FIRST YOU MUST CRY TO LAUGH------CAINE AGARY

Happy New Year, good people. It is the year 2016. A New Year, new expectations, goals, dreams, resolutions, and everything that ushers us into every New Year with hope.

The title of this week’s column is from an old book by Peter Enahoro. I found the book in my aunt’s library, but unfortunately, I never got to read it because I lent it to a friend of mine who never returned it. Nevertheless, the title has stayed with me for almost two decades and in a funny way it has helped me to mentally power through some very challenging situations.

The present government took over the affairs of the State in May 2015, and the message of their campaign was that the Jonathan administration was leading us on a fast train to total destruction. I do not think that they realised how fast the train was moving or how much effort it would take to pull back the brakes and put the train in a different direction. So here we are, in the crying phase of this journey to “change”, and many people are crying hot tears into 2016. The value of the naira has fallen, and the banks have placed further restrictions on access to foreign exchange. Fuel scarcity rounded out the year 2015 and Boko Haram continues to take innocent lives.

There were many promises on the campaign trail; this is not unusual. It seems that the goalposts on some of those promises have been shifted; this is also not unusual. I do not mind that goalposts shift, as long as they remain in focus and all activities are geared towards achieving those goals. What would be disappointing is if the goalposts shift and the goals are abandoned altogether. Change does not come easy.

I remember the first few months of the Babatunde Fashola administration in Lagos State when they embarked on road expansion projects around the State. It was a very frustrating time dealing with the diversions and all the other consequential effects of road works on road users. But today, I can appreciate the work that was done when I drive through Oyingbo market, or through Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue towards Lekki. No pain, no gain, they say. So I am willing to take a little pain to get some gain. I can and will be patient, however, like most citizens, my expectations are high.

So there are a few things that I would like to see by the end of 2016.

Bold steps in infrastructural development — our infrastructure has not kept pace with our population growth. In some places the road networks have not been expanded since the 1970s. Recently, I had to send someone to Angiama in Bayelsa State to conduct a survey and could not monitor his progress when he got there because there was no mobile phone access there. The community has no electricity and is only accessible by boat once a day. Lack of electricity and transport are not unusual in many parts of Nigeria, but one would expect a little more for an oil-producing community like Angiama.

Reliable, alternate modes of transport — until the late 1980s, my aunt and her family made their annual Christmas visit to Port Harcourt from Makurdi by rail. I am aware that some rail lines have been in service for a few years now, but we can and need to do more. We also need safe and reliable water transport. Transport is not only important for the movement of people but also the movement of goods to market, which is important to the livelihoods of many rural farmers and producers. Consumers also benefit when there is access to market.

Resolution concerning the Chibok Girls – it is over a year since these girls were abducted from their school and we have no idea what happened to them, whether they are alive, or even whether they are still within the Nigerian State. The families deserve closure. Nigerians need to know that the State will turn over mountains to ensure the safety of every citizen, and that the life of every citizen is held sacred by the State.

Defeat of Boko Haram – both real and technical defeat. Too many lives have been lost.

Power – we have heard so many broken promises concerning uninterrupted power supply. This is one crucial element in our development and in the sustainability of micro, small and medium scale enterprises. I do not think that I need to say too much about power. We all know where and how this one hurts.

Stability – political stability; consistency in fiscal and monetary policies; and all the other things that are incentives to investors. Nobody wants to put their money in an economy that cannot assure their returns or makes it difficult for them to operate because of corruption or endless red tape.

Non-oil sector development – the days of the oil boom are behind us and sadly, even though we had been cautioned over our reliance on oil revenues we did very little to prepare for this day.

Nigeria is the land of miracles, a friend once said to me. Nigeria is blessed with other natural resources, and I hope that in harnessing them we will consider some of the lessons learnt in our experience with oil.

The mining sector seems largely unregulated at the moment. I hope that in developing and regulating the mining sector, transparency and respect for the lives affected will be a priority.

While we are compiling our wish lists for 2016, let us not forget that the change we desire starts with us. Each of us has a responsibility to society and our fellow citizens; often we forget that side of the equation. It is also our responsibility to hold our leaders, at all levels of leadership and governance, accountable for their actions.
+Roxana Jones +Thomas Legault +Michael Alperstein