Former Minister of State for Finance Aderemi Babalola has urged youths to stop leaving the country for greener pastures.
Babalola, who spoke at the weekend at the Young Managers’ Quiz Competition organised by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit, for primary and secondary school pupils across the state’s 57 councils, said there were opportunities yet to be tapped in the country.
According to him, Nigeria will regain its economic pride if youths become more productive by creating their own businesses rather than running to other countries for greener pastures.
He blamed the mismanagement of oil proceeds for the prevailing economic challenges.
Babalola said: “Many youths now believe that deciding to stay in the country is the worst choice to take. Yes, It is tough, but running away is not the best decision to make. There are better opportunities here too. As citizens, we need to make some sacrifices.
“Start thinking about what should happen in 20 years’ time. Nigeria presents an unusual opportunity for entrepreneurs because all the things have not been done. Things are waiting for people to come and do them, so opportunities are here untapped.
“We had so much money that came all of a sudden from oil. If we had used that money to develop our infrastructure, productive aspects that will enable individuals to do whatever they want to do, it would have been a different ball game. That’s what some other countries actually did. But what we did in our own case is sharing the money within the three tiers of government and it encourages corruption and that is the reason why the country has not been developed.”
MSSN President Dr Saheed Ashafa, who lamented the nation’s over-dependence on oil, enjoined youths to engage in activities that would make them self-reliant.
Ashafa said the competition was aimed at engaging youths to provide a lasting solution to the country’s economic challenges.
“Youths, regardless of the challenges faced must begin to take bold steps towards being self-reliant. A situation where youths rely solely on paid employment and refuse to own businesses is dangerous for a developing country like Nigeria. Government at all levels must take as a priority the creation of a conducive business environment for start-ups and existing businesses,” he said.
He said education curriculum should be tinkered with to inculcate entrepreneurship studies to address joblessness.
Another guest speaker, Mr AbdulHakeem Bashorun, a chartered accountant, urged the government to assist small and medium scale enterprises for Nigeria to grow.