To be frank, where greed exists there is wickedness and where avarice exists there is evil and where evil exists there is gross selfishness in mortals.
This article about reviving the economy of Nigeria was written by Egede Lawrence. It is an Analysis based on personal knowledge, views, suggestions, expositions and a wide range of experiences. This piece will only point out two things namely: "Problems And Solutions."
*Now let us start with the Possible Problems.*
Many people who were not briefed by hidden records of history never knew that the nation's economy was mortgaged far back, during the military regimes to carry out the Nigerian civil war.
The military has very strict rules to handle issues, which could belong to the files marked "Top Secrecy that can attract grievous guilt if leaked to the public. They are widely admired in that respect all over the world.
Any Secrecy can produce very positive or negative impacts on some issues, be it political, social or economic. It could come sooner or later in life.
People should know that the only mainstay of Nigeria's economy is the Oil resources deposit. It was the same Oil deposit and the wealth thereof, which warranted and guaranteed the external mortgaging of the economy between 1967 and 1970.
Borrowing and consuming but not servicing what was borrowed, and also spending it on frivolous expenditures had continued.
The practice started in Nigeria far back because there was a "Trade by Batter". It means to rely on borrowing in exchange for consuming it with collateral, instead of more for further squandering.
Squandering continued uncontrollably to a red point, where borrowing from the slavery Loan purse of the IMF was the only alternative to survive the then looming danger of economic crunch.
People should know how the British helped to crush what was called rebellion in Nigeria. This was not done free of charge. This was done also because Nigeria is their official business colony.
People should know that nothing goes for nothing. Something must bring something to be done because something has been given for a certain purpose.
Far back in history, the Nigerian Oil wealth was badly battered by careless and greedy leaders, who engaged in extra seedling's harvest of fortune in the Oil wealth acquisition world.
That was the reason Corruption became the harvest tool, while political powers became the yardstick to amass untold heaps of wealth gathering in Nigeria.
It was and still is the greed attached to some political positions of power that ruled and still rules the nation.
The collapse of the economy of Nigeria started gradually and was masterminded by capitalist tendencies of the society, in the business of wealth acquisition, greed, avarice and carelessness.
The story is long and it will be better to talk about the solution, instead of opening up the scars of the old wounds inflicted on the nation's economy by the greedy Capitalists.
Nigeria is a capitalist nation where money is in top priority of everybody's agenda to get it first before any other thing.
Not only getting the money but acquiring enormous wealth is another priority, to rule and win the love of the rest of the world.
Not only ruling the rest of the world but being recognized by the same world with admiration and topnotch sacredness, with exclusive regard and welcome in any place and at any time by all means.
To get rich became the only Talk of Town in Nigeria and it bred more unhealthy rivalries and competitions, without the needed productivity level but only yielding unfruitful and unnecessary tussles.
There is no Nigerian who would not like to be rich, no matter the religion or creed and it is from there that political, social and many economic problems started in earnest and unavoidably till today.
It also touched the moral and religious grounds of intolerance and envy, which bred criminal elements and brought harm to the public.
Resultantly, greed and avarice became the order of the day in Nigeria, not minding the far it could go to damage the nation's economy. This has also affected the background of limits in the rules and regulations of the law.
To be frank, where greed exists there is wickedness and where avarice exists there is evil and where evil exists there is gross selfishness in mortals.
Nobody will ever agree that he or she is greedy, evil, careless, selfish and avaricious but in the absence of all these calamities, there will be no human being in existence in the world today.
Ordinarily, human beings are corrupt which could be absolute and absolute Corruption they say corrupts absolutely. That was how corruption drowned the economy of Nigeria down and deeply into the mess.
The world of Nigeria turned from good to bad and from bad to worse and from worse to the worst situation report.
*At this juncture let us point out some potential Solutions.*
Now that the worst situation report of the problem is here with Nigerians, there is going to be a solution to it if God should kindly intervene.
God uses human beings to proffer solutions to problems and it is human beings as well, who will bring an end to the problems of the dead economy of Nigeria with feasible remedial ideas.
The economy of Nigeria is dead because there's nothing to write home about it now. It is not by anybody's power and not by the power of any other spirit that the solution will come but by the power of the revival Spirit of God.
