Vice Chancellor lauds Nigeria’s growth @61

Prof. Yohanna Izam, Vice Chancellor, Plateau State University (PSU), has commended Nigeria’s development efforts since independence.

Izam, who is also President, Nigeria Institute of Builders (NIB), made the commendation on the sidelines of a Stakeholders Engagement organised by the Plateau Ministry of Lands, Survey and National Planning on Thursday in Jos.

The event Tagged: ‘Stakeholder Engagement on Efficient Land Administration and Revenue Generation’ had in attendance stakeholders and partners in the State.

Izam, while fielding questions from newsmen, said there’s a lot to be thankful for concerning country’s growth process, amidst obvious challenges.

He recounted the stages of transition leading to Nigeria’s democracy, saying many nations had gone through worse situations.

“It is a great priviledge for us to witness the celebration of independence. Nation-building is an enterprise.

“The past 61 years of our existence as a nation has been one of great promises, there has been challenges.

“We thank God that the country is making progress in very important dimensions.

“You will realise that some countries are older than Nigeria; it took more than 61 years for some of them.

“Some people may think that we are not doing so well, but we must acknowledge that some progress has been made in terms of formulation of definite political spaces.

“We have Local, State and Federal Governments; and we have been operating a constitution which is one of the foremost things that defines the existence of a people.

“That in itself calls for celebration; we can also talk about the transitions that we have enjoyed to democratic governance,” he said.

The vice chancellor explained that he was not unmindful of the myriad of challenges the country is facing as a nation.

He expressed optimism that Nigeria is rich in potential and would pull through its challenges with good governance.

“Of course, the major challenges of the economy and lack of adequate progress have been there, to the extent that the people talk about indicators.

“There is also the excruciating pains of unemployment among our youths and other issues surrounding the social life of Nigerians.

“By and large, this 61 years of independence calls for celebration, we can only hope that with the entrenchment of further democratic norms and good governance, Nigeria’s potentials would be unleashed,” he said.

Izam,who was the keynote speaker at the event, also called for better utilisation of land, in order to boost revenue generation for the country.(NAN)