This recession is a blessing in disguise for our nation, especially for our youth… With the right attitude, programmes and policies, this recession can inspire and propel our nation to greatness, forcing us to think inside and outside of our boxes and work on ourselves as we create new products and services.
What we need in Nigeria currently is more innovation, and more visionary thinkers who are innovative. We need to get our youth excited about innovative thinking and entrepreneurship. If we want to break the cycle of the myriad of unemployed youth contributing nothing to society, we must foster an environment that is conducive to innovation. Importantly, our educational system needs a radical transformation.
We are in a time like no other in our nation. Millions of people are losing their jobs, our public health system is in shambles, the price of food is sky high and businesses are struggling. It is a disillusioning period and the look of despair is on all faces. Our economy is strained and the poverty in our country unimaginable, with one hearing forlorn tales of people trading their children for food or stealing food from stove pots, in daily occurrences.
Real progress in being able to move our country forward will require creativity and innovative ideas, skills that must be nurtured. It is a continual process that will pay dividends for our future. It would enable us to find solutions to the problems that beset us; like how to solve our energy problem, becoming self reliant in food production, and how to contain our health crisis to name a few of the issues before us. We must start thinking now, and get off our collective inertia. Our future as a nation is bleak if we fail to embrace the urgency to focus on creativity and innovation.
The upside is that in times of adversity, people dig deeper to find newer means of survival. According to experts, when you are faced with doing more with less, that drives people to innovativeness and creativity, in ways that they were unable to when complacent, with a lot at hand. You learn to stretch your meagre resources to get the most from it. The good news is that Nigerians are experts in this aspect. There just needs to be a nurturing environment for this to excel and for the framework to be applied across the many sectors that need rejuvenation like our businesses, education, etc.
Historians have stated that the most innovative periods for nations were when they were forced to become creative to survive. Think of Britain and the United States of America during World War II. The hardships of the Great Depression spurred a period of unparalleled creativity.
Iconic landmarks such as the Manchester Central Library, Manchester Town hall extension, the Mersey Tunnel and the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in the UK were all built in the early 1930s.
Legendary innovations came about during times of adversity, like the creation of the TV, neoprene, penicillin, iron lung, scoth tape, car radio, jet engine, electron microscope, polaroid photography, etc. Opportunities were seen during adversities and value was created.
Even nature shows us that stress, conflict and adversity produce gems; think of the creation of pearls. Natural Pearls form when an irritant – usually a parasite and not the proverbial grain of sand – works its way into an oyster, mussel, or clam. As a defense mechanism, a fluid is used to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating, called ‘nacre’, is deposited until a lustrous pearl is formed.
Our education needs a huge dose of innovation, which we also need to inject into training our students to see solutions to problems and focus on practicalities. We need the tools and practices of innovation to be taught to our students.
This recession is a blessing in disguise for our nation, especially for our youth, if we can assist them by laying the foundation of an enabling environment. They can create new businesses; solve endemic Nigerian problems and help drive down unemployment. Above all, their activities will resuscitate our ailing economy. With the right attitude, programmes and policies, this recession can inspire and propel our nation to greatness, forcing us to think inside and outside of our boxes and work on ourselves as we create new products and services.
Innovation is needed to lift the country from the doldrums; exciting ideas and methods are required to keep us moving forward.
Innovation is a new way of doing things that results in positive change. It makes life better. It sustains economic prosperity. It increases productivity, which leads to increases across the board – profits, higher salaries, a better economy and improved and longer lives. We need to transform smart ideas that tackle and address real problems into products and services that everyone wants. Innovation needs to be the mantra in Nigeria.
Innovation is the small continual improvements that lead to progress and make life better for all of us. Continuing as we have always done will not help us survive these tumultuous times. Adapting means looking at new ways to solve current problems. Creativity will take work and it doesn’t stop. Commit to continual progression all the time.
According to the Late Steve Jobs, everyone is an innovator. Yes, even the market woman. We need to empower people to see their God given talents and abilities.
We need to think differently about the recession and embrace innovation happily. It will save us.
Our education needs a huge dose of innovation, which we also need to inject into training our students to see solutions to problems and focus on practicalities. We need the tools and practices of innovation to be taught to our students.
Further discussion about steps to bring about this are forthcoming, as this is necessary in rewiring our mindsets for the development and progress of society.
Adetola Salau, Carismalife4U@gmail.com, an advocate of STEM education, public speaker, author, and social entrepreneur, is passionate about education reform.
