At the end of a cycle of beneficiaries, a percentage of the income generated by the CCDC is given to the graduating participants to go start off their own small scale trade, while the remaining amount is recycled back into the center.
For an illustration with a single community: CCDC A could be
focused on fish farming. CCDC B could be focused on Catering services and CCDC
C could be focused on poultry.
The productive effect of this concept can be appreciated using CCDC A which is focused on fish farming. It will recruit the local youths of employable age for a cycle of perhaps 4/5 months. We could assume that the center can produce 20 tons of fish and engage 60 youths of employable age within this period. Another important assumption is that the center is managed by competent personnel who have a diligent and professional approach on the job.
The gains to the beneficiaries, the community, and
continuity of the center are briefly highlighted below.
One-off direct transfer of the knowledge of fish farming to the beneficiaries and a residual transfer of this knowledge to the immediate member of the community by graduating beneficiaries when they leave the center.
Provide the end product in surplus quantity to the community. The CCDC has a minimum annual productive capacity of 40 tons.
Reduce the unit price of fish in the community.
Provide financial empowerment for an annual graduating minimum number of 120 beneficiaries with a realistic opportunity of self employment at the end of their program.
Provide employment opportunity and income revenue for the workforce required to drive different areas of the CCDC .
Promote within the community, the residual growth of a variety of retail small scale business opportunities revolving around the product (fresh fish resellers, smoked fish resellers, roast fish resellers, cold rooms etc)
Provide income for the CCDC which can be recycled into sustaining the productive continuity of the concept.
Redirect the potentially resourceful mind of the youthful majority away from the current negative consequence of idleness to the creative subject of fish production and improvements.
Create a sense of belonging within the mind of the youthful majority as an integral part of national development and reduce the restive consequence of feeling neglected by the empowered class of the population.
Open a trade gateway with other communities as a one-stop-shop fish center.
Closing Remarks
The advantages highlighted above, makes a strong case for the CCDC as a viable and realistic solution which can contribute a considerable measure of relief to the currently unemployed youthful majority of our nation. It is a concept which can find useful application for the educated and uneducated persons of this population group.
A sincere commitment on the part of all essential key players would productively engage the massive strength of our idle and restive youthful majority who are currently engaged in all manner of social vices within the society ranging through drug abuse, prostitution, thuggery, gambling, kidnapping, thefts, rumor mongering, rioting, etc.
Hopefully, the content of this summary post may stir our thoughts on the gains of the CCDC as one of the several effective ways to productively engage our youths of employable age in Nigeria.
Through the decades, there has always been an outcry on the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria. Presently, this outcry seems to be at its loudest and rightly so. The youths of Nigeria whose age group constitutes the highest segment of the unemployed population are groaning under the pains of joblessness. Several attempts have been made by previous regimes at changing the unfortunate tide of unemployment in Nigeria with very little success. The story is no different with the present government. Massive funds have been committed into various empowerment schemes, and financial aid programs however, the prospect of any significant positive change in the employment opportunities of the country is not yet in sight. This summary blog episode is designed to highlight a different approach as the first step of a thought which may assist with providing improved results toward our collective quest at creating more employment opportunities in our nation.
First of all, we need to be mindful of the reality of certain foundation factors before delving into any discussion on possible solutions.
There is no government system on earth that can solely bear the financial burden of providing jobs for all its citizens of employable age or even half of this population. The progressive nations of the world have not yet pulled off this impossible feat, so it would not be wise for us to expect anything different in Nigeria. The optimal availability of employment opportunities in any nation is a healthy balance of government and private driven effort.
It is one thing to build establishments that can provide jobs for people, however if the workforce employed cannot effectively manage the business due to a deficiency of the required skill set and(or) diligent professional attitude, the outfit would definitely crumble sooner or later. Any sound mind would term the entire venture a massive waste of money and time. Perhaps, this factor may have contributed to the death of various business establishments that provided jobs in the past in our country. These establishments included government owned companies, as well as privately owned foreign and local business initiatives.
