace in war torn Liberia and Sierra Leone, yes, but to be an internationally relevant nation is not a one stop activity but a continuum!
Just to draw our attention to the odds let us reflection on Nigeria's encounters with Cameroun and Niger. The prolonged boundary tussle between Nigeria and Cameroun over Bakassi Peninsula and the consequent ceding of the contentious Peninsula in June 2006 was a bad signal for the country. In addition, the glaring disregard of Nigeria's sanction on Niger Republic over July's 26, 2023 forceful replacement of democratic structures by military juntas and the eventual retraction and lifting of the sanction on Niger in 2024 by Nigeria without any covert or overt show of remorse by the former is a diplomatic slap on the latter. These two incidences clearly indicate that Nigeria is not the loudest, biggest and the most influential voice in the diplomatic politics of Africa.
If Nigeria is the giant of Africa, then, it must be a sleeping one, i always say. We need to wake up and take our potential position as African hegemon. We can be but not yet. We can be but not by mere wishing. We can be but not by oral pronouncements but by concrete, practical and sustainable actions!
Wake up Nigeria. ECOWAS, Africa and the world is awaiting our manifestation and urgently too. The world and Africans, in particular, will not entertain any excuses!
A $1trillion economy which anchors shared prosperity for the continent will just be it. A leadership that builds strong institutions and reduced corruption to the barest minimum will just be it. A country that fights insecurity to the barest minimum will just be it. A country that fixes her gross deficit in infrastructure will just be it. A country that continually upgrades it human capital and, substantially, improves on all development indicators will just be it. The country cannot afford to do less!
*(Modest Thoughts with Ayuba Yilgak'ha, April 28, 2024)*
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