•demand focus on solid minerals, industrialisation, digital infrastructure, tourism, youth empowerment, education.
•as Ogun, Oyo govs demand solid minerals moved from exclusive to concurrent
Vice President, Kashim Shettima; Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu; Governor of Ogun State, Mr Dapo Abiodun has resuscitated calls for active diversification of the nation’s economy from oil to non-oil sectors if the nation is to attain its vast potential and possibilities.
Noting the rhetoric about the need for diversification of the economy, not in deeds, they decried that the nation continued to be categorized as underdeveloped as it was still highly reliant on oil.
Gathered for the Senator Abiola Ajimobi roundtable and 74th posthumous birthday, held at the University of Ibadan, on Saturday, they said Nigeria must move way from reliance on fossil fuels to solid minerals, industrialisation, youth empowerment, serious investment in education, tourism, infrastructure, social welfare, health, power, agriculture, digital infrastructure economy, to attain sustainable development.
Leading the charge, Shettima represented by his Senior Special Assistant, Legal and Compliance Matters, Mr Bashir Maidugu, said the nation must harness its youthful population, attract private investment, invest in tourism, and rectify the infrastructure deficit.
He bemoaned that the nation’s problems are self-inflicted, urging leaders and followers alike to play their roles for a better society.
Noting that the nation had the potential to dominate Africa, he stressed that the present government must ensure it attracts private investment, saying the private sector has a huge role to play for the nation to attain its potential.
Speaking, Adelabu, who was keynote speaker, decried that highly bandied diversification of the economy has only been in words not deed as earnings from petroleum products remain the nation’s major source of revenue.
He said the nation’s options to attain sustainable development are limited to unleashing the vast potential in this country through industrialization, investing in industries, promoting local production, human capital development, investment in education and health.
Pointing to the fact that the youth constitutes about 70 percent of the population, he said the youths must be empowered with required knowledge and skills essential in the technology/digital age aside from focus on technical and vocational education.
As minister of power, Adelabu assured of shoring up the national grid beyond the 4000megawats, promising that with its short, medium and long term approaches, there would be significant improvement in electricity supply, nationwide.
He also chided the leadership and followership alike as the twin problem of the nation’s underdevelopment and backwardness.
While, on the one hand, he said followership has failed to hold the leadership accountable preferring to suffer in silence, the leadership, on the other hand, before now, has been largely uninspiring, lacking in focus and direction.
On his part, Governor Dapo Abiodun, said if the nation can tap into solid minerals, manufacturing, technology, the possibilities are endless.
He called for the removal of solid minerals from the exclusive list to the sub-national jurisdiction and launch of a truly digital infrastructure economy.
While calling for responsible resource management by the leadership, he described public participation as crucial.
Declaring that with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, the nation was on the right path, he said the journey to a developed nation necessitated sacrifices of all and sundry as well as life-time investments.
Deputy governor of Oyo State, Mr Bayo Lawal, who represented governor Seyi Makinde, toed the line of the Ogun governor in asking that solid minerals should be moved from the exclusive to concurrent list.
Professor Olawale Albert, who was speaker at the roundtable with the theme: ‘Re-Engineering Nigeria for Sustainable Development, Options, Costs and Prospects’, identified lack of political will as the bane of the nation’s problems.
He said the lack of political will is typified by the fact that despite descriptions of the 1999 constitution as the foundation of Nigeria’s problems, a process towards its change and evolution of a new one was yet to commence.
Albert also wondered why the 2014 constitutional conference report has not been implemented, asserting that the nation’s leaders must come together, focus on concrete actions, forge a unified path for the nation to realize its potential.
Albert urged Nigerians to be patient with the Tinubu government, saying his was impressed by his ideas of a Blue Economy, Tourism and Creative Economy.
Discussing Albert’s paper presentation, Professor Adeola Adenikinju stressed the importance of an interplay between the academic research and policy formulation.
On his part, Professor Tunji Olaopa said the nation will progress if the elites downplay their self-interests while leaders must show example for the followers.
Professor Tajudeen Akanji, who moderated the discussion stressed the need for leadership by example, collaboration between the academia and policy makers, while adding that the leadership must effectively communicate its policies and actions.
Inputs also came from Professor Duro Oni, Professor Sola Olorunyomi, Professor Temitope Alonge, Prelate Ola Makinde, Apostle Sunday Popoola, Mr Leye Oyebade, Mr Temitope Alonge, Professor Muhammad Fagge among others.
President, Senator Abiola Ajimobi Foundation, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, in her remarks, explained that roundtable was to afford both proponents and critics of President’s Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda an opportunity to critically examine the current path of the country.
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