By Ibrahim Kadafir Mshelia
Between 1975 and 1980, Nigeria had a population of about 64 million. Today Iran has about 92 million. Yet in that era, we were not an oil-dependent economy in the way we are now. We had common sense in agriculture. We produced, we exported, we fed ourselves.
I still remember the numbers because they tell a story. In 1975 to 1980, fuel sold for about 8.45 kobo per litre. To fill a 50-litre car tank cost $4.22. At the time the dollar exchanged for between 0.48 to 0.62 naira. That same $4.22 was about ₦2.50. By 1989 I filled my BMW, 75 litres from empty, with just ₦35 to ₦40.
The point is not nostalgia. The point is truth. And if we are going to show respect to our country and to our children, we must tell ourselves the truth and nothing but the truth. Because only truth can uphold the values that create enduring prosperity and freedom.
Let us take the Iran comparison further, but not in the way people expect. Begin with the people. Iranians today, by and large, support a separation of religion and state. They prioritize national development, economic progress, and personal freedoms over strict religious governance.
Nigerians, on the other hand, hold religion in extremely high regard. It is our primary guide for daily life, morality, and social cohesion. Did we miss it here? No. Wait for it.
Because Nigerians also understand something deeper: what we are going through is not unique to Nigeria. Every nation passes through seasons. And those seasons last only as long as the citizens allow them.
The systemic bigotry, corruption, and bad leadership we lament are not permanent cultural traits. They are developmental diseases. Anyone above 50 who still has a conscience will admit it: we lost the value systems we were born into, and we are facing worse today.
But history tells us this is not the end of the story. Prosperous democracies like the United States and the United Kingdom endured periods of extreme, institutionalized corruption, segregation, and bigotry before they built accountable institutions. The United States was built on the back of slaves. Yet a descendant of slaves, Barack Obama, became the 44th president. That is the possibility of a nation that refuses to give up on itself.
So let us not give up on Nigeria. Let us give up on our ugly behaviours.
No NGO, no foreign donor, no aid package will change our present situation. Nations compete on development indices. It is foolish to think that developed foreign governments will make Nigeria great for us. You measure yourself against equals or those greater than you. Where then is our boast that we are an educated nation?
We have no other country to behold but Nigeria. Whether we _japa_ or we repatriate, Nigeria remains here. Only her indigenous people can save, protect, defend, and develop her. A stitch in time saves nine.
Too many of us suffer from what I call "rosy retrospection." It is a disease inflicted by selfishness. And selfishness is an attitude. An attitude can make you or break you, depending on the direction and energy you give it.
The work starts with us. We must first speak to ourselves. We must teach our children discipline, personal integrity, respect for others, and commitment to the common good within our families and local communities. We must say no to religious and ethnic bigotry. We must support, respect, pray for, and encourage the leaders we elect for ourselves, or allow to lead us.
In a democracy, leaders can only come from amongst us. If we don’t have good ones, we allowed it. So don’t blame anyone else. If you want to know where the problem came from, stand before the mirror. You will see who caused it. Period.
We also need to learn to appreciate effort, no matter how small. Like a builder who lays one block at a time. When leaders do their best toward the common good, we should not discard it as nonsense simply because they are not from our ethnic background or religious faith. That is how we keep sending ourselves back to the starting point.
Development is gradual. It is not always multi-dimensional overnight. Piece by piece can build a nation. And the most important piece is you. Yes, your attitude is the key. Nothing happens until the right attitude is developed.
No successful nation in history developed without doing these things. The onus of national development lies on each and every one of us without exception.
We must first foster values of discipline, personal integrity, that is doing right even when no one is watching, and commitment to the common good.
The stigma we create sticks to us. Whether we come from one parentage or from diverse parentage, the stain remains. It is in our best interest to stop the unholy condemnation of leaders and the washing of our dirty linen in public. Because wherever you see our ethnicity or nationality being damaged, a Nigerian was there, or just left the place.
Self-hate and curses are more damaging, more dangerous, and more permanent than any policy failure.
Nigeria is not finished. But Nigeria will not fix herself. We will.
Ibrahim Kadafir Mshelia writes from Abuja.
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