The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has launched the first edition of The Nigerian Hamilton Project: A National Dialogue Series on Development as an Attitude in Enugu, ushering in a fresh wave of national reflection on leadership, governance, and inclusive growth.
Held on Thursday, April 24th, 2025, the event brought together thought leaders, academics, public officials, and private sector stakeholders for a rich and inspiring conversation on Nigeria’s development path.
The inaugural dialogue featured a conversation with renowned economist and thought leader, Professor Osita Ogbu, followed by an interactive panel discussion, audience question-and-answer session, and a compelling book signing.
The event created a vibrant platform for exchanging ideas on the values, principles, and leadership attitudes required to drive real and inclusive national development.
Addressing attendees, the Commissioner of Finance, Enugu State, Dr Emeka Urama, underscored the centrality of social cohesion in Nigeria’s development journey.
“Sustainable economic growth cannot thrive without social cohesion. When citizens feel excluded or marginalised, it breeds discontent and resistance to development efforts. To achieve lasting economic stability, we must prioritise national cohesion as a foundational pillar of our development agenda,” he noted.
Dr Urama further emphasised the critical role of leadership and inclusive governance in fostering unity, stating that social cohesion must be at the heart of every development plan.
He added that beyond vision statements, the government must actively create an enabling environment for private sector investment by ensuring security, improving infrastructure, fostering human capital, and addressing social issues, noting that these are the real drivers of investor confidence and sustainable development.
The Director of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Nigeria (Enugu Campus), Dr Ben Nwosu, stressed that leadership must be measured by impact, not rhetoric.
“In social sciences, leadership is judged not by words, but by actions. True commitment is shown in how much we invest in education, healthcare, and improving lives. Unfortunately, what we often hear today are slogans—not a real development philosophy,” he stated.
Adding a private sector perspective, Chief Loretta Aniagolu, Chairman of the FIT Group of Companies, called on policymakers to focus on solutions that truly change lives.
She stated that the book should serve as a go-to guide for every policymaker.
“At the heart of development is the people, measured by the jobs we create and the lives we improve. True development rests on two foundational pillars: agriculture and housing. Yet, we often equate development with infrastructure like roads, rather than focusing on sustainable job creation,” she stated.
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Speaking on Nigeria’s leadership mindset, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and former Economic Adviser to the Abia State Government, Dr Chukwuma Agu, noted that Nigeria’s core development challenge lies in a flawed leadership philosophy.
“Our leaders behave like ‘rich kids,’ believing our natural resources make us wealthy. This mindset ignores the harsh reality of widespread poverty,” he said.
He also cautioned against relying on international financial institutions for accurate economic insights, noting that they often fail to reflect on-the-ground realities or Nigeria’s economic truth.
Dr Agu called for a more inclusive growth model where the country reinvests in sectors like agriculture and manufacturing that bring people into the workforce, as opposed to current leading sectors—oil, telecoms, and finance—that deliver profits but few jobs.
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