As Heaven opens as usual on every 1st October, maybe a mockery to our Independence charade, it rained Cat and Dog with the unproductive Water channels all over Lagos, your guess is right.
Roads get water logged, but Nigerians, especially Youths trounged the Auditorium of CONVENANT PLACE before 9 AM, ready to learn the way forward or hoping that a Path may be created that will better our Future.
I herewith present my Minority but unbias report, which I am entitle to...
Having a Round Table setting with each Table decorated with Drawf Sized Water, Juice the size we gave to our Children in Primary school on school days, then a fanciful Burger Snack Box that contains one 1 Inch Tiny Sausage, one Extremely Sugar Coated dwarf Doghnut, the Air Conditioners were in Top Gear.
It was a conducive serene for learning.
That was when the Originator and owner of the CONVENANT PLACE, Pastor Poju Oyemande mounted the stage after the NATIONAL ANTHEM.
First, the Pastor is down to earth, the first thing I like about him is his Title, most Pastors of his caliber must have added.. Dr, Prophet, Elijah, Bishop... read my Lips, he has connection, sorry that is a bad way to present it, Pastor Poju is Connected like MTN LINE to Powers that be and yet he seems accessible, I will go to his service one Sunday to enable me give a personal interpretation...
He made a brief welcome to the Speakers and the Guest, which is a warm welcome.
Then a White man.. DR ANIL GUPTA mounted the Podium and for close to 1 hour, talk more to American and Canadian audience than Nigerian Audience, which also makes me to wonder why Nigerian Governor's invite American Governor or Speakers to come and address them in ways of Good Governance, whereas we have Governor's that performed incredible well here in Nigeria that can teach them how to cut corners, how to save, how to build a vibrant economy from expirience.
Sometime I wonder what must have gone wrong with Nigeria as a Nation that we can't even reason, inviting a White man by our Government to find solution to made in Nigerian problem is like, a Yoroba person inviting an IGBO NATIVE doctor to go to IJEBU ODE and demistify a Mystery created within the community.
First the gods in Yoroba land will demand to be addressed in local dialect which the Igbo Dibia doesn't have, and the Igbo imported Dibia doesn't know what is acceptable to the gods outside his region.
Then on came BISMARK REWANE the CEO of FINANCIAL DERIVATION COMPANY LTD.. he did his turn and time and..
Prof Chukwuma Soludo came up and tried his best not to indict APC or the Government on whose Horse he is currently Riding, in the beginning, I can't say if he actually said or believe that Nigeria is Broken or needed FIXING.
Though he focus more on not offending APC and he kept quoting them in a very light mode.
He stylishly with Euphemistic Mask, raised that each State should keep what they have like Mineral resources and pay Tax to Federal Government, he mentioned Zamfara Gold and other Northern states, but avoided calling or mentioning the Oil deposit and the state that host it, though that is politically understandable, for he also uses such when dealing with his own state Mess.
He made mention of corrupt way of Governance in Nigeria, he contrasted it with America, where be cited an Example of a Governor in America who wants to Buy RAV 4 Car and the Wife have to work to argument the money.
He seems to have being Jolted back into reality, because people may have started asking if his own state Governor child can even drive a RAV4?,
Or if he have advised his own state Governor about his excesses both on Cars, Houses and other Frivorities or he still think that his state is not "Broken and don't need to be amended?".
He kept making a commendable reference to Kaduna state Governor, El Rufai.. I can't tell if he is marketing El Rufai or kissing up but mine is Minority findings..
Then he ended up strong as he stood up to make case for Ndigbo, and that I gave him a Thumb up.
He said and I quote ""Let Zamfara keep their gold and pay taxes to the government. Let Kaduna and Kogi keep their solid minerals. Most states have their own resources. Concentrating power in Abuja won't help us develop our resources."
GOV Sanwo Olu of Lagos seems to a Man to be watched, he talked from the heart, unless I am a bad judge of character.. The way he provides answers especially on how he will tackle Gridlock of Lagos, makes me to think that, Lagos may have gotten a Governor but one thing for sure is that he will meet a fierce Fight from those who think they own Lagos and who believe that Lagos Fund is never to develop Lagos but to be shared, they will wrestle him to the Dust, but that is my own opinion anyway..
Here Okwute comes into play...
The Moderator showered enough encomium on him, but the Hall was thrilled when she said that, many people here heard of PLATFORM after Peter Obi debuted and made it attractive.
Mazi Odera can say without parentheses that.. Peter Obi's debut makes the Actual Premiering of PLATFORM...
As usual he mesmerized the Audience with his Off head reeling of Economic Data, the mathematical Juxtaposition and he tutored with ease.
It was so outstanding that Prof Soludo has limited option, he started taking Notes, which I know is for cross checking if it is accurate, because such Raw talent bested the best of all Economist.
Well, let me quote some of his Quotable quotes..
"Today, Nigeria is a home to the highest number of poor people living in any nation on earth."
"We are the most unequal country in the world. The richest one percent control 85 percent of the wealth."
"If you want more revenue, reboot your economy."
"The more you lift people out of poverty, the more revenue you get."
Today, what Nigeria needs most is investment; from local and foreign direct investment, but nobody is going to invest in an unsecured place, no matter how profitable it is. "
" If you borrow for shakushaku dance you are finished "
“The number one job of any government in any society is to provide security for lives and properties.
If you cannot do that then the government does not exist.”
" security is a fundamental factor that attracts foreign investors."
" Nigeria is borrowing and not impacting on the development of the country."
"We are borrowing but it is not impacting our growth. One of the crises we face as a country is the high level of our debt accumulation."
“Today Nigeria’s debt is about 28 trillion dollars. Our debt to GDP is about 25%. Singapore’s debt to GDP is 100%. In Singapore, you can only borrow for capital projects that will pay itself back."
“Nigeria’s unemployment rate is over 25%, global life expectancy is 75 years, while for Nigeria, it is 54 years."
“Nigeria is the only country where you have a low literacy rate of 51% and this is caused by the nonchalant attitude towards our educational system”.
"Nigeria is the home of the highest number of poor people on Earth, and in every minute, six Nigerians fall into poverty."
"He said investors need peace to enjoy their dividends. Nobody is going to invest in an unsecured place no matter how huge the profit seems."
“Our ten years budget in education is not up to South African’s one year budget in education"
"A growing economy invests at least 4% to 5% of the GDP in education."
"Education is not an expense, it is an investment. The more you invest in education, the better your society."
*The Chinese annual budget for education is 580 billion dollars.*
"In the last 10 years, Nigeria has budgeted about $4.5bn for education, less than the amount South Africa spends annually on its education."
*If the money spent on subsidy was invested in education and health, it would have impacted positively in our economy at large.*
"Talks about the economy is incomplete without addressing the issue of employment and unemployment.
" Unemployment and under-employment are the greatest contributors to the challenges to the growth of our economy. When people don’t have jobs, we will have terrorists and criminals in society.".. End of quotes
I can say without fear of contradiction that Anambra nwelu Mmadu, infact we have Timber then grow caliber and ewepu one breathtaking mistake, I would have said that ANAMBRA is ATOP.
This is Mazi Odera POg JP reporting from across the Sea..
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