Nigeria, blessed by nature with a vast and rich agricultural land, and over 180 million people, is today the largest economy in Africa. One out of every six Black men across the world is a Nigerian. As the leading country in Africa, we must put our country in order by ensuring good governance at home; have an enduring democracy, a thriving economy that is poised to lead Africa in all the ramifications of economic development and growth. At the same time, Nigeria must be concerned with the peace and the growth of democracy across African continent. But, peace can only be maintained by the strong as no weak nation can maintain peace in other lands. So, the question is: How do we remain a strong nation in a world of globalization which emphasises competition? How do we define national security in this complex and interdependent world?
Can we survive let alone remain a strong nation if we do not industrialise our economy, or if we remain a major debtor nation borrowing American dollars to pay local debts, or if we continue to suffer food insecurity, or if millions of our youth are in the streets looking for jobs and we cannot creatively find jobs for them? Can we remain a strong nation in Africa if as a nation we cannot invest our resources in research and development, science and technology, or if we see what we spend in training and educating people as a cost as opposed to an investment?
Many people don’t know what the economy or economic security has to do with national security. They equate it with military readiness. If anything, economic security includes anything that adds to the strength of the nation. It is about being strong and a leader in all positive fields of human endeavour. It includes the strength of the nation’s infrastructure, the foundation upon which the continuous growth of the society depends. It also includes the country’s strong societal and moral codes, the rule of law, stable government, social, political, and economic institutions, and leadership. It also includes the nation’s schools and educational programmes that ensure a knowledgeable citizenry and a lifelong learning which is a must for democracy to thrive and to blossom.
Most importantly, a strong economy is an essential ingredient of a global presence as a strong nation. Without it, the country will lose its supposed strength even among African countries. The strong economy must include sound government policies to promote responsible choices and reduce the country’s debt, and promote strategies for environmental sustainability, acquisition of requisite expertise and leadership in the sciences and technology, top quality human capital capabilities, manufacturing, and a robust industrial base. It also includes sustenance of a strong and healthy market-based economy, with globally competitive products and services that produce jobs. And, in a world where a country with high foreign reserves is accorded respect in the international community, a high foreign reserve is ideal for Nigeria as Africa’s leading economy.
We cannot be a strong country without a viable way to supply power to our cities and our industries, without sufficient locally produced food to feed our ever rising population and without cheap fuel to power our cars and motor bikes to move us from one point to
another.
Indeed, Sheila Ronis in her book, “Economic security, the neglected dimension of national security,” said “economic security is a major element of national security, even as borders are less important than ever. No matter how we look at national security, there can be no question of the need to include the economic viability of our nation. Without capital, there is no business; without business, there is no profit; without profit, there are no jobs. And without jobs, there are no taxes, and there is no military capability.”
We now see the world as a smaller place than we once thought it was and that Africa, which has suffered from underdevelopment for centuries, is a smaller part of it. Economic growth and development in Africa depends on the direction of growth and development made by the tripods of Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa and their ability to understand the issues discussed above and how they interrelate.
As Obasanjo noted in his recent letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, “for Africa to move forward, Nigeria must be one of the anchor countries, if not the leading anchor country. It means that Nigeria must be good at home to be good outside. No doubt, our situation in the last decade or so had shown that we are not good enough at home; hence we are invariably absent at the table that we should be abroad.”
At this point in time, Nigeria needs a visionary leader, a sterling and very patriotic person to lead it to its socio, economic and political goals. Obasanjo condemned the two leading parties in Nigeria as incompetent to lead Nigeria to such greater goals. He called for a Coalition for Nigeria which all well-meaning Nigerians can belong. According to him, the movement must be a coalition for democracy, good governance, social and economic well-being and progress. It must be a coalition to salvage and redeem the country. He said nothing should stop such a movement from satisfying conditions for fielding candidates for elections and it must have its headquarters in Abuja.
As I read through Obasanjo’s letter, I cannot agree less with him. The challenges ahead of Nigeria in the immediate to medium and long terms are difficult and daunting. Meeting the challenges will not be easy; it will require difficult choices, effective leadership, hard choices and hard work by Nigerians. The country must deepen democracy and strengthen governance, it must diversify its economy more radically than it is doing now to create new economic opportunities for its teeming and growing workforce, particularly the youth, and it must also adapt to the effects of climate change especially in the North –eastern part of the country and build strong education and health systems. More than before, the country must also unleash the power of girls and womenfolk to maximize the speed, equity, and sustainability of development.
