The focus of Nigeria today and tomorrow
Nigeria is a country richly blessed with natural resources and skill acquisition. To some there is hope for Nigeria to some there is know hope that is why too many Nigerians are looking for greener pastures abroad as it stands to be the only solution to their problem.
When we talk of natural resources our focus should not only be on oil but to some of the untapped and abandoned natural resources for example coal. Nigeria has left some of these resources to focus on oil which happens to be the major income for Nigeria providing up to 70% of our GDP income in Nigeria. Secondly on skill acquisition, come to think of it Nigerians are sourceful , intelligent and resilient people who happens to be the best in any thing that they do anywhere around the world in education, medicine, technology, sports etc is still shocking that with all these skills our country still remains in a shallow depth. Today everybody is talking about diversification of the economy without talking of skill acquisition which remains an important factor for a developing economy. Nigerians are very creative people, people that can use their talent and bare hands to create things. So why can’t a country like Nigeria which is so richly blessed have a vibrant economy.
They say information is power, take any Nigeria to any country and equip him you will notice that he will be the best, so what actually is our problem? Everything has to do with our frame of mind or mindset as psychologist have testified to the fact that our mind controls virtually everything about us. We Nigerians have a negative mindset about our country and life that is the reason why we are kin to all forms of corrupt and dangerous practices for example 419, armed robbery, yahoo scam etc as it is the only way to succeed in life. Some of our youths have been lured into some of these dangerous practices.

Issues to to focus on
There are many issues to focus on but I will mention a few of which is very important to us
1. First of all for our country to change or to experience change we must erase all negative mindset and reset our mind frame from corruption. We must be ready to work with hard work and honesty and also by putting away all forms of greed aside I call it “de chop alone policy”
2. Nigerians need to devote effort to developing other non-oil sector of the economy. We are blessed with plenty of arable land for agriculture; a range of untapped minerals that can be mined and sold in the global commodity markets; a vibrant culture, nice beaches and waterways for tourism.
3. Nigerians should encourage local and domestic manufacturers by patronizing them instead of relying only on imported goods as it is one of the major causes of our economic meltdown.
4. For Nigerians to attract foreign investors to invest in her country it is right that we should get our basic amenities on the right track for example power supply, water and good road.
5. The issue of power failure is becoming a serious financial burden on Nigerian investors and to some upcoming entrepreneurs. This problem has lead to increase and inflation of most of our commodity sold in the country. For an upcoming entrepreneur who runs a generator from morning till night by running an expenses of fueling and servicing the generator; after all these expenses how much do we expect him to earn.
6. high cost and inflation of raw materials and rent have driven away too many aspiring entrepreneurs off the block
7.interest rate of some of our financial banks have driven away some of our young aspiring entrepreneurs from obtaining loan to start a business
8. overcrowding of some commercial cities in Nigeria such as Lagos and portharcourt. if you study the states in united states almost all the states are fully commercial inclined but here in Nigeria we can not boost of a quarter. we should always have at the back of our mind that every state is richly blessed with different resources; if it is not resources it is skill acquisition for example ABA. Every state government should be eager to develop their states natural resources if not it there will be know way forward and that idea of looking at some states as major or leading states is cowardliness.
9. government should invest and encourage some self reliant cities which are industrious for example ABA; a city known for producing things ranging from cloths, suits, shoes, bags etc
10 the government both federal and state should encourage our youths by providing them with the basic amenities needed for a solid economic growth and by subsidizing the price of purchasing raw materials of which they will use to start a business.
11. every state government should be eager to encourage skill acquisition in their states. this can go a long way especially for some states that rely only on importation as the only means of trade. skill acquisition should be encouraged to help domestic production so that whatever we can get in abroad we can also get it
better and cheaper in Nigeria
finally we the youth should try and work with hard work and honesty so as to drive our economy to be among the best come year 2020
from: paschal tochukwu okuzu
an
aspiring young entrepreneur