You may have overheard someone say, “Nigeria is such a great opportunity”! What exactly are they talking about, you might ask? Is it sarcasm of the chaos and poor human development numbers so off-putting that we are all so familiar with? No.

To many commentators, it is because Nigeria is rich in natural resources. To others, it is Nigeria’s geo-strategic location on the Gulf of Guinea. Also, Nigeria’s vast landmass of about 923,768 square kilometres, about 853 kilometres of coastline and its rich soil, weather and climatic conditions. And to yet others, it is because Nigerians continue to compete, and in some cases outperform other nationals, in many fields of human endeavour at home and abroad, despite the many challenges that we face.

Those who think that Nigeria is such a “great opportunity” may not be wrong. This is because everything that we consume is produced by converting earth’s resources (until human-beings start exploiting resources in space) from natural forms into different forms that serve our needs and wants. It is human-beings that produce the goods and services we consume. We produce either directly and/or indirectly by the machines and the physical and virtual systems that we build. Nigeria has both the natural resources and the talent pool of people to produce, and the population to consume. But, we have not been able to effectively and efficiently use our resources to our collective advantage in ways that include and benefit every Nigerian.

No wonder then that many people so rightly imagine what Nigeria could achieve with its factor endowments, for co-producing the goods and services Nigerians need for a better life, and for export. They imagine what we can achieve if we could organise and develop production and supply pipelines more effectively and efficiently. We could easily meet the real needs and demand for safe food, nutrition and water. We could also easily meet demand for adequate shelter and sanitation, quality healthcare at the point of need, quality clothing items, problem-solving education, reliable forms of transportation and energy. This could create millions of decent tax-paying jobs to support individual Nigerians and households living in stable, peaceful and thriving communities that they identify with. The social capital benefits to local communities could be huge. Nigeria can become a [really] large market of over 200 million consumers and one of the best places to invest and to raise a family.

But, Nigerians are also very curious about other parts of the world. They want to travel, enquire, understand and appreciate other cultures, experience nature’s diversity, appreciate how the world works and the nature of global challenges and opportunities. Nigerians are networked and connected globally – thanks to the Internet and mobile technology – for sources of information and inspiration to provoke the imagination of what is possible.

This sounds all too simple and exciting. “Nigeria is such a complex country”. “This is Nigeria”. “It cannot happen in Nigeria”. “Where has it be done before?” “What experience do you have?”. This are but examples of the many pessimistic, disparaging, defeatist, and discouraging remarks (Nigeria-speak) by those who thrive on our weaknesses and together with their cross-border collaborators, continue to hold Nigeria back. Sadly, they are the Nigerians who have the kind of ‘experience’ for business as usual. They are also the ones who are elected (if you like, selected) or appointed into positions of consequential decision-making. It is not surprising that our country continues to under-perform to the disappointment and frustration of most Nigerians.

Seriously, it should not be that too difficult to think through the various components, connect them, support them and activate them to powerfully drive our growth engines. While we have made some progress, we are still far behind the ‘great Nigeria’ that is possible. This is within the context of our endowments in natural resources, ethnic diversity, and population size and shape. It will be factual to state that our relative failures are the manifest consequence of the choices that we have made. We have not leveraged on the strengths of our youth population and talent pool, our diversity and natural resources, to build strong citizens, strong households, and strong communities, to build Nigeria. As a result, we have failed to prepare and are therefore not ready to compete for opportunities in global spaces as economies go through their cycles and transitions.

Instead, we currently face real and present complex and multidimensional threats. While current global systems and conditions define and influence the nature of many of these threats in ways that are not within our control, some of these threats are within our control. The choices we make in our political structures, systems of laws, policies and actions, can modify the impact of unfair global trade that roots us at the bottom of the supply chain. What is our response to the foreseeable applications of artificial intelligence and the exploration of resources in space (the space economy)? These developments could potentially disrupt labour markets, value production, demand, and the nature of global supply chains, that could negatively impact our economic fundamentals.

What is our response to climate change? It could worsen natural disasters and exaggerate the effects on rural and urban communities. It could increase competition for resources and force mass migration to scales and extents that could challenge multiculturalism. This could increase the potential for discrimination, conflicts and insecurity. What is our response to the growing socio-political and economic inequalities and poverty in Nigeria? What is our response to vast populations left behind? Are we reacting instead of responding to the root causes of these threats, not the least of all, grand corruption at levels close to state capture, systemic corruption, insurgency and terrorism?

We have “the opportunity” for more urgent strategic response to these diverse threats. It should be “the opportunity” to rethink how to strengthen the pillars of support for our country. The political, legal and policy frameworks that shape social, economic and physical environmental conditions in Nigeria, also influence the behaviour of Nigerians. So, we are the products of the environments that we have created and our behaviour is reinforcing the very environments that define Nigeria. Our biggest challenge is how to create the kind of environments and national principles that can inspire Nigerians to be imaginative and to be part of something much better than ourselves and our tribes. What is Nigeria’s national idea? What is our national ethos? What does a Nigerian look up to, love and hold so dear about Nigeria to trust, hope and to believe in, especially in times of need? What is the Nigerian promise?

The starting point is to imagine what is possible with Nigeria in contrast with now. By focusing on what is possible, we can bring together a critical mass of Nigerians who really believe in the possibility of a better Nigeria. Nigerians with a different mind-set, who are not limited by greed, fears and impossibilities. Nigerians who are willing to explore radical ideas of what is required and possible to conquer new frontiers.

Here are some important thoughts to provoke us:

*Imagine what Nigeria can achieve if we have a national consciousness and challenge to succeed as a political, social and economic model and champion for the rest of Africa.

*Imagine what we can achieve if our political structures and systems recognise that Nigeria is actually a country made up of diverse ethnic nations and cultural identities. That our diverse peoples share fundamental values to form the basis of our unity and national identity.

*Imagine what we can achieve if our political structures and systems attracted the most knowledgeable and patriotic Nigerians, who are willing to make the sacrifice and to serve the Nigerian course greater than themselves.

*Imagine what we can achieve if our democracy meant that elected and appointed government officials were afraid of the Nigerian people.

*Imagine what we can achieve if we could link local-data and evidence with policies, and applied education in Nigeria to industrial production and markets, at home and abroad.

*Imagine what we can achieve if our systems were more transparent, and we had secure and mandatory registration systems on which we could identify every Nigerian and property on local and national databases.

*Imagine what we can achieve if we could progressively finance the inputs and processes of production and consumer demand, for goods and services.

Indeed, Nigeria is such an exciting prospect if we could imagine what we can achieve, to reset our country. Certainly not, if we continue our national journey, using the same level of thinking to inform and influence our laws, policies and actions.

The future articles under this column will further develop these thoughts to contribute towards national discourse, and will suggest new ideas that are based on strong evidence and best practice. The goal is to join other Nigerians intent on improving the overall performance of our country.

•Dr. David Kieghe is a London-based development and management consultant, researcher and activist. The column appears twice a month on the first and third Monday of each month.

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