Stakeholders identify institutional reform, attitudinal change as panacea to Nigeria’s problems

Stakeholders at the Coalition of Nigeria Stakeholders’ Forum (CNSF), on Thursday, called for institutional reform and attitudinal change among Nigerians to ensure a better country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CNSF’s maiden Southern Nigeria Convergence was held in Ibadan, with the theme: “Whither The Weeping Nigeria: From Whence Cometh Help.”

NAN also reports that speakers at the events included: Prof. Ayo Ojebode of the University of Ibadan, Dr Joseph Onigbinde, Mr Ayoade Lawal and CNSF National Chairman, Dr Dayo Kayode, among others.

According to Ojebode, to turn the country around and make it a better place to live in, Nigerians must learn to do the right thing at the right time.

“We must ensure that laws are enforced without sentiments. We must also train the younger generation to act right at all times.

“Hardly will you see a state now in Nigeria without illegal mining taking place there. All these must stop for Nigeria to move forward.

“We should also shift from oil and divert to other natural resources,” he said.

Ojebode also expressed worries over what he called loss of hope in the system by many Nigerians, adding “people no longer believe in government’s promises, while it is assumed that every political office holder is there to steal money,’’ he said.

In his own submission, Kayode said that every Nigerian had one contribution or the other in whatever might be happening in the country.

“The time is now for us all to join hands together to put Nigeria on the right path, and to achieve this, all the blame game must stop. We should all work together to ensure that the country occupies its rightful place in the comity of nations.

“For Africa to develop, Nigeria must put its acts together; the whole world is waiting for us. Nigeria is indeed a blessed country in term of resources. What it remains for us is to put things right,” he said.

Also speaking, the convergence chairman, Onigbinde, noted that at no time, in the history of Nigeria, had the country experienced such discordant tunes as it was witnessing today.

“Since most of us agreed that Nigerians problems are hydra-headed and multi-faceted, should we then continue to live with the problems unaddressed or do we conclude that beheading is the solution to our headache?

“The time has come for us all to join hands together as a nation to solve our problems once and for all,’’ he said.

Another contributor, Lawal submitted that a better Nigeria should start from the home front.

According to him, family values must be encouraged in all forms, as it would help in building a better country.

“Who are the bandits? Who are their parents? How many parents teach their children the word of God?

“If Nigeria must exist in the next 20 years, the present generation of Nigerians should be brought up according to the word of God.

“Our orientation should begin with the wordings in the National Anthem and National Pledge so that the next 20 years will be beneficial to our children,’’ he said.

Lawal also advocated for leadership training for people aspiring for political positions, adding “they must be made to know that political positions are a call to service and not a career.

“A politician thinks of the next election, while a statesman thinks of the next generation,’’ he stated. (NAN)

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.