by Chuba Ezekwesili

In the midst of hunger and rise in food prices lies the opportunity to have effective industrial farms crossed with unabating demand. So much opportunity exists that we remain unaware of. It’s time we break out of this defeatist and complacent mindset. No one makes lemonade by simply staring at the lemons.

I’ve often been accused of being a writer of doom and gloom: focusing on the negative parts of Nigeria and never the positives. And once again, I’ll do that. Howbeit, this time with a twist of positive. One catch though, the positives tend to differ in nature from the negatives. In the world of econometricians, the negatives tend to be largely independent variables, while the positives tend to be dependent variables. For the economic greenhorns, fear not: explanations avail. Most of the negatives that occur in Nigeria are not due to the independent actions of individuals. Rather, these negatives stem from corrupt and inefficient systems, made worse by the collective nonchalance of individuals. Hence, they are independent variables. Alternatively, the positives are dependent variables because…well, they’re dependent on our actions.They only exist So in an analogical nutshell, when life gives you lemon, turn it to lemonade. The lemon is independent, the lemonade is dependent.

So what do all these variables and analogies have to do with Nigeria? Live abroad for several years and come back to Nigeria, and the inefficiencies in the system become glaringly obvious. Things are simply more cumbersome in Nigeria. Need to cash a cheque or deposit some money in the bank? long queues. Purchasing a plane ticket at the airport? Long queues and buggering ticket hustlers. Start your business? Long paper work and Government bureaucracy. For those who have never had the ‘pleasure’ of attending the first registration day of NYSC Camp, you’ll never understand the undue amount of stress that an inefficient system can create. Such inefficient systems have a dual effect of time wasting and stressing out the lives of the average citizen.

So how can all these inefficiencies create anything positive? The lemon’s here, where’s the lemonade? These inefficiencies create what can be referred to as a time gap. This time gap is simply that ‘unproductive time’ created by an inefficient system. A time when little can be done, save waiting. However, a lot can be done depending on the action taken by the individual. Output at that given time is completely dependent on the action of the individual. One can either choose to grumble, do nothing or one engage in positive reflection. In the microwave world where everyone engages in actions without any form of reflection, such pocket of ‘unproductive time’ can engender reflection.

Most importantly, it gives one the opportunity to consider solutions to fixing these inefficient systems rather than simply being a passive observer. Where inefficiency exists, it simply means that something better can be done. It simply means that a lot of room remains for untapped economic development spurred by the private sector. The multiple number of woes abounding in Nigeria indicates that we are simply not close to where we should be as a nation and as individuals. In developed nations like the United States, almost every market imaginable is saturated. The maturity of such societies have ensured that little or no low hanging fruits remain. However, the number of docile, young and inefficient systems/markets in Nigeria suggests that opportunity abounds. Dangote proved this. In a nation where most things are being imported, he simply realized that the inefficiencies of the system gave him a profound opportunity create local value. With his efficiency and business acumen, he went on to become a household name. In the midst of so much unemployment lies the opportunity create jobs.

In the midst of hunger and rise in food prices lies the opportunity to have effective industrial farms crossed with unabating demand. So much opportunity exists that we remain unaware of. It’s time we break out of this defeatist and complacent mindset. No one makes lemonade by simply staring at the lemons.

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Chuba Ezekwesili is a graduate of Economics & Political Science from Claremont Mckenna College. He currently works for the Civil Society Legislative Center (CISLAC). He enjoys reading up on matters pertaining to Economics and is also an avid technology geek with a belief that the intersection of both can create immense economic development. He tweets from @ceezeks.

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.