THE PROPHETIC VOICE NIGERIA @ 53, A CALL FOR REFLECTION AND EMANCIPATORY CONTEMPLATION Arise, O compatriots, Nigeria's call obey To serve our Fatherland With love and strength and faith. The labor of our heroes past Shall never be in vain, To serve with heart and might One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity. Some 53rd independence questions we need to ask ourselves as we reflect on our great national anthem include the following: 1. Are we truly patriots? 2. Which call are we obeying, our self agenda, belly or Nigeria's call? All political parties, which call are they trying to obey? Those at the national assembly and presidency, with the abyssal level of poverty in Nigeria what call are they obeying at Abuja 3. Can we say we are really serving our fatherland? 4. How are we doing the service? With love while we hate, cheat, maim and kill one another? Can civil servant sincerely say they are serving with strength and faith? 5. With our current attitude can we say the labor of our past heroes is not going in vain? 6. How do we serve the nation, with might and heart or with deceit, fraud and stomach? 7. Can we really see one nation displayed even in the affairs of a local government catchment area talk less of state or the entire country? Is our country not a nationlees state? 8. Do we have freedom, peace and unity? So where is the bond? If these 3 elements are missing are we not racing towards disintegration because they are the bonding factor? As at 1995, Nigeria was ranked the 19th poorest country with the per capita income of $260 almost the same as it was in 1972. As at the same time Malaysia own was $3,890, Indonesia stood at $980 and that of Ghana $390. But in 1965 Nigeria GDP was $5.8 billion, compared with $3.8 billion for Indonesia, $3.1 billion for Malaysia and &9.8 billion for Venezuela. 30 years later (1995) Nigeria GDP increased to $26.8 billion (3.6 fold increase), Indonesia to $ 198 billion (52 fold), Malaysia to $85 billion(27 fold increase) and Venezuela to $75 billion (20 fold increase) Meaning that Nigeria has been left behind by these 3 nations she was far better than in 1965. TERRIFICALLY LOW HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX EVEN IN THE MIDST OF ABUNDANT RESOURCES. The Human Development Index (HDI) provides a measure of human capital development in three dimensions: income, health, and education. The latest values of HDI show that Nigeria is ranked 156 with the value of 0.459 among 187 countries. The value places Nigeria in the bottom, meaning that Nigeria is considered to have low level of human development. The comparative value for Sub-Saharan Africa is 0.463, 0.910 for the US, and 0.682 for the world average. The HDI of Sub-Saharan Africa as a region increased from 0.365 in 1980 to 0.463 today, which places Nigeria below the regional average. The value for the education index is 0.442, compared to the average in the US of 0.939. The expected years of schooling in Nigeria is 8.9 (16.00 in the US), while the mean years of schooling for adults over 25 years is 5.0 years (12.4 years in the US). Additionally, Nigeria is also facing a relatively high inequality, worsening the problem regarding the formation of human capital. The income distribution for the poorest (bottom 10%) is 1.6% while it is 40.8% for the richest (top 10%). Among 114 countries the income distribution places Nigeria respectively in 94th position for the poorest and 17th for the richest. The recent World Bank ranking has placed Nigeria as the 6th poorest nation with 70% of the population surviving on less than $1.25 a day. Even though human capital is only one factor of many that drives development and associated economic growth, it is very important factor for the development process for a developing country like Nigeria. The productive capacity of a country is related to the level of human capital, explaining why human capital formation must be considered of great importance in the future. Nigeria's problem is a serious one, too serious for the type of political arrangement we are currently running. 2014, Nigeria will experience redefinition. There is a move towards political and national manumission. The current political elites cant lead us anywhere good, they are terribly egregious, homunculus in all their agenda and political thinking, feckless in all their handling, flagitious in character, feculent in disposition, and they are all with one mission – desiccate (dry up) the state's resources. I see all their propaganda and political talks as mere sirocco (hot win). Nigeria, a one-time mellifluous nation is now almost completely desiccated by less than 10% of the population. And do you think the suffering populace will forever hold their hands and watch the business continue like as usual? WHAT’S THE WAY FORWARD? We need a clear departure from the imperialist agenda we have been pursuing since independence. We must look within in developing the grassroots economy. We must sincerely target development of human and physical capital. Nigerian economy is largely one commodity export economy, a rentier approach to development that can never produce any lasting economic gain. The only thriving business in Nigeria as at today is “politics”. The capital flow direction is a “trickle down” system from the oil revenue instead of a “bubbling up” system that will empower the grassroots to generate wealth. We must define and adopt economic priorities and strategies in a manner that works for the majority of our citizens. Those in charge of policy formulation and implementation must come to term with the reality and gravity of Nigeria’s problem so that they will take issues of economic emancipation of Nigeria serious. It is a known fact that: 1. About 60% of Nigerians live below $1 (N150) a day. This is the main reason for the many criminalities in the system. Some few people are eating to the point of vomiting while the larger majority is starving to death. 2. More than 6.9 million Nigerian children of primary school age are not in school. An uneducated mind is a potential danger to the society. 