Lessons Nigerians must learn from Chilean mine rescue

By Paul Arhewe
Just like in the movies, 32 Chileans and a Bolivian, trapped miles beneath the rocks of a Chile’s mine for 68 days, were all rescued in a task that was achieved through coordinated state- might and a determined commitment that spared no cost to see that they were reconnected to their loved ones and the rest of the world. Millions of dollars were committed to bring specialists from NASA and some drilling experts within the shortest time, just to rescue the miners. The successful rescue of the 33 is peculiar as this would be the first time in human history that miners trapped for over two months beneath the earth, came out alive.
As it will be recalled, on August 5, 2010, the 33 miners were literarily cut-off from the rest of the world as 700,000 tonnes of rock collapsed and caved in on them. They only had a glimpse of hope of surviving this nightmare 17 days later. This mine rescue was the second event which brought the country into world focus this year. The first was in February, when a devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake that left about 500 people dead and more people missing, hit the country. The country’s resolute and spirited show of oneness in the face of disaster, has given credence to the general assertion that South American people have strong sense of national identity and commitment to the welfare of one another.
The Chileans have successfully taught the rest of the world, especially Nigeria, how to turn a miserable and hopeless situation into glory. As a matter of fact, many observers have expressed fear that if this event had taken place in Nigeria, the rescued mine workers would have perished without any assistance. Authorities in Nigeria should note that, while Copiapo would have gone into history as a mine site of mass grave, it is now a place where patriotic valour is celebrated.
The country has even begun to reap from this brandished exhibition of commitment to national goal of protecting life and properties of her citizens. To many analysts and observers of international politics, Chilean President, Sabastian Pinera, posing in front of Number 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister David Cameron, is a great diplomatic mileage achieved by Chile. Ipso facto, the country has continued to enjoy universal appreciation of the historic rescue of the trapped miners.
Although the country had a bad record of human rights abuse, especially during the dictatorship rule of Augusto Pinochet from 1974 to 1990, what entire world has learnt from Chileans is that, there is no limit to the level of success to be achieved when a nation directs her energies towards genuine goal of making the difference. Nigeria must learn from this fact and begins to redirect her energies towards developmental activities capable of making her true giant of Africa before the end of the first quarter of this century.
Nigeria has much to learn from President Pinera’s assertion that, “Chileans are facing more challenges with the same enthusiasm and commitment, especially on how to improve and strengthen their economic relations; how to work together in terms of education and many other issues”. One big lesson to be learnt from this globally celebrated event is that no problem is insurmountable for any country as long as there is genuine will and commitment from both the people and their government for that purpose.
The pertinent question here is whether or not Nigeria, the self-acclaimed Africa giant, would have attained same feat, given the same scenario; would our government have got the same zeal and commitment to put a stop to its business and go the whole length to commit vast resources in rescuing 33 ‘ordinary’ miners, especially when victims are not directly or ‘indirectly’ related to those in the corridors of power?
Like many people have expressed, it is quite evident that this sort of rescue mission would have been a complete flop in Nigeria as tribalism and other centrifugal considerations would have had a visible role to play in scuttling the rescue effort. The question many would have asked is whether or not the victims are Yorubas, Hausas or Ibos? Many ethnocentric arguments would have sprung up. If the government had demonstrated the will to commit its time and resources to the rescue mission, opposition would have delayed and eventually scuttled it. The commitment of government would have worn out with many selfish demands which have no relevance to the timely intervention required by rescue of the miners.
Recently, Nigerian government put up a similar show of commitment to rescue the abducted journalists in Abia state. However, the exhibited commitment of the government was more of a function of the personality of those kidnapped. Before their abduction, several people had been kidnapped in many parts of the federation without any serious rescue effort either by the government or its security agencies.
President Pinera might have used the rescue mission to score some political points at home and on the internationally stage, but this does not diminish the fact that the Chileans have a strong sense of national identity, an attribute Nigeria with an ethnocentric and divisive cleavages, should adopt.