Olateru: Nigeria must undergo reforms for rapid development

The Director General Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) Engr. Akin Olateru has canvassed for comprehensive reforms in the country’s socio-economic sectors intending to enhance the wellbeing of the citizenry and the overall growth and development of Nigeria.

Olateru who stated this in a keynote address entitled: “Breaking Barriers to National Development, ” at the Nigerian Service Award organised by COA Media in Abuja on Thursday, noted that engaging in agribusiness, job creation, strengthening public services, implementing fiscal and monetary measures aimed at stimulating the economy and achieving quick recovery, improved working conditions for civil servants in both private and public sectors for optimal performance, among others, are required to adequately address the economic and social barriers that have hindered the national development.

The NSIB boss lamented that Nigeria has the largest economy and population in Africa for rapid human and infrastructural development,  but lamented that 63 years after her independence the nation still faces multiple socio-economic barriers fully manifested in the low and fragile economic growth, poor infrastructure, poor electricity/ energy supply, primary product dependency, foreign currency gap and capital flight, human capital inadequacies, poverty, corruption, insecurity, illiteracy, unemployment, among others.

Olateru said the socio-economic barrier challenge has also caused many Nigerians to continue to leave the country in droves in search of greener pastures in other countries’ of the world.

This, he said, had resulted in massive emigration of the country’s greatest minds in search of more favorable living conditions and greener pastures across the world.

“Inadequate infrastructures such as good road network, the lack of stable power supply that hinder economic activities in the areas of local manufacturing and production of the domestic products which has grossly affected the volume of the country export according to him has made a lot of Nigerians rely heavily on imported products”.

The Director General who was honoured as the ‘Most Outstanding Public Servant’ at the event for his transformative efforts at NSIB, further pointed out that an estimated 3.5 million Nigerians join the labour market yearly with their prospect of being gainfully employed at the end of the day very weakened due to lack of job creations and unavailability of entrepreneurial skills.

He said the poverty rate in Nigeria according to the World Bank is expected to reach 37%in 2023, with an estimated 84million Nigerians living below the poverty line.

“This would make Nigeria the world’s second-largest poor population after India, saying that the World Bank however, predicted that Nigeria’s economy is to grow at an average of 3.4% between 2023 and 2025, as a result of the reforms the government embarked upon.

He therefore called on all Nigerians to key into, and support the current government of President Bola Ahmed Tinibu’s Socio-economic Reform programmes aimed at repositioning the country for the benefit of all.

Wole Shadare