Umuahia — The things that happen in this country never fail to amaze me as to why they happen at all. Before independence, this nation may not have been wealthy, yet, there was abundance. Abundance for me is a state in which every member of this great nation, who desire food can find that on his table or on his floor, if that is his choice, without having to want to kill himself.

This was the scenario before, during and slightly after independence. I grew up to meet it. Those who could not afford to go to the few super markets and grocery stores would then have a way to get whatever they wanted on their tables. Around most houses in the city was a small garden, where families planted all manner of vegetables, pepper, etc. The items they could avoid buying, they got or supplemented from their gardens. Homes in the villages faired far better. Almost every family in the family had a big garden by the sides and behind the residential houses. Most of the food items, eaten in those days were fresh and taken straight from the gardens. A child who returned from school to feed, all he needed do, was to go back into the backyard, dig up some holes and he had tubers of fresh yams, which he could boil and eat with vegetables, pepper and oil, gotten from the same backyard garden.

But today, all that has given way with no alternative in view. And the consequence is what is here with us. Today, millions of families wake up in this nation that produce oil, without knowing where the next meal will come from. Today, the world is singing a new but dangerous song. We all call it 'economic meltdown.' Economic meltdown is a diplomatic word for economic crisis or depression. Depression is a sign post that the economic space which provides food for the people is shrinking and that as it is; only very few can find space to earn a living. It also means that wide spread starvation is now the lot of millions across the world.

In world economic system, just as in the relationship between the rich and the poor, whenever there is displacement or slight shift in the equilibrium, the group that suffers most is the poor or those down the economic ladder. Given past experiences of world depression, every elementary calculation is that African countries, including Nigeria, her supposed giant would be the worst hit. Yet, how has the world reacted? In the developed world, the approach has been both scientific and practical. Psychologists say a prepared mind can weather any storm. The authorities in this clime have not hidden the fact that their nations would be passing through another painful phase in the life of their nations. Like true human-beings with brain, they first of all studied the situation, identify the problem, areas to be hit and prescribed targeted situations. Then, because these countries have respect for the citizens, the authorities went to town not only with genuine explanations but, clear facts on how a responsive government intends to achieve a turn around.

Anybody in our nation, who is privileged to hear America President, Barack Obama or his British counterpart talk on how this current recession affects their nations, will know that real human-beings and indeed leaders occupy those places. When they talk of the problems of recession, they speak with vision and authority; they give statistics, mention clearly areas and then tell you in vivid terms what solutions can be applied. In these countries, the President, members of the National Assembly and the heads of central bank are under constant fire and scrutiny as to what they are saying and doing.

Let's draw from the American example. What has impressed me is that Barack Obama's solution is built on actions taken in thirties by President Roosevelt in response to the great depression of 1939. Then President Roosevelt in response to the economic crisis pumped more money into the economy. One account that I read say, emergency jobs were created to keep people employed and they were paid good wages to ensure continuous expenditure, which will keep up demand and create opportunity for those with ability to create jobs. The government on itself encouraged massive reconstruction and rebuilding. In 2009, there is another crisis. Like in the time past, another American President, who is very young but well educated, has come up with a plan which significantly draws from past practices and experiences.

Now compare that with our reaction. Even in the midst of the suffocating effect of the economic close up, 60% of Nigerians do not know what is happening to them. All they see and feel is that suddenly the cost of garri and rice, their staple food is going beyond them. All they see is that those little things they could do in the past, they can no longer do them now with ease. Increasingly, the space is closing. Young, able men are jumping into the streets in large numbers to constitute nuisance. Our beautiful girls are finding new ways to debase womanhood. Prostitution is becoming acceptable profession. Yet, nobody and especially those whose responsibility it is to look after us, has distilled the trouble and to explain this to the people. Still, this would have been the right thing to do.

Now let me ask, is this nation immune or vulnerable to world economic depression? If the answer is no, then what has been our scientific answer to it as a people? I have heard governments say there is cut in the salaries of public office holders. I ask again, what has cut in the salaries of politicians in public positions got to do with a fundamental crisis such as economic depression? I call all these backside thinking. The strategic thinking should be to identify areas that can be worst hit and to see what they need. Is it priority spending, increased spending or new legislations? It is important like Americans are doing to identify areas of the economy that will need massive stimulation. This is time to streamline how to spend oil money. Besides, the era of sloganeering on basic problems should be over. The time has come when leaders at all levels, talking about our problems, should be able to say, pertaining to education for example: this is the population that desires this level of education, look at what is available, this is what the parents can do and finally, this is the level the state would move things in two or three years. This is the way a backward society like ours should go if truly we desire to create a state in which the dignity of the human-person will be restored and firmly entrenched.

Egbu wrote from Umuahia