EDITORIAL: Rethinking Development

There has been much discontent over the size, scale, and discomfiture of the borough due to the construction of the Oke-Fia flyover in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State. The project itself might be necessary, but it connotes shades of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s conceited project, the Olaiya flyover. The Oke-Fia flyover shouldn’t be a project of today, it should have been done yesterday if the needs and wishes of the people were to be respected in development. Of course, the Olaiya intersection design delivered by former governor Rauf Aregbesola was very effective in traffic control and management. This makes the flyover a misplacement of priority. 

It stretches the intellectual capacity to link the construction of flyovers with sustainable development.  As far back as 1962, the French agronomist René Dumont, in his landmark “False Starts In Africa “ warned about the mistakes of indulging in vanity projects. Oyetola’s self-serving so-called flyover is a classic example of a vanity project. A “White Elephant” flyover has had zero impact on the local economy, and even the most astute cost accountant cannot work out any multiplier effect.

During the week, the president of the African Development Bank (AFDB), Akinwumi Adesina, was deservedly honoured with the Obafemi Awolowo Leadership Award. This is significant because both the sage Awolowo and Akinwumi Adesina represent the edifying development model, which has proved enduring and effective. Their practical involvement started from the base, i.e., from the perspective of developing human capital as the trajectory for overall sustainable development. Oyetola’s absurd vanity project flyover is the direct opposite of this developmental trust. 

Critical decisions have to be made across the board in the next few weeks, and we ought to go back to the time-tested development paradigm. For example, the President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has correctly made a distinction between the “minimum” and “living” wage. What is important here is that the president acknowledges the all-encompassing nature of a living wage. The labour unions should accept this framework as well. Monetizing the concept around an ephemeral minimum wage will be self-defeating, as we have seen in the past, including such disastrous episodes as the Udogie Award.

The role of the unions will be critical. They have to move away from the adversarial model rooted in the past and into the more far-sighted, planning-oriented tripartite model that has proved so successful in countries such as Germany and Scandinavian countries. This is the only way to use productivity as well as an export-oriented economic framework to bring millions of people out of poverty and into sustainable development. 

All of the above cannot be achieved without sweeping changes in the Constitution; indeed; it will be better to write a brand new constitution. Nigeria is at a critical intersection, and it has to turn adversity into an advantage. It should be seen as a golden opportunity for sustainable development.