A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Chief Livinus Okwara has said that for the much-needed change in the way Nigerians do things and improvement in the nation’s economy to be realised, Nigerians must give unflinching support to President Muhammadu Buhari in his efforts to reposition the country and give it a new direction.
He also condemned some Igbo youths who are agitating for the state of Biafra, describing the action as an exercise in futility. He said the youth were misinformed and misguided about the Biafra project.
Chief Okwara urged the youth to support the present government which is progressive in outlook and principle.
In an exclusive interview with Southwest Report, he said: “The present agitation by some youths in the Southeast and South-south geo-political zones of the country is the handiwork of those who have not worked for the interest and progress of the Igbo nation. I do not support the move because they cannot survive on their own as no other tribe can.
“Their survival depends on their association with other tribes in Nigeria because the country has become a unit already. In fact, there are more Igbo outside the Igbo land than those who reside within the zone. We should avoid the mistake of the past where Igbo citizens suffered monumental human and material losses. Igbo lost most of their educated youths as they went to war unarmed and many women because widows prematurely.”
He advised the Federal Government to invite the agitators for dialogue as he advised the youth to be focused and not be misled by propagators of old Biafra, an idea, he said, was illogical.
On the emergence of a progressive as the President of the country, Chief Okwara said: “I am happy to be alive to witness the emergence of a progressive government at the centre. It has the capacity for development which the conservatives are not aware of. It is a significant change in the political history of Nigeria. We are happy we have it now.
“Buhari is a progressive because he has the interest of the poor at heart. Right from his time in the military, he never wanted the poor to suffer. It has been a dialectic struggle between the rich and the poor. A lot of time has been lost and much funds gone down the drain; but it has been a worthwhile effort. It is now a task for government to lift the poor.”
He believes that the coming of the ministers of diverse intellectual background and working experiences is a welcome development, saying many have been governors who understand the problems of the people.
Besides, they are major campaigners for change and I have no doubt that their tenures will be successful, especially in the area of employment generation.
According to him, the N5, 000 stipend promised by the APC government for the unemployed will create invisible economic power that will improve people’s purchasing power with its economic multiplier effects. He urged the Federal Government to discountenance the call for devaluation of the Naira, saying devaluation is only beneficial to the industrialised world.
“You devalue when you are an industrial power because your products will be cheaper and accessible to other economies. Examples of such industrial powers are India and China.
Chief Okwara, who established the first indigenous computer training in Nigeria, Rimax Institute of Science Technology, urged the Federal Government to invest heavily in science and technology as the quickest way to attain scientific and economic advancement.
He said when he returned from the United Kingdom in the 70s, computer education was almost non-existent but for the love of the country, he said, he had to establish Rimax Institute to expose people, particularly the young minds, to computer education. The effort became an instant success as, between 1970 and 1977; we were able to establish the institution in 19 states of the federation .The number of states increased in subsequent years.
“We were able to train an initial figure of 5,000 experts in computer science.This figure grew astronomically in years following. At a point, we were involved in training members of staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and NITDL. The initiative resulted in our offering scholarships to people as the programme became attractive to them.
“We had to expand the curriculum to include civil, electrical, electronic engineering and secretarial studies, among others. Our aim was to create a middle level manpower as we discovered a yawning gap between those at the top and those below. It is on record that we gave scholarship facilities to the Awori people in Lagos to reduce inequality in education.
He spoke glowingly of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his wife Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, who was buried penultimate week. He said he was close to the family very early in life, describing Chief Awolowo as an exceptionally gifted personality.
“For a man to achieve his feat, such must be of high discipline and hard work. I was close to Mama; she was a woman of impeccable character and high intelligence. She was an epitome of humility.
