Osinbajo lists integrity, discipline, law, order as keys to Nigeria’s growth

• VP assures on Lagos-Calabar-Kano rail projects

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has identified loss of values and integrity as the bane of African development.

Osinbajo added that for Nigeria to grow and develop, three principles are needed. First, is integrity, second is the discipline of implementation and third the rigorous enforcement of law and order.

The number two man in the country and Professor of Law, who spoke yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital as the Special Guest of Honour at the public presentation of a book, “Nigeria: The Challenges of Growth and Development” written by an elite group, “The House of Lords,” also opined that the time is ripe for the Nigerian elite to rise up to support the government in its quest to solve the array of problems facing the country.

He said, “Society fails when the elite abdicate their roles to a large extent. Today, ethnicity and religion, corruption and abuse of power and mediocrity are values that are unfortunately encouraged, adding that it is the business of the Nigerian elites to promote values and integrity.

The VP pledged Federal Government’s commitment to voting 30 percent of the total budget to the execution of capital projects across the country.

He used the occasion to announce that all the hurdles surrounding the passage and implementation of the 2016 budget would be over in no time.

“Permit me to say here that, we shall begin the implementation of the budget and for the first time, we allocate 30 percent of the budget to capital projects.

“This is three times what was obtainable in past budgets. The budget is to take care of infrastructure development, particularly the railways and power, assuring of Federal Government’s commitment to the Lagos-Kano and Lagos-Calabar rail projects.

The launching of the book, which was an in-depth analysis of the problems militating against the survival of Nigeria and the antidote by experts, also coincided with the golden jubilee anniversary of the society.

Chairman of the occasion and Chairman of Airtel Nigeria, Oba Otudeko, who described the book as a tool aimed to contribute to the development, added, “There is no better time than now to contribute ideas for nation building.

The book reviewer, Professor Jide Osuntokun noted that Nigeria’s problem is not political but systemic. Osuntokun however, maintained that the president and his cabinet cannot solve the problems by themselves, but that they also require the determination of all and sundry to take the country out of its present woes.