I was expecting Tinubu to set himself these basic 10 targets in his acceptance speech when he received his national award

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Whatever it takes we must build an economy that is at least worth $2trn annually, placing Nigeria among the top six economies globally as her 200m population dictates

[2] We will establish an automobile brand that is synonymous with the country like say Volvo and Sweden, Fiat and Italy, Toyota and Japan, Lada and Russia, Citroen and France, Daewoo and South Korea or Proton and Malaysia

[3] Nigeria must leverage on the fact that she has 853km of Atlantic coastline and become a maritime power. This means getting a thriving shipbuilding industry up and running

[4] We must exploit the fact that Nigeria is the world’s largest black nation with about 20% of Africa’s population. We travel more than any other black people so should have one of the busiest national airlines that dominates the African market

[5] To have an effective aviation industry, you simply have to manufacture your aircraft locally. Brazil has a national aircraft manufacturer in Embraer, so Nigeria has to follow suit. Let us begin by entering into a joint venture with the Brazilians

[6] Any nation that is serious about its security has to be self-reliant when it comes to armament production. Every Nigerian should find it hugely embarrassing that we have to go and purchase assault rifles, battle tanks, attack helicopters, armoured personnel carriers, military trucks, etc on the open market to fight Boko Haram and other terrorist groups. Where is our pride as a sovereign nation?

[7] Lagos is the largest city in the world without an underground metro. This again should be a huge source of national embarrassment to 200m Nigerians. Over the next 30 years, we should have a policy of building a metro in any city with a population in excess of 1m people

[8] By 2050, every single one of our 774 local governments must be linked into a national rail network. This network must have its own micro power distribution grid and should be self-reliant in terms of revenue generation

[9] West Africa has too many nation states, many of which are simply not economically viable. When I look at how Giuseppe Garibaldi masterminded the unification of Italy and how Otto Von Bismarck masterminded the unification of Germany, I look forward to a Nigerian hero masterminding the unification of West Africa. Build a global economic giant that will rival the likes of China and India with their populations that are in excess of 1bn people

[10] By 2050, Nigeria has to become the global research centre for tropical diseases, offering unparalleled access to treatment for ailments like malaria, yellow fever, ebola, polio, etc. If anyone in the world needs treatment for any of these diseases, Nigeria should be the place to come