Olusegun Obasanjo, former Nigerian President and Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation Leadership Council, has advised Nigerians to be united in purpose to attain development in every sector.
According to a statement made available to journalists on Monday, Obasanjo gave this advice, at an event hosted by the foundation in Lagos.
He said, “It is important that Nigerians have unity of purpose or a common objective towards which everyone is working before an elite bargain for development can occur. Right now, everyone is focused on their agenda and the country is suffering as a result.”
A Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Prof Stefan Dercon, at the event, noted that the answer to a nation’s development was not in a specific set of policies but in a key “development bargain,” where the elite shifted from the protection of their positions to a plan towards a growth-based future.
The Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said, “The conversation does not just end here. We are taking this further in a discussion with senior public servants over the next few days, and hopefully, sometime in the future, I may be able to confirm that this dialogue catalysed a process that will lead to positive change in Nigeria.”
