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Yes, as we mentioned earlier, the reforms produced unintended consequences. Some of the policies exposed the vulnerable groups of the populace to the repercussions of the free market. But we were sensitive enough to inject elements of compassion into the system to cushion the effects of the reform policies.
But by and large, the reforms inaugurated profoundly new attitudes in the economic sphere. They shifted national focus from state monopoly to deregulation, to production and healthy spirit of self-reliance and employees being challenged to become employers of labour and material resources, and an increase in the poles or centres of economic activities and governance. We also for the first time, drew forceful attention to regional development such as the Niger Delta.
For our regime’s reforms, the paradigm of development moved decisively and irreversibly from government control to a general democratised environment for private sector actors and their developmental partnership with the public sector. If today we are asked to name the most worthy legacy of our regime, we would very proudly say that our choice of reforms saved the nation from the clear danger of a violent revolution; preserved the federation and ensured that we did not join the league of orphan nations that arose from the end of the Cold War. We also laid down the normative infrastructure for the primacy of a modern market economy coupled with ingrained consciousness of democratic restoration and social justice.
Our appeal to fellow Nigerians is that we should judge every regime or administration on the basis of its informing ideas or lack of such ideas, and not on the orchestrated prompting of the biases. Ten years since we "stepped aside" from the front line of power, our modest contribution is increasingly becoming clearer by the day and by the year and therefore being appreciated.
The state of the nation
Our preceding peep into the past provides the opportunity to appreciate the present state of the nation. It is now ten years since we stepped aside from the leadership of the country. So much has happened since then, either to vindicate or vitiate our assumptions and aspects of our performance in office. It is encouraging that in spite of being the philosophical stock of a different regime of ten years ago, succeeding regimes, and administrations have proceeded either on the same path or varied imitations of the same assumptions of our public policy framework.
There are no doubts that, the situation in the country today, indicates that there is much more work to do in the process of reforming the political economy and improving the quality of life of our people and communities. It is only by moving quickly in an orderly fashion to harness the fruits of developmental reforms that democracy can begin to have meaning for the nation, and to earn for the country the respect and reciprocity in our international relations.
The return of democracy in our land has indeed thrown the problems of development into bolder relief. Basically, these issues that we now have to grapple with: -
Concern leadership and management of the economy.
The cost of democracy and governance to our people.
The responsibility of a democratic or elected leadership to deliver security of life and property.
Advancing the spectrum of freedom and social justice to all our people and communities.
Improving infrastructure and secure the environment for law and order, employment and productive business.
Generating trust and trustworthiness from within and from outside the country. These are the very serious and weighty issues confronting the nation today.
Each one of us, and, indeed, all those who aspire to national leadership must bring their own visions, views and styles to the business of reforming Nigeria, and the search for solutions. It is the synergy between a leadership vision and the collaborative involvement of relevant forces in the polity that can produce the rapid development, which our people badly need.
There is something of worthwhile value to be said in favour of leadership, which served the nation under arms and have also experienced social realities as civilians. This complementarity embodies the social reality and character of the modern Nigerian state. Perhaps, experience in other parts of Africa and elsewhere in the world is beginning to indicate that only leadership, which fully understands the reciprocal complexity of the relationship between the supremacy of civilian authority and the concomitant support base for the modern state-system provided by the military are best suited to uplift and sustain our democracy. We have no doubt in our mind, based on the experience and reflection, that, as we progress along the democratic highway, Nigeria has become a monumental work in progress.
The work of Nigeria is not complete for as long as there is any one Nigerian who goes to bed on empty stomach.
The work is not complete for as long as our people remain divided by avoidable mutual suspicions, distrust and ancient fears. There is still work to be done for as long as our youth roam the streets without food with meal tickets that cannot buy a meal. We all have work to do for as long as factories we have lie in waste or idle, our utilities remain undependable and outsiders who wish us well are reluctant to invest in our economy.
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KUSHERKI
It is not the critic who counts; nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat...THEODORE ROOSEVELT 1910
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Comments
soapstone carvings handcrafts business samuel omweri | Feb 4th, 2007
Dear sir/ madam,
We are non prifit organisation found here in kenya ,we are making soapastone handcraft just direct from the source .
from this business we trading locally here in ours homes ,it is wher weare gitting our daily needs and surporting ourchildren to go to school
now we are looking for assistance to get market to sell these product, we also need partnership, represetatives, agents, and importers
here below here is our www.geocities.com/jrfkebee.
you can see our photo sample and other information
you are to ask where you dont see.
Thanks
secretary '
Samuel
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