In many countries, those who are interested in the management of public affairs join political parties to actualise their career in the public domain. Usually, the political parties profess distinct appoaches, which make people qualify them as either progressive or conservative. The classification notwithstanding, parties usually have programmes they intend to execute in furtherance of public good. That is called manifesto. It is same in Nigeria as in other parts of the world.

But here, one of the indicators of our stunted development since flag independence is that there seems to be a wide chasm between what the politicians come up with, which they execute while in office, and what the people REALLY need to live better lives. That explains why today, there are very few states left in the country that do not have an airport. Many state governors continue to embark on airport projects, irrespective of the fact that they may not be commercially viable.

The widening chasm between what politicians do in office and what the people expect and/or need came to the fore earlier in the week just ending, when the Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator George Akume, hinted that in the future, government will reciprocate Chinese goodwill to Nigeria by seeing to it that faculties where Chinese languages will be taught will be established in Nigeria universities. He was receiving a Chinese delegation led by the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, in Abuja. Let me quote Akume:

“We appreciate the fact that you have given scholarships to our students studying in various universities in the Peoples Republic of China and some have graduated. We want to appeal that you step up the issue of scholarship and give us more. You won’t regret it, before you know it, you find many Nigerians speaking your language. We look forward to the time we will also establish faculties in Nigerian universities where Chinese language would be taught to students,” he said.

I do not think Akume said the right things to the Chinese delegation that visited him, and also do not think that teaching Chinese language in Nigerian schools is the way to reciprocate Chinese goodwill. The best way, in my book, to say thank you to the Chinese is to use whatever loans we took from them for the purpose they were taken, and repay, according to the terms.

In 2020, African countries with the largest Chinese debt were Angola ($25 billion), Ethiopia ($13.5 billion), Zambia ($7.4 billion), the Republic of the Congo ($7.3 billion), and Sudan ($6.4 billion). As far back as 2018, China bidded to take over the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport should the Zambia Government fail to pay back its huge foreign debt on time.

We should not be as remiss as some of our fellow African countries, who risk losing control of key infrastructure to the Chinese because of loan defaults. It will be nightmarish for us to have the Chinese managing the Nigerian Railway Corporation, or the Murtala Muhammed and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airports and others, for which loans were taken by the Buhari government to refurbish and upgrade.

As for teaching Chinese language, SGF Akume should withdraw that as it is simply a NO-NO. If you set up departments of Chinese language in Nigerian universities, you’ll have to import Chinese to come and teach the language, and that will come at huge cost in terms of foreign exchange. Besides, it will open a new vista of re-colonisation by a fast-rising Asian power, while we are still struggling with the effects of European colonialism. I am one of those who believe fervently that much of the ingredients needed for the greatness of Nigeria in all fields of human endeavour remain locked in our languages. We will truly be on the path to national development and greatness when we start delivering educational instruction in our languages. What SGF Akume should bother himself with is how to get the educational system to start teaching Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects in our languages. I know the Russians, Germans, Japanese, Koreans, and other developed non-English speaking countries educate their people in their languages. That is easy to confirm. Graduates of German universities are plenty in Nigeria, and will testify that you go to language school, first, and pass, before continuing with the course you were originally admitted to study.

So, if tomorrow, we find ourselves cozying up with the Russians or Ukrainians and start getting Russian credit, we would reciprocate by teaching Russian? Or Ukrainian?

In reality, Nigerians have endured enough torture trying to use other peoples’ languages to get on in the world. The new government headed by President Bola Tinubu, in which Akume is SGF, should begin earnestly to look inwards for local solutions to the things we spend huge resources to procure from foreign lands. There is bountiful talent in Nigeria; what remains is how we use them for the greater good of all.