By Ustaz Mark Bang
There is nothing citizens want in every country; all they need, want, and expect their leaders to do are a well-sustained economy, developed infrastructure, security, health facilities, and education.
I know most of the people in the world fail to do these outlined things when they happen to get a chance at leadership; my people have been waiting, waiting, and waiting to see that things are done but yet.
How dare our government see sons and daughters of our devastated communities whose parents paid with their own lives to liberate this country, just like baggers, yet not? It’s not their fault they had missed their beloved fathers, but because they do this so that their offspring may not suffer as we’re seeing this happening now, I speak to you now, but whoever tried one time to discuss things, I think nobody who cares; we never complain when our leaders are dining in our blood, when leaders walk on us while lying on the ground with our stomachs when our food is taken out of us, and even when we’re denied basic utilities.
Citizens are gladdened when these basic utilities are met, when they see that they’re protected, when they see they’re recognized, and when they see their government play a great role in serving the best of their interest; here, their mission is accomplished.
President is always made by people and after should be for them. Our country should first invest in the level of security, the level of good governance, the level of a permanent constitution that should guide the country, and the level of unity. When these things are met, all those traumatized societies will start to emerge in a strong consolidation to support that government, almost giving their teeth to the enemy.
If these things are met, that government will rule for years and will never get questioned. All that citizens want is free services that the government tries its best to bring to them, good and affordable services, whether privatized or publicized; all they want are things that satisfy the well-being of their societies; all they want to see is equal rights and opportunities.
Electricity: Electricity is a major problem in a country like Nigeria. Our population in Nigeria is estimated conservatively to be around 180 million, but I have never seen electricity generation rise above 7000 MW in my lifetime. We need at least more than 38,000 MW for the mean time and far more than that for the long time.
Internet: Internet connectivity is also another major problem. It is too slow in some states, and we still pay for it in spite of the poor service. Though it is fast in some commercial hubs of the country, such as Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, and others, I think this shouldn’t be the case in an oil-producing country like Nigeria. We all know that fast Internet connectivity is very important for any country’s economy.
You try your best to establish an Internet-based business; the average Nigerian will most of the time think that you are an Internet fraudster. You will just keep faith and keep moving, knowing that you are in the right direction. I wonder how giant businesses such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon exist.
The average South Sudanese most of the time think development is for the Western world; they need not to produce anything but to consume ready-made goods from the West. I know you have to crawl before you can run.
My sister, you will have a hard time explaining a modern business such as Internet marketing and many others. Yes, don’t be surprised to have many friends after you are successful; they are very good at that.
People have suffered many challenges here in our country, and if the government is told about things that we are lacking to put in place, they say that this person is a rebel. Even in a democratic world there is criticism, and nothing of this kind happening in our country happens to them; our citizens need to have the following:
Education: The issue of education is a major problem in such countries most of the time. Parents most of the time advice their children to study courses such as medicine and law and tend to have little or no respect for most of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) courses.
The university curriculum is outdated; for a long time, we still used it diligently, not minding the consequences of unemployment due to lack of proper knowledge. This is exactly what we are experiencing today. Hell! Man is suffering. Developing countries like South Sudan have many problems. This is just a few. “Public Staunchest Ally”
The writer of this article is a human rights activist, writer, and professional teacher.