Nigeria And The Prosperity That Is Possible -- MACAA

Citizens Conference is a program set aside by MACAA to carry the citizens along on how the affair of the country is being controlled, also to encourage citizens to participate in politics. It is an annual program of which this years' edition is the second of its kind at the university of Ilorin main Auditorium.

The first citizen conference held last year where the discussion was around the new changes in the democracy space (NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN), panelists disseminated issues affecting the democracy, our strength as a people and the way forward. According to Miss Abdulrahaman Salmah the Executive Director MACAA, she said after the conference, the reviews and feedbacks from attendees and how they are putting what they’ve learnt into action and impacting their immediate community caused the organization to mark the conference as an annual program representing the organizations’ hallmark activities for every year. Also that this year’s theme wouldn’t have come in a better time than now, with all the past events and now with a new government administration, the panelists and all of us here will be discussing vast possibilities for nigeria that will lead to prosperity. The theme for this year’s edition is NIGERIA AND THE PROSPERITY THAT IS POSSIBLE.

MACAA (millennials active citizenship advocacy africa network) like the name implies is shining more light on millennials and how significant our involvement in nation building is. MACAA is a platform that exists to inspire young people active participation in democratic practice, through sensitization and awareness.

According to Miss Abdulahi Hassanat who is also a member of MACAA she said, with a maximum crude oil production capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day, Africa’s largest Economy is ranked 6^th largest producer of crude-oil in the world. Also possesses the largest natural gas reserves in the continent. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFP) says 76% of Nigerians are between ages 0 to 24, as the country’s population hits 195million.

Despite Nigeria’s maximum crude oil capacity and huge reservoir of skills, Nigeria has failed to provide the political leadership that will sustain growth, create jobs, reduce poverty and ensure shared prosperity. Today, Nigeria’s Economy is the Achilles Heel, largely undiversified, import dependent, low productivity and oil sector driven; the Economy remains fragile and vulnerable to the vagaries of the global Oil Market.

Despite years of oil boom, more than 80 million Nigerians are living below the poverty line of $2 per day, Nigeria has overtaken India as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty, youth unemployment is also rising, critical infrastructural deficit and quite minimal welfare improvements for much of Nigeria’s population.

CCN notes that already tens of thousands of middle-class Nigerians are upping sticks and moving to destinations like Canada, Germany, Australia and USA. An entire population of highly skilled labor is being lost to the developed world, leaving behind an exploding population of people living in extreme poverty.

Hence, the need to convey a crucial debate on NIGERIA and the PROSPERITY that is possible could not have been timelier, with the clarity that without fixing the economy it will be difficult to fix any other aspect of Nigeria’s national life

CITIZENS CONFERENCE ’19 will explore Nigeria’s potential for prosperity, inspire hope and create a roadmap for a strong, viable, vibrant and resilient Economy that provides jobs, reduce poverty, provide opportunities for the realization of dreams and optimize her huge reservoir of skills.

Tope Fasua

At the event is Mr Tope Fasua who is an Economist, a writer and a 2019 Nigeria presidential aspirant under the umbrella of Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) who is among the panelists. He said there is abundant in this country, there’s a possibility of wealth creation and abundance and that’s one of the reason his party’s name was centered on ABUNDANT NIGERIA. He said beyond all the natural resources we have we have the biggest resources, human resource, the young people of this country. He said “passion is the thing of youth, pride is the thing of middle age and pedigrees is the thing of old age”, young people are energetic, passionate, innocent, creative, daring, risk takers and they will be instrumentals as other youths in the rest of the world are if only the government can push them in the right direction rather than going around and discourage them.

Listen and download the audio below

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi

Also Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi who was a two term commissioner for education in kwara state and also former minister for youth and sport under Goodluck Jonathan’s regime in Nigeria. He also spoke on Youth Political Participation and the Challenges of Small Work (Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk).
He said NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN BILL is the most significant political development in our country in the last two years. Any country that has make progress in the world has made it based on what the government has done therefore the change and the prosperity that we desire can only happen based on what’s happening within government. He said the time for the youths to become the kind of leader they want to be is now as everything that’ll become of anybody starts from the youthful age. He then left with this word if Nigeria is going to gain that prosperity it must start with what you do today and to develop your capacity to lead Nigeria.

Listen and download the audio below

Also at the event is Dr Bakare who is a lecturer of political science in the department of political science, faculty social science, University of Ilorin, he spoke on the state of the economy, Education and the political system of Nigeria.
Falilat Saadat Hamu a lawyer and a figure of the new Nigeria generation was also at the event who also spoke on the need for young ones to learn to take risk for their country, to rise and do something meaningful to contribute to the growth and the development of Nigeria.
Oluwaseun Awogbenle, one the founder of MACAA was also in attendance who was the moderator of the debate session.

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