Politics
By Benprince Ezeh
MOHAMMED Hayatu-Deen, founder of Alpine Investments Limited and former chief executive officer of the FSB International Bank PLC, has expressed his dissatisfaction on citizens’ lack of participation in political affairs, saying that it is one of the factors responsible for the sad state of affairs in Nigeria.
Hayatu-Deen, who was also the former chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, stated this at an interactive session with leaders of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Borno State chapter, on Sunday, January 23, in Maiduguri.
He said that Nigeria was destined to be a dynamic and globally competitive country but has been plagued by a chronically inefficient allocation of resources and mismanagement.
“The desired change for a better and prosperous country can only happen if citizens’ participation in democratic and political institutions is expanded.
“I have thought long and hard about the calamity that has befallen our dear country and identified many factors that are responsible for this sad state of affairs. One of them is the glaring absence of citizens’ action and participation in the political affairs of the nation,” he said.
“Many of us are simply complacent and just happy to go about seeking our daily bread and not bothering to take an active interest in how we are governed and administered. But how do we ever expect change to happen if we, as citizens, do not effectively participate in the political process, demand results from leaders and hold them accountable.
“It, therefore, goes without saying that such a desired change can only happen if we significantly expand citizens participation in democratic and political institutions by taking concerted action to deepen and enrich the pool of political practitioners,” he said.
The ex-bank chief, who used the occasion to declare his membership for the PDP, said he would give his all and strive to place matters pertaining to the economic well-being of the Nigerian people and the burning issues of insecurity at the center of the Party’s platform.
According to him, healing the deep divisions in the country is of paramount importance’s and a necessary condition for stability and progress.
While pledging the full measure of his energy and devotion to advance the interests of the PDP, he said that: “Ordinarily given the rich endowments of this blessed nation, we should be running an economy that should function, and function at its peak by generating superlative levels of economic output and high levels of economic growth in the range of 10 -15 per cent per annum sustained over a decade and more,” the former banker said.
Hayatu-Deen, who served in two Presidential Advisory Committees, said that he has put so much effort in his non-governmental organisation, NGO, the Renaissance Development Forum, and devoted considerable intellectual and financial resources towards the vexing issue of the 14 million out of school children, beginning with the need to get the “ Almajiris “ off the streets and mainstream them into an integrated Islamic cum formal education.
“Despite the abundant blessings bestowed on this beautiful land by Almighty God, something as basic as putting bread and butter on the table is a daily struggle for the majority of Nigerian families. For a great number of our fellow citizens, getting clothed and having a roof over their heads is a utopian dream,” he said.
First published – Jan. 26, 2022 @ 19:34 GMT |
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Tags: Alpine Investments Limited Mohammed Hayatu-deen NESG PDP the Renaissance Development Forum
