NIGERIA MY COUNTRY.
316 Words
🇳🇬 Nigeria: From Boom to Burden — A Call to Repentance and Restoration
✍️ By Kayode, John Adedayo Temitope
In 1956, crude oil was discovered in large quantities in Oloibiri, Bayelsa State. This marked the beginning of Nigeria’s economic boom. The nation was filled with hope, wealth, and potential. But that boom was short-lived.
Due to our dependence on oil — a mono-economy — and the neglect of agriculture and manufacturing, Nigeria soon plunged into economic recession.
Then came the civil war (1967–1970), deepening the economic depression. Inflation soared, fueled by the reckless importation of foreign consumer goods, which led to dumping and the collapse of local industries that couldn’t compete.
The situation worsened with:
Bad governance: Lawmakers swimming in luxury with car, wardrobe, and housing allowances, while millions of citizens struggle to eat once a day.
Subsidy removal, even when refineries were not working — punishing the poor instead of fixing the root problems.
Brain drain, caused by insecurity and poor living conditions.
White elephant projects, billions spent on show-off infrastructures without matching economic priorities.
Misplaced priorities: Roads were built while factories remained shut, leading to insecurity even on those highways.
Moral decay: A rise in alcoholism, prostitution, and drug abuse — fuelling crime and societal breakdown.
Nigeria — once the Giant of Africa — now crawls like a wounded lizard in a dark forest.
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The Way Out
1. We must cry out to God for mercy, and allow the precious blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse our hearts and our nation.
2. We must revive the production of consumer goods, empower local industries, and discourage foreign dumping.
3. We must repent of corruption, end the oppression of the poor, and return to justice, equity, and integrity.
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Nigeria can rise again.
But it must start from the heart — with God.
And from the ground — with productive labor.
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- Writer
