‘Nigeria still bogged down by familiar problems’

The Daniel Ukwu Leadership Foundation (DULF) has said that Nigeria was still bogged down in familiar problems, stressing that right solutions were needed to return the country to the path of greatness.

In a statement yesterday, Executive Director of the organisation, Chief Daniel Ukwu, stated that the 56th anniversary celebration should be used for “intense reflection rather than fanfare and clinking of glasses.”

He added: “Nigeria has remained a nation of potentials and ironies. It is sad that this special day is being marked in pains as the nation and its citizens have found themselves in the worst economic recession in the nation’s history. Nigeria went into recession because our accumulated wasteful spending and prodigal life-style in government circle over the years.

“Evidence of the failure of governance and leadership litter the landscape. And on the top of the heap is corruption, a menace, which has impoverished the people but enriched the leaders, and which successive leaders have failed to deal with. For two years now, the present government has remained enmeshed in a fight against corruption while good governance remains the proactive way out.

“Despite the fact that Nigeria is a great country richly blessed with great human and natural resources, the nation has failed to fulfil not only its own aspirations but the dreams and aspirations of its own people.

“We pray that the ties that bound us as a nation will not strangle us but unify us in our quest to see the nation through the eyes of our famous ding fathers. We hope that the spirit of good governance will be resurrected to rescue Nigeria from the present economic recession. Collectively, we can make Nigeria great.

“The challenges we face today are enormous. As we battle the economic recession, there are calls for the sale of our national assets. Will that get us out of recession or is it a ploy to further corruptly take away from Nigerians what belongs to them?

“Experience shows that the sale of any national asset will throw us into more difficulties. Nigerians are economically angry at increase in pump price of fuel and the sale of national assets would aggravate their suffering and hardship. Mass unemployment remains our greatest challenge in our nation today. Government must find ways to reduce expenditure on our political appointees, and eradicate corruption.”