Similarly, a new report by Baroness Cox, the Founder of HART-Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust , UK, and The All Party Parliamentary Group For International Freedom of Religion, Westminster, London, United Kingdom has this to say; "Shockingly for a commonwealth country, Nigeria ranks 12th on the Open Doors World Watch List 2020 of countries in which Christians are most persecuted. By comparison, Syria ranks 11th and Saudi Arabia ranks 13th, with Iraq 15th and Egypt 16th". Furthermore; "Nigeria ranks 97 of 113 countries in rule of law making", according to World Justice Project.
Go on with one Nigeria regardless of inequity and injustice and use the resources to benefit the 'few', anyone who disagrees is the enemy of state. A lot is at stake in the Country We're In- the economy, the society, the environment. Everything is at stake. Wikipedia listed Nigeria as number four on the examples of failed states alongside Syria, Somalia, Myanmar and Iraq. Nigeria is the 14th most fragile state in the world and 9th in Africa.
The fragile states index is a yearly report by Washington DC based think tank Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy which ranks 178 countries across 12 Indicators of the risks and vulnerabilities faced by individual nations. These include: Demographic Pressures, The presence of refugees and internally displaced people, group grievances, human flight, uneven development, delegitimization of the state, human rights violations and unaccountable security apparatus, failing public services, economic decline, elite factionalising and external intervention.
We have also mentioned the Social Progress report ranking Nigeria 129/140 on Basic Human Needs. We have talked about the debt service burden which now 'stokes bankruptcy'. Blomberg has reported that rich Nigerians are fleeing the country seeking dual citizenship and investment havens overseas. African leaders have just chosen next door neighbour, Ghana as the headquarters to house the new Africa free trade zone. Rwanda has become a leading global example in harnessing foreign direct investment to lift its citizens out of poverty, achieve economic growth and invest in sustainable development goals.
According to Ewelina U Ochab; "Fulani militia continues to perpetrate mass atrocities in Nigeria's Middle-Belt and their crimes continue to go unreported. How will the Nigerian government explain the mass killings in Nigeria as recorded by several international organisations? What is the Nigerian government doing to ensure that the acts are investigated and perpetrators prosecuted? Whereas the global community describes the Boko-Haram sect who have killed thousands of Nigerians as a deadly religious extremists group seeking to impose their ideology on the rest of the society ."the National Assembly leaders would like the nation to believe that the sect has metamorphosed from a group of religious zealots into an industry. They pointed out that the insurgency has become an industry because what they do is no longer religious. They want us to believe that the insurgents have people from different faiths and countries who are part of them . This is a strange twist to the narrative that began with Islamists at the epicentre since 2009"- Guardian, Nigeria. Religious freedom researchers and activists are seeking effective response from the US Government about genocidal conditions facing christians in Nigeria.
Unfortunately the 21st century challenges of de-carbonising economy and population explosion necessitates that it may not be business as usual. Of-course, this requires new thinking. The country we're in must discover and key into the new global renaissance for sustainable flourishing and thriving agenda for people and plane rather than destruction and anarchy. "Prosperity is Promised but insecurity, desperation, and in-work poverty grows"-IGP. The future requires change .
Obasanjo's recent remarks about restructuring is exactly the way things are and a stark reminder of what lies ahead; "Nigeria will remain insecure, unstable, stagnant if not restructured". Ordinary people must must stop chasing distractions from politicians of the by-gone age who are still stuck in the dark , unwilling to change their mindsets about the status-quo. People need to take action and put pressure on the politicians to do the right thing, nothing works unless people do something, take action to demand change.
The country We're In must focus on the "universal call to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity". The global north has a role to play in the Country We're In. They should pressure on the government to do the needful as they are no longer immune to problems that affect everyone in our interconnected globe. If the Country We're In will start seeing Peace and Prosperity as its priority, the society will become better, equity and justice will become more prominent, there will be inclusiveness, reduced inequality and a society that works for everyone not just the 'few', their families, friends, and associates.
The primary responsibility of government anywhere, particularly the one that was democratically elected by voters, is to protect the life and property of citizens, so what is the point of democracy if it cannot guarantee citizens security and prosperity. Democracy must be prevented from being captured by a hidden tyranny to achieve its own ends.
The Country We're In should be able to answer the following questions as outlined by the The Social Progress Index built on a conceptual model that has three basic categories: a)Does everyone in your society have the basic needs of survival-food, water, shelter, safety? b)Does everyone in your society have the building blocks of a better life-education, information, health and a good quality environment? c)Does everyone in your society have the opportunity to pursue their hopes and dreams without impediment? Do you have rights, freedom of choice, freedom from discrimination and access to the world's most advanced knowledge? This is the great challenge to the Country We're In not the next election nor unity and continuity regardless of inequity and injustice.
The Country We're In will not be able to solve these problems with the mindset that created them. Again, the monstrous political structure that that promotes abuse of power, divine rights, the licence to do as pleases and seeks to remove power and resources from people and undermines effective government must be overhauled to address the interconnectedness of trust, governance and growth in Nigeria. Growth requires new thinking!
Let me conclude this piece of work with a stark reminder by Professor A.C. Grayling ; The Danger-"Power tend to corrupt, Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Democracy collapsing into rule by the least well-equipped to rule, rule by the strong man, or perhaps even a hidden tyranny, capturing the reins of government under the cover of democracy, by exploiting and directing sentiment through demagoguery and manipulation to achieve its own ends"
Read our blog regularly as we seek to examine obstacles to 'flourishing and thriving' agenda in the Country We're In and the vital choices that can be made to achieve Peace and Prosperity. "Ensuring that people can thrive, not just survive is the ultimate challenge of the 21st century". This blog is an attempt to help communicate about the direction the world is going, help inform and inspire action to improve lives and save the planet. Everyone a changemaker.
I read a new Guardian Editorial, 'AGAIN, THE RESTRUCTURING DEBATE : "The dithering of state actors due to the absence of political will is worrisome and has done more damage to the polity. Today, the country's ills have multiplied and nudging the country towards implosion. This is no time to bicker about what is "true federalism". Those who employed this phrase do so to convey a sense of an equitable federation, it is by no means an expression of static notion of the motion of society".
The Country We're In is in great peril and danger and trust is completely broken. I totally agree with Emma O. Akpasubi; "In the face of increasing pressure on the security and other national structures, and the obvious negation of the principles of true federalism that have made the federating units to lose confidence on the federation and the danger this portend for cohabitation, dithering over the question of restructuring becomes a great threat to peace and development. The time for it is now".
Restructuring is long overdue in the Country We're In. We need to put pressure on the power holders to restructure the country to reposition it to address the challenges of the 21st-century-people and planet. Each of us can play a role. We must remove the prejudice that there is nothing we can do about the mess we're in or we cannot change the way things are. We have the power and the tools to change the way things are. Today's technology has made change possible. "Our power to make a difference is greater than today than it ever has been"-IGP. It's possible to change the way things are.
Uche Okeke is the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation. He lives in London.
If the Country We're In will start seeing Peace and Prosperity as its priority, the society will become better, equity and justice will become more prominent, there will be inclusiveness, reduced inequality and a society that works for everyone not just the 'few', their families, friends, and associates. The primary responsibility of government anywhere, particularly the one that was democratically elected by voters, is to protect the life and property of citizens so what is the point of democracy if it cannot guarantee citizens security and prosperity. Democracy must be prevented from being captured by a hidden tyranny to achieve its own ends- Uche Okeke
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