Can Nigeria Be Developed? This is a question that has been asked time and time again, and the answer is a resounding yes.

Nigeria is a country with vast resources, yet it seems to be struggling to achieve the level of development that is desired. The good news is that Nigeria can be developed, but there are hurdles that need to be overcome.

One of the main problems that Nigeria faces is that it has never been developed. Since 1999, career politicians in Nigeria have failed to adopt global development strategy and standards. Instead, they have postulated approaches to development that have not been globally tested, and as a result, they have failed.

To develop Nigeria, we need to adopt and domesticate global development strategies, standards, and behaviours. This will enable us to find a simple path through the complexities of development. At Gabriel Domale Consulting, we help companies and governments in Africa to grow, provide insights to leaders, and help transform institutions.

Many of the leaders of Nigeria as of today cannot see the tomorrow of Nigeria. We need transformative leadership – authentic leaders who can see tomorrow and lead with integrity. Character, competence, and capacity are key attributes of leadership, but the most important is character, without which leaders engage in value-destroying behaviour because of their poor core values. Therefore, they cannot drive the required high level of performance, growth, and collaboration.

Overcoming the hurdles to Nigeria's development requires a multifaceted approach that addresses key issues hindering growth. Globally recognized management consultant Sir (Dr) Leesi Gabriel Gborogbosi has highlighted some key suggestions on development concepts that can help Nigeria create a conducive environment for investments and promote development.

The first concept is that money goes to where it is welcomed. This means that if Nigeria wants to attract investments, it needs to create an enabling operating environment that is conducive to investable opportunities. Investors are always on the lookout for investment opportunities that will yield a good return on investment. Therefore, Nigeria must create an environment that is attractive to investors and promotes investment opportunities in the country.

The second concept is uncertainty. Investors hate uncertainty. Therefore, Nigeria needs to develop and implement policies that are stable for at least five to ten years. This will give investors the confidence they need to invest in the country. Stable policies will provide a sense of security and predictability, which will encourage investors to invest in Nigeria.

The third concept is keeping our promises. Contractual obligations must be honoured. This means that Nigeria needs to have a legal system that enforces contracts and provides assurance that contractual obligations will be met. Investors need to know that their investments are safe and that they will get a return on their investment. Honouring contractual obligations is critical to maintaining the trust of investors.

The fourth concept is collaboration. There should be collaboration among governance actors including Federal government, State governments, Local governments, and Chiefs. Development is driven by the government, but it is implemented by the private and social sectors. Therefore, collaboration is crucial to achieving development goals. The government needs to work with the private and social sectors to implement development projects.

The fifth concept is non-state actors. Security institutions must show that state actors dominate, control, and overwhelm the activities of non-state actors. This means that the government needs to ensure that non-state actors do not disrupt development projects. The government needs to maintain law and order to create an environment that is conducive to development.

The sixth concept is good and integrated governance. Good governance allows nations to compete globally and contribute to global economic growth and stability. Nigeria needs to have a good governance system that is integrated and promotes development.

The seventh concept is foundational knowledge. How can we develop Nigeria when all tiers of government tend to operate without basic economic and development plans? They lack foundational knowledge of how to translate economic growth into economic development. Economic and development teams should be set up at Federal, State and Local government levels. Time to invest in training.

The eighth concept is subsidy. The fuel subsidy should not have been removed, but instead, corruption in the subsidy system should have been tackled. Fuel is a product that touches all aspects of the economy, and the government should move the fuel subsidy into agriculture by supporting local farmers and SMEs. Nigeria cannot compete globally without subsidy.

The ninth concept is inflation, hunger, insecurity, and forex rates. Nigeria's leaders should adopt basic economic principles and practices to manage the complexities of inflation, hunger, insecurity, and forex rates. The local governments should focus on sustainable development goals. This will enable all tiers of government in the country to navigate manage these issues effectively and promote economic growth.

The tenth concept is market forces. We cannot continue to talk about subjecting Nigeria's economy to market forces when all the tiers of government do not control the forces of demand and supply. Nigeria needs to adopt moderated economic control of market forces. SMEs and Nigerian Multinational companies should be especially supported to grow as Nigerian lever in the global market.

In conclusion, these concepts will create an enabling environment for development and promote economic growth in the country. Nigeria has the potential to become a major player in the global economy, but it needs to address these issues to achieve this goal. By implementing these suggestions, Nigeria can create an enabling environment for investments and promote development.

Overcoming the hurdles to Nigeria's development requires the implementation of policies that provide certainty, assurance, and stability to investors. It also requires collaboration among governance actors, effective security strategies, good and integrated governance, foundational knowledge, and support for local farmers and SMEs.

Business and Government leaders can contact Gabriel Domale Consulting on:

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Mobile: +2347034604152

Email: info@gabrieldomale.com   leesi.gborogbosi@gabrieldomale.com   

Website: https://www.gabrieldomale.com  

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CEO, Gabriel Domale Consulting – Sir (Dr) Leesi Gabriel Gborogbosi

Sir (Dr) Leesi Gabriel Gborogbosi is the CEO of Gabriel Domale Consulting, a management consulting firm based in Nigeria, that helps companies in Africa to grow, provides insights to leaders and transforms institutions.

He has about three decades of leadership experience in the oil and gas industry (Shell Nigeria). He is an expert in finance, strategy, corporate governance, transformation, cost management, leadership development and due diligence.

Sir (Dr) Gborogbosi was Project Finance Manager of Upstream Oil & Gas Projects (7 projects - Headline size: $8 bln) - Southern Swamp Associated Gas System, Forcados Yokri Integrated Project, Otumara, Adibawa, Agbada and Assa North/Ohaji South Projects.

He provided advisory services: strategic planning, budget management, funding strategy, risk management, governance, due diligence, and investment plan, covering the full life cycle of the seven major upstream oil/gas projects, power facilities, and export pipelines.

He collaboratively works with business leaders and their organizations to identify growth opportunities and create value through operational excellence in strategy implementation and capital efficiency by delivering projects within costs, building strategy and planning frameworks and crafting innovative funding solutions.

Sir (Dr) Leesi Gabriel Gborogbosi supports finance leaders in making crucial decisions and optimising performance through financial excellence in finance systems and accounting operations, budgeting, finance transformation, cost reduction, governance, risk, and compliance.

He has doctoral degrees in strategy and business studies and MSc (Research Methodology in Management) from IE Business School, Madrid and an MBA (Finance and Banking) from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria; and BSc (Accountancy) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He had his secondary education at Federal Government College, Jos, Nigeria.

His doctoral dissertation focuses on strategy implementation, collaboration, the role of middle managers, and the dynamics of social movements (host communities).

Sir (Dr) Gborogbosi leverages his professional experience as a Certified Management Consultant (CMC); Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria; and The Institute of Management Consultants. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, London; Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered); and Strategic Management Society, Chicago, United States.

He was nominated by the Strategic Management Society, Chicago for "Best International Conference Paper Prize Awards" in 2017 and 2015. He was appointed the Chair for the Session on “Leading change implementation processes” at the Strategic Management Society conference in Denver, United States in 2015.

Sir (Dr) Leesi Gabriel Gborogbosi was a member of the Strategic Management Society “Special Committee on Diversity and Inclusion”, Chicago, USA, with the responsibility of providing the Strategic Management Society Board of Directors with a good audit of where the Strategic Management Society stands concerning inclusiveness in its activities.