A review of Professor Wale Oyemakinde’s new book, Transformation by Adewale Oshodi. IT is surprising, as well as painful, that a country like Nigeria, which is blessed with abundant human and natural resources, is in the state it is, when less endowed countries are even performing better in all areas of human endeavours than Nigeria.

While different strategies have been brought to the table for the solution to the country’s problems, nothing seems to have worked. However, the good news is that Nigerians are not resting on their oars until a solution that will work is found.

One of the few Nigerians working towards the development of the country, by coming out with different theoretical strategies is Professor Wale Oyemakinde, a world-class expert on political economy.

Professor Oyemakinde has written many scholarly books and learned articles in the area of Economic History, and his latest book, Transformation, highlights the route the country should follow if it is to get things right, and this starts with deepening democracy and heightening the economy.

The political economy expert believes the Federal Government should do away with the former president, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda and adopt a two-point agenda of deepening democracy and heightening the economy, and then, the country can be on its way towards attaining desired goals.

This is because, according to Professor Oyemakinde, with a strong democracy, one can measure the degree of progress, growth and development in any country by the extent of her achievement in guaranteeing the legitimacy of government.

“For it is only a government that enjoys legitimacy that can mobilise and motivate the people to seek greater heights and advance towards fulfillment”.

With Nigeria celebrating her golden jubilee this year, and a general election taking place next year, Professor Oyemakinde sees it as a golden opportunity for the country to start afresh, where every vote would count and be counted, and no government would come to power other than that which would have been freely elected by the people.

He also cites the provision of energy for socio-economic transformation if the Nigerian economy must be revamped, and concrete and consistent efforts must be put in place to generate and distribute electricity for domestic and industrial purposes.

There should also be zero tolerance for unemployment and the army of unemployed persons should be rehabilitated in agricultural pursuits and cottage industrial engagements, and thus be enabled to be productive in substantial terms.

The book dwells greatly on poverty, and it distinguishes between general and inequitable poverty. In explaining the two, Professor Oyemakinde says Nigeria ranks among the poorest countries  of the world, while some of her citizens rank among the richest people in the world, and the United States, which is highly regarded as a place of prosperity, still have some poor people, but the larger percentage of people in that country are well-to-do.

The author then highlights different strategies through which the country can overcome the pangs of poverty, which he believes can be found in the adoption of the tenets of utilitarianism.

He believes utilitarianism should operate in the realm of ideology, and it is to anchor governmental programmes along the orientation of rational consideration of issues to determine optional choice.

“Matters would be subjected to rigorous analysis before the path of wisdom would emerge, so that it could be pursued with vigour. Enquiries are carefully made to foreclose neglect of any relevant factor as much as possible, and what is of importance for effective governance is such a control of the utilisation of available resources that would result in optimal benefit to the populace.”

The book, Transformation, is a must read for all Nigerians, especially those at the helm of policy-making in the country, as it highlights the various problems the country is facing and how to go about solving those problems.

Professor Oyemakinde is really committed towards using his knowledge to finding solutions to Nigeria’s problems, and this is what got him to translate one of his books to the Yoruba language — Akitiyan fun igbedide Oro-aje Naijiria. His Sunlight Institute for Policy Studies is currently working towards translating the book to the Igbo and Hausa languages for its vital and timely message to reach a wider circle of Nigerians.