President, African Development Bank Group (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has decried the state at which Nigeria still remains stagnant in so many areas of development.
Adesina said that after 64 years of independence, the country should be among the developed nations of the world.
Adesina made the remark while delivering a lecture on ‘Building a global Nigeria’ to mark the 90th birthday anniversary of Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.) in Abuja.
He said that prior to Independence in 1960, the founding fathers had a dream of a Nigeria that would be the shining light of Africa and, indeed, the black race.
He said that Nigeria, being the largest black nation on earth, should carry the hopes and aspirations of all black people in the world yearning to become a beacon in the world.
Adesina added that Nigeria by should be an inspiration to elevate the whole continent of Africa.
“Certainly, 64 years after Independence, Nigeria should not be a developing country but should be a developed nation.
“As President of the African Development Bank, when I travel around Africa, one issue that often marks conversations is, ‘When will Nigeria develop?’
”I have listened to several leaders tell me that the rise of Africa depends on the rise of Nigeria,” he said.
He cited the instance of Saudi Arabia that set the pace of development within the Gulf region, leading to the development of United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, which had risen to become global giants.
He said that Nigeria needs to develop fast for Africa to develop, adding that Nigeria could not remain a disappointment to the African continent as history beckons on the country.
“When the Gulf region was to develop, it took Saudi Arabia to set the pace. Today, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, each of these nations has risen to become global giants.
“When Europe had to develop, it needed Germany, the United Kingdom and France to spur the growth across the continent,” he said.
According to Adesina, when Asia had to develop, it took China, Japan, and South Korea to spark even wider growth from Singapore to India, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
“For Africa to develop, it needs Nigeria to develop faster. History beckons on Nigeria and we cannot disappoint,” he said.
The AfDB boss said that it was his dream to see a better tomorrow for the country,
He called on leaders to start with a poverty free nation, adding that poverty is particularly extreme in rural areas where millions of people have been forgotten and abandoned.
“Today, poverty is extremely pervasive in Nigeria. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as of 2022 estimated that 63 per cent of persons living within Nigeria (133 million people) are multi-dimensionally poor.
“It also states that over half of the population of Nigeria cook with dung, wood or charcoal rather than cleaner energy.
“High deprivations are also apparent nationally in sanitation, healthcare, food security, and housing,“ he said.
He said that the resultant effects of poverty was the prevailing kidnapping, drug abuse, banditry and social vices among the Nigerians youths.
“To address the situation, urgent and comprehensive efforts are needed to restore security and order, to protect lives, property, farmlands, and to restore normalcy to traumatised zones, towns, villages, and communities.
“To stabilise and restore economic fortunes, education, health, social protection and jobs for youth programmes must be prioritised.
“Simultaneously, we must decisively tackle and reduce the burgeoning numbers of out-of-school children,” he said. (NAN)
