Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church and Mrs Folorunso Alakija, Founder, Rose of Sharon Foundation, have advised Nigerians against frivolous spending to overcome the current economic challenges.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that they gave this advice on Friday at the annual Excellence in Leadership Conference (ELC), tagged: “Maximise Your Influence,’’ organised by Daystar Christian Centre, Lagos.
Oyedepo said many issues of poverty and inadequate resources confronting the nation, with the attendant problems facing the masses, were due to poor management and wastage.
“Many Nigerians do not budget for the airtime they consume per month but rather pay as they go.
“We have so many issues with our youths of today, ranging from unemployment, underemployment and the efforts at setting up new businesses but there is the militating problem of wasteful spending.
“In 2015, it was reported by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics and the World Bank that Nigerians spent up to N447 billion on recharge cards monthly, which was even more than what is spent on food.
“The same thing applies to those who run small businesses; it is not for you to start living large from your small business but you should seek to grow it and expand further,’’ Oyedepo stated.
Another cleric, Pastor Agu Irukwu, Senior Pastor, Jesus House for all Nations, London, advised Nigeria to learn from other countries that had gone through recession.
Irukwu stressed the need for the nation to deal with ethnic and religious issues affecting development, adding that government should share its vision with Nigerians by empowering them.
He also urged religious organisations to contribute their quota to the nation’s growth by being the practical examples of what they preached.
Also speaking, Alakija advised Nigerians to brace up to the challenges of real greatness, adding that most Nigerians were paying for the misdeeds of the past leaders.
The philanthropist said that those who wronged the nation in the past should be made to pay for their atrocities.