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My era witnessed unprecedented economic growth, says Jonathan

By Alifa Daniel, Abuja
25 October 2016   |   5:48 am
Immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan has said his era witnessed unprecedented economic growth for Nigeria.
Goodluck Jonathan. PHOTO: bloomberg.com

Goodluck Jonathan. PHOTO: bloomberg.com

Immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan has said his era witnessed unprecedented economic growth for Nigeria.

Jonathan, who spoke yesterday to students of Oxford University on youth entrepreneurship, said the country experienced a growth that proved the truism that a nation’s wealth is not underneath the ground but between the ears of her people.

According to the former president, “Nigeria was rated as the largest economy in Africa and the 23rd in the world by the World Bank and the IMF, with a GDP above $570 billion.”

He stated further: “We identified Nollywood as a sector that can employ many young people and provided a grant of $200 million to boost the industry. As a result, Nollywood became a major contributor to our GDP and in 2014, the industry contributed 1.4 per cent to our GDP.

“Why do individuals that grow up in similar circumstances end up differently, with some as successes and others as failures? Why are some nations rich and some poor? Is the wealth of nations a result of geography, weather, culture, and destiny? What could a leader do to effectively lift a people out of the depths of poverty and enable them to achieve prosperity?

“After much soul searching, I concluded that: wealth is a creation of the human mind properly prepared by education. Any nation that does not spend its wealth and resources to develop the capacity of its youths will be forced to use them to fight insecurity.”

He challenged “contemporary African leaders to see youth entrepreneurship as a collective project transcending national boundaries, adding “despite incredible challenges, Nigerian youths are achieving great things and placing Nigeria positively in the world map. They inspire us.”

Jonathan also declared that he “worked for the next generation of Nigerians and not for the next elections.”

Defending his administration’s Transformation Agenda, he stressed that it was designed to engage the latent potential in the entire nation, as well as stimulate and enable higher productivity.

He said further: “I am excited to be in the midst of some of the World’s future leaders to discuss issues relating to youth empowerment and entrepreneurship. The issue of youth entrepreneurship in Africa is very critical, as Africa is the only continent in which we will witness a population boom. Most violent crises in Africa can be traced to a lack of education and opportunities among its teeming youth population. Studies have revealed that there is a symbiotic relationship between youth unemployment and youth restiveness.”

“As a leader, you can decide through your policies to educate the youths, or face the consequences of failing to do so. The transformation agenda was conceived to engage the latent potential in the entire nation, and to stimulate and enable higher productivity.

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8 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    Yes oooo! But the cash ended up in a few selected pocket. The aftermath is what we are witnessing today. Thank God it changed else we could have been eating ourselves through a patch-patch government.

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  • Author’s gravatar

    You are talking because you are not in jail. Your era witnessed unprecedented bazaar of our treasury. You will not tell that to your audience. All of your acomplices are now coughing out what they ate including your wife, except you. You are really a goodluck man. Rejoice not, for your days are coming. They are narrowing down to your excellency. After you ‘shared prosperity’ to them from our common till, we now entered an unprecedented recession. Tell your audience also. They have seen these things on CNN. No be small thing o.

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  • Author’s gravatar

    Mr Jonathan, Nigeria never operated any true economy. All we had was a corrupt based economy right from Gowon till date. Massive looting and well over $400 billion disappeared from Nigeria with nothing to show for it . The only viable business in Nigeria was politics. As a matter of fact politicians kill each other for that. The next is the churches and the mosques where . people go and look for miracles. They want to reap where they did not sew. The get rich quick mentality finally took over. We do not believe in the dignity of labor any more. The money looted from the treasury was been thrown around the globe to import tooth picks, exzortic cars,. and private jets This false economic projection made the people believe our economy is booming. May be mr jona should just be quiet for now

  • Author’s gravatar

    Jonathan should keep quiet.