Article published in The Nation Newspaper

27/01/2010

Haitians are not just our cousins, they are our extended family, our brothers and sisters separated by slavery. Nigeria has oil, Haiti boil in political misery. Now, Haiti’s natural disaster, an earthquake, is 150 times more devastating in human and material losses than Nigeria’s repeatedly self inflicted ‘man made’ disaster in Jos caused by religious intolerance. On the other hand, Haitians have, in spite of their New Year 2010 prayers for change have historically suffered slavery, bad government, corruption, incompetence and as a result ‘benefited’ from UN intervention. The legacy of the goggle-eyed Tonton Macout, the two doctors –Papa Doc and BabyDoc- and the current lethal gangs- and adherance to voodoo, have all contributed to the mystic, mystery and murderous image of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Nigerians at all levels, official and private and personal should motivate each other to collect cash, for survivors of both catastrophies. Already churches, mosques, businesses, government, societies, families, you and me are hopefully collating and collecting cash for the UN or International Red Cross Haitian Fund. We in Educare Trust, like many, collected cash for the Tsunami Relief. The Tsunami relief resulted in a lot of wasted goods, with mountains of useless, discarded or rejected second hand clothing and food and expired or useless drugs. We should not repeat the same mistake in Haiti and Jos. There is no benefit in donating pots and pans and beds for Haiti. They will never be transported. Let it be cash, cash, cash and pray it will be used responsibly.  For the Jos Relief Fund, cash should also be first choice through the Red Cross/ Blue Crescent and others if you are based far away. There is little value in sending a lorry load of plastic buckets on a one week trip or food stuff that can better be purchased in the vicinity or in Makurdi. Of course, just like cash the goods can also ‘get lost’. Everyone should be collecting something to send at least to Jos.

This new discovery has relevance to disasters like in Haiti. There is a new rice from India where research has found rice that does not need cooking. The information was on BBC so it is as authentic as the President Yar Adua interview! The new rice is a hybrid developed from mixing several rice species. It is not a GM, genetically modified, rice crop and therefore has no emotional, ethical, moral, social or other barriers. It has a 145 day production cycle,yeilding 4.5 tonnes a hectare. As it requires no cooking it will save time and fuel in every rice home. Not everyone eats hot rice and the heating often only contributes to cooking. For most rice eaters they first let the rice cool to almost room temperature before eating it. A smart Indian research team must have seen this while waiting hungrily for ‘Rice is Ready’ at an Indian bukateria and asked –why does rice have to be cooked?- and brainstormed and submitted proposals to many organisations before anyone was foolish enough or brave enough to fund the research.  Let us face it. If you can eat rice without cooking it just imagine the social, military, scientific and environmental savings in costs, and time effects and security advantages for feeding the troops.

This is definitely Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO, Prize and Nobel Prize for Science material for the dedicated research team. It is also not a moment too soon, as with the global environmental changes and the difficulties with access to water, any food item that can go from ricebag to starving stomach without cooking will save billions in costs for fuel and save billions of litres of water annually.  Those who cook rice are aware that the water is lost in three ways –steam during boiling, rice water poured off down the drain and water used to wash clean the pot after use.

This new rice is a lesson for Nigerian politicians tasked with the responsibility cater for Nigerians. They must increase the funds to scientists in reseach institutions to pursue dreams and ‘silly’ research. We were taught ‘No knowledge is wasted, even negative results’. Some Indian must have had the ‘silly’ idea of ‘cookless rice’. Not so silly if they win the Nobel Prize, abi? Research authorities and those with research purse strings, need to be creative and liberal to allow their staff and institutions stay at the cutting edge of research. Only such liberalism will provide solutions like food and water in adequate and cheap amounts for the hunger and poverty facing the masses.

Developing world politicians must realise that ‘research is not a sophisticated waste of time by wasteful men and women in white coats staring down microscopes’. Research made everything the politician values from dusk to dawn, cars to planes. Africa’s politicians must be told that even negative research results are positive in application. Nigeria has had numerous aging Agricultural Research Institutions on huge parcels of land founded to feed Nigerians with the latest ideas, seeds and cereals, and provide visionary management advise for forests and crops management. Many of them are ethnic enclaves of disrepute and scientific stagnation, starved of commonly available infrastructure like water, housing and of course generators where power is an essential research prerequisite. CountdowNigeria@50- 246 demands adequate research funds but to become a nation Nigeria must solve the Jos problem as well.