“If You Take Responsibility For Yourself You Will Develop A Hunger To Accomplish Your Dreams.” Amosun decries mass poverty, calls for restructuring The Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has decried the poor standard of living of Nigerians, and called for critical examination of the nations present federal structure. He made the call yesterday on the occasion of Nigerias 54th Independence anniversary celebration at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Kuto, in Abeokuta, the state capital. Making a case for a review of the present federal structure, the governor said people had seen, heard, or read about the giant leaps different regions of the country made during the First Republic before crude oil became the countrys major source of income. The different regions were able to manage their resources to propel the development of their areas to various levels. l believe that our country would develop more if the constituent units are allowed to develop at their own pace. This, in addition, will mean the development of the country in totality, he said. Speaking further, he said Nigerias hope to become one of the 20 most developed economies in the world by 2020, could be achieved, considering that it is already one of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world. We have been told that ours is the fastest growing economy in Africa. The truth, however, is that this newly advertised growth has not reflected in the standard of living and the per capita income of the average Nigerian. A growing economy should be able to provide for the growth of not just the public and big industries, but also, the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This will go a long way in boosting provision of job opportunities, alleviating poverty, ensuring food security, stemming insecurity and criminal tendencies induced by hunger. We are still grappling with indexes of low income per head, high degree of illiteracy, maternal and infant mortality, low level of savings and investments and a high dependency on importation of goods and services, he said. Amosun observed that recent happenings in the country had created fear for the future of Nigeria, saying: In the North, we are faced with insurgency; in the South-South, militants continue to threaten oil production, which is the mainstay of our economy.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 22:51:13 +0000