Tove Fortun a 50- year old Norwegian trained economist with over twenty years experience working in the financial industry recently indicated her interest to advice Nigerian leaders in a mail she sent to The Nation Online.
In this interview with Lekan Otufodunrin, Fortun who retired ten years ago due to her health speaks on interest in Nigeria and offers her frank suggestions on how to the government can develop the country.
Why are you interested in reaching out to Nigerian leaders?
My letter to the leaders of Nigeria is made for love of my friends I have there. They don´t know each other but tell the same story, so I know life isn´t easy in Nigeria even for well educated .
What is your impression of Nigeria and the people?
The people I know is very well educated, very nice and caring people, great hospitality and extremely hardworking people.
What advice do you have for Nigerian leaders?
I will be careful with that because I know there are lots of challenges like different religions, different tribes and also Boko Haram who want to own Islamic state up in north. As far as I know Islam it is a peaceful religion and killing or self killing is forbidden.
But I wish the leaders will use the money from oil and other resources for the best for all people. Education is the key to get out of poverty. But even well educated struggle with their economy. So something must be wrong. All citizens must like Norwegian citizen have access to information about the income to the State Nigeria and also what the money is used for.
That is very important to avoid corruption. If you show the accounts then everyone knows there are no skeletons in the closet. On long term the leaders should go for free education up to end of high school.
Who are your Nigerian friends and what has been your experience interacting with Nigerians online and in Norway?
I am not interested in telling any names. There are both men and women. Some are students and some at my age with families. I am also introduced to wives, kids and girlfriends. This is very nice for me. I learn a lot about religion, better English-skills, politics and the best of all true good friends who never ask for money. I know about scammers and see them on FB every day. And I know also EFCC take the biggest fishes.
What has been the experience of your country as an oil producing nation?
I was born in 1963 before Norway found the oil. I remember a happy childhood but in another economical time. We did not go to bed hungry but there was less money and not so many people went for high education as today.
The oil has given us better possibilities to new hospitals with the most modern equipment for treatment for all diseases. All youth are guaranteed 13 year at school free. Universities and Colleges are also free, means no school fee but you have to pay for books after the first 13 years, high school. The school was also free in my childhood but not so modern like today.
I know only one bad thing about Norwegian oil fortune. We trust in it too much, so we are in lack of innovation and also good engineers. One day the oil will bring less money to Norway and then we need to have other possibilities for the welfare we have in this country.
Norway’s welfare system is based on that everyone who work full time and pay taxes. Most of our oil fortune is saved for next generation. But a certain percent is used every year for investments like health, roads, schools and so on.
