The SolarEagles, Technology And Feudalists On Horseback Economics.

By Ebisike Ebube George

Progress is the first child of justice....
Napoleon III between 1808-1873 and ruled as Emperor of France from 1852 to 1870 and was part of several European political changes. He was son of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland and brother of Napoleon I. Napoleon III deployed domestic policies which were conflicting and ruled with an iron fist as a dictator, his cabinet was made up of dishonest adventurers similar to today's Nigerian presidential kitchen cabinet.

The legislature in his time was powerless and though all men could vote, the press was gagged, guess this rings a bell too. By the time, after 1860, Napoleon moved in the direction of a liberal empire, the damage had been done. The "Belleville Manifesto" published in 1869 was a document written by Leon Gambetta and it vehemently called for radical democracy.

These happenings of the industrial age were keenly realized by Napoleon III but due to his retrogressiveness he favoured state help for industries, banks, railroads and the poor of his time. He was labeled a "socialist on horseback". Napoleon III announced when he became emperor, that "The Empire means peace", when applied in the perspective and context of Nigeria's contemporary times it meant he belonged to nobody whilst belonging to everybody, yet he led France into a lengthy series of unfortunate and costly military adventures within regional Europe.

He was defeated and surrendered at Sedan on Sept. 2, 1870 and Revolutionists overthrew his empire two days after. He died three years later. Napoleon III was unlike his brother Napoleon I who was one of the greatest military commanders and tacticians in history. Napoleon I across the states he governed in his time granted constitutions, introduced law codes that shaped France of today, abolished feudalism, created efficient governments, fostered education, positive scientific frontiership and technological evolution, literature and advancement of the arts. Napoleon I left a legacy in Europe that was although hostile yet very progressive because he supported the sciences and growth of domestic technological projects and possibilities.

Fast forward to modern day Nigeria in 2019, where its leadership should be armed with history, so as to make informed decisions which will shape its successor generation, increase the competitiveness of its citizenry and drive economic advancement, rather it remains saddening that of about 40 bills in the last four years submitted for accent to President Buhari for which quite a number of them are science, technology and development based establishment bills, most have been declined accent.

The latest bill a country like Nigeria is discussing in the era of the fourth industrial revolution in 2019, and of pertinent national relevance is the June 12 bill signed into national reckoning. This is certainly a misplaced priority for a government that has led its nation into the globally renown status of poverty capital of the world with about 90 million people tagged as extremely poor.

Nigeria unfortunately is currently running a feudalist on horseback economic system as every six seconds according to bigdata monitoring of the World Poverty Clock and global institutions someone within Nigeria joins the poverty fray. This had led to countless stories of depression and increasing suicide numbers.

Nigeria is not a country big on psychotherapists and psychologist to aid this mêlée nor does it have viable social safety nets. Instead of borrowing a part of historic learning and problem solving methods such as how President Franklin Roosevelt managed America's 1930s great depression where foremost economic managers were drafted to deploy smart thinking, extraordinary fiscal policies and neoconventional monetary engineering to stimulate the economy, device a culture of pro-entrepreneurial knowhow, encourage barrier breaking scientific advancements which gave rise to the atom bomb and unstoppable forward strides for diversification of our yet to be multiprong ecomomy, we are stuck with the most banal of economic decision making.

This administration is unrealising that history will not be fair to it as it records and will recount its flaws and unforced foibles which has brought Nigeria to it's knees socioeconomically. Learning from our sublime encounter with history need not be idealistic or sisyphean as Nigeria needs proactive scientific Neuroleadership to cultivate the vast ideas daily being birthed across its geographical spaces.

One of such ideas and products is the coming of the Nigeria SolarEagles National Team. The painstaking phenomenology of the diverse entrepreneurs who makeup this team and birthed the "Eaglemobile Intelligent 9Jabolt Solar Car" which is to compete and actualise debut representation of Nigeria as well as being Africa's only showcase at the World Solar Challenge in October 2019 needs to be on the front burner of national discuss and impactful funding support. It remains sad that feudalist socialism which does not support private sector driven growth or R&D is rather preferred to capitalism and/or philantro-capitalism needed to driving the country's economic ship of state and therefore continues to leave Nigeria in the darkest of developmental spaces in the current world order. What a shame!

