First Gentleman with Wilson Orhiunu
Email: babawill2000@gmail.com Twitter: @Babawilly
Long journeys to great cities are made for recreation, inspiration, or in line with the demands of an occupation. The MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index for 2017 which provides ranking for the most visited cities in the world listed Dubai at Number 4 with a prediction of 16 million international visitors for 2017. The top three cities were Bangkok, London and Paris with an estimated 20.2, 20 and 16.1 million visitors respectively predicted for 2017.
Dubai is the city that sprang out of the desert in the last few years taking the world by storm. Despite having no rivers and almost no rainfall, the taps flow all year long on whatever floor the swift lifts take you in this glittering town harbouring a Tower of Babel on every corner.
The secret to this great success lies in alchemy; the conversation of crude oil to dollars and ultimately the transformation of dollars to big shiny edifices. Like it was said of Las Vegas so many moons ago, so it is with Dubai. If you build it they would come. Building great spectacles has a way of creating a ‘supply’ that the punters did not know they ‘demanded’. A bit like Noah at the end of the Ark’s construction. The passengers appeared in pairs.
All Nigerians sit down scratching their heads wondering where all their alchemists got it wrong. We had the secret to success; crude oil, but it was converted into nothing you could dispatch postcards about.
Anyone who grew up in Nigeria has heard this phrase “see your mates” before especially just after exam results are released. We just love to compare people with their peers. Parents today say it was one of the cruel things they endured in childhood but do the same to their children. Comparisons are drawn up on any topic under the Naija sun ranging from career progression to marital status.
I might as well join in. Lagos, see your mates! Kaduna see your mates! Sokoto see your mates! Do they have two heads?
Lagos was named by Portuguese explorers because they noticed the lagoon yet this city boasts of taps without water. A strange feat since the city of over 20 million residents has water literarily coming out of its ears. A bit of rain and the streets get flooded.
Sokoto and Kaduna like Dubai have a lot of Muslims but it appears Arabian Islam loves construction while the jury is still out on the Nigerian Muslim.
It is not enough to lament the wasted opportunity Nigeria has endured with its oil wealth. No, one must travel to a place that made good use of their natural resources so that lessons can be learnt and experienced.
It is by force to go Dubai! The same way the National Youth Service is forced on Nigerian citizens, I move that this trip to Dubai is forced on all Nigerian citizens, (albeit not at the same time). People really need to see the development they are missing.
Ferraris and Mercedes Benz police patrol cars, almost zero crime rate, no mosquitoes, no income or corporate tax, no power outage, no street flooding, no rain and no hunger. That is Dubai, done with the same crude oil wealth.
Oil now accounts for less than one per cent of Dubai’s income so if the oil dries up, life continues. Nigeria should have been finding ways of how not to depend on crude oil revenues in 1960. To date, we still rely on oil and still import petrol and diesel. I sincerely do not think an economist is the right person to describe our current state of affairs in Nigeria. Only a psychiatrist can diagnose this sorry condition.
By diversifying the economy cleverly, Dubai can cope with drop in oil prices. High-end real estate and tourism bring the money in. When Disney declined to build a theme park in Dubai the response was Dubai world, two times bigger than the biggest Disney theme park. They do everything large which is an ambitious disposition that simply inspires.
Ambition to astound the world with construction and excellence usually comes from the leadership. Then it trickles down to the people. In today’s world where technical expertise can be hired in and finance raised in foreign capital markets, a government can decide to build anything they choose without the technical skill to build it and without the cash to finance it.
The lack of ambition and imagination in Nigeria means that there is no drive to be world class. Even our lies lack imagination. Monkeys and snakes have recently been blamed for missing N70 and N36 Million respectively. Which self-respecting animal will eat dirty bank notes?
It is by force to go Dubai! The Palm Jumeirah- that expensive reclaimed land in the sea the shape of a palm, the Burj Khalifa that tallest building in the world, and The Dubai Mall very large and where every day is a ‘market day’. Then there is the sail-shaped Palm Jumeirah Hotel built by a South African construction firm. It is white and simply beautiful to look at. These marvels need to be fed to the eyes.
When things go well in a city it tends to spread. Just the way rot does. Excellence is contagious and so is gangrene. Countries tend to choose one or the other. Unfortunately, places in Africa choose national gangrene as their main developmental goal.
The Dubai Health Authority has plans for the medical and wellness tourists. Countries that cannot provide medical care to its citizens will see those citizens either die or fly out to international centres of excellence at great cost. (The irony is when a Nigerian flies abroad for treatment only to be treated by a Nigerian doctor).
The most ingenious example of this diversification of the economy in Dubai (to me at least) is their emergence as a Global Gold Centre with about 40% of the world’s Gold passing through Dubai.
The city with no rivers and sand storms teaches our country (incidentally named after a river) the meaning of multiple streams of income.
Pupil’s favourite chant
Nigeria our fatherland
Africa a great continent
We are marching on to take our place
Among other nations of the world
We shall make Nigeria
Great, great, great (x2)
Right now and forever – Author unknown