The educational system in any country must be robust enough to produce graduates who have the basic practical skill set and in-depth knowledge required to administer any position of employment which they may subscribe to after school. If the educational system is below acceptable industry standards, this will in turn translate into the poor productivity of any business projectthat employs such graduates as staff. We are all aware of the poor state of our educational system so it would be most unfair for us to feign ignorance on the negative impact of this important factor on the ability of our youths at engaging gainful employment.
The government of any nation bears the responsibility of providing the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. An enabling environment can be achieved by the provision of constant power, good roads, adequate security, etc. Unlike the progressive nations of the world, previous and present governments in Nigeria have mostly failed to deliver on this key area that would encourage the proliferation of viable businesses across the landscape of our nation and improve employment opportunities for the massive idle population of employment age. Sustaining an enabling environment also requires the cooperation of the citizens; however this factor is not the focus of this post.
With the valid points of the section above in view, and with the mind boggling peculiarities of our current national circumstance in this regard, there is an urgent need to redirect the potentially resourceful mind of the youthful majority away from the current consequences of vices arising from idleness. The recommendation of this document which could assist us with achieving a positive difference is the establishment of Controlled Community Development Centers (CCDC).
Controlled Community Development Centers
A CCDC is a free empowerment concept which is designed to practically impart a specific skill, and financially empower a beneficiary at the end of their program with the center. The CCDC will also earn income for itself at the end of each cycle of graduating enrolled beneficiaries. It is termed a controlled environment because an enabling environment is created within the center for the business to thrive. Some of these enabling factors have been highlighted previously as the provision of adequate power, security, running water and other specifics which will encourage the business concept to prosper and deliver intended results.
Each community development center would be dedicated to a single skill area to make it easier for the resources deployed in each center to focus on achieving the positive goals of the establishment. Beneficiaries are not required to pay any fees to enroll into the center, so funding is recommended from benevolent entities which should involve the government and other private organizations.
There is no denying the fact that our great Nigerian nation is currently bedeviled by a myriad of complex challenges. These issues did not befall our noble nation overnight, but have taken decades of inaction on our part to snowball into their currently petrifying status. Unlike the proverbial stitch which should have been applied on time; the current tear in the fabric of our wellbeing as a nation seems to require way more than nine stitches and this is due to our earlier collective neglect for corrective action.
The overwhelming nature of our national plight is understandable considering the fact that through the years our attempts at reversing the trend has not yielded any positive result.
It is also understandable that the morale index of most Nigerian citizens is at its lowest with regards to believing in the possibility of a positive change let alone making that belief become a reality. For most Nigerians, there might seem to be no solution of logic which the painful experiences of our current quagmire. However, a resounding answer to the prospect of giving up with changing the trend of our currently mind boggling circumstance is a firm no!
This defiant response of positive energy includes but is not limited to all the reasons behind the untapped potential of human resource within our great nation which was once and could still become one of the greatest nations in Africa.
We should all be reminded that other nations which may have found themselves in a similar or worse predicament, were able to make a persistent and remarkable recovery albeit slowly. Illustrations of this fact are left to the imagination of the reader, but can be found within the African continent and beyond. Therefore it can be safe to state that the possibility of a positive recovery of the fortunes of the Nigerian nation is not wishful thinking. The pertinent question would be a plausible first step which would create the foundation for subsequent steps in the right direction.
A response of hope to this current challenge of national magnitude strongly appears to rest in reawakening the spirit of Patriotism in every Nigerian Citizen of discerning age.
Patriotism can simply be defined as ‘A person’s selfless Love for their own Country, and a willingness to sacrifice for it’. Bearing in mind that a country is an abstract concept on its own which is molded by the strength of character of its citizens, the definition above can be rephrased for further clarity to mean ‘A person’s selfless love for their own Compatriots and a willingness to sacrifice for them’.
Our Neighbors, our Coworkers, our Landlords, our Tenants, our Pastors and Imams, our Bankers, and everyone within our personal horizon of interaction are our Compatriots as long as they are Nigerians. In addition, the trader we patronize at the market, the tireless bus conductor and his driver, the traffic warden sweating it out in the scorching sun, the kids we may not know playing around the corner, the less privileged persons and those citizens with special needs, the politicians, and a whole list which may not accommodate the mention of this paragraph, and who may be beyond our personal horizon of interaction are also our Compatriots as long as they are Nigerians.
