Abraham Lincoln once said, “the best way to predict the future is to create it.” — And the future according to Eleanor Roosevelt belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
No doubt, we have been inundated with pandemic these past days. As the world speculates on the nature of the COVID-19 would order, immense threats are imminent. We are facing the growing threat of nuclear war (biological warfare), threat of global warming and many more. The novel coronavirus would definitely leave some terrifying consequences that must be put on check.
At perilous times like this, what is our plan for the future? Our markers are closed – some of our farms, industries and factories are locked up. Our schools from first leaving to tertiary are locked up. Some of our tourism places are also closed. Life is becoming miserable to many.
On March 30, 2020 — President Buhari signed the COVID-19 regulations 2020 which declare coronavirus a dangerous infection disease. He signed the regulations in exercising the powers conferred on him by 2, 3 and 4 of the quarantine act of 2004 and all other powers enabling him in that regard. On the same day, Mr. Buhari constituted an Economic Sustainability Committee led by the Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo with the plan entitled “Bouncing Back: The Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan.”
The inevitable mandatory lockdown and social distancing measures across the country put on place to curb the spread of COVID-19 have had a severe negative impact on industries, farms as well as trade, tourism and transport.
Many projections by experts and the National Bureau of Statistics NBS showed a severe downturn in the Nigeria’s oil earnings as a result of which even with oil price at $30 per barrel, Nigeria would still have a shortfall of about #184 billion every month, in the amount available for allocation to the three tiers of government. Also, depending on the period of the lockdown and strength of the Nigeria’s economic response, the GDP might fall to between minus 4.40%and minus 8.91%
Most of our economic sections are affected apart from those driven by technology. The NBS was reported to have said that 42% of the Nigeria workers lost their job, diminishing incomes of 79% of household in Nigeria. The data from NBS show that Nigeria has about 47 million Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and are among the worst hit by the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. Several projections show that about 50,000 workers have been disengaged so far. And 10,000 businesses have collapsed. This is just one sub sector of the economy. What about others?
The constituted committee has submitted its report with a projection that unemployment may rise to 33.6% —- which means a total of 39.3 million people will be jobless in the next six months in Nigeria if government did not take proactive measures. This is alarming for God’s sake!
Even though the federal government has started planning to inject over N2 trillion intervention to stimulate the economy and the subsequent reintroduction of N-Power programme to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians. The federal government should also empower the private sector to drive the post COVID-19 economic recovery process. Federal government must introduce and concentrate on economic programmes that have most significant multiplier effect to increase revenues and create employment. Lack of cohesiveness of the policy implementation must be tackled in order to attain the set objectives.
From now on, security should be hinged on justice, development, economic empowerment, grassroot development and on multiplication of state apparatus.
Our educational system needs a rigorous review to cope with the future challenges.
Yuval Noah Harari drew our attention to the four Cs: Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity. These must be inculcated in next generations mind and also to be included in our curriculum. This is to say, reviewing our is a must to salvage our educational system. We must focus on this if we want to survive and thrive in the centuries to come.
We must take advantage of digitalizing our education. Our government should partner with microsoft to provide our schools and lecturers with computers and softwares to impact knowledge under transformational education system. This is exactly what Rwanda did earlier this month.
We must critically examine the current situation by our political and intellectual elites to the stiffen possibilities of our endemic stagnation and perennial communal violence.
At this moment, faced with our people is joblessness, disease, ignorance, lack of hope, unprecedented power, sycophancy as well as misery that we cannot do something noble. We cannot come together and try to project what we want to project and fashion way out. May God see us through these trying times.
We must get out of steps with the emerging reality.
Muazu Muazu
A public affairs commentator from Kano
[email protected]
08036433199(text only)
