Dubai is a beautiful, well organized and planned City. Though the population is predominantly Muslim, there are other Faiths in the minority. Inspite of that, Dubai's population is united in Purpose to advance growth in Science , Medicine , Tech ,
Engineering , etc.
The Wonders of Dubai makes it a Tourist Destination to everyone regardless of faith, creed, or race.
I want to see Nigeria transform to a Nation where Religion is NOT a barrier to our growth & development, where inspite of our religious differences, we can unite to advance 21st-century development that supports Innovation , Science , Tech , Engineering , etc.
We must deliberately fund our Universities and other Institutions of Science & Technology in
Nigeria . We must develop a robust curriculum for the study of sciences at primary and secondary school levels, and encourage pupils to take on STEM .
We are living in a world that is moving so fast in terms of market dynamics, economic dynamics, science/medicine/tech/engineering dynamics, and if we don't respond with a Plan NOW, the future repercussion on our kids will be too enormous to bear.
Concessions:
There is a trend in Nigeria , an ugly one.
I don't know why it has become the business of Government to make excuses on behalf of private operators in a concession, contract, liberalized sector, or subsidy arrangement, on why those operators are failing to perform.
You wonder if concessions and/or privatization in Nigeria are well thought-out before they are granted/approved. Same goes for contracts. Same goes for subsidy regimes, even when we know that subsidy isn't just about dishing out cash but also about system/process gaps.
There's need to make Concessions work in Nigeria . We have a huge infrastructure challenge, and Govt finances can't shoulder that responsiblity. If the process of granting Concession is not effective, efficient and yielding desired outcomes, we cannot develop.
The biggest task here is getting our Civil Service to redefine its role in infrastructurizing Nigeria . It's a process that must begin and upheld by a focused, determined & patriotic Government that is ready to deliver on its election promises.
Informal Sector:
Nigeria's informal sector contributes largely to job creation, engaging semi-skilled and unskilled labor force. That sector supports the livelihood of many households in the country. Yet, that sector mostly bears the consequence of failure of the power sector.
Government economic policies should be deliberate at ensuring that the informal sector is not choked, but stimulated to grow. That sector must be supported by policies of the three tiers of Government-- Federal, State and Local.
Give them favourable economic environment, many businesses I see in the informal sector will transit and transform to become big players in the formal sector, create more jobs for skilled, semi-skilled & unskilled labor. These Nigerians are BIG DREAMERS!
Government can create jobs by being deliberate with its policies, creative, consistent and focused to give Nigerians an economic environment that allows the informal sector to thrive. That sector cannot die, but we must make it thrive!
We should encourage more formation of cooperatives, provide them with Government-backed zero-interest credits. The DISCOs should allow even distribution of available power supply to industrial and residential areas. Many small business owners operate from their homes.
Should we drag the informal sector into the tax net? I think until the burden that sector currently bears is reasonably eased, my answer is NO!
Startup Ecosystems
As a developing nation with over 90% of our revenue earned from crude oil, and our current readiness to diversify the economy and position the economy for global competitiveness, it is imperative that we look critically in the direction of our Startup Ecosystems.
The future of Nigeria 's economic progress will be driven by her Startups. Govt should create a new Ministry known as Ministry For Innovation And Startup Ecosystems Engagement with a substantive Minister (a technocrat) appointed to lead the Ministry.
The dynamics of the Ministry of Commerce And Industry and its agency SMEDAN cannot cater for the "push and pull" effect as Startup ecosystems and Innovation dances to global business environment rhythm.
Hence the need for a new Ministry dedicated to Startup Ecosystems And Innovation.
Why should Startup Ecosystems And Innovation have a Ministerial status and not an Agency status?
This is because if Nigeria will realize her economic diversification vision, it'll revolve around Startup Ecosystems and Innovation which must have the quantum of attention it rightly deserve at FEC.
Government must accord recognition to and stimulate Nigeria 's Startup Ecosystems as next frontier of our global competitiveness and revenue generation. Hence the Ministry For Innovation And Startup Ecosystems Engagement (ISEE) is apt!
Future President
No doubt, there are well entrenched obstacles that DOES limit the performance of any President of Nigeria . But the future President should be seen not to be helpless like his/her predecessors.
The future President must leave the Rock more often, interact with the barriers, work with the builders of the barriers to demolish the barriers. S/he must find the COURAGE to provide leadership for the Country.
The future President must have a clear VISION & DIRECTION for Nigeria , and before assuming Office, S/he knows and understand what tasks lies ahead. From Day 1 of assuming Office as President, it'll be clear that the tasks ahead are achievable.
Nigeria 's future President knows S/he is as good as the quality of the Team S/he is able to assemble. Hence, while ensuring equitable distribution of appointments across the Country, both political and technocratic, S/he knows what the Team Mix should be.
Nigeria 's future President's Team must comprise of people who are restless and eager to make a difference in governance, who knows what the real stakes are in moving Nigeria away from analog development era to a digital new age.
Nigeria 's future President knows the method to adopt to handle the numerous complexities of Nigeria is to allow governance leverage on those complexities. S/he knows his/her real political associates are the masses. S/he is committed to their expectations.
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