By Godfrey AKON
The Executive Director of Development Spec Academy, Dr Okey Ikechukwu, has attributed the high exchange rate of foreign currencies against the naira to the country’s low productivity in agriculture, science and technology as well as being an import-dependent nation.
Ikechukwu, who spoke at a Roundtable on National Issues in Abuja on Thursday, called on authorities in the country to improve its productivity to ensure stability in exchange rate between the naira and other currencies.
He also charged the youth in the country not to allow themselves to be used as rumourmongers but interrogate every rumour they hear to ensure they are properly informed about issues happening in the nation.
Earlier, while speaking on the problems of the nation, Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, lamented that the ambition of many young people in the country is to go abroad which is making young brilliant Nigerians to exit the country in droves.
Ehusani noted that countries are readily waiting to harvest doctors and nurses trained with the scarce resources of Nigeria.
According to him, all Nigerians outside the country are not up to 20 millions, adding that the few who find themselves outside of the country were worried and living in anxiety just as those living in the country are.
“We of the older generation must admit that our generation has stolen food off the table of our children,” he said.
On the need for visionary leadership in the country, he said every country that worked, people had invested in the future not the present; and invested in forward looking leadership, stating that Nigeria is suffering because it is too rich as every inch of land is littered with precious materials.
He said for Nigeria to move forward, it has to get its leadership right, and get its politics right, at the grassroots which politicians have neglected.
“We have had some of the worst human beings running the affairs of Nigeria since the beginning of our independence,” he said.
He expressed fear that there may not be a 2023 election as the security of the nation is down and students of the university are at home, warning that the development is a recipe for disaster as an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
He appealed to politicians and well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on ASUU to call off its lingering strike and reopen the universities.
He said “Nigeria is broken and requires a technician to fix it, that we must go beyond “it is our turn” and get hands that can fix the knocked engine of Nigeria.
Also speaking, Prof Christopher Ogbogbo, decried the crass lack of a good sense of history among youth in the country which has rendered them unable to define their future, adding that the future looks bleak.
Ogbogbo lamented that the youth population in the country is over 60 per cent, yet the over 30 per cent who are not youth are the ones running their affairs and determining their future.
He urged the youth to put their intellect into use in confronting their problems, lamenting that youth are the ones parading themselves as thugs for politicians, yet issues that confront them are not being tackled.
