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Last Updated: Friday, November 12th, 2004 HOME | Previous Page
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Nigeria still on the periphery of global development, says Adeniji
By Femi Ogbonnikan
reporter, Lagos
The quest for solutions to the numerous socio-economic problems of Africa and the quest for sustainable development
formed the fulcrum of discussions at the 2004 Public lecture of Yoruba Tennis Club, Lagos held on Thursday at the
Club�s Greetings Hall, Onikan.
Citing the efficacy of the New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) to sustainable African development
in a topic titled, �NEPAD-Evolution and Relevance to Nigeria�s Foreign Policy and Interests�, the Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Guest Speaker, Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji at the occassion noted that Nigeria has not been involved
in the mainstream of global development but rather still depends on the successes of NEPAD to achieve development.
According to him, when he was in Jobo, Johannesburg, South Africa three weeks ago where a meeting was called to
undertake a drastic review of the birth of NEPAD in the last three years, it was identified that more was still
expected to be done in terms of advocacy particularly in popularising the programme among Africans generally and
among African private sector operators.
Said he, �more still has to be done in terms of advocacy particularly
to popularise NEPAD among Africans generally and among
private sector operators in Africa because at the end of the day
that is all what NEPAD is expected to achieve. And that is the
difference between this particular programme called NEPAD
and earlier programmes which had the undertaking of the
economic development of Africa�.
The minister remarked that NEPAD focuses on Africa�s development
in a manner that no other initiative has addressed in public-private partnership
towards national and continental development.
�The assemblage of participants at this forum this afternoon is an encouraging sign
that yes, the private sector will begin to take up the challenge
that is implicit in NEPAD and play a good role for a change
without expecting government in various member countries to
do everything for them. After all, private sector, as it is admitted
now should play the most significant role in nation building
and not an inefficient public sector which over the years
has been nothing but a waste pipe as far as running businesses is concerned�, he stressed.
In his own address, the past chairman of the club and a Lagos-based
gynaecologist, Dr. Oluyomi Finnih said that that the evolution
and relevance of NEPAD to Nigeria�s interest is an intriguing issue.
The PDP chieftain maintained that Nigeria can�t pursue a policy
of isolation and if it does, it should be prepared to pay a debilitating
price of influx of refugees, famine and so on.
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