Scholars at a symposium organised by Benue State Government as part of activities to mark the nation’s 63rd independence anniversary, have examined causes of the nation’s underdevelopment and charted the way out of the country’s present underdevelopment.
The Director, Centre for Leadership Studies at the Federal University Lafia, Nasarawa State, Professor Okpeh O. Opkeh Jr., in a paper titled “Pre-Independence Struggles, Contemporary Nigerian Realities and the Benue Experience” said the country has not fared well since independence 63 years ago due to leadership deficit.
Some of the contemporary issues retarding development in the country, according to the Don, was a weak state that is in the iron grip of self serving elites. Others include the preponderance of very weak and ineffective institutions that are incapable of driving the governance process as well as the abject and multidimensional poverty that have remained an albatross around the neck of the country and her citizens.
The scholar of Diplomatic History lamented that the crisis of multiculturalism and social conflicts of multiple dimensions have ensnared the development aspirations of the people.
He said the mono-cultural economy the country has survived on over the decades was under severe threat and emphasised the need to invest in rebuilding and re-capitalising the rural communities and their inhabitants.
Professor Okpeh said for the country to move forward, the citizens must plunge themselves into the digital ecosystem and appropriate its limitless spin-offs, adding that elites must prioritise development by investing in people rather than ephemeral material things.
He called for an urgent political culture that will refocus the primary concerns and development aspirations on creating wealth and requisite knowledge to drive or manage the same.
In another paper titled “The Socio-Economic Development of Benue State: The Journey Ahead, Dr. Gisaor Vincent Iorja of Economics Department, Federal University, Wukari Taraba fingered corruption, maladministration, negligence, poor maintenance culture, laziness, politics and insecurity as factors responsible for the nation’s backwardness.
The economist however called for job creation, improvement in infrastructure, law reforms, reformation of revenue agencies and creation of economic partnerships for the country and state to move forward.
A professor of Public Sector Management and Governance, Ukertor Gabriel Moti of the Federal University of Abuja in his presentation titled “Avoiding Pitfalls of the Past: Good Governance Anchored on Vision and Core Values” said poor representation, inadequate skills, insufficient resources and lack of adaptation were the major drawbacks of the nation.
He therefore sued for transparency, accountability, integrity, honesty, adherence to code of ethics, professionalism and leadership among citizens to move the nation forward.
Declaring the event open, the state Governor, Rev Fr Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia implored people of the state to always think of what to do to add value to the state.
