Dr Umar Bukar, the Founder/President of Bukar Foundation, Abuja, has called for current efforts to be redoubled to meet the needs of women and youths to enable them become more productive in the task of nation building.
He made the call in a keynote address he delivered at the opening of a two-day International Peace, Unity and Nation Building Conference in Abuja.
The conference, with the theme: “Building a better and stronger Africa and Nigeria through peaceful co-existence, unity and intellectual engagement”, was organised by Stantall Africa Initiative, in collaboration with Kabiru Gombe Centre for Religious Diversity and Peace Studies.
Bukar, in his address, entitled: “The role of individuals and stakeholders in attaining economic stability, peace and crises-free society in the Nigeria state; Challenges and way forward,” described women and youths as important members of the society.
“While not playing down the role and needs of other stakeholders, youth and women have been identified as important segments of the society, whose needs should be attended to, so as to enhance their roles in nation building.
“It is quite apparent that current efforts need to be redoubled by engaging them more productively in nation-building, to avert the adverse effects the continuous neglect of these critical segments of our society would have on our phenomenally growing population.
“Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups and 500 languages, from a population of about 50 million in the 1960s.
“It has grown to become not only the most populous country and the largest economy in Africa, but also the one with the largest youth population in the world, next to India and China.
“This calls for a resetting of our development focus to cater for the needs of this big chunk of our population,” Bukar said.
He also urged government to provide the enabling environment for individuals to realise their full potentials so as to contribute optimally to nation building.
Bukar also called for the strengthening of formal institutions that promote peace and economic stability within the African continent.
“Many countries have set up oversight organs to ensure financial probity and social justice. However, performances of some of these organs have fallen short of public expectations.
“What must be admitted in the case of Nigeria is that whatever measures governments have so far taken to generate employment in the country, requires redoubling those actions to quicken the realization of the objectives.
“Critical infrastructure, such as power supply for public consumption and industrial production, better means of transportation, increased agricultural activities and mass education, require immediate attention as we are in serious deficit”, he said.
He also urged decision makers and political leaders at all levels in Africa to strike for a workable formula that would ensure an inclusive system of governance, to stabilise democracy as a primary condition for security and national development.
Bukar said while every country required peace and security for individuals and groups to contribute their quota to the goal of achieving the common good, only very few countries in Africa had gotten their electoral systems right.
A discussant at the conference, Prof. Abdulsalam Jibrin of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, identified human capital and skills development as key factors for economy stability and development.
Jibrin added that diversity and infrastructural development could also boost economic development and stability in the economy.
On his part, the Director, Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Mr Anthony Azubuike, said to attain a stable economy and sustained prosperity, individuals must perform their roles effectively.
“If the little actions that we take as individuals are done correctly, it will lead to economic development and stability,” Azubuike said.
He also stressed the role of peace in Nigeria’s economic development, saying that no economy could grow in the midst of crisis.
“All hands must be on deck to defeat insecurity and we must collectively work towards inclusiveness and shun ethnicity. Until we grow beyond ethnicity, we cannot grow as a nation,” Azubuike said.
