I was awake in the middle of the night, and then I decided to browse Youtube to hear people’s opinions about Nigeria’s current security and economic situation. Luckily, a video popped up. A video of an Islamic preacher who stood on the podium and preached against our leaders who run the country’s affairs called Nigeria.

Nigeria is one of the most populous countries in Africa and has a long economic growth history. However, the country has struggled with several socio-economic and security problems for decades.
The preacher sent a solid message to Mr President, Major General Buhari, Rtd and eventually, he was sacked as a chief Imam from one of the mosques in Abuja.

According to the Imam, “My sack is a reflection of how Nigeria is today. Many people are hiding under the cover of religion to perpetrate all manner of unwholesome acts.” (excerpt from Sahara Reporters).
This reminded me of the ’70s and 80’s when I grew up in Bariga. The popular message from our religious leaders in the Christian and Islamic faiths was that the socio-economic problems we faced were from God. Who was that God that punished her children for the sin of the past generations?

This question prompted me to go to Quranic school and learn about religious doctrine because I did not want to be a religiously enslaved person for the rest of my life.
As Abraham Lincoln put it, “you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Suppose the pastors and Islamic preachers had adopted the same style as the Iman in Abuja, who stood up to tell the leadership that they failed the people and the Almighty many years ago. Nigeria who had been among the leading countries in the world today.

However, from time immemorial, the so-called man of God, pastor, Islamic preacher, or Sheik were/are busy preaching for prosperity and Heaven. Has anyone come from Heaven to tell us how the situation was? We live in a country (Nigeria) where the pastors and Islamic preachers are guided and protected by security personnel but are busy selling prayer, fasting or anointing or miracle substances to the gullible followers.

According to M.B.O Owolowo in his article, “Nigeria’s Fools At Large” he said, “there are many types of fools, and Nigeria is gifted with its own peculiar breed of fools.” He highlighted many, including “the Sophisticated Fool, the Educated Fool, the Bigoted Fool, the Religious Fool,” but few. I would advise anyone who cares to know the truth or does not want to be deceived by the so-called men of God to read the article.
According to M.B.O. Owolowo, “the Religious Fool: fools, despite living in dire straits, have been cajoled or brainwashed into believing that by further enriching a religious leader, they will attain salvation. Never mind that their revered religious figure owns private jets or has been accused of money laundering or gun-running, “touch not my anointed”, they say, as they intensify their prayers.”

The future of Nigeria’s economy depends on how the people could make the leadership accountable and check the leader’s activities without prejudice and religious and tribal sentiment. However, the political leadership are brilliant by dividing the country along with tribal and religious beliefs during their campaign.
Recently, all political actors have been agitating the presidency should be zoned to south-East, South-West or North. Still, the question is, what did the Northerns gain from the president from the Northern part of Nigeria? What did the Western people benefit from the president from the South West?

In conclusion, the problem is that Nigeria has a low infrastructure level. The country also faces problems with electricity and access to clean water. These are all crucial factors for economic development, but they have not been solved yet.
Furthermore, Nigeria also struggles with corruption and bad governance. Nigeria has the fastest growing population globally, which may significantly contribute to its economy.
In the future, Nigeria will need to find ways to improve its security issue, infrastructure facility, education, healthcare facilities and youth empowerment to continue growing.
Nigeria has established a strong presence in oil production but depends on foreign countries to refine its crude oil. As this industry grows, it will also increase jobs for Nigerians if Nigeria and Nigerians could build more refineries and maintain and manage the present refineries.