From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, has expressed deep worry over the terrible situation of things in Nigeria. He described the country as sitting on the edge of a knife with its current exploding youth population that is not largely cared for or gets adequate attention.
The monarch spoke at the maiden Archbishop Maxwell Anikwenwa Annual Public Lecture organised by Paul University, Awka. He delivered a paper on the topic “The Challenge of University Education in Nigeria: Opportunity for Paul University.”
Igwe Achebe, who described the youths as the greatest force for development if harnessed, lamented that the country’s best and brightest seemed to have become disenchanted with politics, hence, leading to a collapse in the quality of political leadership.
“Poor leadership recruitment in political parties and incompetence have become the order of the day. Contemporary politics is defined by money and violence. These lead to corruption, impunity, and loyalty to a person, not the nation or political party,” he lamented.
The revered monarch said the country was unlikely to recover from its current woes in the short term. He, however, said that with focused leadership in 2023, the country might witness a full socio-economic recovery in 8 to 10 years to come.
“Population continues to grow, prosperity falling, the gap between the rich and poor widening, and the middle class is disappearing. As demand for tertiary education grows, the Federal Government will increasingly fail to sustain the sector with a bulging funding backlog.