Continued from Tuesday
Olusegun Obasanjo
Any keen observer of the Nigerian situation will easily agree that the country’s inability to adequately harness her abundant human and natural resources for national development, and thus, ensure a happier, more qualitative and longer lifespan for her citizens has nothing to do with lack or absence of plans and strategies. On the contrary, Nigeria has always been blessed with some of brightest and most endowed human beings in the world, who have churned out fine plans and strategies for the nation’s rapid socio-economic development. Let us briefly outline some of these plans.
Being a former British colony, the country’s first experience with a formalised development plan came on stream in 1944, when the then Secretary of State for the Colonies sent out a circular requesting the governments of all the then British colonies to formulate plans for the economic and social development of their territories. This was in anticipation of the Second World War. For Nigeria, the response from the then colonial administration was a plan referred to as “Ten Year Plan of Development and Welfare for Nigeria”, for which a total expenditure of about N110 million for the period of 10 years was envisaged from April 1, 1946 to March 31, 1956. However, following the granting of semi-autonomy to each of the three regional governments in 1955, each of them along with the federal government launched its own five-year development plan for the period 1955-1960. Then it was in preparation towards independence. This five-year pre-independence development plan was the beginning of Fixed Medium Term Planning for the country, and was to be the model up till 1985.
After independence, four more Fixed Medium Term Plans were executed as follows: (1) First National Development Plan from 1962 to 1968, and extended to 1970 because of the civil war. It was the first after independence. About the sum of N2.2bn was provided for capital expenditure under this plan. Recall that an integral part of this First Development Plan was the establishment of the National Manpower Board, a scheme that was launched in 1962 to develop the requisite manpower needs of the newly independent nation. (2) Then followed the 1970 – 1974 Second National Development Plan for which was earmarked the capital expenditure of N3bn. (3) For the Third National Development Plan, (1975 to 1980) a capital expenditure of N30bn (later raised to N43.3bn was provided for. Recall that this was shortly after the Arabs imposed an oil embargo on the West following the 1973 October Middle East war. As a result of the embargo, Nigeria earned an unprecedented amount of foreign exchange. As I am sure some of you remember, following the unfortunate events of February 13, 1976, it fell on me to implement this Third Plan up till October 1, 1979, when I handed over to the now late Alhaji Shehu Shagari. We build almost all the airports and sea-ports that we are proud of today. The power stations, Shiroro and Jeba with Egbin commenced. The roads – Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was completed; Shagamu-Asaba, Enugu-Onitsha, Calabar-Makurdi, Badagry-Sokoto, Yola-Numan, Kaduna- Kano, Warri-Benin, Port Harcourt-Enugu expressways were commenced. Airports were built in Calabar, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Makurdi, Sokoto, Yola, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Ilorin, Ibadan, Kainji, Kano and Jos. Lagos airport was completed and Lagos ringroad with the Third Mainland Bridge and replacement of Carter Bridge with concrete were carried out. We launched and established nine unity schools and seven universities. We also launched the UPE and Primary Healthcare Scheme countrywide. The Fourth Plan covering 1981 to 1985 followed and for this, a capital expenditure of N82bn was envisaged.
After the Fourth Plan, the fifth was to be lunched at the end of 1985. However, due to the prevailing economic crisis and the subsequent administration’s self-induced socio-political scenario, it was abandoned. In all these, specific emphasis was placed on planning because of ‘the urgent need to rationally ‘tap the available scarce resources for the socio-economic development of the nation’. But did this happen?
Instead of having a Fifth development plan to cover the period 1986- 90, Nigeria adopted a policy plan known as the Structural Adjustment Programme which was initially designed to last from 1986-88 but which was later extended to last till 1990. SAP was adopted on the advice of the World Bank and IMF and it really sapped the Nigerian socio-economic development through heavy devaluation, and non-promotion of agriculture. Then, from SAP, Nigeria graduated to the three-yearly National Rolling Plans: Rolling Plan 1 (1990 – 1992), Rolling Plan 2 (1993 – 1995); and Rolling Plan 3 (1996 – 1998). Of course, in 1996, Nigeria decided to take the bull posed by the challenge of under development by the horns by deciding to look far into the future. We, as a country, with much fanfare, launched the Vision 2010 Committee in 1996 with the committee’s report submitted in 1997. However, by May 1999, I was back on the scene and we realised that strict hard plans of Cold War years was giving way to market economy led by the private sector with incentives and conducive conditions provided by the government. So, we launched the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy policy document which strategises down to state and local government level. By 2009, NEEDS was abandoned for the Seven-Point Agenda and later went for the National Vision 20:2020.
As with all the development plans starting from that of 1944 that was launched by the then colonial government, each of the above enumerated plans outlined strategies to uplift the living standards of Nigerians and improve the people’s human development. For example, the least ambitious of these, (the Nigeria Vision 20:2020) claimed as follows: ‘the Nigerian Vision 20:2020 document is underpinned by the ‘need to effectively and efficiently mobilise the nation’s resources to serve and improve the lives of its citizens’.
However, the truth of the matter is that as of today, (a few months to the targeted and long anticipated 2020), instead of improvement, the quality of lives of Nigerians has degenerated even more in all aspects of human development. The UPE launched in 1977 nationwide has gone and the UBE launched in 2000 has also gone. Primary healthcare system has suffered the same fate. In education, health and food and nutrition security, we are worse today than we were in the first decade of this century. It is the same story, unfortunately in security and economic well-being.
As can be seen from the brief recall of Nigeria’s experiment with developmental plans, the problem cannot be said to lie with our inability to plan, strategise, dream or even conceive visions.
I hope you will all agree with me that if what Nigeria needs to move forward are dreamers and visionaries, we have had some. Without being immodest, I can claim that I have dreamed and visioned for our dear country, almost all through my adult life.
In this regard, please recall that in our quest in the late 1970s to strike the correct developmental cord, we changed our form of government from the Westminster model to the American presidential model. Some people have claimed that the presidential system is expensive to run. It is not the system but those who operate the system that make it expensive. Before this time, we moved from a nation of three regions to four; then to 12 states, then 19, 21 and now 36 states plus a Federal Capital Territory. And of course, we have had our own fair share of military authoritarian rule. So…, what next?
On the challenges facing us as a nation, may I call your attention to the Inaugural address I gave to the nation on 29 May, 1999 on the occasion of my assumption of office as the first democratically elected president under the present democratic dispensation. Recall that I said, inter alia:
“Nigeria is wonderfully endowed by the Almighty with human and other resources. It does no credit either to us or the entire black race if we fail in managing our resources for quick improvement in the quality of life of our people…. Instead of progress and development, which we are entitled to expect from those who governed us, we experienced…persistent deterioration in the quality of our governance, leading to instability and the weakening of all public institutions…. Relations between men and women who had been friends for many decades, and between communities that had lived together in peace for many generations became very bitter because of the actions or inaction of government’’.
If I was bemoaning the situation in 1999, what then am I expected to say today given the situation all over the country generally: in the Boko Haram infested states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe? What should I say regarding the situation in Zamfara State, Kaduna State, Plateau, Benue and Taraba States?
Concluded
This is an excerpt of a Keynote Address by His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, at the 2019 Synod of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Oleh Diocese, Isoko, Delta State, May 18, 2019
END
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