A person who can display the selfless character of patriotic love toward fellow Nigerians mentioned in the paragraph above is called a Nigerian Patriot.
Patriotism is an inherent ‘God given’ attribute of character deposited within the DNA of every single human from birth therefore it is safe to assume that this noble character has simply been dormant rather than non-existent in a majority of Nigerians through the years.
Regardless our reasons for suppressing the Patriot in us, it is a fact that the Nigerian Patriot lives within the soul of every single Nigerian citizen.
Given a chance, the selfless love of the Patriot in each of us can make a huge difference in our daily interactions and endeavors with each other. If we could collectively unleash this positive phenomenon resting within us, it would greatly assist us with a different insight of life which goes beyond the horizon of a Religious, Tribal, and Political divide. These three negative attributes have greatly impeded our efforts at national development.
The spirit of Patriotism is the only attribute of character that can tag every Nigerian citizen on a single team and neutralize the current divisions across board. It is a certain fact that the massive strength of a single Nigerian team with over 200 million teammates can overcome any mountain of challenge.
In conclusion, reawakening the spirit of Patriotism within the mind of the Nigerian citizen will not come with overnight success, but our sincere effort in this direction would definitely provide the foundation for the team work required for subsequent positive actions geared toward our positive national development.
On this truth and more, I rest my case on Patriotism as the Rainbow of hope for the Nigerian Dream.
The words of any language are utilized to make sentences for the purpose of decent communication. This is typically the only medium which can convey the invisible and unknown thoughts or intentions from a person to another. The truth behind this statement cuts across the entire Human race regardless of ethnicity or nationality. There is no way the intention of a person, or group can be absolutely determined if there is no window of verbal, written, or sign communication.
Without the process of communication, we would be living in a world of assumptions, and as the saying rightly goes, this is the foundation of all mistakes.
On face value, it is presumed that a person would use the right words to convey an intention or thought in order not to mislead the target audience. With the activities of a group, the impact of sincere communication is the direct consequence of the success or failure of any endeavor embarked upon by the group. Bad communication or insincere communication would have a negative effect on the ability of the group to synchronize their actions and effort toward a common objective.
In progressive nations of the world, people mostly say what they mean, and mostly mean what they say. Everyone is mostly sincere in communicating their thoughts. This is one of the reasons the citizens of such nations can easily synchronize with each other on the goal of success with most of their endeavors.
There is also a penal code for communication which is not sincere and which can flatly be labeled a lie. This ensures a great measure of accountability with the use of words and upholds societal sanity with regards to human interactions. Productivity with such nations are typically high because energies are conserved for the task at hand and not dissipated in figuring out the real intent behind a probably deceptive conversation. The blood pressure and general stress of daily living is not mostly dependent on prayers for divine intervention at every stage of Human interaction, but on an efficient system which is mostly driven by sincerity.
In Nigeria, taking most people by the sincerity of the meaning of their words is a risk which can come with very expensive consequences. This is simply because most interactions are guided toward self interest and social security of self. Most people aim to speak remarkably well but the action of delivery is mostly a deviation from the agreed end and this normally comes with a heavy dose of explanations. These explanations were never made in the beginning, and are designed to justify the reason a distorted end result must be accepted.
An agreement to a time of appointment with most Nigerians cannot work because someone who had agreed to be punctual is definitely going to be late. Someone who says on the phone: ‘see me, I’m around the corner’ may actually be several miles away and perhaps may not even have commenced on the journey yet.
With Politicians of nefarious repute, most mouth watering campaign promises made to people prior to being elected into a position of governance, mostly never translates into any meaningful action throughout their duration in office if elected.
