HAPPY 51st INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONS!

Nigerian 51st independence anniversary is just by the corner, it is time again for stock-taking. What have we done right? What must we do to correct the wrongs? What is your own role in this new drive to change Nigeria and make it better? These and many more questions are yawning for immediate answers.

There are some general ideas that have been running through my mind for a while. Firstly, I believe the short-term solution of Nigeria's socio-cultural re-orientation is by training our kids. Giving them the quality education and the right orientation from their pre-school up to high grade school.

The President's reason for building new universities is that when he considers the one tillion Naira or there about that we spend on subsidizing fuel, he would rather spend that money subsidising education because while petrol is burnt up in a car's engine and is gone, he said, the mind never burns up the education it receives. Therefore, he will rather teach Nigerians how to fish (education) than only give people fish (fuel).

That is a very good reason I must say Mr. President. However, we must be careful not to robe Peter to pay Paul. Oil subsidy 'so to speak' has a very important role it plays in the lives of the average Nigerian. At least, it keeps the high transportation cost in check, particularly for rural farmers. That is why your government must perfect its balancing act.

Talking about education, I had once on this page, pleaded that you should focus on quality child education if you must indeed remodel the orientation and life style of our children. I am once again very strongly suggesting same, so that in the next 10 years, we will have a crop of young Nigerians with the mind set and skills required to advance our national development.

I also think that it is time to hire expertraite as consultants to the various ministries to provide the back end expertise support to the ministers. The idea is to introduce high-level accountability and modern methodology in our developmental approach key infrastruture such as power, transportation, minning and agriculture.