What do you have to offer Nigeria?

Don’t get me wrong, all forms of innovation are good if and when they make the human condition better, but we often forget one reality, we live in a global village and in order to earn the respect we yearn for, we need to give back when we take, we should bring something to the […]

Don’t get me wrong, all forms of innovation are good if and when they make the human condition better, but we often forget one reality, we live in a global village and in order to earn the respect we yearn for, we need to give back when we take, we should bring something to the table. So what has Nigeria got to offer, and what has Africa got to give?

We need to look back in history and consider the things that defined us as a people, our values such as respect, decency, integrity, enterprise, communal living, etc. In the past, there was communal policing, which meant a little less crime. These values defined our politics, education, economy, security and a lot more… and then it all ended. What happened? We began to think west was best, that our values were too basic and progress as defined by us just won’t get it. So we looked elsewhere and we were, to say the least, bedazzled.

Now, there is a global outcry for a more basic and less industrialized lifestyle, which means less air and noise pollution, less chemically-induced farm produce and I could go on and on. It’s about people, planet, just the way we used to be, which urges us to contemplate things like how do we earn a living and at the same time make the living conditions for a neighbour and the community at large better?

How do I save the world locally? When we contemplate these issues, we start to take from the reserve that’s been our way of life from the beginning, build upon it and offer it up to the world. So, what do you have to offer?

Mrs. Aisha Ibrahim Abbas is Senior Associate, Leapman LegalChambers