If ever there is a particular relativity of which the entire human race just couldn’t
collectively conquer in unison, that relativity
would be the concept known as time.
If actually deeply reflected, one may say that what we perhaps think to be the
concept of time together as humans
can be just mere valuables produced
within an agreed period and these valuables may differ greatly in space. In
other words, we don’t actually agree on time itself but we agree on the
achievement produced within a systemic allocated period in order to appreciate
time. For example, if a speechwriter failed to produce the speech for a
President or chairman of a company in given specific within a period, the
pressure will crank up on those within that line of duty. Meanwhile, in another
space, a nursing mother of that same establishment, that same office who is on
maternity leave would not feel an atom of this pressure whatsoever. In fact,
the appreciation of the concept called time in that same unit differs. The
President would not appreciate the speech delivered outside the deadline while
the nursing mother would cherish her much needed rest from work with her new
born baby without equating with deadlines. For the President or chairman
however, the concept of time becomes
deadline related. Therefore, the value
of time has become relative in space
in accordance to relative usage. Consequentially, it is easy to say time remains constant while yet in
motion.
And so to my astonishment a few days ago, I saw
something online on the Mind Blowing Facts twitter account; which says that the distances between the
years 1998 and 2030 are the same. Now for those of us who are nearing our
fortieth years on planet earth, it sounds absolutely impossible that 1998 which
is not too far away in our minds is exactly the same in distance to 2030; which
seems so far away also in our minds. What it simply means is that sixteen years
ago is 1998 and in another sixteen years is 2030. And as time continues to
spin, turn while remaining constant, it blurs old phenomenon and evolves new ones.
These acts then produce valuables or otherwise of which we measure time with.
It is therefore within this concept that I seek to
explain the obsolescent of resources in relation to the recent fall
in the global price of oil. Without much over flogging of the importance of oil
to Nigeria’s economy; let’s delve directly into the catastrophe the Nigerian
economy would experience should oil becomes obsolete or unimportant as a
resources in the nearest future. The idea of what is a resource or what is not a resource
is directly proportionate to time;
which in turn influences the demand and usage of it.
What we use as oil today is a product of time, locked up
over time and now being used in time.
Back then in the early 1800’s when Great Britain
detected oil in the North Sea, the economic cost of extracting the oil
immediately was way over the gains of the oil; therefore the oil was not of economic
value to Britain until sometime around 1853. Likewise, what made Ghana a very
rich nation in the past was gold. In time, gold’s economic demand became
obsolete to the yearnings of the world.
Though gold is still there in Ghana and other places as we speak, its
value has reduced overtime.
Same thing will happen to oil over time and Nigeria
will need some of her best hands in dealing with the crisis that will emanate
when the world decides that our oil is of no use to them as much again. Maybe
by then we would rush back to agriculture which was our mainstay before 1960.
It is time to start serious relations with time and its
relativity in Nigeria.
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