LOOKING TOO FAR TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM

LOOKING TOO FAR TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM... By Dotun George

At every challenging situation and circumstances of life, usually and most time we look for solutions in a wrong way or place and sometimes our diagnosis is usually wrong and when diagnosis is wrong, certainly the prescription will be wrong. And I have no doubt that is the situation of Nigeria over the years.

If there is any news that fascinated me and gladdens my heart, It is the story of innovation, creativity and developmental milestones record by some of our young, enterprising and liberated minds in some of our tertiary institutions that have become moribund and lost its glamour over the years.

Follow this show caption I got from Sun Newspapers put together by a journalist called Franklin......
The Mechanical Engineering Department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, (Unizik) Awka, recorded another milestone when seven graduating students from the department constructed a “made-in-Nigeria” mini bus. Similar feat was recorded last year when a group of five students from the same department produced a formula one car under the code name – AutoZIK.

The seven students include: Ezeigwe Chitoo Callistus, Obinani Victor Chimdike, Ezeanolue Ifeanyi Emmanuel, Okoro Chinaza, Ominigbo Fidelis Igho, Nwobodo Nnamdi Miracle and Ogbu Thaddeus Ikenna. The Head of the Department, Dr. C.H Achebe, supervised the project.
The group, which bears the name “AUTOZIK II,” spent over five months in constructing the mini-bus, referred to as “shuttle” within and around the university with locally sourced materials.

Is the story not captivating and scintillating? Yes it is.
If there is any achievement to be celebrated in our country, this should be one of them and not all these celebrities shows and beauty award ceremonies that have permeated our national life.

I have said it in the past and putting it forward again, we are not cursed, poor, backwards and underdeveloped, all these only exist in the imagination of the despondent individuals who believe so and spread the news.
This country is only seen as a cursed nation, poor, backward and underdeveloped because we refused to look inward to salvage and to turn the situation around. We should not look too far our salvation, development and progress lies within.

It is higher time we as a nation work on how to restore the glory of this once upon a time giant of Africa, its time to revamp and revitalize our institutions, re engineer and re construct our academic curriculum to meet and able to compet with the demand and challenge of the 21st century.

There is no impossibility anywhere except the one people constructed in their minds. For every problems bedeviled this country there are corresponding solutions to then and the potential to do that lies in Nigerians especially the young once. The leadership of our country must learn how to redirect the interest, passion, energy and agitation of Nigerian youths towards a purposeful life and adventure. And except we do that very fast, we might remain in this inglorious circle for years to come and lost the next generation.

It is time to look inward.