THE BURDEN OF TRUE DEVELOPMENT 2
23 July 2009
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This is an exract from the article written for THE NATION newspaper on Sunday, 20th July
For years back now I have conducting training for students of higher institutions and young professionals alike. There are a lot of things that has got me thinking. Just last Saturday, we (IMPACT TEAM) went to one of the Federal Polythenic in the south west of this country, I was there to train the final year students about “AFTER GRADUATION WHAT NEXT”. There I discovered a lot of things, and one of the things I discovered was that we still have a long way to go in this part of the world when it comes to development. It was at the institution that it dawn on me that what our leaders have been telling us about development are not actually development, but were just mere effect of developments.
There is a great danger in having a mentality that true development is in infrastructure. Infrastructural development in anyway cannot be compared with intellectual development. It has often been said that ‘the worth of a man is not in his dress but in his address’ how often in this part of the world that we have been exalting mediocrity above excellence. When a man is built or developed intellectually then the nation is developed.
A true scenario is what I saw in a state recently where the governor of the state spent millions of the state money to construct roads with different traffic signs. But the educational sector of the state has been on strike for a while. I took some citizens of the same state to some of the traffic signs just for them to identify what they are. To my amazement, none of them could say anything or neither did they understand what they are. This got me thinking that what do we really called development? Not the roads, dams, structures that we build daily. But how far has a common man been developed mentally and economically. Let us go ahead to build and spend money on structures or those things we call development, we must spend greater percentage of that too to develop human capacity in the country.
Human Resources is the most important factor of development any country can have. We have seen companies that acquire current and sophisticated equipment with nobody developed enough to drive the equipment. Like the Yoruba adage that says omo ti a o ko la gbe ile ti a ko ta which simply means that a child you don’t train is the one that will sell the house you build. It will surprise you to know that in this age that we are, some higher institution students do not know what an e-mail is not to talk of have one?
Our minds have been conditioned to take things happening around us as a normal occurrence. Those that knows little about computer and the internet sees it as a tool to commit crime instead of a tool for development. You will recall that our fathers were able to fight colonialism when they were exposed to mental development though education. No nation can develop beyond the level of the reasoning of the people. To have true development we must:
Change your thought: Human life is driven by thought; we have to do everything that will enhance the level of thought of our thought. King Solomon said as a man thinks in his heart so is the man become. This shows us that true development does not come via external factors but by internal influences. Emphasis should be made to work on people orientation through improve educational facilities.
Take interest in reading: True development is rooted in positive exposure. One of the ways that we get exposed is by reading. Reading broadens your minds and gives you a new way of reasoning. Rick Joner one of the greatest Americans authors said he reads a book per week. And it has been said that a reader is a leader. You get ahead faster when you have information at your disposal. And you know a quote says knowledge is power. One Briton said sometimes ago that if you want to hide anything from a Nigerian, just keep it in a book because an average Nigerian don’t read. There can never be any meaningful development except we go back to the culture of reading. Not just reading for reading sake, but reading that will develop you.
Follow your passion: The time has come for us to know that the things that account for development and prosperity is when people were allowed to pursue their passion. When people are encouraged to follow those things that give them satisfaction instead of things that give them money, then we are on the right path, because passion on the long run will bring the finances needed. This I found out is one of the secrets of the developed countries.
Encourage talents: Everything must be put in place to make sure that talent and great minds of our country were encouraged, those rare gems in all sphere of life are those that really need funding and national honors. When encouraged they will do more when discouraged they go back to their shells and join the rat race too…….to be continued
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