By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has charged Nigerians to take decisive actions that will better the country’s future, warning that only then can meaningful progress be made in addressing its challenges.
He said this on Thursday at the 6th Annual Colloquium to mark the 65th birthday of the founder of Trinity church, Pastor Itua Ighodalo, with the theme: “The Future of Nigeria.”
Represented by the Deputy Chief Executive of Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute, Prof. Adedeji Daramola, the former president, emphasised that nation-building is a shared duty for all Nigerians, irrespective of status.
“Until we come together to resolve this matter, there’s no way we can just expect a miracle to happen,” he said, adding, “Everybody has a role to play. It’s a collective responsibility for us. Nigeria’s future remains promising despite current challenges. Every citizen, from market women to professionals and political leaders, must contribute to shaping the country’s direction.”
He stressed that collective participation and accountability play key roles in achieving this, while noting the need to actively involve young people in governance and development processes as central to Nigeria’s future.
“The future is now and the country should involve the youth in governance; the future of Nigeria is in the youth,” he said.
“With the current artificial intelligence and technological dispensation, Nigeria should take advantage of it in such a way that we can make our youth benefit from it,” he added.
in his remarks, Economist Prof. Eghosa Osagie, also a speaker at the event, emphasised boosting local production and consumption for development of the economy, while Ms. Opeyemi Adamolekun of Enough is Enough Nigeria warned that “politics in Nigeria has become incredibly commercial, reduced to transactional exchanges.” On his part, technology expert, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, called for bridging of structural gaps to expand conectivity as “the bulk of connectivity still sits in Lagos.”