The missing empowerment

Many are the empowerment schemes in the land. It is unfortunate that the

various empowerment schemes have done nothing to stop Nigerians from craving for life abroad.

In the face of insecurity and a seemingly bleak future, a ready made answer has to be sought abroad.

The good news is that human beings made other countries liveable. The unfortunate part is that somehow many there are who have lost hope in our country.

That Nigeria has what it takes to boom is not in doubt.

As a little boy, I recall the days of the nine Nigerian Languages on local radio. Today it is no more.

Does anyone think of what learning those languages can do for our Economy?

More than 60 years after Independence, we should smell the coffee. The world is competitive.

In those Nine Nigerian Languages are hidden treasures. Our culture is embedded in those languages.

For those who may not have got my drift. Remember, the quote, ' he who is not proud of his culture is not fit to live'.

I dare ask this question, is Chinese acupuncture, medicine or magic?

Does Nigeria have it's own medicine? Can the Bureau of Statistics tell us the quantum of forex that Nigeria's medicine earn in a year?

Of course, it will be next to nothing. There is a saying that ' it is the name you give your dog that others will call it'.

Even Nigerians practice Chinese acupuncture. Do Nigerians believe in Nigerian Medicine?

As a little boy, I learnt Chicken orthopaedics from my grandmother. In our culture, that western civilization is in competition with, lies a lot of dormant forces and gold mines that can give our Economy a giant leap.

I am not preaching taking back the hand of the clock but to remind Nigerians that promoting our culture in word and deed has a lot of beneficial effect on our standard of living.

Promoting cultural music gives employment to local producers of musical instruments.

It also promotes the standard of living of local musicians.

In the past the government had paid lip service to promoting Nigeria but this goes beyond import substitution to going back to our Engineering, Agriculture, Music and Medicine among other things.

This should be the primary duty of government.

We have local games but who promotes them? Promoting them can take them beyond the shores of Nigeria. 

This in turn will promote the image of Nigeria. Employment opportunities will spring up there for practitioners and teachers of these games.

The days of judging intelligence by how well we speak like the white man should be over.

Let us measure intelligence by how well we speak and write our local languages and contribute towards progress in the world by our own standards and not foreign standards.

Unless we believe in our abilities, no one would believe in us. It is a duty we owe ourselves.