INVESTING IN NIGERIA (AND AFRICA): THE SECURITY QUESTION Shelter, food, and clothing may be the basic necessities of life, but without security, none of the aforementioned necessities could possibly be well enjoyed by those who have labored for them. As in the primitive days, a stronger person could snatch your food from you and leave you to die of hunger. He could strip you of your clothing or force you out of shelter and leave you to suffer the harshness of the elements or be killed by predators that roam the night. The existence of security therefore becomes important for the subsistence of man and society on earth. Any society that ignores this fact is simply setting itself up for a collapse. Many African countries have been calling for help from the world, but they have failed to back up their call with the encouragement the world would need to help. Contrary to the propaganda that Africa is generally torn with civil strife and poverty, Africa is indeed still rich with natural resources and manpower. This is the honest fact, though many Africans continue to exhibit the need to depend on others. Mere begging has not, and will not solve the socio-economic problems of the African continent. We cannot remain beggars in perpetuity. Some African leaders today seem to have come to this realization, and are therefore scouting for foreign investments. This would provide jobs, occupation, and the development of indigenous Africans as well as the African environment. Unfortunately, the efforts of these leaders to attract foreign investments have continued to fail. Many reasons could be considered. Political instability, corruption and unequal enrichment of individuals (particularly leaders), western media impression of disease and a war torn continent, and the list goes on, but a single factor runs through - lack of security. The security of life and property is a major determinant factor as to whether a foreign investor would allow his wealth, time, and effort to be invested in any African society. Poor security means poor business, which further means little or no profit, and the inevitable option to withdraw any profit eventually made rather than reinvest it. I could write a thousand thesis on the issue, you could read all the relevant materials on the subject, our leaders could conduct innumerable face-saving or image-building trips all over the world, we could expel all foreign reporters who dwell on negative reporting of our countries, we could fight for top ceremonial positions in international organizations like the UNO and OAU, but if we fail to address the security factor at home in our various countries, we will be far from dealing with the problem. I obtained my higher education and started my adult and professional life in Nigeria, hence I came to identify with the society, and I still have great respect and love for it. I have always argued that regardless of the promises in the Diaspora, home is home. There is a sense of pride and satisfaction in walking shoulder high along the street where almost everyone is like you (regardless of tribalism). A place where you are not accused of having an accent, or asked to 'go back to you country.' A place where you can comfortably bite away at a peeled orange or enjoy a mixture of banana and peanut with nobody thinking you are insane. A place where a mother with her baby strapped on her back will jump comfortably into a 'molue' bus with you, and you wouldn't mind riding the packed bus even in your suit and tie. How about the villages? Green vegetation everywhere, with people donning all sorts of dresses from the cultural to the contemporary. Where in the evening, elders would gather to joke and laugh over bottles of raw palm wine undiluted by chemicals. Children innocently chased after edible rodents and shared stories with each other by the fireside as their mothers cooked wonderful meals with firewood. These memories remain indelible in me, and I want to go back to Nigeria, but what am I doing just writing about my country from a foreign land? Millions of Africans in the Diaspora yearn for home. Yet, apart from those who cannot travel because of immigration predicaments, many Africans would not venture an African trip today. True, there are those who have become so comfortable in the Diaspora (or believe that they will not survive a day in today's Africa). Be that as it may, there are Africans who still want to go back or visit their country but they would not because of poor security and the danger to their lives. Presently, a few African countries have some sort of ongoing strife, but there are others like Nigeria that are relatively calm except for occasional upheavals across the country. However, stories about the break down of law and order coupled with recent experiences of many who recently took trips to Nigeria are hardly encouraging. For instance, a lady who went to Nigeria for her wedding was robbed the same day of her money and luggage including her wedding gown. She fled, I mean, she left the next day back to her foreign station. A gentleman returning to Nigeria the first time in many years after he left, was robed and killed with his own brother in the car that picked him up from the airport. Today, the hardship in the country