: letter to Chief of Army Staff Nigeria 🇳🇬

[Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth]

Dear Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu,

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Nigeria,

You are a Mechanical Engineer — the “Engineer of Engineers,” as Mechanical Engineers are often called.

Military Engineers are regarded as some of the finest engineers in the world because, among other qualities, they excel in adaptation. The war mechanic is often the best mechanic.

The Nigerian Army Engineering Corps earned my admiration when they reportedly acquired an armoured carrier design from China valued at about ₦300 million and successfully produced a similar operational version locally for about ₦100 million. That achievement deserves commendation. I salute them.

Prince Philip, father of King Charles III, once remarked that anything not invented by GOD was invented by Engineers. Without Engineers, humanity would still be living in caves.

I was raised by an Engineer, so I cannot point at my father’s house with the wrong finger. Coincidentally, my younger brother turns 52 today, and he too is a Mechanical Engineer.

Engineers love communicating through mathematics, so permit me to present what I call the Augustine Togonu Bickersteth Presidential Task Equation.

The Nigerian Presidential Task Equation is about the unenviable responsibility of leadership in a nation of over 300 ethnic groups.

UT = Unenviable Task

The task of allocating:

* Power

* Position

* Resources

* Responsibility

* Public goods and services

* Safety and security

* Serenity and sustainability

* Talent and content

across more than 300 ethnic nationalities, languages, cultures, and interests.

Thus:

UT = P1 + P2 + R1 + R2 + PG + PS + T1 + C1 + S1 + S2 + S3 + S4 + 300E + L + C

where C remains a constant.

That is the Nigerian Presidential Task Equation.

As Governor Dapo Abiodun wisely stated:

“There is a nexus between criminality and unemployment.”

Those are profound words.

As mathematicians like Pastor Enoch Adeboye would say, “A problem properly defined is half solved.” He further explains that one moves from mathematical analysis to vector analysis, then to tensors, spinors, and beyond until solutions are found. In other words, one must keep trying.

It is therefore defeatist for any public official to suggest that solutions are impossible. Nigeria must aspire to excellence, not limitations.

Prince Dapo Abiodun has promised the people of Ogun State improved and more stable power supply. Leadership must inspire hope and practical outcomes.

Poverty is not our portion. Nigeria should not be travelling down the poverty lane; we should be on the prosperity highway. We are October 1st — we should strive to be Number One in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, technology, culture, and the creative industries.

Chief of Army Staff, I write partly because you have the ears of the Commander-in-Chief. Ultimately, the buck stops at the desk of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Nigeria’s greatest challenge is unemployment.

There are three major problems confronting Nigeria today:

1. Unemployment

2. Unemployment

3. Unemployment

With tens of millions unemployed, the consequences inevitably affect security, crime, social stability, and national development.

We must stop reckless importation and strengthen local production.

Please consider researching what Nigeria spends annually importing:

* Garments

* Furniture

* Building materials

* Food items

* Generators and generator fuel

* Maintenance services

The figures run into billions of dollars yearly.

Nigeria reportedly spends:

* Over $10 billion annually importing food items

* Between $8–9 billion importing furniture

* Billions more on generators and fuel due to unstable electricity supply

Water-borne diseases and poor sanitation also cost the nation hundreds of billions of naira annually in healthcare costs and lost productivity.

Additionally, experts estimate that fully empowering women and closing the gender gap could add over $229 billion to Nigeria’s GDP.

These are not merely statistics; they are opportunities being lost.

Nigeria possesses the talent, population, resources, and intellectual capacity to become one of the leading nations on earth. What is required is disciplined implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and the political will to support local industry and employment creation.

Respectfully submitted,

Augustine Togonu Bickersteth

London, England 🇬🇧