A former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, on Saturday
declared that the country had failed as a nation since gaining independence in
1960, Punch reports. Obi lamented the failure of successive governments in the country.
The former governor warned that the increasing spate of
agitations by various ethnic-nationalities in the country in recent times might
get out of control if governments at all levels did not put measures in place
that would create employment for jobless youths.
He spoke in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, on Saturday
while delivering an anniversary lecture organised by the state government as
part of activities to mark the 57th anniversary of the country and Ebonyi State
at 21.
The theme of the anniversary lecture was, ‘Ebonyi State:
yesterday, today and tomorrow.’
He said, “Nigeria is a failed country. The country is going
backward. Not thinking of the future; that is why there are agitations
everywhere. The agitations are just starting. There are millions of jobless
youths doing nothing in the country. Most young people have lost their future.
“Nigeria is in the wrong direction. The country is not doing
well. The indices of good governance are very clear worldwide. The only way to
stop the agitations is to engage the youths in meaningful ventures. The world
is selling knowledge and not baggage economy. Nigeria needs to embrace
knowledge-based economy. With such an economy in place, by the year 2020, the
country would join the world to create 25 million job opportunities for the
youth.”
The former governor emphasised that overdependence on oil as the
mainstay of the nation’s economy was no longer fashionable and tenable.
“Oil is destined to finish in the next 30 years. The Federal
Allocation Committee is one of the things that make us lazy. Nobody is willing
to work except to go to Abuja on a monthly basis to share money. Our reserve is
weak.
Obi disagreed with the claim of the Federal Government that the
country had exited recession citing widespread poverty as the reason.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Contact Us
Email: publisher@absolutehearts.com
Phone/whatsapp: +2348027922363