TWO BLOG ENTRIES I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SEE

The first is from Tayo. Naija's Journey into Talk, here he chronicles the progress and challenges of the Nigerian telecomunications sector. This post brought back memories, I enjoyed reading it. I feel the history is incomplete though, he left out the interesting days. The days where the installation of a cell phone tower (mast we used to call them) in any city made the evening news.
The second entry is 16 Billion by Wetin dey Happen, and here revisits the pointless spending on electiricty during OBJ's reign.
I would like to add that the juxtaposition of private sector success and public sector failures in the provision of infrastrucre in Nigeria is intentional. Have a lovely work week.

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Nigeria: Resisting Change...

This weekend I read Don Tapscott's, The Digital Economy, published in 1995 right at the infancy of the Internet. In passing, he talked about the wave of Business Process Re-engineering which swept across corporate America in the early 90's. The big corporations spent loads of money in an attempt to improve the mode and techniques of getting things done, yet the returns on the huge investment remained elusive, even thought the techniques proffered and implemented were apparent no brainers. $52 billion dollars later the black hole that sucked away all the money and possible gains was found. Resistance to change (lack of executive consensus, lack of senior management champion; and unrealistic expectation). Old business practices die hard and they have built-in resistance against their own transformation.
Zoom into Nigeria. In the very serious business of running Nigeria, a parallel can easily be drawn. Lack of executive consensus (Yaradua, Aondoakaa, Ribadu), Lack of a senior management champion (An executive arm of the government at the federal and state level with no actions behind the proclamations to change the status quo), Unrealistic expectations (we are all guilty of this, we expect magic and we easily get fatigued by baby steps). Are Nigerians wired to resist change?

Not that I blame Nigerian, but could it be possible that though we cry foul and scream for help, our rational reaction may be to resist structural changes in governance and society. Could we be resisting change passively or actively without even thinking about it, just because it is the rational thing to do, given the situation on the ground?
Is there any possibility that my people are interested only in the dividends associated with change, but aren't willing to pay the price and face the disruptions associated with change itself? I hope this is not the case. However if there is any thruth in the statement above, we will be doing a disservice to our dear country if they are not addressed. Cleaning up Nigeria is going to be painful and heads will roll. Are we ready for this?

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Nigeria: Why The Numbers Do Not Work...

I recently found a Business Day article that explain perfectly a prior entry on this blog. Thought I'd share it with you. Here is the entry My Patriotism Was Dealt A Huge Blow... and here is the Business Day article. Ettehnomics, via Aijustwanawrite
The writer basically goes through the arithmetic of why things do not work in Nigeria. I am aware there are other explanations for home country's woes. However I have not found one that is this simplistic and intuitive at the same time. Hat tip to Aijustwanawrite.
P.S. The Business day website is down.

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