3. An estimated 800 Nigerian women die for every 100,000 live births. 4. About 200 out of every 1,000 Nigerian babies die before they are 5 years old. 5. Nigeria is losing about 350sq km to desert encroachment annually. With our gas reserve, no household in Nigeria should be using firewood or charcoal for cooking. The gas sector reform is tilted toward rhetoric and abysmal corruption. We also refuse to practically explore the technology of bio-gas. We urgently need a policy shift that will increase social expenditure, inclusion of the poor in public budgeting, macroeconomic balance, effective resource utilization, strengthening of the public policy instruments that promote development and equality, radical reduction of recurrent expenditure, determined efforts at reviving non-oil sectors of the economy and accelerated industrialization. Infrastructures in Nigeria are in a serious state of decay. Investment and industry cannot grow in an environment where basic infrastructures are not guaranteed. A nation of about 140 million people with the erratic power generation of less than 3,500 megawatt is only joking when talking of serious industrial revolution. Vision 20:20:20 can only be taken serious if government is practically serious about restoring infrastructures. We must equally create investment friendly climate through a combination of legal, tax and other measures that will encourage genuine investors especially the indigenous ones. Unless the current resource looting is stopped, and our resources are properly rechanneled towards real practical, evenly, distributed development, Nigerian economic situation may remain in that same coma. We must arise and together build a better Nigeria we can all be proud of! God is watching President Goodluck Jonathan to see if he will truly do what he was called by God to do. I pray he will be a true Goodluck to the drowning Nigeria Economic situation. With all these socio-political and economic malformations of our nation, it is a challenge for the body of Christ in Nigeria to rise up to the work of reconstruction and emancipation. The campaign for positive change must begin from the church. The Priests and Prophets must stand for God and proclaim the whole counsel of God for this dying nation. Prophets and Ministers must speak the truth and direct our political leaders aright. The people of God must also stand in the gap and earnestly intercede for this nation If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14) ‘DELE KOLADE (REV) GLOBAL DELIVERANCE TEAM (GLODET), P. O. BOX 1215, OYO TOWN, NIGERIA. OPERATION PAN’s (PRAYING ACROSS NIGERIA) PROJECT e-mail: kolade2002@yahoo.com www.delekolade.blogspot.com A lot like? The greatest problem of Nigeria is the wrong fatalistic philosophical stand of most of the citizen. We have being leaving all to fate when we suppose to arise and retake the land. Very myopic thinking, perpetuated by wrong religious theology. Orthodoxy without orthopraxis usually leads to failed destiny. Nigeria is held captive by Nigerian. Till today only 5% of the entire populace of over 170million people control 85% of the entire national wealth. Are they better than the rest of the people? No, but they are only successful looters. The masses will have to get up and take their destinies in there hand. God has already shown us the way to cross our red sea, its left for us to march forward. God can path the sea but He wont march us forward. I know in many churches today we will abserve our usual, routine, worrisome prayer services for the nation when the priests are not telling their parishioners the whole truth that we have to pray, watch and work. What kind of pastors do we have? They are only saying to us it is well when actually it is not well. God said tell the wicked it shall not be well with him." Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?" (Joel 2:17) The church has gone to sleep. Christian Association of Nigeria has become part of the regular national cake sharing team. Some of our heavy weight ministers are now on regular illegal pay roll of local, state and federal government The ministers now struggle to attend politically related meetings and services because of white and brown envelops. The God bless you pastor envelop can not allow the ministers to say the truth any longer, no wonder to occupy strategic positions in CAN has become do or die. The church has terribly gone worldly. Is it not at the church that we endorse the next persons to contest for governorship, presidency, senate and Rep? When they now get their and start messing things up the same pulpits that prayed them in can not check their excesses again like Nathan checked the wickedness of David. Why is this so? Money, and I mean heavy money have changed hand. Politician tithes are too much to resist, if not some of the heavy projects of the church will suffer. Where are the Elisha of our time that will tell General Naaman, "go with your money" Where are the bold Samuel to tell Saul of our time "God has rejected your government" Ah! mo gbe! This was the cry of Isaiah when he rediscovered himself. Where are the real, uncompromising Bishops and ArchBishops who will stand in the gap and cry for mercy and justice? Where are the Amos and Jeremiah of our time to say the truth to the palace and the princes? The quality of the church determines the quality of the country. Shame on all priests that will lead independence services today without telling the people the truth that it is not well at all and that we must all pursue righteousness to bring back God's glory to our land. Tell the looters that unless they repent it will never be well with them. Tell the puppet politician that God's judgement is by the corner and the wrath of God is about to be unleashed. Do not say that I did not warn you, God says it wont continue as business as usual. The shakings will soon start for the Nigeria's remaking. Repost this to all your friends. This is the heavenly broadcast for the nation today!!!!!!