The Archbishop, Metropolitan, Primate of All Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Henry Ndukuba, has said that at 63 independence Anniversary, Nigeria has not done badly.
Ndukuba, who said Rome was not built in a day, said that Nigeria has made progress compared to America and the United Kingdom when they were 63 years old.
Speaking with Journalists at the 10th Anniversary of the Advent Cable Network Nigeria (ACNN), the Anglican Primate said the country has its own peculiar challenges that it must accept and make efforts to address them.
He said the economy has been the major challenge of the country, and if the political system is not something that the international community can put trust in or investors can vouch for stability, no serious investor will come.
“As we celebrate our 63rd anniversary, we can see that there may be some challenges. It is always said that Rome was not built in a day, and when you think of America or the United Kingdom at the age of 63, it will be very clear that Nigeria has not done badly; we have our challenges that we must agree. Not only accepting that we have challenges but also that we are willing to address those challenges.
“One of the areas that we have challenges is our economy. A strong economy is an outcome of many other factors. The stability of the monetary system, the sustainability of the economy and the possibility of growth industrially and otherwise, but also, you think of security and other things.
“There are so many other things that are contributing to the economy, and when the political system is not something that the international community can put trust in, or investors can vouch of stability, no serious investor will come.
“When there is no development in some key areas that will have a ripple effect, that will impact on the economy when our key resources are not properly managed, there is the tendency that the economy will be weak”, Primate Ndukuba said.
On ACNN, Primate Ndukuba said it has been a shining example of how media, particularly Christian media, can champion a godly and transformational vision
Also, the immediate past Primate of the Anglican Church, Nicholas Okoh, argued that a man of 63 years is old, and there are countries that are about the same age as Nigeria which have made tremendous forward movement.
“A man of 63 years is an old man; the question is, do we have all that we can say that is befitting of a man of 63 years, we can also give an excuse that the life of individuals is different from the life of a nation. But there are countries that are about our age which have made tremendous forward movement.
“I see that we have so many negative things holding our leg why we cannot move forward. My view is that we could have moved farther than where we are, but political class and maybe the military have not allowed us to move as fast as we should have.
“It is, therefore, a challenge to our youth to see that their future is better than what it is now. They made a tremendous effort in the last election, but unfortunately, their efforts did not yield the desired results, so they should not give up. If they want to succeed in life, they must take over from the class of people leading now”, he added.
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