For those Nigerians who console themselves about the current hardship by comparing our country to neighbouring West African countries, the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations provides some food for thought. A number of our fellow compatriots who were privileged to travel to Cote d’Ivoire for the tournament have a story to tell. The country, which had survived debilitating civil wars in its recent history and is still embroiled in political tensions, has reinvented itself in ways that should drive the so-called giant of Africa to jealousy.
I first heard about it from a colleague of mine who covered AFCON. He was especially thrilled when the Nigerian entourage travelled from Abidjan to Bouake for the semi-final match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa. On the phone, he was literally screaming: “Bro… Four hours on the road we sailed from Abidjan to Bouake. There were no potholes. There were no robbers. Abuja to Lokoja is two hours, can you do that journey peacefully? For over a decade now the road is still under construction. They have finished one part of the road, and before they start with the other portion, the completed lane has collapsed. It’s back to square one. Nigeria is a merry-go-round of unfinished projects. Our leaders need to learn from these guys.”
And then when I thought my friend was overly excited, perhaps because that was the first time he travelled to the West African country; I came across a tweet on the social media platform X, where a user named “SMALLIE” using the handle ‘@the_smallie’ broadcast his own AFCON experience in a manner that was an uncanny echo of my friend’s impression. He wrote, “4 hours’ road trip from Abidjan to Bouake. No potholes. No traffic. No police checkpoint. No herdsmen. No kidnappers. Nigeria, fix up.” I noted that the X tweet enjoyed online traction, because it had 6,032 reposts, 163 quotes, 33,000 likes and 185 bookmarks. It means there is indeed a truthful, universal ring to this experience.
Meanwhile, by way of balancing the story, we must note that Cote d’Ivoire spent money to prepare for the just concluded continental soccer tournament. According to the French Newspaper Le Monde, in order to host this AFCON, the country deployed considerable resources. Out of a total cost of 1.5 billion euros, over €762 million was invested in infrastructure. Four stadiums were built: Ebimpé (in the northern suburbs of Abidjan), where the opening match was to take place, San Pedro (southwest), Yamoussoukro (centre) and Korhogo (north). Two others were extensively renovated in Abidjan, the economic capital, and Bouake (centre).
Twenty-four training pitches were fitted out for the participating teams’ use. To facilitate travel for fans and the 24 teams, several roads were modernised or extended. The “coastal” road, which links the economic capital to San Pedro over a distance of 350 kilometres, was completely rebuilt, thereby halving the travel time between the two towns. An expressway was lengthened to link Abidjan with Yamoussoukro, the capital, and Bouake, the country’s second-largest city. According to the nation’s officials, the aim was to avoid the traffic jams usually encountered by city-dwelling Ivorians.
Yet, when one looks at the numbers, another miracle that is observed is in the execution of public projects in Cote d’Ivoire. If it is only €762 million that was expended on infrastructural development in preparation for AFCON, how on earth were they able to accomplish so much with little resources? Four stadiums were built, two others renovated, and 350 kilometres of road, “completely rebuilt.” In Nigeria, where a kilometre of road costs about $2 million to build, the entire AFCON preparation budget would have finished on the construction of one road!
To put this in perspective, this writer recalls that two years ago the whistleblowing NGO, the Anti-Corruption Network, called for an independent scrutiny of the road construction contract awarded by the Federal Executive Council under President Muhammadu Buhari’s government. The reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, an expanse of 375 kilometres, was awarded for a whopping sum of N797 billion. With today’s exchange rate, that is almost the entire monies used by Cote d’Ivoire for all infrastructural development for the four years it prepared for AFCON.
However, my inspiration for writing this piece is to point out that the government of Cote d’Ivoire has shown that security is key when it comes to attracting investments. Surely, because of their experience, the Nigerians and other nationalities who travelled to the country for AFCON would not hesitate to go back, either for business or for leisure.
Once upon a time, the road to Bouake was both terrible and terror-filled. For 10 years, the now bustling and beckoning city was held by rebels as their base of operation during the country’s first civil war. As early as 2002, Bouake, the second-largest city in Cote d’Ivoire, was occupied by northern rebel movements opposed to then President Laurent Gbagbo. And by November 6, 2004, at the bombing of the French troops stationed there, everyone began to know it as the “rebel city.” But 20 years down the line, through the efforts of a determined government and people, foreigners and visitors feel they are on a joy ride to another African tourist haven.
This is why when the argument about whether President Bola Tinubu’s attracting foreign investments is more important than fighting internal insecurity comes up, one can only shake one’s head in wonder. Is it out of sheer obtuseness or are our leaders just playing the ostrich? It is a no-brainer. When you attract investors and they come here, what is it that would keep them glued to your land when they start hearing guns going off and people disappearing in daylight? The truth is that even if they had transferred their money to you when you talked to them at the overseas roadshow, on seeing what is on the ground here on arrival, they will simply reverse the transfer. It is as simple as that.
There is something about the human psyche. We are all animals; we sense danger. We also like comfort. We settle in not only where there is peace, but where there is a good road, steady power supply and food to eat. Our clueless leaders cannot continue comparing Nigeria to neighbouring countries whenever they come up with stifling policies. Yes, Ghana is overwhelmed by inflation, but in that country, you will enjoy a 13-hour cross-country trip from Accra to Bolgatanga (in the far north) on a smooth stretch of road without any incident – like I have done many times.
When a country is plagued by insecurity, the land becomes too hot even for the indigenes. The Nigeria of today has become a land of thorns for all of us, and the people are getting out in droves. Even if you declare a state of emergency in agriculture and food production, and people would not be able to go to their farms because of banditry, there would never be an improved food supply, unless, maybe, we import. Food will not manufacture itself.
We must learn a lesson from the Ivorians. While their country has improved over a period of two decades, ours has degraded in the same period. Twenty years ago, Borno was an international hub; today it is an object of universal snub. Abuja, our capital, is now sliding in the same direction. The questions are: How determined are we to climb out of this dark hole? Can Tinubu act fast enough to put us back on track? Is our political class patriotic enough to rescue Nigeria from the brink?
