Technology policy experts have always stated that every economic activity requires some developed infrastructure as prerequisite for growth and industrialization.
Infrastructure, experts say, refers to those facilities, structures, and institutions whose inadequacy lead to the limitation of the productive forces of a society. These include among others, scientific and technological institutions, educational institutions, basic industries, energy, transport, communication network, financial institutions, etcetera.
Within the context of a nation’s industrial development strategy, there exists an opportunity to promote the development of first-class infrastructure such as telecommunications, roads, railways, and power supply which are considered critical for effective operation of industry. Nigeria cannot be an exemption. But I have heard from some public affairs analysts that poor infrastructural facilities, weak industrial base and constant power failure are some of the factors sustaining backwardness of the Nigerian society. They are very correct. Even those in authority at state and federal levels acknowledge these shortcomings.
Currently, there are saboteurs everywhere. How did we arrive at this poor state of affairs? There was a video trending on social media in the past few days. I thought the video was carrying fake news. Initially, I did not bother because we are in an era of infodemics. But pictures most times do not tell lies. It was not fake news. Very heart-breaking story. It showed the vandalization of Abuja–Kaduna and Itakpe–Warri rail lines. The Itakpe–Warri railway line is so strategic to our country’s industrialization and technological self–reliance efforts. After almost 30 years of delayed construction, the rail line is to supply the Ajaokuta Steel Mill with iron ore and coal.
One wonders why a few disgruntled elements within the society are trying to sabotage what could serve as the common good of the people. Nigeria’s external and internal debts are increasing. Although a lot of funds have been sunk into providing infrastructure for the country in the past couple of years. Do we know the cost of such attacks on our infrastructure? Violence, we have been told costs Nigeria about US$1.3trillion in 13 years (BusinessDay, 25 Feb 2021). Nigeria however, needs to spend about US$3.0trillion over the space of 30 years in order to bridge the country’s infrastructural gap, according to Moody’s Investor Services Report released early in the year 2021. But among its African peers, Nigeria has a relatively superior power, road, rail and ICT networks that cover only a sizeable part of the country of over 200 million people.
Before, it was pipeline vandalism followed by gas and crude oil theft. In Nigeria, archival reports indicate that oil pipeline vandalism has been perpetrated principally by criminal syndicates who are motivated by the desire to loot oil products for material gains. These criminals, on the pretext that they are poor, drill into pipelines with the intention to steal products. Seaports in Lagos are inaccessible due to gridlock and indiscipline on the part of most security agents and a few maritime stakeholders.
As the state and federal governments are trying to serve the people in their own little way, some saboteurs are somewhere sabotaging the efforts of government to serve Nigerians. Why have some Nigerians decided to be enemies of their country? Saboteurs seem to be in small number. I may be wrong. But they are determined to do much destruction to our infrastructure almost in all parts of the country. You may check some manhole metal covers only to find out that they have been removed in major cities like Lagos and Abuja. Those manholes have now been filled with garbage. Why are metal covers on manholes removed from their positions? Who removed metallic guardrails on pedestrian bridges in most parts of Lagos? Only heavens can tell. Aluminum railings on some bridges and pedestal crossings in Lagos are gone.
Who removed these items? Nobody knows. It seems no arrest has been made by security operatives. But we know the saboteurs in our midst. They are not ghosts. They are a few Nigerians and foreigners living in our midst who deliberately take actions aimed at weakening the polity and our collective efforts through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. They are the ones who go about in different parts of the country deliberately destroying our infrastructure. Some saboteurs operate under cover of bandits while others function as kidnappers and terrorists. They are the ones destroying critical telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria.
It is most unfortunate that politics, which should have been an instrument of institutional development, had adversely affected the lives of the citizens. So, what do we have? We have instances where terrorists have attacked markets, public schools, hospitals, tertiary institutions, and media houses among others. They vandalize electrical cables. They burn down INEC offices and police stations. What a shame? It is most likely that someone knows the saboteurs perpetrating these heinous crimes but decided to look the other way.
Nigerians need to be wise as saboteurs have decided to destroy critical infrastructure built with borrowed funds. We need to stem the tide of destruction of public assets and vandalism of critical infrastructure before the locomotive engines of our trains would have either been stolen or destroyed. Nigerians need to be wise and vigilant as efforts are being made to have extensive reforms in power, ports, ICT and domestic air transport sectors. Thank you.
