Nigeria’s numerous challenges notwithstanding, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) Nigeria, Dr Olusola Ajolore, has called for renewed commitment to national development, responsible leadership, and collective responsibility, saying the country remains a nation worth saving, serving, and believing in.

He urged both leaders and citizens to move beyond a mindset of what the country can provide for them and instead focus on what they can contribute toward building a better Nigeria.

Speaking in Abuja during a media engagement marking his 100th birthday, the centenarian, who has witnessed Nigeria’s transition from colonial rule to independence, the civil war, military administrations and successive democratic governments, said his experiences have strengthened his conviction in the country’s vast potential.

According to him, Nigeria’s progress in education, business, science, technology, medicine, agriculture and other professions demonstrates the capacity of its people, even though the nation has yet to fully translate its human and material resources into the level of development it deserves.

To attain that level, he insisted that the “government has a responsibility. Leaders have a responsibility. Businesses, communities and citizens also have responsibilities.”

Ajolore stressed that insecurity should not be viewed solely as a military or policing challenge, as it is closely linked to economic development, agriculture, food security and youth empowerment.

Adding that farmers cannot produce efficiently when they are unable to safely access their farms, while businesses cannot create jobs in an environment of insecurity, he called for improved intelligence gathering, effective security institutions, justice, community cooperation and accountability.

He urged the authorities to identify and prosecute those who finance or facilitate violence through lawful processes, just as he advocated greater investment in agriculture, describing it as a modern economic sector rather than a traditional occupation.

On education, the centenarian and former don said the country needs an education system that produces not only certificate holders but also competent, innovative and responsible citizens.

He called for greater emphasis on technology, entrepreneurship, technical and vocational education, agriculture and manufacturing, stressing that education should provide young Nigerians with practical pathways into the productive economy.

Ajolore further stressed the importance of integrity, discipline, responsibility and commitment to the common good as attributes of quality and productive leadership, rather than laws and policies.

Meanwhile, Ajolore said his Christian faith had taught him that life is a gift, leadership a responsibility and service greater than self-interest. He emphasised the need to respect Nigeria’s pluralism, saying that citizens of different faiths and backgrounds should be able to live and worship freely.

According to him, human dignity, integrity, justice, hard work, service and concern for future generations are values that Nigerians should collectively embrace irrespective of religious or other differences.