Participants at the maiden conference of the Voice of Women and Youths International Foundation (VWYI) have called on governments to invest, educate and instil in its citizens core values of integrity.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants said values of equality, meritocracy and competency, among others, must be taught in schools, if the country needed growth.
The conference is themed: “Role of Nigerian Citizens in Building a New Nigeria”.
Prof. Oluremi Sonaiya, the 2019 Presidential aspirant of KOWA party, urged governments to ensure that the education it was giving to the people met the needs of the moment.
“I am particular about the values underlying the education that we are giving.
“We must be able to teach the children that hard work pays; education is supposed to lead to productivity and productivity is what develops a country.
“We import everything that we need and use and that is not right, we need to rethink the whole system of education and know the perspective that we need the children to develop.
“We must re-orient ourselves toward a problem solving agent,” Sonaiya said.
Mr Bobby Udoh, a nation building Evangelist and a Blogger, said education alone was not enough to build a new Nigeria.
He said: “We have to build a good country that our children will enjoy and education alone cannot do it.
“There is the need to fix first of all the mindset that makes people to damage the county’s image and for us to grow we need to adjust our core values.
“God gave us this country but it is our responsibility to build and make it work; we need to restore our dignity,” Udoh said.
A 2015 PDP governorship candidate in Imo, Mrs Ifeyinwa Okafor, said there was the need for the country to be corrupt free.
“People must go back to build values, people have compassion, people who are incorruptible, people who have merits.
“As Nigerians, we must develop a set of core values and become more responsible; our leaders must ensure these values are pursued and built-in its citizens,” Okafor said.
The Sen. Lanre Tejuosho (APC-Ogun Central) urged youths to resist pressure on them by politicians to be used as thugs.
Tejuosho, represented by Mr Jobs Ogunremi, said it was time for the youths to show that they were from good homes built on values.
“Youths should actively involve themselves in politics, enough of being used as thugs by politicians. Let them bring their children to do that.
“You all must be wise this time around; resist their money and every form of inducement,” the lawmaker said.
The Head of Unit, Gender Division of INEC in Ogun, Mrs Adeola Osikomaiya, called on women to come out of their hiding place and take up positions of authority.
“Ensure your voices are being heard, join politics and support one another. It is never a crime to be a politician.
“There will be great difference if we have a women government,” Osikomaiya said.
She advised women to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), should they want to win, reminding them that is their power. (NAN)

– Jun. 20, 2018 @ 18:12 GMT |