The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, has warned that the revolution in North Africa could occur in Nigeria if leaders do not put her vast resources to use.
Sanusi spoke on Saturday at the 40th convocation of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree.
Dismayed by the slow pace at which the country’s economy was moving and the growing rate of unemployment, the CBN governor stated that only a re-engineered leadership could prevent “an Egyptian-like revolution in Nigeria.’’
He said, ‘’If we do not put our vast resources to use, what is happening in North Africa would happen here. If we don’t take advantage of these potential, what happened in Tunisia and Egypt and the ongoing revolution in Libya would happen here.
‘’We have oil and gas, yet we are importing energy. We have large hectares of land, yet we are importing food. We have cassava in large quantity, yet we import starch. We have large belt of cotton, yet we import textile. We have hide and skin, yet we import shoes from China.’’
He further added that China could be beaten to the importation of shoes and other items, saying, ‘’We can beat the Chinese and make Nigeria the haven of importation. It is not going to be done by China or any nation, but it is going to be done by us.’’
He also expressed hope that the nation’s economic problems would be over within the next 10 to 20 years if “we do the necessary things.’’
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan has reiterated his commitment to credible elections.
Jonathan, who was represented at the UNN convocation by the Minister of Education, advised students not to allow themselves to be used as thugs during the forthcoming April elections.
He said, “I have, at various occasions, said that I want to be remembered for giving Nigerians credible elections. Let me also use this opportunity to advise students not to allow themselves to be used by political aspirants as thugs.
“As we continue to make great sacrifice for youth development, our hope is that the youths will be key drivers in the development of this nation.’’
Other recipients of honorary degrees were Rear Admiral Allison Madueke, (Doctor of Business Administration); and Mr. Cletus Madubuogwu, (Doctor of Public Administration).
In addition to their certificates, 7,300 fresh graduands of the university were charged by their Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bartho Okolo, to pursue entrepreneurship and attain nobel heights.
The Punch
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com