The former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday in Lagos, decried the poor state of Nigeria’s economy, saying the condition is really overwhelming, particularly on the poor.
He said it was more disturbing that in spite of the huge potential human and material resources available and which Nigerians always tout about to grow the economy to a desirable state, the country continues to remain an exporter of raw materials and importer of expensive finished products.
He said the dire effects of this uneven economic arrangement are biting harder on Nigerians by the day.
He said if a country’s greatness came merely by speaking about it, Nigeria would have been among the greatest countries in human history.
“So, we must be truthful enough to acknowledge this lapse, bold enough to correct it, and tolerant enough not to endlessly vilify each other for causing it. We are all both cause, and hopefully a solution.
“So, let us all join hands to reform our country.”
Tinubu gave this position at the Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo while delivering the 25th convocation lecture of the university.
He is represented by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, at the event and spoke on a topic: “Global trends: The rightful place of Nigeria in the world.”
He also donated one billion naira worth of Centre for Leadership and Good Governance to the university for purpose of developing future leaders.
Speaking further, Tinubu said there was no need to apportion blame on neither the colonialists nor indigenous political leaders, as the fact remains that the country is in an economic mess.
“So, let us point our fingers at those challenges, identify them and commit ourselves to defeat them.
“This is the only leadership and collective effort the roadblocks to national progress can understand,” he stressed.
He said Nigeria must have to explore a digital economy without neglecting to trade intangible goods and services, build strong infrastructure and manufacturing, agriculture, sound education, real estate, and close up the youth unemployment gap, among others to attain economic greatness.
He added that Nigeria must have to refine crude oil locally rather than continue to import the finished petroleum products into the country and that Nigeria must have closed the wide gap between the rich and the poor.
In his remark, the Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo- Olu, who is also a visitor to LASU, urged the graduating students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they had acquired in the university and their other life experiences for the development of the country.
He said as a government, the state would continue to invest significantly in the education sector across levels, adding that sound education is what could lead the state and the country at large to genuine economic progress.
He promised that he and his team would endow a professorial chair at the leadership and good governance centre donated by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to LASU.
In her welcome address earlier, the vice-chancellor of the university, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, said the convocation lecture was designed to chart a workable part particularly for graduating students to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s economy.
Meanwhile, six eminent Nigerians were honoured by the university at the event which has the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero, in attendance.
They are Prof Peter Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), who is honoured with Emeritus Professorship the first in the history of the university. Others are the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, his counterpart in Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum; Chairman/CEO, Nigeria in Diaspora Commission, Mrs Abike Dabiri- Erewa; former chairman of First Bank Plc, Mrs Ibikunoluwa Awosika and the founder\CEO of Ikeja Hotel Plc, Mr Goodie Ibru.
Discussion about this post