QATAR'S INVESTING IN NIGERIA: The request of a rich beggar

I actually bowed my head in shame when I heard that the President of Nigeria was begging the visiting Emir of Qatar to come and invest in all major sectors of our economy. At that moment, I felt ashamed to be a Nigerian and I sought to hide my face under my chair when I also heard that the president told the Emir to have his 'management here to oversee the investment' and that 'we need your expertise'. I am no economist but I know enough to sense that the president is clearly announcing his government's failure and asking for help from Qatar to run Nigeria's economy. Yeah, I know that beggars have no choice but I come from a part of the country where beggars dictate the amount of money you give to them, so forgive me if I don't feel comfortable with this situation. Forget about the enormous disgrace and the destruction of our pride as leaders of Africa and our dignity as a great nation. Let's forget all that and let's focus on why the president is essentially handing over the country to a nation with a population not up to some local governments in one of our states.

 

Qatar is a tiny country with a total area of 11,571 sq. km., 2.7 million people in 2017 (2.3 million of which are foreign expatriates), a low $200 minimum wage, world's highest GDP per capita of $129,000 (in 2016), 3rd largest gas deposit, world's largest supplier of LNG, 4th largest producers of gas, some fish, petroleum, 1.2% arable land and some hardly significant minerals. It gained its independence from our former colonial masters 11 years after we gained ours. Qatar is currently one of the richest and the fastest growing nation in the world. They plan to host the 2022 World Cup in a way the world has never seen. 

 

Now, let's look at Naija. We occupy the enviable position of poverty capital of the planet. With every natural resource you can think of, we have a size of 923,768 sq. km., very arable land and fishy waters, 198 million people (many of which are migrating abroad), $83 minimum wage, GDP per capita of $1,900 (in 2017), 9th largest gas deposit (most of which is burnt off). We gained independence from Britain in 1960 and FIFA will never be mad enough to allow us host a meeting of the janitorial staff of its headquarters. In fact, we won't even dare make a bid. 

 

So what is the reason why Africa's biggest heavyweight, a country as blessed as Nigeria, is begging a tiny desert nation to help her run her economy, or rather, why does her president feel the need to carry out this plea? Part of the problem is that every Nigerian has a different version of what he thinks is the problem, but the biggest part of this problem is that the government who with one side of its mouth professes that we are on the path of growth and development is also begging for help with another side of that same mouth. So, the summary is that there is no conscious effort to address the problem because the handlers are not admitting that there is a problem. It's like someone who claims to be happy and safe but is also at the same time crying and wringing his hands. Perhaps it's democrazy - the demonstration of craze.

"We have surplus doctors" - Questioning the medical fitness of a doctor's words

Some time ago, on April 24, 2019 to be exact, Dr. Chris Ngige, Nigeria's Minister of Labor and Productivity stated that 'he is not worried' about the exodus of Nigerian doctors to foreign Canaans in search of better welfare and conducive work environment.

It is no secret in this country that as fast as we churn out doctors, they migrate abroad with similar speed. In order not to overload anyone's head, I will not be going into too many complex numbers. Nigeria, at present, has about 40,000 practising doctors. How many of them are fully qualified and competent, I don't know. You heard when it was discovered that the head of the NMA was not a doctor, right? So, 40,000 practising doctors are meant to treat about 200,000,000 people in Nigeria. Going by WHO recommendation, it should be 1 doctor to about 600 people. But in Nigeria, it's 1 doctor to about 5,000 people. That's Dr. Ngige's definition of surplus. 

Now, why do doctors leave the country? Three reasons I know of are poor welfare, lack of needed facilities and equipments, and absence of conducive working environment. The Minister of Labor and Productivity, with casual confidence, declared his lack of concern for this trend. Now I ask, what is the role of a Minister of Labor and Productivity? Without looking at any book, it's clear that he's supposed to be responsible for the labor in the country and its level of productivity. Any Nigerian who has ever been to a public hospital will agree with me when I say that the doctors there are overworked, overstressed, underpaid and underassisted by the government to do their job of saving lives, and as a result, their productivity is far below par. But unfortunately, the government official concerned is actually unconcerned and does not seem very determined to recommend the employment of more doctors by the government. 

Now, to be sure, let's look at this: Nigeria graduates less than 2,500 doctors every year, but about 2,000 of them leave the country within the same period. Currently, there are as many Nigerian doctors practising abroad as there are in Nigeria, even more! So where is the surplus Dr. Ngige was referring to? In the Ghost Kingdom? I'm sure that even the number of doctors that are retired and dead, if added to the number of those living cannot give Nigeria a surplus. The elections are long gone and his party has won, so this statement of his is certainly not for campaign purposes. Maybe it is for government propaganda? Or is it just a sign of his complete ignorance of the happenings in Nigeria? Or perhaps, early signs of dementia? Whichever it is, Ngige's statement stinks of so much incompetence and incorrectness, something which has never been lacking in the current government who are in charge of our dilapidated affairs. Wei done, sirs!

