56 years ago, Nigeria won its independence from her colonial overlords and became an independent state of its own.
However, like they say: control is an illusion.
We think we are independent, we think we call the shots, but we don’t.
I find it quite amusing that I am typing #TMP on a computer made in China, but its parent company is an American company. It is equally disheartening that I am connected to the internet through a South African telecom company we all love to hate for poor services.
The table and chair I am using are both imported. Right now, there are 2 books on my table; none of them are Nigerian authors!
We import everything and anything, we are totally dependent on other countries of the world for everything, yet today, been October 1, we will paint the town green and march about, celebrating our independence.
I am trying to sound an alarm, trying to make a wake-up call! Wake-up guys! Let us press for real independence!
I believe so much that we need to develop new solutions and new technologies to solve our local problems and then we can export those solutions and technologies to other nations of the world.
I see a future whereby just as foreign firms come here and are treated as kings, I also, as a Nigerian will be specially invited by foreign governments to consult for them and throughout my stay of between 3 – 6 months, I will be treated like a king!
Each of us needs to sit down and decide to pick a sector of the economy you would like to work out an independence. We need independence in every sector of the economy!
I believe that Nigeria has the resources and manpower to be self-sufficient, not needing anything from anybody. Countries of the world should be writing to us for aid and military assistance and not the other way round.
When Isreal was a newly minted nation with no visible advantage working for them, their first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion declared “All the experts are experts on what was. There is no expert on what will be. To become an expert on the future, vision must replace experience”. They went for vision over experience and today, they are at the frontier, today they pioneers in so many industries.
The solutions that will transform Nigeria and make us independent will not be imported. They have to be homegrown. So, I am not asking that we import solar panels and solve our power problem, I am saying that we develop new solutions that are exportable, and this will require vision to develop new technology.
Albert Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited, but imagination is unlimited”. We must allow our imagination to run wild and unhindered; painting a picture of the future and then allow our knowledge to play catch up.
We must not allow what we know today to put a cap on our dreams and aspirations.
This is the assignment I present to my generation
- Sit down and pick a sector of the economy you would like to work out an independence
- Let your vision for the sector be greater than your expertise
- Let your imagination go ahead of your knowledge
- Brick-by-brick, get to work and patiently work it out. It might take 10 years.
Godspeed as we work towards our real independence!
I am very busy imagining, designing and building the future, you are welcome to join me. (Yes, really! Come and join me with your skills or your money or both)
