Let’s begin the year 2020 with the end in mind

The year of our Lord 2020 is perhaps just a few hours away as you read this article, and by now, I am certain that most of us have written our wish list for the New Year. With a new year in mind, many humans across the world are optimistic, and they believe that material prosperity is attainable. As we step into the next decade in the Twenty-first Century, it is likely that citizens and those in government are imagining what the future holds for us. Contemplating the future tends to induce fear because a sizeable portion of Nigerians barely survived the year 2019, which ends with its troubles today. Fear, worry, and anxiety are all fallouts of an uncertain future.

But let’s review our current conditions. Presently, we have an economy that creates jobs but the jobs being created are not enough to bring down the overall rate of unemployment and inflation. We have an economy with closed borders in a globalized world, with food inflation that keeps rising even at the end of the third quarter of the year 2019. Some of us have already began praying and fasting, because the oncoming fourth industrial revolution will make the few jobs created disappear sooner or later.

So, whatever situation we find ourselves, we must choose to either live in it or be guided by a vision for our lives. If we let our lives be controlled by circumstances, then we will be permitting other people’s agendas, including their personal habits, to control our lives. In the midst of uncertainty and confusion, most individuals never establish a vision that will guide them into the future. They simply take things as they come their way.

Nigeria will be celebrating 60 years of her existence as an independent nation. But we are still grappling with questions such as: How do we remain together as one united nation; how do we ensure equitable distribution of resources; and how do we accommodate interests of various ethnic groups in a democracy?

As Nigeria’s population increases, but with straggling economic growth, it is imperative for us all to envision what we want for the future, so that we can collectively work and plan towards it. I realised the significance of this several years ago when I read the book authored by Stephen Covey titled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It was the second habit- begin with the end in mind- that inspired this article. What this means is that as we usher in the New Year, we must start with a clear understanding of our ultimate destination as a people, say by 2030, when the population of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is projected to be about 264 million by world population review.

Drawing inspiration from Covey, the best way to handle this situation is for Nigerians, particularly those in the government, to give serious thought to the legacy they want to leave behind. Those of us on the fringes should also reflect on our legacies, if any. Covey suggests to us to consider a thoughtful experiment of attending our own funeral. So, we must begin to ask ourselves: “What character would you like people to have seen in you when you were alive? What contributions and achievements would you want relatives and colleagues to remember you for? Look carefully at the people around you, what difference would you like to make in their lives?

Contrarily, when a man’s love for material prosperity is dominated by greed, he will not think of leaving a legacy behind. It has been observed from the genealogies of mankind that human beings are the most complex corporeal created by God. Will Roger’s autobiography reveals that the Lord so constituted everybody that no matter what colour you are, you require the same nourishment. This expression to my mind is another way of advocating equality in status, rights or opportunities which would perhaps form the basic foundation on which democracy stands in Nigeria. But this goal is unrealized due to man’s greed. Why is this so, you may ask? It is because man has always thought that the quality of life he lives is in the plethora of his possession.

According to Mahatma Gandhi, the earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not for every man’s greed. A man driven by greed or envy loses the power of seeing things in their roundness or wholeness and his otherwise possible successes becomes failures. It is greed that has blurred the vision of most of our leaders to an extent that what they refer to as “success,” when reviewed by the citizens they govern, is revealed to be a complete failure. Indeed, the rising rate of abandoned and failed projects across the country is attaining a worrisome dimension. It took 60 years for the 40 megawatts Dadin-Kowa hydro-power plant to be ready for commissioning after execution setbacks (See Daily Trust, 26 December 2019).

If a society is infected with greedy leaders, they may achieve astonishing feats but they become increasingly incapable of solving the most elementary problems of everyday existence. This must be why billions of Naira was spent to build an ultra-modern football stadium when the roads leading to the sports arena are in a state of disrepair.

In the year of our Lord 2020, Nigeria will be celebrating 60 years of her existence as an independent nation. But we are still grappling with questions such as: How do we remain together as one united nation; how do we ensure equitable distribution of resources; and how do we accommodate interests of various ethnic groups in a democracy? Since my days as a student at Eko Boys’ High School, Mushin, Lagos, in the early 1970s, successive governments in Nigeria have failingly promised job creation, poverty reduction, and elimination of hunger. There is no government that has not made attempts to “wipe out” corruption, but yet, corruption waxes stronger. With the battle against corruption for decades, one wonders why our own dear country ends up as the world poverty capital. It is a shame!

Some governments go as far as to promise “prosperity for all” while others have come up with various forms of social programs with the objective of improving the economy, security and well-being of the people. But all do not add up in the end. As we march towards 2020, we should all remember that our failures are simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.  We should always endeavour to make a difference in the lives of others. Happy New Year in advance and God bless us all. Thank you!