If I was a leader in any African country, what would my manifesto contain? What would that country mean to me? How would I cater to the needs of my people? What opinion should my people have of me?
Let me just dive right in. I am a Nigerian, so I'm going to be using Nigeria as a case study. Let's face facts; Nigeria is a beautiful and large country, tainted with corruption and lawlessness - so much so - that it has become the norm for it's people.
I am no exception.
Bribery, stealing, killing, corruption and embezzlement of public funds has become so rampant and so versatile that it is done in so many different ways now. It's almost a trend these days. People don't get surprised anymore; you simply shock a Nigerian because we have seen and heard it all before - and worse.
If I were a leader of this great nation for say - a month, the very first thing I would want to do is relieve all - I mean all the political leaders of their duties. I would fire every single one of them and elect younger minds in their wake. But seeing as I figuratively have just a month to "rule," that might not be possible. So I'd fire any immediate political head closest to me and replace him/her with younger capable minds.
Next thing would be to make electricity available to as many citizens as possible. How? Prepaid services should be fully legalized and operational, and every corner of the populace must own a prepaid meter.
Then we would address the issue of fuel scarcity. Fuel, kerosene, gasoline, diesel and all other of the sort should be available, not just available, but at a steady price. This country is rich in oil so I see no reason why fuel should be scarce. Any Gas Station selling or distributing fuel at exorbitant prices should be shut down.
I'd make referendum elections a very popular practice in my country. This is a democracy, not a military regime. The people should have a say in any important political decisions that directly affects the country.
Establishing a house/home for beggars would be next on my agenda. I'd try as much as possible to get beggars off the streets and roadside; and into a home where they can have a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, and a bed to lay on.
I would try my very best to cater to the needs of my people, using opinion polls and the above stated referendum activities. My pople would be able to make any particular complaints they are facing, and I would appoint officials who would attend to them. Granted, ruling a nation is a very hard task, and it's impossible to satisfy everyone, but satisfying the majority seems like a good start.
At the end of the day, I want to revolutionize this great nation by putting all it's money and natural resources to good use. I want my people to remember me and as well see me as a driving force in the improvement of the economy. I'd want to be respected, and not feared - by my citizens, and God willing, there will be a positive change in the country.
Seeing as this contest is limited to 500 words - (I think I must have passed the word count, lol) - I shall take a bow, so to speak. Hopefully these few steps that I have planned to take (figuratively speaking) will make a positive and important difference in the economy.
Thank you for reading.
Wow what a great motive, I think it is high time I enter this contest And make my mind know. Lot of things on my mind
Nigeria needs young and great leader to run the affair of this country. We have a lot of ideas and potentials. I hope the people of Nigeria come to their senses and do the needful.
I would vote for you. What a well thought out platform, prioritizing the actions needed to take the first step forward.
Much love - Carl "Totally Not A Bot" Gnash / @carlgnash
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OMG thank you so much Carl "Totally Not A Bot" Gnash. 😄
[If I were a leader of this great nation for say - a month, the very first thing I would want to do is relieve all - I mean all the political leaders of their duties. I would fire every single one of them and elect younger minds in their wake]
I had the same Idea for my country years ago and I understand what you think and feel. You made me go back in time. At the same time you made me think about if is possible to take your ideas to practice and not only leave it in a contest entry. We can fire those politicians in our minds in a second and put a young mind in charge so let's do it.
I was ask once to provide an example of when I was a leader and the only thing that I could think of was me preaching with my own example and when other saw me doing it then they did it too. Now thinking about it I realize that is possible to apply that to many areas of our lives and surroundings. I will from now on. I just became leader of this world and fired all the other acting like leaders only.
Very true indeed. Thank you for reading.
@charm29 very nice stuff. I've got some observations I think I should point out. A criticism of some sort sha.
Sadly, you can't do all of those stuff you mentioned in a democratic government.
Electricity for instance can't be given to everybody when we don't generate enough to go round. You tackle it's generation first.
Secondly, the fixing of price, you can't do that in a capitalist economy, you can only regulate it by setting what is called 'price ceilings' and 'price floors'. The former being the maximum price to sell a product and the latter being the minimum price to sell a product.
You can tackle the price using the national petroleum stations (NNPC) by setting competitive prices.
If you decide to set a minimum price, where these private petroleum station owners would be operating at high marginal cost and low revenue (MR > π) , they can decide to unionize and go on strike which would further cause more fuel scarcity, more queues, consequently a potential inflationary spiral as petrol/fuel is a necessity with inelastic demand.
Except for these drawbacks, you have really nice intentions. I hope for your kind of leader.
Haha you're right. I was simply talking about what I would like to do . Maybe I need to be a leader with superpowers 😄