25th May, 2011
A lawmaker representing Shomolu Constituency 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rotimi Olowo, has cried out over the state of the nation, saying that if nothing is done by those in leadership positions to curtail the situation, the country would blow up in 10 years from now.
According to Olowo, who spoke with Assembly Matters on the problems facing the country, the situation is becoming an emergency and needs urgent effort by the government to address the challenges.
He attributed majority of the problems facing the country’s youths to unemployment and erosion of the country’s values to the extent that most Nigerians no longer believe in hard work but the ability to make money without bothering how.
He said: “We have serious problems in the energy sector. We also have problems with the economy. Majority of our products are imported and the result is that we are having balance of payment deficit as a problem facing the nation.
“It is also affecting our naira to the extent that it is now about N160 to a dollar and it is going to get worse because any economy that is not backed by production is doomed.
“That is why I am saying that in the next 10 years, if nothing is done, we are going into what I call a state of anomy where there would be recklessness and chaos that even those with money would begin to run as they would be confronted and attacked because they have not led the country by example.
“Their riches are faulted and they do not empathise with the current generation most of whom do not have hope.â€
He lamented the lack of skills on the part of the youths, adding that they are more concerned with making cheap money and choosing mentors among miscreants and street urchins. He said the university system has also not helped matters. The Nigerian economy is a service economy and still developing. We, therefore, need more of the people with vocational skills. Unfortunately, none of our university graduates has the skills,†he said, adding that to solve this problem, the education system must be overhauled.
“As a matter of priority, the Federal Government must make electricity work. Many of the companies located in Nigeria are not working at full capacity. They operate in shifts and at less than 40 per cent of their installed capacity because of power failure.
“The statutory allocation of the country should be reviewed and revised with more funds made available to the local government. You can imagine the Federal Government getting about 50.6 per cent. The state governments get about 20.6 per cent. The whole 774 local governments get about 26.6. Where is the real development and where will we take up from? †Olowo asked.