The country’s leadership focus on short-term political gains has led to the misallocation of human potential. Illustration credit: https://www.ti-bangladesh.org/

By Niyi Fagbuaro

Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy, albeit on paper, and her populous country, in fact the most populous black nation in the world. This is expected to work to her advantage but her human resources has been the bane of her economic development.

The country has struggled to achieve its full potential due to a significant obstacle: its human resources.

Despite being rich in natural resources, including oil, gas, and minerals, the country’s leadership and governance have hindered economic development, perpetuating poverty and inequality.

THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

Nigeria’s leadership has been plagued by a self-serving mindset, prioritizing personal gain over national development.

This has led to widespread corruption, with leaders exploiting the country’s resources for personal enrichment.

According to Transparency International, Nigeria ranks 146th out of 180 countries in terms of corruption perception.

Niyi Fagbuaro

MISALLOCATION OF HUMAN POTENTIAL

The country’s leadership focus on short-term political gains has led to the misallocation of human potential.

Her teeming youths are engaged in thuggery, and the adults and active working class are impoverished, perpetuating a cycle of poverty. According to the World Bank, 43% of Nigerians live below the poverty line, with another 25% vulnerable to poverty.

IVAN PAVLOV’S THEORY OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

This seems to be a deliberate attempt to make the followers do their biddings at the smack of the fingers during elections ala Pavlov’s theory of classical conditioning.

Corrupt leaders in Nigeria have indirectly exploited the Ivan Pavlov’s classical conditioning theory to manipulate the impoverished masses during elections.

By maintaining or exacerbating poverty, they create a sense of desperation, making people more susceptible to manipulation.

They then use temporary benefits or promises to associate their leadership with relief, eliciting a favorable response from the masses.

This is quite lucid in the “Dìbò kó o se ‘bẹ̀” slang in some parts of the country. “Dìbò kó o se ‘bẹ̀” simply means “vote and get a tip for making your soup” .

Sad!

This cycle of poverty and manipulation undermines informed decision-making, perpetuating a culture of dependency and exploitation.

EXAMPLES OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP WORLD OVER

Are we under a sort of spell?!

Because in contrast to what obtains in Nigeria, countries with less population and less endowment of natural resources has excelled despite their seeming disadvantages.

Countries like Singapore, South Korea, Botswana, Rwanda, Chile, Ireland, Finland, Taiwan, Estonia, and Costa Rica have prospered due to effective leadership.

These leaders prioritized education, innovation, and economic growth, resulting in remarkable prosperity for their nations.

How Rwanda was able to overcome her civil war setbacks and bounce back to blissful leadership and a growing economy has been remarkable.

THE NIGERIA HUMAN RESOURCES INTERACTION

Nigeria on the other hand has continued to live in a Pimp’s paradise of lies, deceit, tribalism, bigotry, religion divisivim and self-oppression.

The best we have been has been strange bedfellows from the north to the south and the west to the east.

The interaction is ugly, to say the least!

Leaders deliberately make the tribal constituents see themselves as enemies while the leaders are allies in misgovernance and corruption irrespective of their tribes and religions.

And the followers have remained gullible, naive and deceived.

The masses fight to death with one another for the leaders, while the leaders would not raise as much as a broomstick in defence of them,even during dire needs for their defence.

THE WAY FORWARD

To break this cycle, the mentality of the human population and resources in the country must change.

Nigeria needs leaders who embody servant leadership, prioritizing the people’s needs over personal gain.

We need to put in operation inclusive governance, accountability, transparency, empathy, and compassion, prioritizing education, skills development, and economic empowerment to create a brighter future, a rich working class and responsible youths.

Nigeria’s human resources should be her greatest asset, but poor leadership and governance have hindered their potential.

By transforming leadership mindsets and prioritizing the nation’s interests, Nigeria can overcome its challenges and achieve economic prosperity.

*Niyi Fagbuaro writes to help the Nation.