The Spirit of God brought in leaders like General Olusegun Obasanjo, Mrs. Ngozi Iwuala, Professor Soludo and some of the Economists who proffered remedial solutions, with many ideas that can help revamp the economy of Nigeria over the years back.
Now, the only solution to stop corrupt practices in the country is by the provisions of the rule of law, which can seize and compulsorily jail corrupt leaders who love to live on self-glory and personal rights of unlawful Aggrandizement.
Let there be strict rules of law in Nigeria, to regulate the limits of wealth acquisition, possession of large-scale assets and having hidden private excess resources by individuals. This can help to put people on constant checks and balances.
It is a lack of transparency, obscure records and suspicious accountability that helped other vices and killed the economy of Nigeria to this noticeable grave point.
If it is possible, let those who have already acquired fat and enormous wealth surrender their businesses leniently to the public to control, administer, manage, create jobs and be productive as maybe provided by the rules of business laws in Nigeria.
Before now, individual firms, corporate business bodies and even the government sold shares to the public, based on indigenous ownership of rights in the operations, administration, management and investment supervision of transactions in functional places of establishments.
Let all the economic building experts, good development scholars, the best business consultants, wise financial managers and professionals in the fields of enhancement of human capital resources and wise project planners be invited to come and help Nigeria out of the woods.
Let them gather together and work out solutions to the problems of crisis in the nation's deceased economy.
So long as Gen. Obasanjo, Professor Soludo and Mrs Ngozi Iwuala are still alive, it will be better to also invite or consult them, because of how they administered, managed and controlled the situation before. This is to proffer some solutions to the problems of the nation's dead economy, which has now resulted in total hardship.
Furthermore, instead of toying with the economic saboteurs of Nigeria, trying to use the tools of Anti-Corruption Agencies to arrest the situation, let there be some mellow-down situations where corrupt people should be given orders to surrender their Assets to the government in a more peaceful manner.
Everybody's bank accounts, all corporate business deposits and operational accounts at home and abroad should be checked from time to time so that the laundering of money will be eliminated.
All the financial management houses like the Banks should be strictly advised not to hide any obnoxious accounts, either by individuals, social houses of engagement or the corporate bodies that have financial account deposits.
All the people who parade about with unknown sources of income should be checked and queried about their hide-and-seek obscure activities.
To check inflation in the economy, the kind of fat salaries of the Politicians should be slashed down.
Fat salaries don't solve economic problems anywhere that inflation governs the marketplaces.
This is because the fatter the pay packets, the higher the cost of goods and services becomes in the business marketplaces. It goes further to unnecessarily affect the economy and the purchasing powers of people's earnings.
There should also be a policy law to control manufacturers on price tags placed on the goods and services of their products, which they impose on helpless end-users or consumers and patrons.
In the case of food shortages and inflation of prices on farm produce, farmers should be encouraged by the government, not the government trying to invest directly in the Greenland operations and occupation.
It is through the system of encouragement of the farmers by the government, that artificial food scarcity or shortages can be controlled.
Government can make some effective official laws, on sales prices of farm produce in the marketplaces.
Another one which is the best and necessary for checking inflation and food shortages is to speed up the fight to minimize the level of national security challenges.
The Armed Forces must earn very encouraging income that will strengthen their patriotism and bravery, in fighting criminal elements of all dimensions in Nigeria. This is highly sacrosanct.
Blood and war are a costly mix and should be watched closely, while the fighters should be well-maintained to stop the danger of an increase in the ensuing damages
Another one that can help is to encourage everyone to be very security conscious everywhere in Nigeria, be part of the battle against criminals and assist in the efforts of the government to maintain peace, love and order in a living society.
Another one is to stop all the nonsense in partisan politics of eye service and discrimination against innocent fellow Nigerians.
This is to discourage hatred, animosity, envy and unhealthy competition in political relationships with fellow human beings.
It is discrimination that causes crisis and crisis causes chaos, chaos causes confusion and confusion causes conflicts, blocking the road to peace, love, equity, justice and fairness.
They produce fear and threats to lives and properties in a nation that cannot be together and united to form a very strong and patriotic family circle.
All these shortcomings affect the economy of a nation badly, directly and indirectly, so that nothing good comes to the family circles. It stops progress and the prosperity of a nation, in which Nigeria is a victim.
Finally, let Nigerians honour God more than individuals, who have not yet produced solutions to the problems of the nation's economy right from the fresh beginning.
