Emirates Airlines has proven with its windowless aeroplane plans that our inability to have aspirations that go beyond immediate personal material rewards is by far our biggest problem as a people

By Ayo Akinfe

(1) Just yesterday, I was reading a piece about how the Chinese have warned Nigeria that they will not be proceeding with the Mambilla power project unless we resolve the ongoing legal battles surrounding the facility. Apparently, Nigeria has awarded contracts to numerous contractors over the years and one of them is suing for damages after his contract was unilaterally cancelled

(2) Do you know that the Mambilla power plant was conceived by President Shehu Shagari in 1982? Believe it or not but yes, in 37 years, Nigeria has been unable to build a mere 3,000 hydroelectric power plant despite spending about $16bn on it. Go and see how many such plants Egypt, Brazil and China have built during this period

(3) Mambilla is no different from the Ajaokuta and Aladja steel plants, the Lagos light railway project or our planned gas-fired coal plants which recently attracted a $9.6bn fine. In all these cases we made hard work of what were straightforward and routine contracts. All these contracts should have been completed within a maximum of five years

(4) I for one am not sure which we are better at. Is it corruption or incompetence because I do not understand how you can be entrusted with a feat or such magnitude and not want to leave a lasting legacy that will etch your name in gold forever. How can you be asked to build a first of its kind railway line and not want to enter the history books? Maybe it is just me but I do not understand how making a lot of money can be deemed a greater achievement than entering the history books

(5) Looking back at the First Republic, I am full of admiration for the way projects were delivered on time, within budget and with no scandal whatsoever. Look at the Western Nigerian Television Station, Cocoa House, Kainji Dam and the universities of Lagos, Nsukka and Zaria. They were launched on schedule, within budget and are all still standing today

(6) I am not convinced this is just a problem of bad political leadership either because our private sector is just as incompetent. Emirates Airlines was founded in 1985 and today has a fleet of 250 aircraft, including 155 Airbus A380 aeroplanes. Indeed the airline operates the largest fleet of both the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft in the world

(7) Contrast this with our own Arik Air which began operations in 2006 but only has 22 aircraft, none of them wide winged. In 2017, , Arik’s operations were taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria and the airline is currently in crisis. For those who think our problems are just about poor governance, ask yourself why private sector airlines like Kabo Air and Medview Airlines have all suffered the same fate as Arik

(8) Now, here is what will scare you. Emirates Airlines is leading to charge for a revolutionary new set of windowless aircraft. Not content with just making money, Emirates came up with this innovative design pointing out that removing windows could make airplanes about 50% lighter and lighter planes means less fuel and lower costs

(9) While we are still battling to build common hydroelectric power plants, are spending 10 years to construct an ordinary 30km Lagos light railway project and closing our borders to help rice producers, the rest of the world is accelerating ahead with innovative designs. Watch someone soon come up with an unprecedented cost-effective way of growing rice that will make their economy import-proof. We seem totally incapable of coming up with such innovative thinking

(10) Are there any Nigerians out there in both the private and public sector who actually want to go down in history as men and women who made a difference to humanity? When I look at the statue of Horatio Nelson in Trafalgar Square, I see a nation icon who died penniless but who created history by making Britain the world’s foremost maritime super power. It appears we are simply incapable of having such aspirations and are not interested in anything that does not bring immediate material rewards. Frederick Lugard sussed us out well in 1926!