If statistics were compiled, the most abused word which is frequently interjected within the context of lame and deceptive sentences on the lips of Nigerians is the name of the Almighty God. This is a highly revered name that should be used with the greatest respect, dignity and restraint, as directed in the Holy books, yet it is a prominently recurrent feature in most conversations with most Nigerians. It is seen as a means to deceptively earn the conviction of another person, rather than a symbol of commitment to action.
This careless use of words has found a comfortable space in our psyche to the extent we also hardly respect written documentation on any agreement. On a national scale, our leadership and certain privileged individuals blatantly disregard the constitution and other written agreements within the context of presiding over the nation, while the Judiciary simply sits with a load of excuses for its inaction.
A glaring and frequent example is with high profile court cases where a Surety agrees to the consequences of allowing someone to go on bail, however, when the person jumps bail, everyone responsible to enforce accountability just sits, while the Surety swaggers around the society as an untouchable.
With this attitude of insincerity boldly engrained in our subconscious, it is no surprise that very few Nigerians can connect with the profound meaning and inspirational effect behind the words of the National Pledge and Anthem of our great country.
The illustrations continue; on the road and indeed anywhere, simple board signs are mostly ignored; at work, operational policies are loosely implemented and a ‘must happen’ on paper, can easily turn to a ‘could happen’ in practice. This unhealthy habit of compromise has become common place in our clime. There is always a protest whenever any attempt is made at correcting anyone found liable of being insincere with communicated intent. Some people would even have the audacity to sue such attempts at enforcing accountability.
With this level of dishonest communication within our clime, it is neither a trick of fate nor curse of divine proportions, that we are unable to synchronize our collective strength at forging meaningful national development for our Country.
This painful hindrance is massively as a result of our selfish commitment to dishonest communication where projected milestones are compromised to a point that achievable results are watered down to mean nothing.
It is most worrisome that most people do not appear bothered by the fact that we are mostly communicating what we do not mean in Nigeria. This is a very mediocre attribute of life which we are successfully implanting into our children from birth; a trend with dreadful future consequences for our nation and citizens.
There is a need for each of us within the context of our noble country Nigeria to realize that every human being has a daily routine which mostly depends on the execution of honest actions for success. We need to learn and understand that group interactions involving any scope of number of people require a synchronization of honest individual actions for which success is hinged on the sincerity of intent regarding communicated information.
The absence of sincere communication in any segment of society simply breeds room for confusion and this truth is obtainable in the smallest family cell or a larger group of national magnitude.
It is imperative for every single citizen of this great nation to relearn the dignifying principles of honor behind the sincere use of words in all dealings with others.
This message of honesty is resoundingly echoed in the spirit of the National pledge as a daily reminder. Our desperate attempt at twisting this fact of life has left our nation in shambles and this is a reality we cannot deny with the current state of our dear country.
On these truths and more, I rest my plea on the case against our dishonest use of words.
In Nigeria our orientation regarding the concept of Processes, planning and timelines is depressingly poor. With the Leadership of the country, the longest lifespan of any process of plan is limited to eight years, which represents two terms of four years each in office. The next administration will jettison the process and everything else on assumption of office.
The youthful student does not realize the fact that education is a continuous process which requires a constant exposure to the educational technique of the school including reading materials throughout the semester. They ignore the process and timelines then just before an exam, they hope in futility that some improvised plan (which will mostly depend on a divine assistance of mercy) will earn them a good grade.
At work, the inexperienced and half qualified brand personnel who is relative clueless on their service delivery requirements is always ready with all manner of excuses punctuated with polite apologies for not delivering on the specifics of your request. They never realized that service delivery is a learning process with its timelines. It was just all about getting a job and making money.
The livestock farmer can’t wait for the maturity of his stock and would rather flood the market with premature livestock just to make money. The Principles of the processes and timelines required for optimal growth is thrown to the wind. Same goes for the fruit and crop farmer.
Everyone is very impatient to make money therefore things must happen immediately. The illustrations are so many and we can only make an honest reference of thought to confirm that these observations are true. The ‘get rich quick’ syndrome is feasting on our minds, and it is beginning to infect our youths and children.
Even the simple process of queuing up for any reason can only find success either by the use of force or other incentives of some sort. It is never due to understanding of the concept of the Wisdom of Patience with any process of life.
