Nigeria: Contemporary Commentaries & Essays

Description

This book is a collection of Alfred Obiora Uzokwe's critical commentaries about Nigeria's triumphs, woes and the way forward. It brings his writings into one volume as a reference material for those conducting research about the country. It will also serve as another tool for Nigeria's policy makers in their everyday quest for better decision-making. The subjects of the commentaries are diverse, including politics, aviation, infrastructure, health, welfare and economy.

Nigerians are resilient and ingenious but the country continues to flounder, plagued by poor transportation infrastructure, corruption, unemployment, inflation, insecurity and poor standard of education. The problems of Africa's most populous nation can be traced to rudderless and selfish leaders that have continued to preside over a unidimensional economy. With plummeting oil prices, the nation is now in dire straits more than ever before.

Yearning for a change in leadership and direction, Nigerians recently voted in a new government at the center, headed by a former military leader who has vowed to institute change. The world is keenly watching to see if the soldier-turned politician would make a positive difference.

In spite of the difficulties of the present time, Nigeria still has the potential of becoming a great economy. Social media where citizens freely vent their thoughts about their leadership is slowly gaining the attention of leaders. Furthermore, the sometimes scathing commentaries about Nigeria's leaders by the media and commentators like Alfred Obiora Uzokwe, can no longer be ignored by the leaders because of their reach in this internet age. Nigerian leaders are slowly being forced to listen to and pay heed to the yearnings and aspirations of the masses and that is a step in the right direction.