Nigeria has not been intentional about making progress- Professor Salami.

The Former Chief  Economic Adviser to former  President Muhammadu Buhari,  Professor Doyin Salami has blamed the nation's  backwardness on the  fact that the nation's handlers had not made deliberate intention about the progress of the country 

He said order than taking charge of her destiny by being deliberate about making progress,our leaders just allow  things  to happen to Nigeria.

Professor Salami who was the guest speaker at the 2023 Sobo Sowemimo  Annual Lecture with the theme"Imperatives of Nigeria's Regeneration",  held at the Alake Hall, Abeokuta Club however said Nigeria cannot afford for things  to just happen to her.

"Nigeria has not been intentional about making progress  Things just happen  to us. We have not made  things happen.But, Nigeria cannot afford for things to just happen to her. We need to be intentional about making progress," Professor Salami said .

At the event Chaired by the former, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Mr. Tunde Lemo, Professor Salami who expressed disappointment about the current state of the country recalled that in 1990, the average income of Nigeria was bigger than that of China, but today China's economy is now much bigger than that of Nigeria  with over $12,000 dollars, saying it is regrettable that countries like Vietnam,  India,  Malaysia and countries that are nowhere near us had  left the country  behind.

This he attributed to the inability of Nigeria to take advantage of the fourth industrial revolution which the Asian counties and other had taken advantage of.

He however said all hopes were not lost provided the government is ready to take some deliberate steps which include bringing down inflation without affecting investment, saying in order to regenerate, an agenda for productivity increase must be pursued.

Speaking furher, Professor Salami said  in  this agenda for regeneration,Nigeria must position herself to be a partaker in technological innovation, embrace egional competition, such as becoming a member of BRICS and as well know how to  turn her population into an  asset.

According to Professor Salami,Nigeria should begin to  position herself to recognise emerging trends and go for it order than just allowing things to happen to her.

The critical question we should ask ourselves is how do we position ourselves, so that opportunities that abound will gravitate towards us. We have ro be concerned about how to ensure  that things don't just happen to  us . And, to achieve this, we have to first fix the issue of security. We should create a security architecture that will not only protect our territorial integrity, but also create a  secured environment for all", he said.

Professor Salami who also blamed the Japa syndrome on the lack of deliberate policies and actions by the government  said " If we  are to restore  the faith  and hope of our successors- in-title, it must begin with a  thought and the need to proceed with the communication  of that thought process to others" 

He concluded by saying if the country invests in education, it will be able to upturn  the trend and give democracy  the chance to produce the type of leaders we deserve.