A renowned economist and former chairman/chief executive officer of FSB International Bank PLC, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, has said one of the factors responsible for the grim state of affairs in Nigeria is absence of citizens’ action and participation in political affairs.
He also lamented the perplexing issue of carnage unleashed on citizens by connoisseurs of violence and terror.
The respected technocrat spoke, yesterday, on the occasion of an interactive session with leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Borno State chapter, at Forsham Event Hall, Maiduguri.
The former chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, said Nigeria was destined to be a dynamic and globally competitive country but has been plagued by chronically inefficient allocation of resources and mismanagement.
He said the desired change for a better and prosperous country can only happen if citizens’ participation in democratic and political institutions is expanded.
The former bank chief, who used the occasion to declare his membership for the PDP, said he will give his all and strive to place matters pertaining to the economic well-being of the Nigerian people and the burning issues of insecurity at the centre of the party’s platform. He said healing the deep divisions in the country is of paramount importance and a necessary condition for stability and progress.
“I have thought long and hard about the calamity that has befallen our country and identified many factors that are responsible for this grim state of affairs. One of them is the glaring absence of citizens’ action and participation in the political affairs of the nation.
“Many of us are simply complacent and just happy to go about seeking our daily bread and not bothering to take an active interest in how we are governed and administered.
“But how do we ever expect change to happen, if we, as citizens, do not effectively participate in the political process, demand results from leaders and hold them accountable.
“It, therefore, goes without saying that such a desired change can only happen if we significantly expand citizens participation in democratic and political institutions by taking concerted action to deepen and enrich the pool of political practitioners.”
While pledging the full measure of his energy and devotion to advance the interests of the PDP, he said: “Ordinarily given the rich endowments of this blessed nation, we should be running an economy that should function, and function at its peak by generating superlative levels of economic output and high levels of economic growth in the range of 10-15 percent per annum sustained over a decade and more.”