A self-help model of development (4)

Human life is a rose: startling in its beauty, stunning in its fragrance, prickly to the touch.

The thorn is part of the rose. You can’t have the rose without its thorns; but you must learn to handle it delicately and with care.

The challenge is to bring the village and its (willing and unwilling) occupants fully into the 21st century by bringing to them the things that define the good life in this modern age, while reducing as much as possible the bad things.

The cities, too, require transformation. However, our self-help model begins with the villages.

How is the transformation of the villages to be achieved? How will it be financed? And what is the role of the Town Unions/Village Development Associations?

We begin with the proposition that every village or village- cluster in this century should have, at a minimum, the following: comfortable income for villagers earned from working in agricultural or manufacturing industries within the catchment area farmlands cleared of shrubbery to enable machine-ploughing farmlands segmented by borehole-fed canals to facilitate differential irrigation for growing different classes of crops a water supply system fed from a large, protected man-made lake/reservoir filled from deep-sunk boreholes non-stop electricity from solar panels by day, gas turbines or inverter & batteries by night for indoor/outdoor lighting, refrigeration, cooling a well stocked reading/lending central library with branches computer labs with technicians well equipped and staffed primary schools well equipped and staffed secondary technical schools/skills acquisition centers adult education center for teaching of: language/literacy: reading, writing, speaking of the local language and English. Also the Wa-Zo-Bia languages & French world geography: countries & cultures; their modern achievements history of the world, of Africa, of Nigeria a well equipped and staffed hospital several well equipped and staffed clinics community health centres teaching modern hygiene and healthy eating habits to householders several well stocked pharmacies reconstruct the numerous open spaces/plazas/playgrounds & public squares (onu-mkpu and ogo) which were an integral part of the structure & design of the traditional village indoor auditoriums & events halls modern detached dwelling houses, attached terrace houses, blocks of flats with internal plumbing/running water underground pipe drainage system (no open gutters) underground central sewage disposal system  network of underground pipes to distribute water from  overhead water tower/tank to designated public water collection points as well as individual homes well laid out/lighted streets with solid, durable surfacing roads to carry low to medium weight and volume of vehicular traffic must include two layers of compacted aggregate (cracked rock, pebbles, gravel), laterite (red earth), and tar Now, how is this “rural paradise” to be financed? Through the customary community-obligatory self-help levy system utilized by the Town Unions/Village Development Associations—but now updated, expanded and fully explained so that every villager wherever resident can understand its short- and long-term goals and methods, identify with it, and voluntarily participate in it. It requires political education of the profoundest sort.

Every village/village-cluster comprises four population centers/groups: (a) the Home Branch—those residing/earning their living in the village (peasants); (b) the Township Folk—school teachers, petty traders, artisans, clerks, etc. (urban under-class/lower middle class); (c) the Men of Affairs—merchants, “businessmen/women,” senior civil servants, doctors, lawyers, engineers, university lecturers, other urban professionals (middle/upper classes); (d) the Expatriate Villagers—those living abroad in USA, UK, EU, India, China, etc. (diaspora, mostly middle class).

All four population groups maintain an intimate, emotional  stake with the village. They own and maintain a modern house or mansion there. They and their family visit several times a year. They plan to be buried there.  All must therefore be involved in the planning and financing of the modernization and industrialization of the village.

The “development levy” is “from each according to his/her ability.” Every adult is grouped with persons of approximately equal financial ability, and the contribution decided for each income group is agreed by them and by the other groups as equitable, comfortable, do-able and just. The regularity and consistency of contribution is far more important than the amount—therefore it is essential that the amount be comfortable for members of that income group.

Contributions could be, say, N50 a day or N100 a day, N500 a day, N1000 a day, etc.—payable daily, weekly or monthly as may be agreed. “High net worth individuals” (the wealthy) are encouraged to contribute in the millions. Individuals or groups of them could offer to “match” a certain level of contribution, or join hands to finance particular projects from the lengthy list, with their names inscribed on the project.

Do the arithmetic, dear Reader; play with the figures—and surprise yourself. E.g.:

N100 a day x 365 days a year x 10,000 persons =N365 million/year.

N300 a day x 365 days a year x 10,000 persons =N1.1 billion/year.

N500 x 365 x 10,000 = N1.8 billion/year.

N1,000 x 365 x 10,000 = N3.65 billion/year.

Many village-clusters will have more than 10,000 persons, some paying more, some less. But whatever the totals, if the cash itself is insufficient, most banks seeing such monies rolling in by the week or month will grant a loan. Many smart investors, domestic and foreign, will bring their resources and reap bountiful dividends.

As with the villages, so with the cities.

Every Nigerian village (and city) is sitting on a pot of money without knowing it. There is nothing you cannot do. No project you cannot undertake and complete. You can build two Niger Bridges and ignore the government players altogether. You can construct a modern industrial enclave to rival Asia’s Four Tigers within ten years. This is “People Power” in the deepest sense. This is 21st century grassroots self-help “development.”

Concluded

Onwuchekwa Jemie