By ifeoma ikem
Stakeholders have given the Federal Government a rap on the wrist over the economic situation of the country, stressing that as its primary function is welfare it should provide enabling environment for business and security as one of the major priorities of sound growth for the nation.
This is against the backdrop of report by the World Health Organization that about 2.2million Nigerians live below the poverty line.
Speaking at the 6th annual public lecture of the Foursquare Gospel church on the theme: ‘Eradication of poverty in Nigeria: Role of Church, Entrepreneur & Government, Dr Cosmos Maduka, Chief.Executive of Coscharis Limited, noted that the government needed to redouble its efforts and rise to the challenge to lead the people in the face of extreme poverty.
According to him, “Government’s primary role is to fight poverty; to realise this aim it must get the right people in the right positions.”
While lamenting that Nigerians revel in wastage, Maduka however also challenged the church and other stakeholders to do their bit though government has the major task.
He warned that should the government fail in this regard “time will come when people will start to think. Leaders should think and do the needful. Government should stop playing politics with people’s lives.”
Keynote speaker, Dr Abiodun Adedipe, chief consultant of BAA Consult, said the solution is for government to review its role, especially as regards long and short term benefits to the over 220 million population.
“Government doesn’t create jobs or do business. Rather it’s duty is to facilitate business and create conducive environment for entrepreneurs. Automatically, the private sector will create jobs.
It should also identify those works that are commercial in nature and subject them to Public Private Partnership model, even borrow to deliver the much-needed infrastructure” lacking nationwide.
The immediate past General Overseer Felix Meduoye, described as disheartening the labelling of Nigeria as one of the poorest countries in the world and enjoined the entrepreneurs, church or religious bodies as well as the government at all tiers to join hands in changing the narrative “for if we don’t discuss today and plan for tomorrow, we’ll be joking with our future.”