With Nigeria's 2027 elections looming, once again, the debate is totally devoid of policy. It is about personalities and immediate needs like stomach infrastructure. We are the architects of our own misfortune

Ayo Akinfe

[1] One of my favourite quotes of all time is Henry Mattise’s “Every people get the government they deserve.” Ironically, Obafemi Awolowo, Nigeria’s most visionary sage used that quote after the 1983 elections

[2] Despite his flaws, the more I read about Awolowo, the more I just marvel at his unique ability to envisage the future. First of all, do you know that Awolowo was only premier of the Western Region between 1954 and 1960? He was in office for just six years but alas, look at how much he achieved within such a short space of time

[3] At a time when literacy rates were no higher than 5%, Awolowo had the foresight to built futuristic projects. He could easily have settled for the immediate needs of his constituents but no, he made the construction of income-generating projects one of the central principles of his government. The only person who appears to have thought like this in the current dispensation was Donald Duke, who made the construction of income-generating Tinapa and the refurbishing of the Obudu Cattle Ranch major priorities

[4] Cocoa House was a 26-storey skyscraper built from the proceeds of agricultural produce grown and exported from the old Western Region. Obviously cocoa was the main cash cow but other income generators included timber, rubber and palm oil. Awolowo’s plan was to move away from the over-dependence on agriculture and diversify the economy so it had multiple revenue sources

[5] Awolowo’s futuristic plans included building the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, which was hired out to generate income. Up until 1973 when we opened the National Stadium Surulere, our national team then known as the Red Devils, played all their international matches at Liberty Stadium. Without Awolowo, can you just imagine the embarrassment Nigeria would have gone through not having a decent stadium in which to play international matches. It might have meant us playing our 1974 World Cup qualifiers in Accra, Ghana

[6] Apart from Cocoa House and the Liberty Stadium, Awolowo gave us the Western Nigeria Television Station at a time when many European nations did not have any. He also introduced free primary education and proceeded with building the then University of Ife despite the fact that the region already had UI in place.

[7] None of these projects were going to yield dividends during Awolowo’s tenure but it was as if he had a crystal ball in front of him and could envisage the future. For instance, Cocoa House did not open until 1965 and the University of Ife did not open until 1962. By this time, Awolowo had long left office as premier but the benefits of his legacy remain with us until this very day

[8] Personally, I do not like the fact that most of Awolowo’s projects were all concentrated in Lagos and Ibadan. I do not think he did enough to spread development across the Western Region, which is why the state structure we have today is 100 times better than the old regional structure. Cities like Abeokuta, Akure, Ado-Ekiti and Oshogbo would not be as developed as they are today had they not been made state capitals

[9] Our challenge now I guess is finding people with Awolowo’s foresight. Easier said than done because leadership comes from followership and until we alter our outlook as a people, a man like Awolowo will never win an election in Nigeria. Can he even get up to 10% of the vote?

[10] With 2027 looming, I do not see anything to suggest that the Nigerian masses want positive change. They will vote along ethnic lines and for who can bribe them with stomach infrastructure like rice, yam, gari, palm oil and chickens. Do such people deserve good governance?

ayoakinfe@gmail.com