Human development is the process of enlarging people’s freedoms and opportunities and improving their well being. Human development is about the real freedom ordinary people have to decide who to be, what to do, and how to live.

Nigeria’s Human Development Index, HDI, value for 2017 is 0.532 per cent, which puts the country in the low human development category, positioning it at 157 out of 189 countries and territories. Between 2005 and 2017, Nigeria’s HDI value increased from 0.465 to 0.532, an increase of 14.4 per cent.

This is extremely low for a country that has so many resources to use at their benefits. A country’s greatest investment is its citizens; they need to groom them to improve their wellbeing, enlarge their freedom and opportunity. People need to be allowed to decide who to be, what to do, and how to live.

In Nigeria we have a fast-growing population and the country is getting overpopulated by the day, which makes it hard for the government to include everyone in this developmental process. Nevertheless, we have other means as individuals to help contribute in our own way.

Typical Nigerian parents tell their children from childhood what they want them to become; they do not leave their children with options. The child has the right to choose his/her own career path without little or no influence from their parents.

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If the average Nigerian, who has been given the freedom and opportunity to be who they want to be, there would be more solutions to problems we face as Nigerians. Most Nigerians have oblivious mentality like the female has to be married by 30, a child has to study one of the most respectable professions and so on. And the reason for this is that children grow up with people who think this way. We need to break out this system cycle, if not there will be no improvement on our human development.

The human development concept has so many advantages. Persons who have sole authority over themselves know who they are and what they stand for. If groomed properly, nobody needs to tell them the right thing to do. Take for instance, during electioneering campaigns, a presidential candidate goes to a community to give his manifesto then starts sharing foodstuff, as a means of bribe, to buy their votes, the people already know who they want for the position and who they stand for and therefore their integrity will not be bought. It is also of our benefit to be aware and be able to comprehend the things going on around us. Most of us are ignorant and still very docile. It is a tragic problem.

If we have good HDI value it will also help us gain respect from countries all over the world and we will be able to stand up for ourselves and fight for favourable laws and policies. If the country has refused to groom and invest in their citizens, we need to take up the responsibility as individuals and do what is best for us, and our community at large.

Soyinka Fehintoluwa Oluwatosin writes from Lagos