Politics
By Anthony Isibor.
PROF Anya. O. Anya has expressed optimism in Nigeria’s ability to overcome the several challenges it is witnessing presently. Nigeria, according to him, is at its darkest period of the night, the changes that will reshape the country are already taking place.
Speaking to Realnews in an exclusive interview in Lagos, the former Director-General of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, noted that the present crop of youths and leaders who are emerging are the ray of hope for the country.
He explained that the youth have shown in what they are doing with startups and with the technological companies, that they have what it takes to compete with the rest of the world.
“What Peter Obi, for example has built in terms of personal fortune, what took Dangote ‘which happened before our very eyes’, within 20 years, he’s done what he’s done, they are more Dangotes in this country right now, younger people, who will even do it better and easier.
“When you’re talking about human beings in leadership, when you take a man like Ayim Pius, Ayim, who had been president of the senate; he’s been secretary to government, so he’s been at the top 2 levels; of the 3 legs that run Nigeria. That experience cannot be for nothing.
“I mean you can see even people that are already here now, they are people that can generate confidence.
“And look at Sam Ohabunwa for example, Ohabunwa was also Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group. He actually led a management buyout of Pfizer in Nigeria and took over the company.
“He didn’t have the money, it’s the banks but it is management that made it possible,’’ he said.
Anya added that the Igbos with the business mindset will bring a huge turn around in the country by bringing together the peoples of Nigeria, if given the chance. He said that they have the capacity to do it.
“One, they are the people spread all over the country so there is no area of the country where they have…they are not in a position to improve.
“Second and more importantly, the area of the economy like I said earlier the micro economy is the area the southeasterners are strong in.
“They have illustrated here in Lagos where we live in, like I said in the paper, we were all given 20 pounds at the end of the war, but you know, in Anambra for example, at least 10 people have multiplied that 20 pounds to the point that they are billionaires.
“Those who can do such things need to do it for Nigeria at the national level and as I also said, there are good men all over the country, it’s leadership that can draw them all together and work in the national interest. In five years, you may not recognize the country, it’s doable, he said.
Prof. Anya also added that if allowed, the people of the South-East Nigeria will replicate the various feats that they have recorded in other parts of the country across board.
“Let us pay the debt that Nigeria owes and let’s harness all the talents that are available in Nigeria, Lagos, the east; the southeasterners have developed Lagos at the expense of southeast.
“That is good because the conditions, the environmental conditions for making money, you know, the people who ran southwest have allowed that to happen so it was more attractive to come and invest here and that’s why, you know, southeast people have invested so heavily.
“Now when you have a centre of development expanding you now can transfer some of that wealth to other subsidiary center of development, that’s what Nigeria need. It’s easy to transfer what has happened in the southwest, the western corridor of Nigeria from Lagos down to Sokoto, you can do the same thing from Port-Harcourt down to Maiduguri, and you now find a country that is united at different levels where there is work for people and where people move freely, that is possible and that is where we should be going,” he added.
AI.
Apr. 21, 2022 @ 16:55 GMT
Tags: Ayim Ayim Pius Dangote Peter Obi Prof Anya O. Anya Sam Ohabunwa
