By Olukorede Yishau
In Elif Shafak’s ‘The Forty Rules of Love’, a character, Shamz of Tabriz, tells another character, Aladdin, that God is the best storyteller. It is a loaded statement. Looking at our world, it is not difficult to see the stories God is telling using you and me as the characters. God is not dictatorial in the stories He tells with us. He allows our leaders to play critical role in our unfolding stories and we can see the results of that.
Some people, some nations, some companies and some continents, have beautiful stories to share with the world. Other people, other nations, other companies and other continents have tales of shame to entertain the world with: tragedies and tragi-comedies are all they have got to offer.
Our dear Nigeria does not lack gold, it does not lack oil and gas, it has tantalite in abundance, and some of the best waterfalls in the world are within its confines. Scenic beauties, such as Mambilla Plateau and Farin Ruwa Falls, friendly soils and a people ready to give their best are other resources Nigeria is blessed with.
Do we need to talk about brilliant souls scattered all over the world and doing wonders in their adopted nations? Is there really any need to talk about a young population that understands the ins and outs of technology and can manipulate it to our advantage? Is there any need to point attention to the fact that when our average brains go abroad for education, they turn out in flying colours?
As blessed as we are with these brains, these beauties and these resources, we are also blessed with leaders who, at the sign of a headache, have taken the next available flight to London or New York for medical examination. We are also blessed with a political class that steals with their future generation in mind; we are fortunate enough to have men and women in positions of authorities all because they want to decorate their garages and wardrobes with the best in automobiles and jewelries; and we are blessed with leaders who will tell us to pray over a problem or challenge we elect them to resolve.
Imagine if prayers can end a situation where one of three Nigerians lives in poverty, which represents thirty-two per cent of the population. Imagine if prayers can stop thirty-seven per cent of children from suffering malnutrition.
Imagine if prayer can make a thing of the past, half of the Nigerian population who use unsafe or unimproved sanitation. What if prayers can take Nigeria away from being 43rd on the sustainable development goal index? What about praying away the fact that poverty is concentrating in fast-growing countries like Nigeria and, by 2050, more than 40 per cent of Nigerians will still be under poverty’s jackboot? If only we can use prayers to get over our slot as the country with the second-highest number of deaths of children under the age of five? Alas, prayers cannot do all these!
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says no fewer than 250,000 children in Nigeria die on their first day of life. The figure is the second highest in the world, according to the 2017 multi-indicator cluster survey. A child born in Nigeria today, no thanks to this situation, is likely to live to the year 2074, while a child born in Denmark is likely to live until the 22nd Century! The quality of life is a different kettle of fish. Most of these children regrettably die from preventable causes such as premature births, complications during delivery, infections like sepsis, malaria and pneumonia. Prayers cannot stop this, only policies and programmes can.
Nigeria needs more investment to grow its economy at a higher rate to be able to lift 100 million people out of poverty. Prayer cannot do it. Nigeria is only growing at about two per cent and, if our country continues this way, there will be more people in poverty.
The investment we need is almost double what we have now. Nigeria must connect with people who want to invest in it. Agriculture, manufacturing and infrastructure are areas where we need investment. We should remain open for business until we have reduced poverty to the barest minimum.
We must have at the back of our mind that the global market for foreign direct investment is highly competitive and, to tap into it, we must position ourselves strategically. We must change the perceptions that we are all about oil. We must tell people that Nigeria is also about tech, agriculture, services and manufacturing.
Post-COVID-19, we must take advantage of the fact that we are critically important as Africa’s largest economy. We must use our longstanding relationships with countries, such as the UK, the U.S. and others, to pull in the needed help. We must correct the notion that our economy is difficult to operate in. To make investors have confidence in us, we must respect agreements. Contracts must be sacrosanct, a situation where change of governments lead to policy somersault must be ended.
If we fail to do the necessary things and continue to look up to God for miracles, we will wait in eternity. He has given us the brains to play a part in telling our story despite being the best storyteller. Prayers can only help to make our work better. Praying without doing the required work is a bloody waste of time. By doing the required work, we are playing our best in the shape our story will take.
My final take: It is true God is the best storyteller, but this is not a role He plays with arrogance. He gives us brains and expects us to use this brains to introduce nuances in the stories of our lives. But, most times, we just fold our hands, expecting Him to do what He has given us the capacity to do. So, when we fail, we are the failures and God has absolutely no blame.
• Yishau is a columnist and author of ‘In The Name of Our Father’ and ‘Vault of Secrets’.