Roadmap to Achieving Sustaining Development in Nigeria
The ancient and mystical order of The Rosicrucian Order, (AMORC), has identify some critical factors that are indices to achieving sustainable national development in Nigeria.
This is coming at a point in time when the country, with an estimated population of 203 million people, led by Muhammed Buhari, is facing severe hardships.
About 80% of the estimated populations are living below the poverty line.
Speaking during the public lecture organized by the Lagos zone of AMORC and held at the weekend at Memphis Lodge premises in Ikorodu, Lagos, Johnson Ikube, chief executive officer, Online Services, identified the factors as: lack of poverty and hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation.
He mentioned others to include: affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030, sustainable cities and communities, responsible production and consumption and peace, justice and strong institutions,, among others.
Ikube, also the grand councilor for Ghana for the fraternal organizations, in his lecture said that for individuals, groups, societies, nations, etc, achieving sustainable national development, is the ability of an individual, group, or improve the social welfare of the people, by providing social amenities like quality education, potable water, transportation, infrastructure, medical care, etc.
He further explained that the United Nations Decade Report defines achieving sustainable national development as “growth plus, change in social and cultural, as well as economic and qualitative and quantitative wellbeing of the people or the nation”.
His words: “Some of the parameters to national development are: increase in national economy, increase in agricultural production through application of modern, technical know-how, harnessing industrial production, development of human resource, application of science and technology in production sector, provision of mass education and provision of various facilities to meet the needs and aspirations of disadvantaged, deprived and poorest of the poor segments of population.
These could be activated by challenges that include but not limited to economic growth in terms of GDP without a corresponding rise in living standards, unemployment and under-employment, high level of illiteracy, uncontrollable rapid growth of population, problems of national and emotional integration, inertia to change process, slow process of modernization, and problem of evolving a democratic, socialistic and secular order, incidence of poverty and poor standards of livings.
Again, his words: “Achieving sustainable national development is the organizing principle for meeting human development goals while simultaneously sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depend”.
The desired result is a state of society where living conditions and resources are seed to continue to meet human needs without undermining the integrity and stability of the natural system. (Wikipedia).
In Nigeria, for instance, we need to move from geo-political zones to geo-economic zones, where 12 Zonal structures will each headed by a
Vice President, while country’s president gives us a 13 member executive committee, with the capacity to address the many challenges confronting the 12 geo economic zones, while the police and other security agencies are empowered to ensure the safety of lives and property in the country.
“The biased issues of zoning of who becomes president should be will be eliminated, while zone specific agendas will run up to the vice presidential levels, even as our youths as leaders of tomorrow, should be the center of focus as future entrepreneurs”, he said.
Source by Emmanuel Udom
