Adeyinka Akintunde
More Nigerians must embrace manufacturing for the nation to beat the poverty trap.
This was the consensus at the maiden edition of the summit of the Christ the Lord Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG) Province 20, Lekki, Lagos at the weekend.
Speakers after speakers impressed it on the audience to produce more and consume less for the nation to stand a chance of prospering.
The keynote speaker, Dr Biodun Adedipe, who spoke on “Economies of the new decade- The winning agenda, said Nigeria must change the narrative of consuming more and producing less.
Adedipe, who is the chief consultant of B. Adedipe Associates Limited, explained that there is always a problem in the society, waiting for solution and anyone who utilises the “opportunity” is on his way to being a business success.
“There is always a business that you can do. You just have to find the difficulty in your locality and solve it, making it your business,” he stressed.
He noted “51 per cent of the population lives in the urban areas,” while further acknowledging that “housing deficits have sadly increased from 17 million to 22 million.”
He however urged the audience not to worry about what statistics and economy are saying, urging them to “grow faster than the economy”.
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A creative entrepreneur and transformation speaker, Dr. Chidi Okpaluba, said what one gets in life is not what he sees but what he or she is actually looking for.
Speaking during the panel discussions, he said: “87 per cent of the wealth you make in life depends on how you relate with people.”
He added: “Wealth is not created; it is manifested by the personality that you have built.”
Okpaluba further noted that a successful entrepreneur must know how to take risks and accept failures in life because there will be failures on the journey to the top.
He further advocated that knowledge is the way to go for youths to get the best out of life, because “it is lack of knowledge that destroys you, not the devil”
Mr. Afioluwa Mogaji, popularly called African farmer stated that agriculture was the way to go.
He further advised the congregation, especially youths to ask the right questions always in the process of life.
Speaking to The Nation at the end of the programme, the Pastor in Charge of Province, Lagos Province 20, Tunde Netufo said the summit was designed to eradicate poverty.
He said: “The only way we thought to help our people in this tough times is to equip them with knowledge, that when they apply them, they will go into the market place and make the most of opportunities that are there.
“The key role of the church is to expose people to knowledge that they need. Knowledge is power.
“It is not for the church to give people money or rent offices for them, but to equip people with knowledge on how to make money.”
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