Ex-Odu’a chair urges govt to invest in Nigerians - Punch Newspapers

Former Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company, Dr Segun Aina, has urged the government to invest in human capital, strong institutions and ethical leadership, warning that infrastructure alone cannot guarantee Nigeria’s sustainable development. Aina, a former banker, stated this in his keynote address at the 13th annual public lecture of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, held on Thursday in Lagos. The lecture, themed “Building to Last: Faith, Infrastructure and the Future of a Nation,” examined the role of infrastructure, faith and responsible citizenship in building a sustainable country. Aina said Nigeria’s development challenge went beyond the construction of roads, bridges and power infrastructure, stressing that the country must also develop the people and institutions needed to sustain such investments. He said, “We must build roads, but we must also build people. We must build power systems, but we must also build institutions. We must build schools, but we must also build character.” According to him, Nigeria has enormous development potential, given its large youthful population, human and natural resources, entrepreneurial energy, strategic location and expanding technology ecosystem. He, however, said poverty, unemployment, insecurity, infrastructure deficits, high living costs, weak institutions and governance challenges continued to constrain the country’s growth prospects. Introducing the concept of “character infrastructure”, Aina described it as the ethical and behavioural foundation that determines how people deploy knowledge, authority, resources and institutions. He warned that corruption, incompetence, negligence and vandalism could undermine infrastructure investments regardless of the amount committed to them. The former Odu’a chairman said Nigeria needed to combine competence with character, stressing that “competence without character is unsafe, but character without competence is also insufficient.” Aina also urged faith communities to move beyond preaching and translate teachings on honesty, justice, stewardship and compassion into practical conduct in workplaces, businesses and public institutions. He called for responsible management of the nation’s resources, noting that decisions taken by leaders and citizens today would shape the quality of life available to future generations. ‘Africa needs stronger institutions to drive devt’ How Nigeria, others are reacting to deceptive recruitment Africa Forum seeks private capital for green growth Declaring the lecture open, the chairman of the event and former Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, urged governments to prioritise projects that directly improve citizens’ welfare rather than those designed mainly to attract public attention. Agba argued that development should not be measured by visible infrastructure, political popularity or short-term gains. He said governments often favoured projects capable of generating immediate political rewards while neglecting basic infrastructure and social services whose benefits might take years to become visible. “No governor convenes a meeting to plan the underdevelopment of his state. No president sits with his cabinet to design poverty for his people. Yet, many leaders, without saying it aloud, measure themselves by votes and applause,” he said. Agba warned that such an approach could result in governments repeatedly executing highly visible projects while basic needs such as schools, healthcare, water, sanitation and rural roads remained neglected. Drawing from his experience in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, he said effective development planning must be guided by reliable data showing where citizens were experiencing the greatest deprivation. He added that many of the challenges identified in the multidimensional poverty index were largely sub-national responsibilities, particularly basic education, primary healthcare, water, sanitation, housing and rural roads. The General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Dr Sam Aboyeji, said sustainable development must extend beyond physical infrastructure to encompass strong institutions, competent leadership and values-driven citizens. Aboyeji said the church’s annual public lecture was part of its contribution to national development, noting that its responsibility went beyond praying for Nigeria. “Beyond praying for Nigeria, we see it as our responsibility to create platforms for intellectual discourse and provide worldly counsel that enriches governance, inspires development, and promotes national transformation,” he said. He urged participants to turn the discussions into practical measures that could promote inclusive growth, economic stability and shared prosperity. “Let today’s lecture not end as another intellectual exercise, but instead inspire concrete steps to help steer Nigeria towards inclusive growth, economic stability, and shared prosperity,” he noted. Felix Oloyede

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