10 things any country that takes pride in itself as a sovereign nation must be able to provide

By Ayo Akinfe

(1) An operational national carrier
(2) A national automobile company that can compete on the global stage with the likes of Toyota, Ford, Peugeot, Citroen, or say Daewoo, Lada, Skoda and Proton
(3) Its own locally manufactured battle tanks that can match the likes of the Abrams, Challenger, Merkava or T-90
(4) An urban underground metro network in its capital city
(5) A healthcare system that can cater for all ailments. People should only have to travel abroad for rare specialist treatment
(6) Its own aircraft carrier. Every country has a vessel known as “The pride of the navy.” These days that is an aircraft carrier. Nigeria desperately needs one to patrol the Niger Delta to combat arms smuggling and crude bunkering
(7) Its public officials should be able to confidently travel about by public transport
(8) 24 hour non-stop electricity supply 365 days a year
(9) An ability to attract tourists. People should feel safe to travel to your country without knowing anyone there
(10) A manufacturing capability that enables it to produce its own steel, machine tools and finished goods in-house

For me, these are basic criteria that a country should meet before it can be declared a nation state. Were independence being granted today, only those that could meet these criteria should be allowed to become independent.

Some nations are just too small, weak, impoverished and unviable to stand alone. They should be merged with their larger neighbours to enable them realise their potential.