Mailafia, Utomi, Ewa-Henshaw, others bemoan state of nation

Eminent Nigerians have bemoaned the state of the nation, declaring that the country was at a precarious state in which nothing works.

The leaders, including Pat Utomi, a renowned economist, and Obadiah Mailafia, a former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2019 elections, spoke Sunday at the Goke Omisore annual lecture organised virtually by Yoruba Intelligentsia Group and Voice of Reason (VOR).

Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, a former senator, and Tokunbo Sholu-Ekukinam, a former presidential aspirant, also spoke at a lecture with the theme “Creating an inter-generational dialogue for the Nigeria we want”.

They said the current system of governance was unfair, killing the younger generation and their talents, stressing that all indices show that Nigeria is now a failing state.

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The panellists and guests also included lawyers and activists, Dele Farotimi and Inibehe Effiong, social crusader and executive director of Enough Is Enough Nigeria (EiE), Yemi Adamolekun, Nigerian representative to the All African Students Union (AASU), Icon Olawale, and Niger Delta activist, Annkio Briggs, among others. They unanimously agreed that impunity, lawlessness, anarchy and subjugation of the younger generation currently reign supreme in Nigeria, suggesting that if the political, economic and social structures of the country were not restructured in line with the current realities in the country, Nigeria as a sovereign country should be terminated peacefully because there’s a higher tendency that the country would terminate itself which can lead to a bigger crisis.

They challenged the younger generation to show interest in the electoral process and governance to succeed the current crop of leaders who had failed the nation.

Speaking on the spate of insecurity, Mailafia disagreed with the recent comment of some Northern governors that not all Boko Haram are criminals, while the establishment of Amotekun and Eastern Security Network (ESN) was constitutional because the constitution guarantees self-defence to anyone who faces threat to his or her life.

“Let me say very expressly that the Amotekun and Eastern Security Network (ESN) are legal; they are doing what they are supposed to do in line with a universal declaration on human rights,” Mailafia said.

“Nigeria is a country of greatness but we are being strangled by leadership misrule. Nigerian music trends all over Western Europe, Nigerians are talented, Nigerian leaders are the ones bringing shame on our youths.

“A Nigerian won the second-best price in computer science in the world some months ago but armed robbers killed him last week in Lagos. Nigeria is a danger killing talent,” he said.