To say that a large population of Nigerians are poor, hungry and in affliction is to state the obvious. The conditions of most Nigerians are far worse than what many people probably think. It has reached an unimaginable dimension of some Nigerians selling their children or selling even adults into slavery in order to survive economic hardship. This is a terrible situation that should not be allowed to continue.
In order to assist the government with workable ideas on practicable ways to create a better life for Nigerians, I make a recommendation of the following to the government for immediate implementation:
Provision of Quality and Cheap Education to Nigerians
Education is the most crucial social service that man needs for the transformation of his life. Man is born empty and virgin, and he is equipped through the process of education of various types. In the context of my write-up, we are zeroing in on western education.
The number of out-of-school children in Nigeria is increasing to an embarrassing level. This must be stopped immediately. Birthing children and not educating them in the modern society is the beginning of poverty and suffering for such children. The government must therefore initiate various measures to provide qualitative and quantitative education to the people. Scholarships must be provided to indigent students so that no student drops out of school for lack of funds. All Nigerians must be educated at all costs by the government.
The Students Loan law enacted by the Federal government is not the solution, and so should be stopped because Nigeria is not ripe for it. As sophisticated as America is, it is having problems with the Students Loan Scheme. How then can a country like Nigeria succeed with it?
Provision of Quality Healthcare to Nigerians
Health is another social service and amenity that is very crucial to Nigerians. And so the government should ensure that it provides quality and quantitative healthcare services to the people. The government should establish Medical Bills Settlement Scheme for poor Nigerians. The scheme will pay the complete medical bills of poor Nigerians and also subsidize the medical treatment of some Nigerians with insufficient income having regards to the amount of the medical bill to be paid. No Nigerian should be sick and remain at home to die because he/she cannot afford to pay the medical bills at the hospital. The government should pay!
Provision of Quality Food to Indigent Nigerians
The government should create an agency that will go round Nigerian streets, markets and other places to conduct a physical test on Nigerians to examine their bodily looks and conditions. Any Nigerian that is malnourished should be identified and catered for under such scheme. The aim of this is that no Nigerian should be allowed to live very miserable and wretched life.
The details of how this policy will be implemented should be worked out and anyone that sabotages the intervention policy of the government should be arrested and jailed without option of fine. Nigerians must live good lives. No Nigerian should be left malnourished and walking around. Nigeria must combine capitalism with welfarism in the treatment of her citizens.
Provision of Decent Living Accommodation for Nigerians
Many Nigerians live in shelters that are not fit for animals to live in. The public officials have no empathy for homeless Nigerians and those who live in dirty shelters. The government must intervene to provide shelter for all poor Nigerians that cannot provide decent shelter for themselves. Different mass housing programmes must be formulated and implemented for Nigerians. The government must not leave Nigerians to themselves to live miserable lives and inhabit unfit abodes.
Provision of Good Roads in Nigerian Human Settlements
It is sad when on sees deplorable roads in various communities in Nigeria, even those in urban areas. It is a very sad situation seeing the poor and deplorable condition of roads which Nigerians have to use to get out of their homes and return back home after the day’s work. This inevitably reduces the quality of their lives and they eventually live very miserable lives. This is not good for Nigerians and so should be addressed by the new government.
Provision of Income Earning Opportunities to Nigerians
To be unemployed and not earning any income is a miserable experience which should not be allowed by the government. The government must take the welfare of the citizens as its utmost priority. The citizens of Nigeria must not be left without jobs and income like orphans. Government must fashion out policies that will make all able-bodied Nigerians to have work to do and earn income for themselves. In this regard, I am not advocating salaried employment in the civil service, but rather, skilled self-employment opportunities that Nigerians can engage in to offer skilled services that earn them living income.
Provision of Cheap and Efficient Transportation to Nigerians
It is a glaring fact that Nigeria has a very poor transport system in both rural and urban areas. This has impacted negatively on the lives of the citizens. The government should endeavor to evolve efficient transport system such as provision of high seating capacity luxury buses and medium seating capacity buses in towns and cities in the country. The government should also create cabs to operate in towns and cities, instead of tricycles and motorcycles. Nigeria is not India and we do not have to copy India in its transport system by using tricycles and motorcycles for commuter transportation. An efficient transport system is part of the bedrock of quality living by the citizens and Nigerians must have it.
Erosion Control and Construction of Culverts
There are many communities in Nigeria -both in rural and urban areas- that are ravaged by erosion and lack of culverts in appropriate places. This leads to flood problems and the ruination of the lives of Nigerians. The government must therefore awake to its responsibility by providing solutions that will correct this abnormality and consequently improve the welfare of the people.
Efficient Legal System that Protects the Citizens
Many Nigerians are suffering because other Nigerians have either swindled them of their money or owe them debts. These Nigerian creditors who have extended credit facilities (loans) to others suffer because, most times, the borrowers just refuse to pay back. Most of these monies are lost, thereby creating poverty and suffering to the owners of the money. Sometimes, it is cheating innocent Nigerians or swindling them through deceit.
The police and the courts have not been useful to Nigerians who are victims of these financial scams. The victims most times suffer terribly, as a result of being thrown into poverty by such criminally minded Nigerians. The government should establish an Agency for Recovery of Debts of Small amounts of money ranging from N1,000 to N2,000,000 for the victims. This agency should also recover money from swindlers and those who breach simple contracts with innocent Nigerians. The money should be recovered in full and returned to their owners, while the offenders should be made to pay 1% of the money involved to the agency for its running cost.
Provision of Security for Nigerians
There is no welfare that is greater than security for citizens and their property. There is urgent need for the government to protect Nigerians. The high level of insecurity makes Nigerians to live miserable lives. They are under constant fear for their lives and property. They are killed at any time by armed criminals marauding the landscape of the various communities in the country. Similarly, the properties of the people, including with their houses, are destroyed. Nigerians sleep with only one eye closed for fear of criminals. This is not ideal for the physical and mental health of the citizens. It is time for the government to provide real and adequate security for Nigerians for them to live good lives. A healthy population produces a healthy nation with strength in the comity of nations.
Conclusion
The new governments, at both the national and the state levels, need to take the above recommendations as their new agenda towards a creating a better life for the citizens.