Following on from Cop26 in Glasgow, I hope Nigerians now fully appreciate the adage that many hands make light work 

Ayo Akinfe 

[1] Today, the world’s problems can simply be summed up in one sentence. Large swathes of humanity are simply not productive enough 

[2] Just looking at Covid-19 tells the whole story. How can a nation be wholly dependent on imports for vaccines, ventilators and medical equipment 

[3] Where is your pride as a sovereign nation when the industrialised world can pull the plug on your medical supplies at will? For me, no country has the right to independence unless it is self-sufficient when it comes to healthcare provision 

[4] Covid-19 has also taught us that there are no national solutions to global problems. To address matters like pandemics you need your global giants to cooperate with each other and drag the rest of humanity along 

[5] Anyone who still believes in a multiplicity of small, diverse and inward-looking nations is simply beyond redemption. What Covid-19 has taught us is that two dozen mega super powers is what the world needs to address our plethora of socio-economic challenges 

[6] In Glasgow this week, the world debated the climate crisis in detail. It was clear that the solution lies with the big boys like China, India, US, EU, Russia, etc cutting greenhouse gases. In the future, the likes of Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Vietnam, Pakistan, etc, will join that list 

[7] If Africa as a continent is to keep abreast with the rest of the world, she desperately needs three or four super powers. It is time to start amalgamating all these our mini statelets that are simply not sustainable 

[8] How for instance can a nation with a meagre GDP of $2bn afford to invest in the necessary conversions for clean energy? Such unviable nations need to be amalgamated with their neighbours or be made part of Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, DR Congo, Ethiopia, etc 

[9] There will be a special place in hell for all those demanding the balkanisation of the world’s largest black nation Nigeria. Yes, we have our issues but alas, things will be 20 times worse with secession and balkanisation. These mini statelets that will be created will be picked off by global vultures 

[10] One message I want every Nigerian to take away from the Glasgow summit is that Africa needs Nigeria desperately. As we move into the 22nd century, we should start asking ourselves how we build a new Africa with no more than a dozen nation states