Bill Gates has been saying the truth, he deserves some accolades

One of the world’s richest and most influential men, Bill Gates, has been going around Nigeria with fire on his lips and a whip in his hand--chastising the federal government for not doing enough to halt the nation’s downward spiral.
It’s exactly what the doctor recommended for Africa’s sleeping giant.
Speaking at the expanded National Economic Council (NEC) meeting which held in Aso Rock on Thursday, March 22, 2018, Gates told his audience led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, that by focusing on physical infrastructure at the expense of its people, Nigeria is doing it wrong.
'The Nigerian people'
“The most important choice you make is to maximize your greatest resource, the Nigerian people,” Gates began with a characteristic wry smile.
“Nigeria
will thrive when every Nigerian is able to thrive. If you invest the
health, education and opportunities – the ‘human capital’ we are talking
about – then they will lay the foundation for sustained prosperity. If
you don’t, however, then it is very important to recognize that there
will be sharp limit on how much the country can grow.
“I urge you to apply this thinking to all your investments in your people. The Nigeria government’s Economic and Recovery Growth
Plan identifies ‘investing in our people’ as one of the three
‘strategic objectives’ but the ‘execution priorities’ don’t fully
reflect people’s needs.
“People
without roads, ports and factories can’t flourish. And roads, ports and
factories without skilled workers to build and manage them can’t sustain
an economy,” Bill Gates added without flinching.
Truer words have never been spoken.
Double down
In a chat with CNN, Gates doubled down on his criticisms of Nigeria.
“As
a partner in Nigeria, I am saying the current plan is inadequate.
Nigeria has all these young people and the current quality and quantity
of investment in these young generations; in health and education just
isn’t good enough. So, I was very direct,” he said.
“If they can get health and education right, they will be an engine of growth not just for themselves but for all of Africa.”
What
Gates is saying is simple: Nigeria will only achieve its potential when
its people achieve their individual potentials because a nation is only
as prosperous as its people.
And Gates loves Nigeria. You can feel it. He has been doing humanitarian work in Nigeria for as long as anyone can remember. He has traversed rural Nigeria to see things for himself.
He has interacted with locals and villagers, he has dined with
Nigeria’s wealthy and powerful. As an outsider looking in, Gates knows
that if Nigeria works, Africa works. This, for Gates, is tough love.
Nothing new
There
is nothing Gates has said in the last couple of days that ordinary
Nigerians like you and I haven’t been saying since we were born. But
sometimes you need an 'Oyinbo' (white man) to make it sink. Nigeria
badly needs a reset.
The nation’s human resource has been taking a beating since independence. Some teachers can’t even pass a Primary 4 test
to save their lives and our universities are among the worst in the
world. Our healthcare is so non-existent, Buhari and his family now fly
abroad at the slightest hint of an ailment.
Nigeria
has been on a steady decline since soldiers and politicians took knives
to the table to share the national cake amongst themselves.
For
far too long, we have allowed our human capital to deteriorate and rot.
The effect is that across Nigeria, we now have political leaders bereft
of values because they weren’t taught any better in schools. There is
no civics, no discernible action plan from government. Just nothing.
Nigeria has failed the world. And the world has every right to feel
disappointed.
And like everyone else with a brain, Gates can see the untapped potential when he looks at Nigeria.
No praise-singing
Bill
Gates could have chosen to sing our praises like most foreign
dignitaries and investors do when they come visiting. He could have
belted those hackneyed lines of Africa and Nigeria being the next
frontier for business and development. He could have told us that our
natural resource is guarantee that we will never be poor.
He
could have told Buhari that the man is on point with his economic
recovery and growth plan. He could have worn our traditional attire,
danced for show, touted our Jollof rice as the best on the continent and
smiled for the cameras until he departs our shores—with only praises on
his lips.
Instead, Gates has been speaking truth to power from Abuja to Lagos. He has been saying the things others won’t dare say when they dine with Nigeria’s rich and powerful.
He has been speaking truth to power right inside the corridors of
power. And he’s been saying it without giving a damn. It’s refreshing
candor from abroad.
Move over, Igwe Tupac, Bill Gates is the one who deserves our accolades at this time. Worldwide.
Bill Gates has been saying the truth, he deserves some accolades
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