How Nigeria Can Become Great -Ex Costa Rican President, Amaechi

Director, Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, Chief Clinton Dagogo (right), with Secretary, Central Planning Committee 2013 Civil Service Week, D.C Nweneka, during a thanksgiving service at St Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Port Harcourt, recently

Former President of Costa Rica, Jose Figueres and Governor Chibuike Amaechi have identified innovation and adaptation of technology as sure path to Nigeria’s industrial development.
Speaking at a two-day Wealth Creation and Poverty Eradication Summit jointly organised by the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency(RSSDA) and New Partnership for Africa Development( NEPAD), in Government House Port Harcourt, both Figueres and Amaechi said Nigerians must break away from the old ways of doing things in order to grow.
Figueres who was the keynote speaker at the summit called for a new social model that will encourage creativity, stating that Nigeria and Rivers state have abundant resources to drive development.
He stressed that leadership was crucial, which involves inclusion of communities and civil societies, ‘’ the world needs to create jobs- it is the issue of giving rights to younfg people to contribute their quota’’.
Figueres identified energy, health as very germane to industrial transformation and job creation, further arguing that the issue of climate change and evironmental management are also important.
He however praised Governor Amaechi for providing strong leadership which he stressed is important if poverty and unemployment is to be checked.
Later on, Governor Amaechi disclosed of plan by government to make enabling laws to encourage innovation
The Chairman of Nigeria Governor’s Forum urged Nigerians to think of solutions and apply innovation to ideas so that the country can make significant progress in its industries.
Decrying the effects of corruption on the productive sector, Amaechi remarked, “ for me the basic key to SME development is innovation which creates more jobs’’.
He condemned the situation where microfinance has been stiffled because it has been left in the hands of elites and therefore called for re-orientation among the people as regards management of public funds and resources.