has robbed some Nigerians of their conscience that they even sell information to robbers on how to attack returning relatives. Many Nigerians now protect their arrival dates like some top-secret intelligence information. I will not 'wash the dirty linen' of our police force here. I will only say that many Nigerians in the Diaspora will not travel to Nigeria today simply because they fear that they may loose their lives or their hard won foreign currencies and immigration papers not just to robbers, but to members of the police force who mount road blocks to extort the people rather than protect them. How would one expect such Nigerians to come and invest in the country? Also, if Nigerians shy away from investing in Nigeria, how then would one expect foreigners to invest in Nigeria (Africa)? These are serious questions that must be addressed. The fact that there are suspicions of terrorist networks in the African continent does not help the matter. Exhibitions of blatant fanaticism such as the decision of some fundamentalists in Northern Nigeria to publicly rejoice and celebrate the terrorist killing of over 3000 unarmed civilians in the United States only send a public statement to investors to stay off. Which foreign investor would want to invest in a country or city where he knows he could be stoned to death or lynched for not believing in or practicing some religious tenets? I have always encouraged Nigerians to go to (or visit) Nigeria so as to see how they can invest time, attention, and money in the country. However, since the heinous murder of Chief Bola Ige, the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, I have ceased offering my little advice. The line has been drawn, at least until the state of the nation's security becomes encouraging. Yes, there have been several killings in Nigerian that perhaps remain equally shocking and unsolved as the murder of Chief Bola Ige. We have heard of robbers carrying out their operations unperturbed for several hours and in many cases at daylight. Nevertheless, to just walk into the bedroom of the number one law keeper in the country and kill him so easily with such deadly precision is indeed a cause for great concern. Regardless of how patriotic one wants to be about the image of Nigeria (or Africa), three issues must be fearlessly raised and dealt with. (1) The obvious collapse of security in the society. (2) The callous disregard for the dignity of human life. (3) The people's loss of confidence in the police and the court system, which has led people to resort to violence as a means of settling disputes (the absence of an effective non-violent mechanism to resolve conflicts). In today's world of quick electronic communication, these events are observed worldwide, and the average investor is more likely to be discouraged when his preliminary investigation turns up the fact that the concerned African society is dominated by the above highlighted factors. I carried out a casual survey of whether Nigerians would want to invest in Nigeria, and if not, why. The result? Many Nigerians would honestly want to go back to or visit Nigeria to live or invest, however, they will not invest a dime in the country 'for now.' "How can you invest in a place you are afraid to visit?" One Nigerian said. "Even though there is the promise of no more coups, what about the violence? I don't want to set up something and some fanatic will burn it during a riot." Another Nigerian added. The recent and unprecedented strike by some police officers across the country in Nigeria could have been the call needed by the government to restructure the police force and turn it into an effective agency. While calling the strike a mutiny, the authorities in Nigeria have promised to release substantial sums of money for police back-pay and overdue promotions. These could be signs of better things to come for the police and incidentally for the security of the Nigerian people, but more could be done. It is only upon a solid foundation of peace and security of life and property that economic and political stability can be built to last. I look forward to the day our leaders would make safety and security their utmost priority for their country (not just around the leaders themselves). Employ more policemen, arm and train them better, but above all pay them well to attract more recruits and discourage bribery there are many young men and women wasting away, yet willing and able to grab a police job anytime. It is said, 'the idle mind is the devils workshop.' When the youths have no jobs after their education, they easily accept an offer of a token fee to carry out violence and mayhem. It baffles me that our leaders have continued to ignore this obvious equation. A comfortable state of security (not necessarily a perfect state, for that cannot be obtained on earth) will encourage the millions of Africans abroad to find the confidence to come home and to invest in the African economy. If we Africans can get to such level on our own, a lot of improvement will follow. Other investors will find the confidence to invest in Africa. That will provide more jobs, good roads, infrastructures, and sustenance. And once again, the continent that once led civilization will be on its feet. |