What is Nigeria’s Current Biggest Devt Challenge?

Nigeria is currently faced with myriad challenges affecting her development trajectory and growth, many analysts have noted. However, some of these challenges vary or mutate from time to time, while some are equally consistent. Corruption, unemployment, and insincere leadership have also been identified by some as top challenges. To you, what is Nigeria’s current biggest development challenge and how can it be successfully tackled?

ABIMBOLA AKOSILE

* Incompetent political leadership has been our bane which ultimately accounts for our level of economic development so far. Nigeria needs upright, visionary and competent leaders for us to sit right globally.
– Ms Nkeiruka Abanna, Lagos State

* Nigeria’s current biggest development challenge is disunity. Corruption, unemployment and insincere leadership e.t.c. are all fruits of disunity. We cannot succeed in anything in this country if we are not united. It is said “In unity we stand, divided we fall”. If we truly love our country, how can you like to enrich yourself at the expense of others? In fact, unless we throw away our differences between one another, the development we are yearning for wouldn’t come.
– Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna

* Insincere leadership has been our undoing ab initio. Past leaders dubiously ignored honesty, sincerity, truth etc but took to lies, greed, avarice, corruption etc to our detriment. Hence our huge collective wealth is stolen and stashed away in already wealthy but greedy nations abroad. Citizens are treated as nobody by thieving nations. Such fraudulent nations devalue or mentally enslave poorer nations. Hence, Nigeria unwisely imports her needs than produce them till date; too bad an unfortunate culture. Our leaders must serve and not lie or steal.
– Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, Lagos State

* Power issue has become our biggest development challenge. In spite of the huge funds ploughed into the power sector, there is still nothing to write home about concerning regular power supply in the country. This is rather very unfortunate and shameful. l suggest that PMB should withdraw the licences given those investors that the past government sold the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to, because they are not living up to the expectation of Nigerians’ desire to have light 24\7 each day. This government should find new investors that will manage our power sector; that is our major problem for now.
– Mr. Gordon Chika Nnorom, Public Commentator, Umukabia, Abia State

* The biggest issues affecting our development growth include corruption, unemployment, insincere leaders, e.g. a GMD single-handedly awarding contract of billions of dollars without due process. There is also the Maina pension scandal, where many pensioners have not been paid their full benefits till date, and some are dead without enjoying their hard earned labour during their meritorious years of service.

He should be given full protection if need be, so that those involved can be identified by him to face prosecution and full wrath of the law. Should they be allowed to continue such principles by which they gained their wealth through their exploitation of the poor through crooked business practices? Yet, unemployment, crimes such as Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, and kidnapping e.t.c., persist.
– Mr. Dogo Stephen, Kaduna State

* Of the myriad challenges affecting Nigeria’s development trajectory and growth variously mutating over time or even consistent is electricity, which lack has critical adverse multiplier effects on Nigeria and her citizens, crippling everything deleteriously. Electricity; as father of development is too vital to be ignored. We must ban the harmful importation of generators outright. Researched power from wind, solar, water (hydro), nuclear, coal must be explored by government using indigenous experts in their relevant fields. Private public participation is key. A stitch in time saves nine.
– Mr. Apeji Onesi. Lagos State

* The mindset of the people is the biggest challenge facing our development as a nation. It’s people that make up institutions and systems, not the other way round. Anywhere in Nigeria a system or institution does not seem to be working or corruption is rife, it is as a result of the mindsets of the people. We need to purge our minds from the moral corruption that breeds the failing state of affairs in our country, through obeying our laws and justice delivery.
– Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State

* Nigeria’s current biggest developmental challenges are poor leadership, bad follower-ship, lack of capable and effective state and bureaucracy, neglect of the economy, private sectors that will improve the condition of living of citizens, poor infrastructure, educational and university systems, health, agriculture, corruption, weak civil society, poor execution of policies and programmes, unemployment, crime and terrorism especially Boko Haram insurgency, poor control of resources to meet the peoples’ demands and the higher demands for foreign goods, the environmental and health standard of Nigeria are in a bad state, civic pride and poor patriotism in Nigeria.

The best and possible way is to have focus-oriented leaders, God-fearing people full of integrity, academicians, and experts in the economic sectors putting an economic blueprint to foster development and allow different technocratic people with knowledge base to oversee and well-articulated policies that will take us to the Promised Land.
– Mr. Michael Adedotun Oke, Founder, Michael Adedotun Oke Foundation, Abuja

* To me, Nigeria’s actual biggest development challenge is corruption, which has permeated every sector of the society. Corruption is so ingrained in the average Nigerian’s psyche that it would take drastic measures, total value re-orientation and generations of discipline to bring it down to a bearable level. Leaders especially in public office must visibly eschew corruption and punish severely any discovered corrupt acts, as done in some countries like China and Japan. If the masses see what the leaders are doing to fight corruption, they will equally fall in line in the struggle for a better society. Until this is done, we can as well kiss development goodbye in this country.
– Mr. Olumuyiwa Olorunsomo, Lagos State

THE FEEDBACK

Top challenge: Poor leadership
Second: Epileptic power supply
Third: Widespread corruption
Radical tip: Change of mindset!
Total no of respondents: 9
Male: 7
Female: 2
Highest location: Lagos (4)

Next Week: Do Nigerians Truly Deserve Bad Leaders?

There is a school of thought that believes that Nigerians truly deserve any bad leadership they get, simply because most citizens celebrate insincere, corrupt leaders, and they either kill off those potential leaders who can make positive difference in power or do not even allow them to get into public office in the first place, including some of the best presidents Nigeria never had (both military or civilian). In your own view, do Nigerians truly deserve any bad leaders they get? Is there any way out of this?

Please make your response direct, short and simple, and state your full name, title, organisation, and location. Responses should be sent between today (November 23 & Monday, November 27) to abimbolayi@yahoo.com, greatbimbo@gmail.com, AND abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com. Respondents can also send a short text message to 08023117639 and/or 08188361766 and/or 08114495306. Collated responses will be published on Thursday, November 30