Even if we have the worst government in the world, if Nigerians adopt the can-do spirit of Yuri Gagarin, we will get out of this economic morass

Ayo Akinfe

[1] One of the down sides to the end of the Cold War is the abrupt ending of the space race. In the 1950s, 1960s and 70s, the Soviet Union and the US pushed each other to the limit when it came to discovering the rest of our solar system

[2] This young man here Yuri Gagarin, was the personal symbol of that space race. At the age of 27, he became the first human to leave planet earth, go into space and then orbit back into earth

[3] Yuri was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who, aboard the first successful crewed spaceflight, became the first human to journey into outer space. Travelling on Vostok 1, Gagarin completed one orbit of earth on April 12 1961

[4] By achieving this major milestone for the Soviet Union amidst the space race, Gagarin became an international celebrity and was awarded many medals and titles, including the nation's highest distinction: Hero of the Soviet Union

[5] In the 1960s, the Americans were so obsessed with catching up that they launched Apollo II in 1969, landing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon

[6] One other area where this rivalry spilled over big time was with the development of supersonic aircraft. The West came up with Concorde, while the Soviets came up with Concordski

[7] What still fascinates me about the Cold War is that in 1939, neither the US or USSR was a military force to reckon with. However, within six years, they became global super powers, using sheer determination to work their way to the top

[8] For me, Pearl Harbour will always be a historical moment too as it was after the attack that President Roosevelt summoned the heads of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler to the White House. He gave them orders to step up production of armaments and turn the US into a war economy and they delivered big time

[9] Ask yourselves if the Nigerian president had manufacturers he can call on like that. Are there three industrialists President Bola Tinubu can summon to Aso Rock tomorrow and mandate to double industrial output within a year?

[10] As a people, we are not really ready to make that quantum leap. There are simply not enough Yuri Gagarin’s in our midst to turn Nigeria into an industrial and economic super power. Our woeful governments are a genuine reflection of who we are as a people