Governor of Rivers State Siminalayi Fubara, the former Deputy National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Bode George, Senator Gbenga Daniel, and eminent Nigerians have appealed to those in positions of authority to formulate policies that would move the country forward, economically and politically, stressing that bad policies were responsible for the country’s retrogression.
They spoke at the 6th yearly lecture organised by Freedom online publication on the topic, “Nigeria’s Socio-Political Challenges: Whose fault, leaders or the led?”
Fubara, the Special Guest Speaker, was represented at the event by a high delegation of members of his state Cabinet, led by Dr Tele Ikuru, the former deputy governor. He said Nigerians should take full ownership of the problems facing the country and that the problems are surmountable if those in positions of authority prioritise the interests of the vulnerable in society when formulating policies.
He maintained that bad policies keep causing the country to retrogress, saying, “Foreigners will not fix Nigeria for us. The poor governance and underdevelopment cycle will persist until Nigerians fully own the country’s problems and solutions. The choice is ours: to act decisively and change Nigeria’s trajectory or remain in a state of stagnation, blaming one another while the nation deteriorates.”
Senator Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun State, said Nigerian leaders are to blame for most of the country’s problems.
He said the country would be better off if the leaders developed reasonable policies, stressing why Nigeria should spend foreign currency to import what can be produced.
Chief George maintained that what is happening in Nigeria should be examined critically and that a solution to the country’s challenges should be found.
He stressed that we Nigerians seem not to have learnt from our past mistakes, and it is wrong for the masses to be subjected to abject poverty despite the huge natural resources God has endowed the country with.
In his opening remarks, the publisher of Freedom On, Mr Gabriel Akinadewo, noted that in the last 26 years, Nigeria has been under civil rule, and there is a need to candidly assess whether Nigerians are satisfied with the state of our nation.
