Grave Issues Nigeria Must Tackle
28 July, 2015
In his publication, Grave Issues Nigeria Must Tackle, Chief Areoye Oyebola spot-lighted Nigeria’s complex but man-made problems. They include; unbridled, monumental and deep-rooted corruption which has continually put Nigeria among the top three most corrupt countries in the world; unbelievable extravagance and wastefulness in government; flagrant abuse of due process of law by those in government; a lopsided, army-created Unitary Government which was falsely described by the military as a Federation; abject poverty and penury of more than 60% of the citizens who live below poverty level; among others.
The depth of his anger with the country’s tragic and unenviable situation is summed in part of the introduction to the publication: “We know that Nigerian leaders and citizens are fond of sweeping grave issues under the carpet, yet we are warning in this publication that Nigerians can ignore the issues we have raised at the country’s peril. Whether our leaders like it or not, Nigerians are likened by the world to infants who cannot take care of themselves. Only some countries that need our crude oil and our huge but uncontrolled markets for all kinds of manufactured products and refined petroleum, diesel and kerosene, regularly deceive us that we are alright.
Besides, our country has been categorised as one of the failed states based on many factors. They include the abject poverty of a great majority of our citizens, the people’s lack of access to basic needs of life like drinkable water, regular supply of electricity, inadequate healthcare which is manifested on the citizens being ravaged by poor health, infant mortality, child birth mortality, polio, cholera, guinea worm and many other preventable diseases.
Other considerations that have earned our country her failed status include an all pervading hunger and malnutrition, dilapidated roads, educational facilities which are in shambles, inadequate housing and a stagnated stone-aged type rural environment”.