There had been the Electric car debate raised by the common sense persona of Senator Ben-Murray Bruce in the 8th Senate which just concluded it tenure in early June 2019. The debate about passing a bill to stop the importation of gasoline powered cars in Nigeria by 2035 was assassinated on arrival on the floor of the Nigeria National Assembly. All other forward thinking nations have taken such decisions to phase out fossil fuel cars. This electric car revolution is in tandem with signing of COP23 or the Paris Climate Pact.

The Electric car revolution also is positively actionable to curb climate change from global warming, protect the health of Nigerian and global citizens from carbon, NOx, particulate matter cum carcinogenic poisoning. Such a pathway will lead us and the global community to source new renewable energy regimes for our transportation as well as domestic/industrial energy systems and infrastructure in space whilst creating sustainable future decent jobs for our citizens in Nigeria who will become the third most populated of all nations by 2100. Nigeria needs to borrow a leaf from nations as India which through its past leadership choices from its predecessors and currently President Nahindra Modi who just won relection is producing fastest the CEO's who man the world's global firms that are providing jobs, pushing technological boundaries influencing neo-pop cultures and impacting virtually all of humanity palpably.

For reference note, Google's CEO is Indian, Adobe's CEO is Indian, Nokia's CEO is Indian, MasterCard's BOD is Indian, Amazon's CEO is Indian, Microsoft's CEO is Indian, Pepsico's CEO was until recently Indian and that used to be Indra Nooyi. Currently, NASA has 58% Indian employees, this also a testimony to why the Indian space agency is growing in leaps and bounds. The legend of Indian capabilities to run and lead global companies continues to thrive.

The outlook shows that in the next few years, India will be the World's business hub, not just only for IT and other sector specific corporates and organisations but that Indians phenomenon will shape the futurist outcomes as man is set to become a two and/or more planet species. We also have several Indians running very successful companies in Nigeria.

The question is what has led to these Indian opportunities of dominance in the global corporate system? It clearly must be a synergy of all of the Indian population who like the Chinese are very determined to leave a huge footprint of excellence, that will cast a shadow on poverty to drive new sustainable growth at home and beyond, all these deliberately and inclusively crafted by the public and private sector policies and action.

The Nigeria private sector needs to financially bolster, mentor and incubate frontier technology ideas, there are no two ways about it. This brings us to celebrate the 25 year old Kenyan engineer and innovator Roy Allela who recently created gloves that turn sign language into audible speech to aid the impaired in society, what an ingenious functional technological feat!

Furthermore on the black innovation front breaking news just hit about the emergence of the first Black owned Bank launched in the United States known as One United Bank which is led its woman President and COO Teri Williams. Her words "if you're always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be. We encourage the Black Community to celebrate the amazing past, present and future Queens in our community".

One United Bank's launch of a Queen Visa Debit Card under its Royalty Campaign to recognise women who exude #BlackMagic using powerful noiristique icons as Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisholm, Oprah Winfrey, Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Beyonce and Angela Davis.

These speak volumes to black empowerment history driven by women. In line with celebrating women who are blazing trails, we give accolades to champions of innovation in their own right as Miss Tola Salau, Mrs. Princessa Adaeze Lulu Aggrey amongst other growth driven heroines pushing to empower our young generation and adults with knowledge in healthy living, lifestyle and STEM. Such crusades and actions are truly commendable. STEM for the girl child is key to every nation's human capital growth and treasure trove of growth and must never be trifled with. Nigeria must wake up to is responsibility to lead Africa and the Black race to her pride of place whilst making contributions to the future body of knowledge and global development.

Ebisike Ebube George is a Scientist, Researcher, Writer, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Aspiring Astronaut and is Chief Scientist/Team Captain of the Nigeria SolarEagles National Team.