Little wonder we have collectively been unable to achieve any enduring progress with our development. We seem sadly satisfied with our mediocre progress of snail speed with consoling reminders that since it took the progressive nations centuries to get to their present status, our case should be no different or better.
We blindly fail to realize that if the present level of global development was obtainable at that time; their rate of development would have been compared to the speed of light.
There is every need for a collective realization of the fact that without understanding this basic concept of development, we cannot make progress as a nation or individuals. It is therefore expedient for every single citizen to rise up to the occasion of eradicating this great illusion from our thought process.
It is important that we avoid raising our children with this twisted logic of existence for the simple reason that it will not make our collective quest for a dream Nigeria an enduring reality.
The life we live comprises an aggregate summation of various Tasks. A Task in computing language can be defined as a process or instance of execution of a program. In this context, a program is the process of steps to be taken in completing a goal. Each step in the process has a timeline which may be short or long depending on the requirement for successful completion of the Task.
There are no shortcuts to these timelines, once a desired end result has been determined. Therefore any short circuits to the original path would simple produce a copy of the intended result at varying representations of the target end. The efficacy of the variation would depend on the degree of deviation from the recommended process path. A higher deviation mostly and always produces a very bad copy.
The paragraph above can be illustrated with the primitive tasks and processes of the life we live. A human pregnancy is that mostly runs for nine months. At the end of the duration of steps involved in this process, a child is born. In most normal scenarios, if this terminal stage of the process of pregnancy occurs prior to nine months or afterward, then something has most probably gone wrong.
A second illustration is the farmer’s trade which is based on processes that depend on time and season. The process of growing certain crops may take a couple of months in the case of Maize, Tomatoes, Carrots and other such crops. Some others may run into several months like Cassava, Yam, Sweet Potatoes, and other such crops. There are other crops that would require processes of much longer periods. Any compromise on duration of the time required for the crops to mature for harvest would produce undesirable results.
Agreeably, though the advent of fertilizers may have created an illusion of reducing the timeline of the process of growing crops, the health tradeoff is found in the slight differences with the profundity of the end-product obtained with fertilizer grown crops and non-fertilizer grown equivalents.
The principle of process and time plays out with our domestic chores at home such as the preparation of various foods. An illustration is preparation of the local Pap, which is a process of soaking raw Maize in water over a couple of days, before it is milled and stored. Its preparation requires soaking with water at boiling point. Another illustration can be found with the popular dish Moimoi. This requires soaking raw Beans in water over some hours, milling the Beans and steaming same in tin containers or wrapped in polythene or fresh leaves. Any short cuts to the two processes mentioned above, would produce something different from Pap or Moimoi.
Clearly, the story of the paragraphs above apply with any segment of life, whether it is with the naturally occurring or man-made segment of life. From the Corporate World of the Desk Office, through to the World of Building and Construction, to the abstract World of Policy generation, Penal correction, and the development of Personal or Social skills and ethics; it is the same principle of processes and time. This is the singular reason the proverbial saying ‘Rome was not built in a day’ still finds strength of relevance till date.
With this realistic view and understanding of one of the basic concepts of life, the Progressive nations of the world have thrived in productivity and growth. Policies are planned and rolled out with effective processes and realistic timelines; sometimes decades into the future.
The citizens of those countries understand their roles of responsibility and collectively strive to ensure that timelines are always kept in full view of all participants. The onus of a decent sense of accountability is clearly imprinted on the conscience of each person in order to guarantee success. At the end of the day, long lasting and enduring progress is made through the course of time with further upgrades to development standards which have been successfully implemented.
We need to realize that the present day level of development in the progressive nations of the world which we aspire to emulate here in Nigeria did not happen overnight by an aimless chance of wishful thought.
It is as a collective dedication to a methodical plan of development designed and sustained by a firm commitment to continuity that brought them to the point we enviously find them today. Unsurprisingly, some of these plans were perfected decades or centuries ago.
It is the Wisdom of their patience with the processes of life, that has consistently enabled the citizens of such Nations achieve the remarkable and enviously progressive status they globally bear today.
