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When Will Nigeria Improve On Social Facilities?

Written by Dr. Brian Wilfred

Saturday, 27 September 2008

As a people, Nigerians have always wanted or hoped Nigeria will improve efficaciously in the relief of pain in her citizenry since 1960 {48yrs this year come Oct. 1st} she got her independence from the avarice colonial masters, but she remained effete in all facets of her administration except on corruption. Security is zero in Nigeria, roads are pit-of-hell, political structures are like the warfront, education system is gasping for the breath, name them.

One is poised to ask what the hope of the Niger Deltans would be if the Niger Delta Committee that was set by the Yar’Adua-led administrations recently should tow the line of its ancestors. This is because the Sir Henry Willink Commission of 1958 which said that the Niger Delta calls for urgent attention was relegated to the background, likewise many other such Commissions that came after Willink’s.

Like the leader of Action Congress (AC) in Rivers State and a member of the Niger Delta Technical Committee, Prince Toney Princewill posited in a press briefing with journalists in Port Harcourt recently that Nigeria is a disaster. We don’t always need summit to solve our problems, what we need is implementing issues and working on them. We need peace and security to life and property. Nigeria is a country with good number of optimists, but the activities of the government is making these spirits in some people to dampen; thereby they take to dubious ways to better their lives. But such ways they preferred is not always the best. Our major challenge is on security and social amenities. Three members per each state were inaugurated in the Niger Delta Technical Committee and each state now has a liaison office in all the states with a website thus: www.nigerdeltatechincalcommittee.org. The N’Delta of today is far from what people always think. Niger Delta of today is political. But we can secure peace, we ca secure development. Many people are making suggestions to the Committee two days the Committee was set. But how many of this people are purely suggesting on patriotism? Our suggestions as Nigerians are always political and Shylockic!

We can agree that setting up the Niger Delta Technical Committee is not a solution to the problem, but how policies are made in the Committee brings the peace. The Committee may come out with a Marshal Plan if things are done without biasness.

The way and manner policies are made in Nigeria is still looking for direction. Policies in Nigeria are implemented, but not properly executed or are not executed at all. According to Princewill, “Government has been cooperative. We have not apology to what we want to do the job in the Committee.”

The use of weapons in the Niger Delta is un-necessary. The government has money for any Marshall Plan in Nigeria, and why should she not release money? Do we know that Nigeria was rated on 4th list as the weak governments of the world? Is our problem not political way? Is our problem money? If some states in Nigeria get upto N20b as allocation, what about the Federal Govermenrt? Are some security agencies not happy with the development of crisis in the Niger Delta? But individuals among them are not happy with the agitation!

We should be tough on crime but more on the causes of crime, Princewill says. Nigerians should be stoical in speaking out. The fear of being killed should we speak out or being relieved of our jobs should not deter us from saying the truth. As so doing, the government could see reason why it should improve on its social facilities and on other related cases.

Dr. Brian Wilfred is Special Assistant on Communication to Prince Tonye Princewill, leader of Rivers AC, and member of Niger Delta Technical Committee.

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