The Quest for Money Has Replaced the Hunting for Ideas by Nigerians

By Dr. Joel Ademisoye, United States

Hello, Bolanle Bolawole. I am glad that I have the energy, stimina and patience to read your lengthy article titled, “If the 2027 elections must be credible” (Note: This title didn’t corresponds with the topics of ideas that were examined, analyzed and discussed in the article), about your participation in 3 events involving book launches, which focused on the promoting, peddling and pushing ideas by their authors.

At the end of my reading your lengthy article, Iol, am glad, no regrets, because I learned so much about ideas, its benefits for the society and implications for the development of Nigeria.

I truly learned a lot about Nigeria, where ideas are produced and released, but they are kept on the shelf and in the dark room, because of the lack of government’s interest to implement and money to fund it. One of the 3 authors whose book launches that you attended has written and published over 50 books. I consider such an author as a ‘ Mill of books and ideas’ as well..

Having read your article, it took me down the memory lane, during the Nigeria’s First Republic or the post- colonial period of the 1960s, the country was immersed in, flooded with and flourished in abundance of ideas. I even characterized the era as the Age of Ideas, when development ideas flourished in Nigeria. I vividly recalled that the Premier of Western Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s leadership in promoting and sharing of economic development ideas through his published works, such as The People’s Republic (1968) and its follow- up, The Strategy and Tactics of the People’s Republic of Nigeria (1970), espousing, generating and implementing new development ideas, which led to the building of many social infrastructure and amenable like roads, clean drinking water supply, electricity generation, hospitals, rural development schemes, free primary schools education, etc.

However, today, about 66 years after independence from the British colonial rule, Nigeria has found itself in the Leeward Side of ideas, replaced by the hunger and quest for money. Men of ideas are rare and a scarce commodity in Nigeria. For example, the Nigerian political culture, leadership, elites and its educational institutions are barren in ideas. How many state governors in Nigeria have written books as thinkers about the economic development problems facing the country, to espouse the economic theory and offer ideas for solving them?

Without mincing words, Nigeria is no longer a country with the culture of bastion of ideas, rather it is a wasteland,, where the corruption and money bags flow and it is the mode operandi. In fact, arguably, money is superior to ideas in the today’s Nigeria.

In other developed countries like the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, etc., ideas have its proper place, played necessary and important role in the country’s economic development efforts via the innovation, invention and technology development.

Hence, Nigeria needs a paradigm shift in espousing, embracing and implementing ideas in order to promote development, achieve innovation and human progress in the country.