The Resource Curse - by Samuel Ibok

Whenever I think of the plight in Africa, a certain song from my childhood days comes to mind. Some have food but cannot eat; some can eat but have no food; we have food and we can eat; glory be to thee oh Lord... My emphasis is on the first two lines. It's ironic how a continent so blessed is largely considered to be the face of poverty globally. It makes me ponder what exactly the issue is. To start with, we can always trace our predicament to the slave trade and link it to neocolonialism. But is that all there is? Should we point the finger exclusively at our former slave masters or should we look deeply into our choices as a people? I think we've modified the slave game and made it worse because we've internalized the lies that we can't get better. Yes, we are still heavily bound to the West, and it still influences our economic, social, and political decisions. A key means through which they do this is via multinational corporations. Now, these firms can either be seen as agents of development or underdevelopment. You choose! Isn't it suspicious how the oil-rich Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, where major oil companies reside, is flooded with violence and arms proliferation? Similarly, these companies keep violating international law, and they still get away with it. How about the issue of environmental degradation due to careless practices? Well, we tend to zip our lips because of the few scholarships they give. We are funny sha! Now over to "we Africans." We tend to kill ourselves over the national cake, and we have used religion, which was imported, as motivation and justification for violence. Development cannot take place in the absence of security. Our elected leaders have made things worse by amassing wealth while the electorate remains poor. Sadly, even those with good intentions find themselves in a system designed to make them fail. We are hungry in the midst of plenty. The political class is better informed, but their decisions often lack clarity. The truth is that each sector is interconnected. We have the impression that anything made by us is substandard and everything made abroad is original. I know it's partly because of unscrupulous individuals who thrive off the counterfeit market. How about we invest more in ourselves and our local industries? Brain drain would continue untill we take a Mental SWERVE! How about we limit our relationship with the outside world? Now, I said limit, not end (we can end if necessary). We need to stand up for ourselves more. No African nation is one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council. I want to say them no rate us but whats there to rate! We should update our educational system. In fact, there should be an overhaul. We don't need more class rooms. We need better courses! Overdependence on natural resources should end; let's use our brains. The government should relax and remember that its goal is to create an enabling environment. Oh, and yeah, the government cannot do it all. If all the conversations we have as Africans revolve around our mineral resources, then our future would remain bleak. What if we wake up tomorrow and all the resources have vanished? What would be our fate? What two cents can you suggest to change the African situation? Learn Unlearn Relearn #swerve #LEarn

Other insights from Samuel Ibok