Serving Overseer of The Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare, has charged the present crop of Nigerian youths to be determined and focused with genuine intention of making a Nigeria of founding fathers’ a reality, pointing out that Nigerian youths were currently querying why a country “so rich wears the inglorious badge of the poverty capital of the world.”
Bakare gave the charge on Saturday in Lagos while speaking at the maiden edition of “The Conversation Africa Series,” organized by the Legacy Youth Fellowship.
This was just as he blamed young people in their 20s and 30s who were actively involved in government between 1966 and also in mid 1970, “and some of whom are relevant even now” for the current situation in the country.
The cleric, in his In his keynote address titled: “Pointing The Way Forward: If it is to be, it is up to me,” recalled that Nigeria was considered Africa’s beacon of hope, as Independence, a nation that would bring stability and peace to Africa, but lamented that six decades later, the nation “is breakdancing on the tightrope of faulty foundations.”
According to him, there was no doubt the country has now landed itself into problem of “gargantuan proportions,” lamenting further that Nigeria regarded as having the 8th largest proportion of arable land in the world with about 34 million hectares of land available for agriculture, now took the 98th position out of 107 countries on the Global Hunger Index.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that the present condition of our nation is a paradox of gargantuan proportions. We have the 8th largest proportion of arable land in the world with about 34 million hectares of land available for agriculture, yet we are 98th out of 107 countries on the Global Hunger Index.
“We have the 11th largest proven oil reserves in the world and, at a point, Nigeria was the world’s 6th largest oil producer, yet we rely on imported refined petroleum products as our domestic refineries continue to attempt to fly with one wing.
“Over 34 commercially viable solid minerals deposits, with each state of the federation endowed with diverse mineral resources; yet, every month, the 36 states of the federation go to Abuja to receive ‘pocket money,’ technically known as allocations from the Federation Account, without which they cannot survive.
“We are one of the most religious countries in the world, yet we are among the frontrunners in negative indices, from the Corruption Perceptions Index to the Misery Index.
“Young Nigerians are asking why a country so rich wears the inglorious badge of the poverty capital of the world. Consequently, we have seen determined young Nigerians fired up and ready to take their country back from the so-called gerontocrats.
“Our current youth need to be reminded that on May 24, 1966, a 31-year-old Head of State destroyed the foundation of federalism and made Nigeria a unitary system and also in mid1970’s some young and zealous army generals in their 30’s overthrew the government in their bid to sanitize the system but end-up destroyed it among other incident.
“Young Nigerian patriots, you can see from this brief recourse to history that Nigeria was brought to its current state, not necessarily by gerontocrats, but by mostly young Nigerians, some of whom had been actively involved in governance from their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, and some of whom are relevant even now. It is why I say that youth, in a sense, brought us here,” Bakare said.
Pastor Poju Oyemade, who also spoke during a panel session, said that the state in which Nigeria found itself called for a radical set of values, and radically different from those that created the problems people were faced with today as a nation.
Besides, he said the approach to rescue the country called for a new set of competencies; skills and attributes that can tackle the problems associated with building such a diverse nation in the 21st century, positing that such places a demand on the nation to harness the qualities of the youth, to prioritise human capital development, among others.
“It calls for a new set of ideas; superior ideas to the ones that led us to this wilderness. It calls for a new set of competencies; skills and attributes that can tackle the problems associated with building such a diverse nation in the 21st century.
“This places a demand on our nation to harness the qualities of youth, to prioritise human capital development, to provide a conducive environment for enterprise capacity building with a focus on vocational skills, to make the economic environment conducive for innovation, to make technology accessible to the generality of Nigerian youth, and to bridge the inclusiveness gap,” he said.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Battle For First Bank: The Untold Story
Last week was one of twists and turns for First Bank of Nigeria Limited, the nation’s oldest banking institution. It was a week that saw the bank’s MD sacked and reinstated, as major shareholders struggled for control of the financial powerhouse. SULAIMON OLANREWAJU reports…
#EndSARS Panel: Drama As Witness Presents Video Evidence Of Slain Lekki Protesters
A witness of the Lekki tollgate shooting incident, Miss Sarah Ibrahim has presented video evidence of people injured and killed at the scene to the Lagos State Judicial Panel. Tribune Online reports that…
Truck loaded with live bullets falls, spills contents in Onitsha
Onitsha residents are currently in fear, as a truck fully loaded with cartons of live bullets fell into a ditch and spilled its content all around the street, in the commercial city of Anambra State…
After Two Years, Daddy Freeze Apologises To Bishop Oyedepo
Daddy Freeze whose real name is Ifedayo Olarinde has apologised to Bishop Oyedepo who is the presiding bishop and founder of Living Faith Church aka Winners Chapel…
and then