Nigeria Will Be Great- Olawepo-Hashim
Frontline businessman and politician, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has expressed optimism that Nigeria will be great despite the challenges currently facing the country.
Olawepo-Hashim while delivering a public lecture entitled “Nigeria: Agenda For an All-round Development” organized by the Post Graduate College, Obafemi Awolowo University, -Ile-Ife reasoned that with a collective steadfastness, the nation is surely going to get out of the woods.
“Transferring the economy to a manufacturing will entail a number of policy incentives, such as creating a fiscal environment and collaborative monetary policy that will allow promoters of manufacturing concerns to accessing finance at single digit rate, ensuring available power to reduce manufacturers’ energy costs.
“Ultimately, Nigeria needs to grow the manufacturing sector in such a way that it will account for 30-40% of her GDP and be a major employer of labour. China is already an example of how an agrarian economy can be transformed into a manufacturing economy. As at 2015, manufacturing accounts for 40% of GDP of China. As at 2005, the manufacturing sector was also responsible for 11% of total employment. In India, the Industrial Sector accounts for robust 25% of GDI”
He argued that an agenda was clearly possible not just for the all-round development of the nation, but for a transformation for generations yet unborn.
At the event chaired by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, Olawepo-Hashim called for a New Nigeria Economic Plan that would transform the Nigeria Economy from agrarian economy, to a manufacturing Economy, and change it from an economy that is based on production of primary products.
He agreed that though slight progress has been made since the advent of democracy in Nigeria in between 1999-2015, Nigeria still remains “Underdeveloped” by regular classification.
He however told the predominantly academia audience that “I remain optimistic about Nigerian development trajectory when we tap and build on the energy, creativity, imagination and the industry of everyday Nigerian which is the most important asset that Nigeria possess beyond her Oil wealth and Natural resources”
And beyond that, he praised the nation’s resourceful diaspora community comprising scientists, intelligentsias, innovators, professionals, footballers, and Entrepreneurs who are adding golden pages to the Nigeria rising story.
At the lecture were the Provost, Post Graduate College, Professor Gbenga Alebiowu, Chairman of the event Local Organising Committee, Professor P.A. Olomola, members of the Board of Post graduate School, and a host of distinguished personalities, professionals, and politicians in the entourage of Mr. Olawepo-Hashim.