Don blames leadership failure for nation’s stunted growth

Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof. Richard Anao, yesterday, identified leadership failure as responsible for the economic downturn and massive unemployment crisis in the country.

Anao called on Nigerian youths to embrace entrepreneurship to get out of the economic woes bedevilling the country.

He made the call in Benin City while delivering a lecture, titled ‘Self-reliance for Youths of Nigeria’, organised by a theatre troupe, ‘Mere Production’ led by Pa. Jonathan Ihonde, and held at the University of Benin, Ugbowo campus.

The former VC, who decried the nation’s deplorable economy, attributed the woes to poor policies and incompetence by successive governments.

He said: “The Nigerian economy is historically stifled and its growth stunted. All indices of well-being point to the fact that the Nigerian economy is in a deplorable state, it has been crumbling for a long time now and has only descended into almost unbearable levels in recent times.

“Dire state of the economy is, of course, the result of bad governance, the deficient and inappropriate economic policies that were deployed by successive regimes.

“This is unfortunately the case in Nigeria. Nigeria does not utilise her ‘best eleven’ but instead settles for players, who display unmitigated mediocrity.  Only abysmal outcomes can therefore be expected.”

He noted that the only way out for youths is to be self-reliant through entrepreneurship, adding: “The Nigerian youths must proceed along the entrepreneurial path if they want to become self-reliant.”

Environmentalist and Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, said the topic was apt and the discourse unique because of the present state of the nation.

“The topic for today conversation is very significant because of where we are at this time. We must strive to have understanding of issues. When we have the right understanding, the right mindset and the right outlook, definitely we can come together to decide our bearing in life,” Bassey said.

In his remarks, the Executive Director, of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, (ERA/FoEN), Chima Williams urged youths to unite by developing new ideas to move the country forward.