The narrative of a diligent approach to life within the demarcation that defines our dear country Nigeria is simply tear-jerking.
Before delving into this disconcerting issue, there is every need to acknowledge the citizens who have chosen to commit a diligent approach with their contributions to the development of our country regardless the dispiriting lifestyle of the majority.
Top on this list are the citizens of honor who are the members of the Nigerian Armed Forces defined in blog episode 4 ‘A Proud Symbol of Unrelenting Patriotism’. Others include citizens whose picture illustrations were proudly utilized to buttress the points of blog episode 5 ‘Giving A Face To Our Noble Country Nigeria’, blog episode 12 ‘The Nearly Infinite Potentials of The Nigerian Nation‘ Indeed there are several Nigerians who define their contribution to daily life on the platform of diligence however, the numbers are very marginal for a country with an estimate population of 190 million.
It must be stated in unequivocal and clear terms that the reason behind the popular cliché of most Nigerians that ‘the system does not work’ is simply due to a lack of diligence by the majority of us. It is not due to a curse of divine fate or any remote manipulation by any person of cultist tendencies. In the court of Divine Wisdom, both reasons are simply laughable and ignorantly primitive.
There is no diligence with the Teachers in our schools; half baked graduates are routinely pumped out into the workforce. There is no diligence with our law makers; policies of no relevance are utilized to address serious national issues. There is no diligence with our financial institutions; high denominations and dirty currency notes are what we find in circulation. There is no diligence with our health workers; hospitals are grave yards rather than institutions of health rejuvenation. There is no diligence with our judiciary; serious crimes of corruption are ignored for petty issues of no comparison. Inefficiency is the order of the day, and the entire nation spends its financial resources on mediocrity. The list is endless and gravely disheartening.
A pause in thought would agree with the conclusion that this lack of diligence is the reason for the low national productivity of our nation. There is nothing more or less.
The truth remains that until there is a change in this philosophy of neglect and callousness, there can be no hope of real positive change. An uncountable number of investments have been run aground by this unproductive philosophy of nonchalance and negligence.
Our nation Nigeria is blessed with untold resources which can be likened to the fortunes of the Treasure Island. Our nation Nigeria is also blessed with the support of friendly nations and institutions who have tirelessly committed funds to resuscitate the dwindling fortunes of productivity from time immemorial; however, our lack of diligence has made this dream a bridge too far from reality.
Several fruitless experiments ought to have revealed to all of us that there is no shortcut to the application of diligence in all we do. These experiments which can be termed an aimless exercise in the waste of financial resources ought to have taught us the hard lesson that life is not about an aimless scramble for money, but on the fulfilling principles of diligent productivity.
Productivity we have learned in this blog episode is a function of diligence.
It is time for us to collectively revolt against this philosophy of selfish negligence in our daily chores of existence. It is time for the patriotic minded citizens of our great nation to collectively stand strong and influence the thoughts of the majority on the right attitude. It is only this change in our character of reasoning which can guarantee that our vision of a dream Nigerian nation remains in realistic view.
Productivity is the ratio of the quantity and quality of units produced to the labor per unit of time. It can also be defined as having the power to create. Diligence is the persevering determination to perform a task or carefulness in paying proper attention to a task, giving the degree of care required in a given situation.
A careful observation of the developed nations of the world would reveal that a majority of the citizens are diligent with any task they engage in. In these countries; the citizens dedicate a careful attitude of paying proper attention and getting the best results with any task.
From the citizen occupying the official position of the President, through to the citizens in the legislative houses, or the judiciary, down to the policeman on the streets, the personnel at the power station, the gardener mowing the lawn at public parks, right through to the refuse disposal personnel, at every turn of life; conscientious diligence is on display with the majority. It is no rocket science that such nations are always progressive advances on the productive axis of life.
With such countries, a healthy quantity of products and services utilized on a daily basis within the nation are locally sourced and produced: clothing, consumables, furniture items, building materials, electronics, and more serious hardware.
