Alli hinges growth on peace, urges dialogue
From Isa Abdulsalami and Florence Oretade, Jos
NIGERIA's quest for development was yesterday tied to the existence of socio-political stability engendered through a constant recourse to dialogue in the midst of crises.
This route to national economic rebirth was highlighted by the Administrator of Plateau State, Maj-Gen. Chris Alli (rtd) at the opening of the second Nigeria Development Forum (NDF) at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Jos.
The Plateau helmsman, whose position was articulated by the suspended Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the State, Mr. Yusuf Pam, stated that the crisis in the Niger Delta for instance, would have been avoided if effective channels of communication were employed.
He said that similarly, the reprisal attacks in the North could have been nipped in the bud if sentiments and passions were not driven to extremes.
Alli, who mainly in his presentation stressed the need for peace, said that the challenges of effective management and stability were vital for the attainment of the country's growth potential and development objectives.
"For us to effectively tap the goodwill that Nigeria has as the giant of the black race, peace must be seen to reign supreme at all times," he stated.
He said that no nation could make meaningful progress where peace was absent.
"An environment that breeds political instability, social unrest, economic crimes, labour strikes and anarchy cannot complement the objectives of development," he said.
According to him, investors are generally scared to put their money where vandals will wake up one morning and set everything ablaze, citing the situation in Plateau State.
"Since the year 2001 to date, a lot of business proposals meant for the state have flopped. A lot of Nigerians and foreign nationals residing in the state have relocated. The bubbling commercial life of the city has slumped to a low level," he stated.
Alli lamented the extent of damage which the crisis in Plateau had brought to bear on the state's development, saying that peace was therefore, the only pre-requisite for sustainable growth.
He said: "If we don't want to experience capital flight, labour migration, economic slump and crumbling infrastructure, then peace must occupy the centre stage of all endeavours."
The collapse of the great old empires, according to him, was due to the unbridled desire for supremacy and the control of resources.
He added that where such a desire was pushed beyond the parameters of decency and self-control, war became the ultimate.
According to him, in contemporary times, nations ravaged by wars like Rwanda, Afghanistan, Liberia and Sierra Leone, were all scenes of poverty, distress and backwardness.
He said that it would take several decades before such countries reverted to their pre-war years of peace and development.
He warned that Nigeria could not afford to experience another civil war as the effects of the last civil war had not been totally overcome.
"The relics of the war are still a bitter reminder of the painful experiences we went through," Alli said.
Also on the occasion, the African Centre for Resources Studies (ACRS) and a number of international development institutions in South Africa expressed their readiness to facilitate the development of the country.
The President, ACRS, Chris Onwuka said: "We will mobilise and they (partners) will provide the expertise for infrastructure development with adequate technical assistance." This will assist ACRS to leverage private, public and community players in the developmental process in the country.
According to Onwuka, government alone cannot meet the developmental need of the country, thus, there is the needs for partnership building and investment in infrastructure-related projects.