Frustrating the sale of electric cars: The Ekweremadu thought process

"In economic sense, we're an oil-producing country. So we should do everything possible to frustrate the sale of electric cars in Nigeria to enable us sell our oil." - Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.  


The above statement was a reaction to a bill proposed by Senator Ben Murray-Bruce to Nigeria's upper legislative house. The bill was one that sought to enforce the use of electric cars as a replacement to the unhealthy and environmentally-unfriendly petrol cars. This bill was shot down by several senators even before it could learn how to fly. Notable among them was one of Nigeria's most powerful government officials, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu. He holds a Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D in Law from two Nigerian universities and has occupied sensitive government positions in the past few decades. The allegedly learned 56-year old made a poor case when he proposed to his fellow senators that Nigeria, being an oil-producing nation, should frustrate the sale of electric cars to enable us sell our oil, which begs many questions. 

1. With the current state of climate change and environmental degradation, the sale of oil or the sale of electric cars... which is more important and beneficial to a country with countless other resources? 

2. Since the discovery of oil in Nigeria and the subsequent sale of it, what have been the positive impacts on the lives of her citizens? 

3. How exactly does the sale of electric cars negatively affect a country that spends so much on subsidy and purchase of petroleum products that are used in powering environmentally-unfriendly machines? 

4. Despite the high expense of these cars, are they more expensive than our lives and environment? 

5. Does Senator Ekweremadu listen to the news or keep in touch with current world happenings? 

6. How globally competitive are Nigeria-trained graduates and postgraduates? 

In 2017, the then 39-year old President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who holds a Master's in Public Policy and another in Philosophy, stated that France will ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040. The young man had, and still has, a clear-cut vision of progress for his country. Here, in 2019, a 56-year old third-term serving Senator proposed the frustration of the sale of electric cars which are currently one of the world's latest efforts to promote a safe and healthy environment. You tend to wonder, 'in which direction is Nigeria headed? Backward or forward?' Are we returning to the Stone Age or joining the Digital Age? In the 21st century, a nation with abundant natural and human resources like Nigeria generates only 7,000MW of power and distributes far less. Why? Perhaps, just maybe, there are certain individuals who are bent on 'frustrating' the optimal generation and distribution of power in Nigeria? I live in a community with so much wind and constantly blazing heat from the sun, but there is absolutely no solar or wind-generated power anywhere around. Deliberate frustration? I have seen local scientists come up with ingenious technology including generators that generate power from waste and even water. But surprisingly, these inventions die away from public attention after they are announced. Deliberate frustration again? There are so many fuel and diesel-consuming generators in Nigeria, spewing out poisonous fumes into the atmosphere and making more noise than cannons in the medieval era of the Black Prince, but there are abundant and simple means by which they can be phased out. Nigeria has sunlight all year round, so many water bodies, so much wind and great amounts of waste. All these can generate safe, health and environmentally-friendly power for the populace. And with the sale of electric cars, pollution from combustion engines will be almost over, jobs will be available for skilled individuals, spending on subsidy and purchase of petroleum products will be vastly reduced, and producers and users of other machines that depend on petroleum products will be inspired to seek safer and alternative means. 

The benefits are great, so why did Nigerian senators led by the Deputy Senate President shoot down Sen. Murray-Bruce's bill? What do they stand to gain from 'frustrating' his efforts to make Nigeria move with the rest of the world? Are they producers of diesel or petrol cars? What are their alternatives to Murray-Bruce's idea? If... when the rest of the world starts using electric cars, who will we sell our precious oil to, assuming we still have any of it by then? Should we be thinking of continuing to sell the increasingly unpopular oil or should we intensify efforts to actually diversify and keep our environment safe?  
God help Nigeria!

INTRODUCTION

So I'll start by introducing myself and then, the blog. Here goes: 
I'm MLJ, a Nigerian writer, avid reader, blunt realist, and 'global citizen'. I'm a big fan of directness, math, arguments and big cats. Can't find what they all have in common? It's my love! Anyways, I am passionate about writing, self improvement and positive progress for Africa. Hence, I will be addressing the last in this blog. 

I find that most parts of the world are actively seeking ways to grow and move forward in all the good ways, but many African countries have chosen to establish themselves on the opposite path. 

In my blog posts, I will be analyzing, as informally as possible, Africa's relationship with the rest of the world; her current, recent and past troubles, and how they affect her; what hope there is for her, and just what she is doing right, or wrong. 

Seeing that this is my blog, sometimes I will enforce my rights to delve into matters unrelated to those I have expressed the wish to address <smiles> but I will return home eventually. 

This blog will make things as simple as possible, and as a literary firestarter, I will be looking to ignite new fires in your mind, challenging you to see issues deeper and brighter than normal. My aim is to inspire you to deeper thought, which will hopefully lead to mature, peaceful, timely and sensibly impactful action.
Keep reading! Keep thinking! Keep planning! And never forget to keep moving and acting!

*This blog is dedicated to American YA author, Kay Castaneda, who more than once advised me to do something with my talks and thoughts about Nigeria.