Such countries may engage in the importation of certain items of necessity, however, they also export their own high quality locally manufactured goods and services. This helps them to earn a healthy income and maintain an economic balance that ensures that issues relating to a recession can only be experienced as a result of an extreme miscalculation of ignorance.
With great pride, such nations of the world are quick to refuse the delivery of substandard products into their country. A heavy frown and penalty would greet any organization or individual who attempts to make such unacceptable introductions.
Diligence of the majority ensures that lifeless systems which are driven by human beings work efficiently. Diligence of the majority encourages the bloom of an attractive flora of national development on all frontiers. Diligence of the majority guarantees easy connect by the citizens with the patriotic ethics required to sustain the progressive vision statement of such nations.
Diligence of the majority would discourage a desperate mind from nursing thoughts of braving unthinkable odds in a bid to find the comfort of a better life in a foreign land. Everyone understands very clearly, that the grass is never greener on any other side except for where they are standing.
An illustration of this truth can be found with the Afro-American, some of whom may have complaints relating to racist behaviors within their country; however, they can never trade the American nation for another. They have proudly adorned the national flag of their great nation with several global achievements. Mostly, our case in Nigeria is different, and our justification simply ridiculous.
A Farmer is a person who works the land or keeps livestock, especially on a farm. A Herder is someone who drives a herd of livestock, in the context of this blog episode, Cows and Sheep etc.
The definition above exposes similarities with two groups who ought to be mutual business partners for reason to be exposed in the paragraphs below. We could say the two groups ought to be best friends in business; since they complement each other in several areas.
For simple illustration, the cow dung is a natural fertilizer for the farmer’s crops while the grass taken off the farmers land is fodder for the cow. There are other complementary benefits which can only be derived from a productive interaction between the two groups.
In developed and progressive nations of this earth, the great potentials of this symbiotic relationship have been exploited to maximize the capability of this sector and has made a healthy contribution to the strength of the economy of such nations, while boosting the financial capability of all participants.
In Nigeria, the story as usual has been heart-breaking and nefariously different. The reason and solution does not rest in the spiritual realm or in some unexplained trick of fate. It rests with what is popularly referred to as common sense, which is not commonly obtainable in any market place or by the street corner. It rests with deep thinking and the minds of the participants which has been polluted by shadows of the real issue rather than the issue itself. It is a self made problem which is fueled by the ignorance of the participating and non participating citizens.
The population of Nigeria from independence till date has grown from about 33 million to about 190 million today. The fastest recorded growth rate was recorded through the period 1990 – 2008 as 56 Million. This is a 60% growth rate in less than two decades. The massive land mass of the country has not witnessed a spread of planned and structured settlements at a speed that will ensure adequate accommodation of this swell in number of Human beings.
This is a very irresponsible development which can be excused for the sake of ignorance. The rate of altercations between two close businesses partners (the Farmer and the Herder), clearly shows that this excuse is wearing thin in the face of our current reality in Nigeria.
Moving forward, it might be pertinent in the face of a rapidly growing population, to either confine the Herders to grazing reserves, or create more planned settlements for the farmers; Nigeria has the land space.
It would seem a more practical approach for the government to create grazing reserves for the fewer herders, than settlements for the rest of the population who are in the majority.
The creation of grazing reserves would provide countless jobs for persons who are neither Herdsmen nor Farmers, e.g. Veterinary doctors, Fodder Suppliers, Modern Abattoirs for cheap cow meat. On the part of the Herders, it would enable them supply the cow dung obtained from the reserves to the Farmers. The cow dung is still adjudged to favorably compete with industrial fertilizers, and this string of employment would surely put a smile on the faces of many currently unemployed Nigerians.
The farmer or interested parties can grow grass on Nigeria’s vast landscape, and supply the herdsman fodder for their herd, and this would also create employment opportunities for those that claim unemployment. The herd would be healthier, providing better quality meat and milk; opening up industrial entities that deal on the processing and packaging of cow meat like corned beef, and other dairy products.
This development would also encourage foreign investment in this area and the list of productive advantages goes on.
