THE Chairman of Resort Group, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN), has said ignorance was responsible for infrastructure deficit in Nigeria.
He spoke on Thursday in Lagos at the annual lecture of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) with the theme: Infrastructure Development and Growth in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges.
Babalakin said Nigerians are suffering for “a deep level of ignorance”.
Explaining how the nation got its educational system wrong, the lawyer said the system does not teach people what their rights are and the fundamentals of building a strong society.
Babalakin, who is the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), said there is need for Nigerians to hold the government accountable and persistently ask for their entitlements.
The lawyer noted that development cannot happen in a situation where people are too ignorant of their rights to question the status quo, and when they accept whatever is thrown at them.
He said: “You can go through the primary, secondary and university systems today without realising that government owes you anything or knowing that telling the truth is fundamental in building a society, and you say you want to develop infrastructure.”
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Saying infrastructural development was not about money but serious commitment and a lot of intellectual rigour, the lawyer alluded to the example of Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2), which was built by one of his companies, Stabilini Visinoni Limited (SVL), 12 years ago and is being managed by another of his companies, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL).
The businessman said those who approved the concession for the terminal did not want the project completed, adding that he completed the project against the run of play.
He added: “And from the first day, they took away 60 per cent of our revenue against our agreement.”
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