10 things we could do over the next two years to revitalise Nigeria and recreate the buzz that existed in October 1960

Ayo Akinfe 

[1] Get the federal government to buy the rights to the Volkswagen Beetle. Then enter into a pact with Innoson Motors where the government owns 25% of a joint venture that manufactures electric Beetles. Make Nigeria the world’s largest manufacturer of such vehicles

[2] Build the world’s largest wind farm along Nigeria’s Atlantic coastline stretching from Calabar to Badagry 

[3] Import millions of the giraffe’s relative the okapi and make it Nigeria’s national animal like the Australian kangaroo or the New Zealand kiwi 

[4] Dramatically expand papaya production and make a global statement that this is Nigeria’s national fruit. Open processing plants to make papaya juice, papaya cake, papaya bars, etc 

[5] Attract the likes of KLM, Lufthansa and Air France to invest in a Nigerian national carrier called Air Afrique. Then set it the goal of acquiring as many other African airlines as possible with the aim of making it a genuine global colossus

[6] Open negotiations with our neighbours about merging to create a a sub-Saharan giant. By 2050, it is predicted that Nigeria will be the third most populous nation on earth. Our current landmass is insufficient to sustain this, so whether we like it or not, we simply have to merge with Niger Republic, Cameroon and Benin Republic and create a new country, which I will name Songhai 

[7] Make Nigeria a maritime power by opening four shipyards in the Niger Delta. Offer these shipyards anything just to attract them 

[8] Create unprecedented history by turning the Sahara Desert in the current Niger Republic into the world’s largest solar farm that generates up to 50% of global electricity. Up to 70% of Niger Republic is Sahara Desert, so in this age of solar and clean energy, it is prime time real estate. I crave Niger Republic’s Sahara Desert more than how Taubman Goldie or Frederick Lugard craved Nigeria 

[9] As the world’s largest black nation, we simply have to be the centre of tropical medicine. Today, India prides itself on being the pharmacy of the world. We should be in there competing with them 

[10] To kick-start this whole thing, we need to host another Festac. I still remember the list Festac 77 gave us. It also kick-started an infrastructural boom that included National Theatre, Festac Town, Satellite Town, etc