The Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria (ILEWN) has stated that poverty in Nigeria is a man-made problem, not natural, saying Nigerians have the responsibility to find solutions to the malaise and not God.
The organisation also said that it is the civic duty of all knowledgeable Nigerians to proffer lasting solutions to the problem of poverty in the country through critical thinking that will produce fruitful ideas.
Executive director, ILEWN, Amb Splendor Agbonkpolor made the statements yesterday in Abuja during a roundtable discussion on economic diversification with the theme: “The Participatory Role of Youths in Nation Building; The Government and the Private Sector Drive of Nigeria Economy from Oil Based Economy to a Robust Private Sector-driven Economy”
Agbonkpolor said poverty is wreaking havoc on the lives and living of Nigerian people, stressing the need for genius to come together to rescue the situation with ideas.
He said, “The deplorable condition of our dear Nigeria is no longer deniable. The situation presently is so overwhelming that all well-meaning Nigerians can no longer afford to sit idle and refuse to do something that can make a positive difference in the affairs and fortunes of Nigeria and its citizens.”
Agbonkpolor said the agonising situation is threatening so hard to sink the country along with her citizens if appropriate measures are not urgently taken.
He stressed the obvious that Nigeria is a highly blessed country, devoid of all forms of fatal natural disasters such as earthquakes, drought, cyclone, tornados that confront other nations and endanger the lives of their citizenry.
Little wonder, he said it is often jokingly said that God is a Nigerian.
“Imagine if any of the natural disasters happens in Nigeria, the adversity of the people would have been undescribable because natural disasters are very difficult to prevent as their occurrence is completely beyond human control. All thanks to God for giving us Nigeria, a land with stable climatic conditions and vast arable soil beneath which are lying precious stones of monumental economic benefit,” he said.
