From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo.
A pharmacist, Mr Rahaman Amidu Oyewole, has observed that until government evolves adequate product adaptation and development in the manufacturing sector, to sufficiently reduce alarming unemployment rate and poverty, particularly among youths, efforts to curtail crime prevalence in the country will remain unfulfilled.
Oyewole made the observation at a public lecture in Oyo town.
The lecture was titled ‘Crime Upsurge Among Youths—Causes And Solutions’.
He stated that graphic from results of the survey on poverty profile in Nigeria issued in 2012 revealed that though Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has more than quadruples since 1999, which is a splendid achievement, but pointed out that just as for any other country, this does not mean that the income of each individual has
also quadrupled.
Oyewole noted that the implication for the poor is that
despite the growth, the people in general suffer more from poverty, adding that the proportion of the population living in poverty (core and mild poverty) increased even more rapidly than the population.
“Looking at the proportion and the number of people living with a daily expenditure of less than one dollar per day, it shows that almost 60 percent of the population falls into this category. This is a serious paradox Nigeria has been stuck in. I actually do not know other countries caught in this paradox.”
He identified inadequate synergy in Research and Development, inadequate ICT infrastructure, lack of incentives to industries, epileptic power supply, defective education system,, small and medium scale enterprises, as well as ineffective commercialisation of intellectual
property as principal challenges to technological advancement in the country.
“Epilectic power supply is a serious set back to technological
development in the country. Although the present administration’s efforts along the line are appreciated, but there is the need to change the strategy by ensuing option of renewable energy, so as to improve access to cheaper alternative to diesel powered generators used by most industries, as well as small and medium scale
entrepreneurs’.
This, he argued, would reduce high cost of production experienced by industries, pending the rehabilitation of the power sector.
Oyewole further asserted that the country needs lots of good and devoted young engineers, scientists and experts to make use of the existing technology or invent new ones for the development of the society.
The society, he submitted, needs people who are eager to combine obtaining comfort in private life with giving service for the welfare of the society.
He said: “For the society to produce good number of excellent engineers and researchers in the field, it is important that the educational basis be widened, that universalisation of basic education be achieved and its quality be improved. It is just like an edifice with a pyramid structure. There is need for all citizens to support and conscientiously co-operate with President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in its daunting task of rebranding the country where
everyone is empowered, and is able to develop freely one’s own ability and make use of it for the betterment of one’s life. We can only achieve this through total paradigm shift from corrupt governance, to genuine commitment in nation-building.’’
