Considering Nigeria’s performance during the past 63 years especially since the democratic period 1999 till now, one can only wish that the constitution be tinkered with again.

But is the political path especially constitution writing that reliable as means for building a nation speedily, judging from the experience of European and Asian nations?

NO! We need to do something innovative and more fruitful in history – economic summit and economic focus, now, not constitutional conference again.  

I usually write newspaper articles on development for all to read. But I am writing this article to all Nigerians and particularly to President Tinubu; all living former Heads of state of Nigeria; the Patriots group headed by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, the former Secretary General, the Common Wealth; the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN); and the Nigerian intelligentsia and intellectual communities.  

I am a retired Professor of Technology Management. By God’s grace I had opportunities to attend school in Nigeria and abroad. I attended the University of Ibadan. Thereafter, I went to the United States of America to study for higher degrees.

After completing my studies for higher degrees in the Science of Rubbers and Plastics, I developed interest in establishing the scientific bases of the growth and development of nations and the present global distribution of wealth and power.

I returned to Nigeria 38 years ago to carry out the research to satisfy my curiosity. Our research method was a combination of the historical and logico-mathematical research perspectives.

Our efforts have been blessed abundantly. We have summarised the highlights of the research results in 8(eight) books. The titles are: 

1. Solution to Mass Unemployment in Nigeria, 160pp + ix, 2007 (3rd edition); 

2. Understanding Why Capital Investment Cannot Promote Sustainable Economic Growth and Industrialisation, 130pp + x, 2024; 

3. Understanding Why Learning Is the Primary Source of Growth, Industrialisation and Development, 110pp + vii, 2019; 

4. Understanding Why Education and Training are Indispensable to Rapid Industrialisation and Development, 120pp + viii, 2019; 

5. Causes and Remedies for Poverty in Africa, 124pp + ix, 2019; 

6. Understanding the Theory and Practice of Federalism and Democracy, 238pp + viii, 2008;  

7. Understanding Why Privatisation Is Promoting Unemployment and Poverty and Delaying Industrialisation in Africa, 258pp + ix, 2007; and 

8. Mobilizing All Citizens for Learning, Industrialization and Prosperity, 124pp + viii, 2022. 

We believe that the results of our curiosity-driven research constitute God’s special gift package to mankind. May all the glory be to the Almighty God, the source of all good things, knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

The titles of the books are instructive. I put here a relevant summary for the purpose of the summit. Our research revealed that great minds build great nations.

The nation-building process has to be understood to make rapid progress. That is because a poor perception of a problem precludes finding the solution to it. Our research showed that all the rich and powerful nations in the world today are industrialised. 

So, industrialisation is imperative for our troubled nation, Nigeria. Industrialisation is a state of knowledge, skills and capabilities. Industrialisation is achieved through learning. Sustainable economic growth and industrialisation, SEGI, is achieved through learning. The learning individual and nation appreciate in intrinsic values (knowledge, skills and capabilities) with learning rate and time. 

All human beings are born as crying babies. The baby soon babbles (acquires the capabilities to talk) and speaks a language. All knowledge, skills and capabilities are acquired through learning. The baby who could not babble grows up to be a dumb adult. Nations which manufacture many scientific products learnt and acquired the relevant knowledge, skills and capabilities for manufacturing them.

Learning rate is very important to determining how soon the individual and nation achieve desirable milestones like talking and industrialisation. To speak a language, a person must acquire minimum vocabulary and syntax. High rate of learning results in speaking a language speedily for the individual and achieving industrialisation rapidly for a nation.

The individual goes to educational institutions to learn language or listens to people speaking the language to learn how to speak the language of interest. For a nation, it is the citizens who acquire the relevant knowledge, skills and capabilities. 

Industrialisation or technological development may be likened to speaking a language. Truly, industrialised nations speak the science and technology (S & T) language; they do not speak English or American English or Chinese language. 

The vocabulary and syntax (scientific knowledge, skills and capabilities) a nation must acquire to speak the S & T language are contributed by the citizens of the nation. So, when a nation mobilizes all the citizens for integrated learning, the nation attains the highest learning rate and achieves industrialisation speedily.

That is why mobilisation of all citizens for learning is the subject of my book, No. 8: Mobilizing All citizens for Learning, Industrialization and Prosperity. The book articulates how Nigeria can mobilize all Nigerians for integrated learning (education, training, employment and research) and achieve industrialisation in a few decades. 

Nigeria has been politicking for 63 years. Should the fast-failing Nigeria be left to continue the old way or should ALL Nigerians be mobilized for integrated learning so as to make Nigeria a great nation, to the glory of God in a few decades? This is what the economic summit that I am advocating is about. 

The industrialised nations in Western Europe (France, England, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, etc.) are about 2000 years old. The region was the ancient Gual (Carrington and Jackson, 1954). Ancient Gaul was harnessed into the Roman Empire in 55 BC. England the most progressive nation in Western Europe achieved industrialisation 1770—1850 (Gregg, 1971). The labour Party in England was formed in 1906.

The origin of Japan dates back to 300 BC (Hall, 1971). The nation mobilized all the citizens for learning 1886-1905 and achieved industrialization. Lee Kuan Yew mobilized all the citizens of Singapore for learning and achieved industrialisation in less than 30 years. 

The Chinese claim that their origin dates back to 4000 BC but more objective sources suggested 1000 BC (Eberhard, 1950). China was ruled by many dynasties of kings till 1911 when it became a republic. By 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Mao Zedung won the political struggle and Zedong became the leader of the Chinese people. The losing party, Kuo Min Tang (KMT) in annoyance, moved into the Island of Taiwan (Stokes and Stokes, 1975). Mao Zedong mobilized all Chinese for learning in 1949. China achieved the modern IR in the early 1980s – 30 years after the nation mobilized all citizens for learning.

The Asians have demonstrated repeatedly that mobilizing the citizens of a nation for integrated learning achieves accelerated industrialisation. 

Is there any reason why Nigerians cannot mobilize all Nigerians for integrated learning and rapid industrialisation as solution to Nigeria’s problems?