Oyo State - Attitudinal problem, lack of continuity, banes of Nigeria’s economic development. – Ajimobi

[OyoState]

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has identified attitudinal problem, lack of continuity and delegation of human responsibilities for the spiritual as the banes of Nigeria's quest for rapid economic growth and development.

He stated this while declaring open the ministerial session of the 6th National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment held in Ibadan on Thursday.

The conference had as its theme "Industrialization as the Driver of the Economic Development, Revenue Diversification and Wealth Creation''.

The Governor contended that while attitudinal problem has bred institutionalized inefficiency and indolence, lack of continuity has also disrupted some past laudable programmes and policies which ought to have been allowed to run their full course.

He also condemned what he called too much emphasis on paper qualifications, adding that skill acquisition and what a person was capable of doing should rather held sacrosanct.

Governor Ajimobi also frowned at what he called delegation of human responsibility to the spiritual, saying that this has prevented people from unleashing their potentials.

"Each time I travel abroad and I see what is happening there, how their systems are running and how things are working to near perfection there, I always marvel and ask myself that germane question: What is our problem in Nigeria?

However, I have come to realize that our problem could be situated in about three or four factors. These are attitudinal problem which has resulted in institutional inefficiency and indolence; lack of continuity and too much emphasis on paper qualification at the expense of skill acquisition.

Another thing is the delegation of our responsibilities as human beings to the spiritual. In those countries, anything they are capable of doing, they don't bother to take it to God.

But here in Nigeria, those things that God has given us the will-power to do, we still take them to God. Interestingly, even after telling God about them, we go to sleep.

By this, we are putting too much responsibilities on God and whereas, God is a God of rules and regulation. What He has given us the will-power to do for ourselves, He will not do it for us. We should, therefore, be ready to take our destiny in our own hands."

According to the Governor, the role of industrialisation, as a pivot of sustainable growth and a sine qua non of economic development, has been amply demonstrated by the age-long experiences of the developed countries of the world.

He said that the realities of the present throes of pervasive unemployment and balance of payment challenges confronting the Nigerian economy were fundamental considerations which had left policy planners no choice other than to consider urgent and necessary recourse to a very concerted and more coordinated industrial development programme.

He described the conference as timely in the light of the contemporary challenges of the Nigerian economy, urging the delegates to be mindful of the expectations of the generality of Nigerians and to be incisive in evolving a pragmatic and workable policy framework on which the future industrial development of Nigeria can be predicated.

The Governor said that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and its Minister, Mr.OlusegunA Ganga as a key and critical partner in his administration's development agenda.

He said that his administration had forged strategic and robust working partnerships with key parastatals under the ministry with a view to eliciting an industrial development of the state.

The Governor also disclosed that his government was partnering with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission to facilitate the establishment of Oyo State One Stop Investment Centre (OYSOSIC) to fast-track investment mechanism in the state.

In his address, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga stressed the need for Nigerians to embrace industrialization as the driver for economic growth.

This, he said, could be achieved through the provision of a conducive environment for business to thrive; a feat which he said was already being achieved by the Federal Government.

Via: Oyo State Government - Official Press Release