The government is not the problem, you are

[Richard Akindele]

A couple of days in Accra, Ghana, afforded me yet another opportunity to sit down with fellow Nigerians within the context and backdrop of an environment widely accepted as being more functional than ours. As is often the case during these social or business gatherings, discussions always develop into full fledged arguments about Nigeria; its politics, dynamics, prospects, shortcomings and achievements.

By and large, these arguments are characterised by reference to facts, fiction, myths, half truths and conjectures. However, on this occasion, the discussions had an unusual level of depth, and centered around the decay of the Nigerian mindset, and the lack of a well articulated vision for Nigerians to plug into, as a precursor to contemplating progress and reorientation.

I have always held the view that our problems are not infrastructure or process centric. Our main problems are mindset related problems. Structures can be erected. Processes can be mapped out and communicated, but human beings are required to create and maintain structures. They are required to monitor and enforce processes. If the human mindset is prone to creating obstacles to frustrate others, underdevelopment is the guaranteed outcome. If the mindset if geared towards crude and selfish accumulation of material possessions, processes will be circumvented to embezzle money.

If the mindset is micro focused, with no consideration for macro implications; islands of paradise will be built within oceans of poverty, and eventually they will be consumed by the vortex of poverty around them. If the mindset is to devote study time to prostitution, as is the case with a lot of our female students, the outcome can only be a paucity in academic standards, and unpleasant consequences for the entire economy as these half baked graduates hit the job market.

If university undergraduates are already practicing internet based fraud, it is clear that they will only develop into criminals - if they bother to graduate, because their mindset believes that the society worships and respects the existence of wealth, rather than its source and history.

Of course many will argue that these things are borne out of poverty, and I will beg to differ. Can we say that the civil servant who has been collecting bribes for ten years is still in the poverty trap? No. Can we say that the student who makes illicit money on a daily basis, simply because she wants to buy the same type of things that her mother's age mates are using, is in the poverty trap? No.

Mindset decay is the most significant problem we face as a nation. Reorientation of the mindset is the most significant task in the rebuilding effort, and without the mindset reform, everything may ultimately collapse. Private sector reforms are a welcome development but without mindset reconstruction, the private sector will find itself a victim of the ' mindset decay virus'. Many managing directors and investors will find themselves shuttling between the boardroom and the hospital, to keep their sanity and blood pressures in check, when they find a sizeable chunk of their productivity time engaged in dealing with man made problems.

A friend emphasized the importance of forming, branding and articulating to ensure that the polity appreciates and understands the benefits that will accrue, if indeed they are to join the progressive momentum. Creating visualization is also important. Setting timelines and benchmarking progress are also critical components.

Communicating the vision and the benefits represents the delivery layer to ensure that the vison is communicated and this is where the creative utilization of our recent telecoms gains can be put to demonstrable effect.

In my humble estimation, this can be achieved within two formats, both geared towards the objective of government - governed interactiveness.

The first is utilizing messaging technology to personalize messages to different segments of the polity. Of course this means that the telco's have t o be engaged in the process. The recent census should have captured telephone numbers where they exist, so that personalization could be achieved across demographic parameters.

The second is to set up a 'catch all' government interaction center that empowers the citizens to utilize the telephone /internet to communicate with well trained counselors who can answer queries on government's vision, and articulate same to the citizenry. Occasionally key functionaries of government can participate in responding to calls.

I will not be surprised if many readers are forming a 'this will not work in Nigeria' opinion. That view in itself is attributable to the mindset decay which we must urgently tackle. Reorientation is possible, and very achievable in Nigeria. Yes it may require a stick and carrot approach but there must be a 'dream' to chase and it must be communicated, reinforced and subject to ongoing scrutiny by the citizens. It must be a Nigeria PLC approach, where all the shareholders have a forum to question, contribute and be informed on their terms and at their convenience..

This mindset decay problem is killing us and our loved ones through high poverty levels and the corollary rise in crime. It is killing us through sub-par delivery of medical services at numerous hospitals. It is killing us through bad roads and the high incidence of accidents. One could go on and on, but I suspect the message is clear. If the mindset does not change, these problems will persist, and one day, it will affect us or a loved one - fatally.

Our increasing telecommunications availability represents a formidable weapon that can be incorporated in the 'war arsenal' required to battle and defeat the mindset decay problems we face as a collective polity.

Olufemi Adeagbo is consultancy director for Comnavig limited.