MEDIA
NIGERIA
IS MY SECOND HOME – HE MAHAMA
BY
LEO EZEKIEL
Speaking
as the guest speaker at the 7th Anniversary Lecture, Investiture
into the Realnews Hall of Fame and the unveiling of the book: Pathways to
Political and Economic Development of Africa at the function suite Sheraton
Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos. His Excellency, Mr. John Dramani Mahama former
President of Ghana pleasantly said that Nigeria is his second home adding that
he lived in Nigeria with his father who came to Nigeria on political exile when
the Jackbooted immediate fiat boys over threw the government that his father
was a member of parliament.
Speaking further he said that Nigeria is actually a
big brother to Ghana his country and that there should be heavy workable
relationship of area between them. He quickly avers that the misunderstanding
that crept up its ugly head between his country nationals and Nigerians living
in Ghana was rather too unfortunate as he added that successive Nigerians
governments had supported Ghana and her citizenry in all ramifications. He
regrettably lamented on what wicked treatments the South Africa nationals had
been dishing out to Nigerians and other Africans adding that the South Africans
do not have any rights to kill any African citizen because the Africans
brothers and sisters were all rendering all manners of supports when the
unlovable white minority regime held sway in Pretoria and by the uncommon
supportiveness and other forms of assistance the apartied regime of the white
minority was crushed out for freedom to reign unfettered.
He said that Africans
are the ones that would develop their states and cities and not foreigners who
are only interested in what they would gain from the economies of the nations
they hold bilateral talks. He said the Africans need to embrace technical and
vocational education in raising the teeming millions of graduates from
conventional universities as he added that a firm in Ghana needed 300 welders
for technically controlled applications, but, very sadly only 60 of them were
trained and qualified. He further buttressed that the only ways to solve the
high rates of unemployment is by training the younger ones in technical and
vocational education as he added that when everybody is gainfully employed all
the bad vices of drug pushing, kidnapping, ritual killings, prostitutions et’al
would be heavily controlled by the powers that be.
Speaking
as the chairman of the occasion Dr. Mansur Mutitar, vice Presdent, Islamic
Development Bank and former Nigerian Minister of Finance, he did not disappoint
the audience with his sharp insights of the present day economic situations in
Nigeria as he added that the economic needs diversification in all
ramifications. He posited that exploring Nigeria potential is the people which
is the greatest assets with a sizable domestic market and again with wide range
of lands here and there. He said that
achieving economic diversification that good governance, security and primacy
of leadership all need to be wrapped together for positive results.
He touched
on many topical issues as there affect the citizenry as he concurred that there
should be public and private partnership thereby the creation of an enabling
environment for human capital to succeed largely. He said that supporting real
sector growth Agriculture, Industry would boost the economy thereby there would
be employment opportunities for the teeming army of the unemployed school
leavers and graduates. He concluded his remarks by saying that the leadership
should show love and respect to the ruled.
Speaking
as the publisher and Editor – in – Chief of Realnews Magazine and Publications
Limited Maureen Chigbo raised her voice in thanksgiving to the Trinity, all and
sundry for finding time to attend the seventh anniversary lecture of Realnews
magazine at a time people are preparing for the end of – year activities adding
that she was over joyed that the guest speaker the personality they had
gathered to listen to is heavily present H.E Mahama former president of Ghana
and as well as she said that she was really elated that the chairman of the
occasion Dr. Muhtar had naturally accepted to chair the event.
Speaking further
Chigbo said that the anniversary lecture series is one way Realnews is
contributing to nation building and development by providing for frank
discussion by professionals, scholars, technocrats and influential personages
on the way forward for Nigeria and Africa adding that in 2014, they focused on
elections, in 2015 their theme was on the economy, in 2016 the discussion was
on security, 2017 it was on the challenges of leadership in Africa, while the
lecture in 2018, dwelled on Africa’s political transitions and the economy,
this year they are exploring an economic narrative for West Africa beyond
politics with the sub theme: The end of
Oil: whither the Nigeria Economy.
Speaking in her own words Chigbo says
(Our choice of 2019 topic and sub – sub theme was informed by the need to
escalate and broaden the conversation on the economic challenges facing our our
region with Nigeria as the regional economic power house. This is against the
background of the recently endorsed Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement
(ACFTA). More countries in the west coast are discovering oil, which is a
finite resource. How about the over dependence on oil revenue and the unending
call for economic
Speaking
to the eclatic audience the honourable Commissioner of Information and Public Enlightenment,
Anambra state E. Don Adinuba the reviewer of the book titled – Pathways to
Political and Economic Development of Africa E. Don Adinuba said that
development Communication was quite popular in the 1980 s among mass
communication scholars in emerging economics who felt that the developing
nations could not afford the adversarial communication style popular in the
west because of the enormous development challenges paralyzing societies in Africa,
the middle East and Latin America adding that development communications
quickly came under excoriating criticism because of the belief that it would lead
journalists and other communicators regarded as conscience of the society to be
in cahoots with despots and incompetent rulers who dominated the third world
political environment.
Speaking further the book reviewer Hon. Commissioner of
Information and Public Enlightenment of Anambra Adinuba said that the
transformational experience of Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia
among other South East Asian nations in the last few decades arising
principally out of their state developmental ideology, which places emphasis on
their countries and territorial leap frogging from their third world status to
first within a mere generation, which demonstrates that societies can develop
rapidly without necessarily taking the western trajectory.
Speaking further as
book reviewer the Honourable Commissioner of Information and Public
Enlightenment of Anambra state Adiniba said that Chigbo and her team at
Realnews instead of bemoaning endlessly about darkness in the room, had chosen
at each of the anniversaries of Realnews Magazine from 2014 to 2018 to bring a
radical activist to deliver a frentic lecture which grabs headlines immediately
as he added that each occasion they chose to invite an expert who carefully
examined the development hassles facing Nigeria or Africa and these experts
helped proffered solutions.
He generally recommended the book “Pathways to
Political and Economic Development of Africa” to all and sundry. 
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