5 THINGS NIGERIAN GOVT MUST MAKE ITS PRIORITY

The purpose of government is to help people live better. In the quest of governments to deliver the much needed good governance, they sometimes embark on all sorts of projects to better the out look of the society. In the course of some of these projects, government often victimize, DE-humanize and sometimes out rightly destroy people lives, families and means of livelihood. They call it collateral damage. There are just too many examples of such instances in Abuja during era of Mallam Nasiru Elrufai as Fct minister. In Lagos, during Fashola’s tenure and many others. In their justification of such engagements, they argue that, nothing good comes easy. If we want something good, we must be willing to pay the price. To them, the affected citizens whose life have been completely destroyed as a result of such projects are the prices we must pay to build a better society. For me, destroying other peoples live is not a way to development. While it is true that, the cleared area would be free, clean and ready for modern construction and beautification, it can never bring about the required development. Yes, the few rich may live more comfortably, but vast majority of the other citizens would have been living abject poverty much more than how they were living before the so called reconstruction. Therefore, here are 5 major issues of priority every government must handle with utmost seriousness as identified by UNDP (1996).. Any government that failed in prioritizing these 5 things, cannot be regarded as a good government. 1. PROVISION OF CLEAN PORTABLE WATER A Somalian elder was quoted as saying that “all development activities are about human beings. For any serious government, the first priority of government must be the provision of clean and portable water for all. The first human need is water. It is the first thing needed to live. Without it, a plant, an animal or a baby dies. 2. ADEQUATE FOOD PROVISION The second most important priority of any government must be the adequate provision of food to all citizens. It doesn’t matter how government will ensure all citizens are well feed, what is important is that, government they must ensure no citizens go hungry. Without enough of food, life is miserable and short. If humans couldn’t feed, they can do anything to change their situation. They can kill and are sometimes ready to be killed. A yoruba proverb have it that, Ona ofun, ni ona orun, meaning that, the road to the through, is the road to heaven. As anyone who provide you food is more like your god. People can do anything to have food security. 3. FUNCTIONAL, WELL EQUIPPED AND ACCESSIBLE HEALTH FACILITIES The third most important priority of any serious government should the provision of a functional, well equipped and accessible health facility. This is so because, once water and food are won, human being becomes sick. People want to have confidence in their health centers to provide adequate health services. Government should make every effort to put its medical centers in proper shape for the benefits of its citizens. When citizens have the above 3 issues properly handled, there shall be less crime, less crisis, less instability, more productivity, more efficiency, more citizens engagement and the country will move closer to development. Development is not in the structures we built, but rather, in the citizens we made. 4. PROVISION OF QUALITY EDUCATION Quality Education is the fourth most important priority of any serious government. Once a human being has water, food and health, he needs to learn new horizons and unlock new possibilities. We must understand that, talking about quality education besides a hungry man is a waste. Also, no sick person can benefit from quality education. Quality education can only be meaningful to those living fine in good health. A situation where government increase tuition fee beyond the reach of its own workers children under the guise of improved quality education is a waste. I have asked many times, what is the essence of quality education when the children of the poor can’t access it? If Government can only afford to pay its workers N18 minimum wage, yet charges N200,000 as tuition fee in government owned institution. How can children of the same government attend that government school? We must provide reasonable quality education without denying children of the poor of its benefits. 5. PEACE And finally, if we can protect the 4 points mentioned above, the fifth which is the most important would have room to floor. We must guarantee peace and order. Citizens should live in a peaceful country devoid of fear of attacks either from armed robbers, kidnappers, gunmen, terrorists or even their own government. These are what Nigerian citizens are asking for from our government. If this can be assured, I can guarantee you that development would naturally flow Into this country and the empty, unsustainable structures our government is destroying peoples live to build would ordinarily make way for genuine and sustainable structures that would be built by the citizens. Mr.Rights