It is an established fact that true Patriotism knows neither Religious, ethnic, or political bias. There are Patriots on either side of the fence of the farmer/herder divide and this is the unifying factor that makes the greatness of the Nigerian nation. The solution to this seemingly perilous challenge can only be implemented by the patriotically minded citizens of this country and driven by the sincerity of purpose of the government of the day.
In conclusion, it is only a solution of patriotic distinction that can provide a way out of the currently precarious challenge that defines the Herders and Farmers clashes.
The continuous needless banter over issues of no consequence will neither provide the solution nor needed respite from the current gruesome outcome of altercations generated by our wanton neglect to collectively live up to our responsibilities as patriotic minded Nigerian citizens .
It would be best for the Patriots of this great nation to wield the constructive power of intellectual relevance and find a solution that will forge a way out of our current quagmire. Nothing less than solutions which include what has been summarily tendered above would suffice.
We are all one family called Nigeria, and this is a non negotiable reality which has existed since October 1st 1960.
On these truths and more, I rest my case on the Herdsmen, the Farmers and peaceful coexistence.
….In addition, there is a unhealthy scramble for available limited resources. The load of social welfare responsibilities appears an overwhelming burden on any effort by the government to contain the situation. Simple waste management can be an odious task. There is an undue pressure on the ecosystem because of large clusters of citizens in poorly planned areas of settlement whether urban or rural. The list of disadvantages as well as illustrating real life examples within the domain of our country are endless.
Within the Nigerian space, our attitude seems very oblivious of the threat of our currently poorly managed large population to our wellbeing and the future of our generation.
We are often enmeshed in needless debates of no real productive consequence such as: Mr. A, from ‘tribe’ B is occupying position C in a state D where the person is not an ‘indigene’. Amazingly, such topics usually occupy the Nigerian polity for months, distracting everyone from realistically addressing cogent and serious issues.
Another reality worthy of note is that with each passing day of our folly with distractions, our population adds a frightening addition to the current figure of 200 million which is presumed to be the estimate figure at the time of this write-up.
The very disturbing side of our irrelevant discussions is that the daily increase in the national population of Nigeria is not waiting on our decision to rise to responsibility; neither is it waiting on the hope that one day, a Heaven sent messiah would appear, wave a magic wand, and all will be well. There is a daily steady swell in our numbers with the dawning of each new day in our country Nigeria and there is a desperate need for us to consciously and collectively act to contain it.
The consistent failure on our part to manage this current figure, definitely means that we cannot manage larger numbers successfully.
Our current objections to take action, which may border on religious, customary, or personal sentiments, will not change the currently unpleasant scenario, or the reality of a more disturbing future.
There aren’t enough schools, enough roads, enough hospitals, and enough hostel accommodations in our schools, settlements are opening up at a much faster pace than the government is able to develop or implement any sensible plan that can conveniently accommodate the population in such areas. This often creates a very chaotic challenge on the long run between land owners and the Government in such settlements. The list of issues arising from the poor management of our humongous population goes on and on.
These issues find relevance in our habit of neglect and lack of planning. If not for our negligent culture of excessive importation, one day some day, there might not be enough food to go round in our beloved country Nigeria!!! This is an embarrassment of magnanimous proportions for a Country that was once the pride of Africa.
Moving forward, hopefully it is easier for any reader to appreciate the fact that our population can be likened to the monster hydra mentioned in the beginning which needs to be contained in order to harness the enormous positive side of its potential. We just can’t kill it. It must be dealt with, and the sooner we all wake up to that realization, the better for our present and future.
Our Government policies and actions can learn from nations mentioned in preceding paragraphs that have been able to manage their population to the advantage of productive development.
As citizens, we should enlighten ourselves thoroughly on the subject matter to understand that such policies and actions are in the best interest of our country Nigeria and not any attempt of nefarious intent by any politician. In addition, we should all appreciate that the mental profile required to deal with this issue should be devoid of any religious, tribal, political, or regional bias.
Our fast growing population is a serious issue that needs a careful and timely handling if there can be any hope of achieving the Nigerian dream.
Nigerian Patriot 