By Gabriel Agbonika
The floodgate of inaugural public lectures opened to senior lecturers of Nasarawa State University, Keffi has given special opportunity for Professor Eugene Tarkende Aliegba to proffer easy solutions on how the present government can develop a model state of envy for Nigeria.
In his public lecture of 26th October, 2023, Professor Aliegba observe that the how standard and pace of development in Nigeria over the past sixty three years of its independence can be clearly seen in the personalization and plundering of its resource at the top echelon of society.
This he believes has allowed maximum free rein for primitive accumulation of wealth by fee people in the country.
According to him President Bola Tinubu has a great opportunity to champion and redirect economic activities of the country with a patriotic zeal to end or reduce the embarrassing hunger and poverty among majority of Nigerians stressing, that a fundamental aspect of this is food security which can be achieved through proper utilization of the available water resources and potentials.
In his words, “government must be determined to develop elites that can establish and dictate the developmental ethos and a powerful, competent bureaucracy that will save as the primary source of economic strategy for mobilizing different sectors of the economy to achieve one desired direction. Government must also demonstrate the ability to manage non-state economic interest effectively so that the state and private economics to flow well for the benefits of local and international interest.”
Professor Eugene pointed out that economic development in South Korea was achieved through strategy planning and industrialization, “based on choosing particular industries at a particular point and time, addressing and designating them as priority areas.”
Therefore “we need to reactivate or develop promote already existing strong locally based vehicle manufacturing companies and reduce independence and promotion of locally assembled cars.
“This requires that our institutions of technology be properly financed and encouraged to be research oriented in other to become a great force in the African sub- region.
“This has to be done especially by limiting importation of goods that can be produced easily and cheaply locally. The must also minimize the use of special luxury cars for government functionarise, institutions etc.”
A formal commissioner in Benue State, Professor Eugene express concern over the inability of Nigeria to attain appreciable development in comparism with other developing countries in Asia like South Korea, arguing that a country which in the 1970s and 1980s could boast of some meaningful industrial presence has become very poor due to its failed industries and agricultural products to the extend that it is presently experiencing food crisis.
“However, we must acknowledge the much efforts being made from 2015 to date to address these problems especially in the area of agriculture and fighting corruption.Yes the problems still remains largely due to corruption, insecurity great unemployment figures and high poverty level.There should be addition of Military Training in the curriculum of NYSC to includes use of arms to have combat Ready young people with the capacity of Reserve Force or Community Defence Force. This is to install a high sense of Nationalism and combat ready of citizens in the psychology of Nigerians,” he said.
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