Author: A. Joshua Adedeji

The likely reaction of most people to statements as we have it in the title of this article is a defensive reaction: “what do you mean by we either change or perish?” Yet the word is not mine, I was given! In the book of Proverbs 29:18, the Scripture says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepers the law, happy is he.” Nigeria is not in one of the best moments in history right now; we are almost pushed to the edge of thinking that we were better off in the past than now; yet,…

Perception, they say, defines reality; and in spite of how things really are; how we see things or how we choose to see things, usually becomes our experience. Suggesting that public or general beliefs notwithstanding, personal understanding usually sharpens personal realities. Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 There is usually a temptation of moving on with the general knowledge, because it is usually the most accessible form of…

Life is described as the state of being, which involves everything from breathing, to growing, to reproducing and to dying. Living is then said to be the way or style of life. If we can move on from there, then we could begin by understanding that life is about the state of being; while living is about the manner, pattern or style of being. Two people can be elected Governors of two states in the country; and while they are both Governors by their “state of being”, they differ in their approaches and consequently, theirexperiences in governance. If we could…

Contrary to the unspoken desires and expectations of most of us, development is not accidental; neither is it spontaneous – instead, every development is a product of a well followed and articulated process. A child that GROWS UP to become a notorious criminal or a fraudulent politician or a careless Medical Doctor, did not just get to that; rather, he or she gets there through a series of behaviours or attitudes that were unchecked from childhood to adulthood. When a man takes a step, and another step, and another step unchecked; he or she will not remain on the same…

THE TROUBLE WITH NIGERIA’S 2010 BUDGET All is not well with Nigeria’s 2010 budget and those who should know have since been warning that it might just collapse like a pack of cards in the next couple of months. Already, there are fears that the current financial pressure on the Federal Government may just be one of the consequences of this development, which may affect project execution in several states and local governments where Internally Generated Revenues are (IGRS) not too robust. But there are worries that if this trend of event were to continue for long, recurrent obligations of…

There is a saying that, “if one cannot beat them, one should join them”. The pathetic side of that saying is that, you can never beat them again if you ever join them. Nigeria is going through many waters today; while the situation did not just appear; the need for change is perceived by most people to be pressing. The question many people are however asking daily is, “Who Will Save Nigeria from this Predicament?” Many people could quickly say that All Progressive Congress (APC) will safe Nigeria; while some may say, the Legislature – National Assembly members will save…

One thing that most people across culture forbid is idleness of any kind; we love to be involved in activities; we love to make our contributions to the growth and development of our families, organizations, cities and countries. We often consider inactivity on our part to mean uselessness; hence, most people desire to be useful – to themselves, their families, their communities, their organizations and their countries. Being useful is good; but we could miss a whole lot, if we forget the essence of usefulness. It is very certain that a man cannot be useful in nothing; everyman desires to…

While the two words may begin with the same letter; they have two different meanings and implications. We live in a world where Training has been placed in a very high pedestal, and the desire or yearning of an average boy or girl, man or woman is to get some form of training somewhere. We must however note that Training is not the desire of an average person just for the fun of it; but for the attendant recognition that its completion brings. It is no longer uncommon for us to hear about or see a very trained Doctor without…

It is safe and convenient for me to believe that every Nigerian is conscious of the numerous threats facing this nation and the apparent possibilities ahead of the nation. The alarming reality however is the increasing rate of inconvenience and exploitation of our national privileges by the people in positions of responsibility. Some time ago, the formal Minister of Power in Nigeria (Prof. Nebo) made a statement that appeared uninspiring and lacking in merit about the situation of Nigeria: He said, “Even if all the giant energy companies of America, UK, China should take up the task of solving the…

I understand that in spite of the chronic underdevelopment of Nigeria and the unemployment among Nigerians – the quick-fix might not still be appealing to a lot of people in various spheres of life in Nigeria. However, the truth remains, in spite of what people think or say – and the truth prevails. This article is not authorized by the Chartered Institute of Economists, although I am an Economist; neither is it authorized by the Government of Nigeria – as we all know that not much has come from the economic technocrats of the Nigerian Government; nor is it authorized…