Recently, there has been a lot of groups springing up in response to poverty, starvation and numerous problems in Nigeria. Many of these groups seek both government and private assistance in providing amenities for the poor, hungry, jobless and other suffering in the society. While some of the agencies are genuinely committed to the eradication of social problems, others use it as business. Despite the efforts of the genuine charity agencies the population of desperately poor people continue to rise. This situation points to the need for a reorganization for social justice in Nigeria.
In the pre-colonial era, the ethnic communities organized their citizens and resources for productivity and common good.[1] Unfortunately, after the colonial encounter, the colonialists handed over access to communities’ resource to regional and later, central government. This handover was to ensure the continued cheap sale of communities’ mineral resources to former colonial masters’ industries. Today, different communities are lumped up under single state, district or constituency officials for obtaining and sharing resource funds from central government and commercial allies.
The present form of social organization in Nigeria creates and maintains very few positions with access to all resources in the country. It is not about few lucky people in the positions, but few positions meant to justify and assist exploitation of the whole. Some of these lucky people fought their individual battles to get one of the few positions of access.
Some of the lucky citizens, who got positions, truly wish to help other people in the society. Many of them give out monies or set up foundations to supply food, cloths, scholarship, healthcare and small business trainings. They do these with the hope of kick-starting a cycle of development that will eradicate unproductivity and poverty in the society. Regrettably, the recipients can only consume the supplies and ask for more; many of the ones who got education come out to meet unemployment.
Nigerians’ miserable condition does not persist because of absence of generous people, but because the social organization creates poverty. No matter how much philanthropists help, there will always be uncountable charity cases in the present social organization. A way out will include structural reorganization for social justice in Nigeria. The reorganization for social justice in Nigeria entails the retrieval of the access to mineral resources by the ethnic communities. When ethnic communities get back access to their resources, their indigenes can study and begin to produce what they consume.
You cannot help all the beggars on the streets of Kano, nor will you always be available to help them. You cannot shelter all the homeless people under Jibowu and Ojuelegba bridge in Lagos, even if you wanted. You cannot train and employ all the unemployed youths roaming the streets of Port Harcourt and Surulere. You may never be able to feed quarter of the hungry people in Onitsha. But you can contribute to creating a social structure that ensures the development, employment and adequate reward of most, if not all, Nigerians.
Who you epp? Simply contribute to the reorganization for social justice in Nigeria.
[1] https://thisisafrica.me/africa-colonisation/
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