An economic group, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), has proposed a six-point agenda that can help the Nigerian economic and political spaces thrive ahead of the 2023 elections.
The group at its National Economic Dialogue held at the weekend in Abuja,   urged the Federal Government to rethink what socio-economic development outcomes meant for an average Nigerian, the role of the market and the private sector, and deepen sectoral reforms to support broad-based growth and competitiveness.
NESG  urged Nigeria’s leadership to facilitate integrated national and sub-national approaches to economic inclusion and development, including pragmatic and actionable social sector reforms, and a workable and inclusive national security strategy.
Chairman of the group, Asue Ighodalo, in his keynote address, noted that the process by which parties selected their candidates during primaries, and the characteristics and capacity of persons chosen were crucial to the Nigerian dream.
“The Nigerian government has a pivotal role in addressing, with utmost urgency, six critical challenges causing economic dysfunction.
“These challenges are non-inclusive economic growth, macro-economic stability, infrastructure deficit, human capital deficit and skills gap, national insecurity, and weak economic competitiveness,” he said.
He noted that citizens must pay attention to the quality of the political system, processes, institutions and economic reforms.
“Our collective responsibility is to deliver a first-world country with happy and safe citizens. This is a call to national service. We must all be more involved, more selfless and tolerant, acting in the national interest”, he stated.
On his part, Director, Institute for Development Studies, University of Nigeria, Professor Osita Ogbu, said enough emphasis was not placed on inequality.
“Inequality undermines the trust, solidarity, and mutuality on which good citizenship is based. Once you have a non-inclusive growth economy, it’s a recipe for what we are already observing in this country.
“Poverty was pervasive in Nigeria as there were few rich people and many poor people”, he declared.
Former President of Nigerian Bar Association, Dr Olisa Agbakoba, said Nigeria had failed in its leadership.
“Why is it that from 1960 till date, barring one example or two, we have failed in leadership? If the head cannot absorb what is being said, nothing will happen…. There can be no Nigerian dream without a visionary president,” he stated.
Country Director, CARE International Nigeria, Dr Hussaini Abdu, said: “As a country, we are experiencing a huge social development crisis. The crisis in the university reflects the larger crisis in the education sector. The level of investment in healthcare is extremely poor. Seventy-seven percent of health service delivery in this country is out of pocket. This is how health service is being financed in this country, and it does not work anywhere. It means our health insurance system is not working. It only captures a few civil servants, and the poor are not getting good services.”