The President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has expressed disappointment over the state of affairs in Nigeria 64 years after securing independence from Britain.
Adesina, who delivered an address at the 90th birthday celebration of Nigeria’s former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), on Saturday in Abuja, noted that the country should be among the developed nations of the world more than six decades after independence.
He said Nigeria’s founding fathers had a dream of a country that would be the shining light of Africa and indeed the black race before the independence in 1960.
The AfDB president said that Nigeria should carry the hopes and aspirations of all black people in the world because of its size as the largest black nation on Earth.
He said: “Certainly, 64 years after independence, Nigeria should not be a developing country but should be a developed nation.
“As President of the African Development Bank, when I travel around Africa, one issue that often marks conversations is, when will Nigeria develop?
“I have listened to several leaders tell me that the rise of Africa depends on the rise of Nigeria.”
He cited the example of Saudi Arabia which set the pace for development in the Gulf region, leading the development of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Kuwait, which had risen to become global giants.
Adesina argued that Nigeria needed to develop faster for Africa to develop, saying it could not remain a disappointment to Africa as history was beckoning on the country.
“When the Gulf region was to develop, it took Saudi Arabia to set the pace.
“Today, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait, each of these nations have risen to become global giants.
“When Europe had to develop, it needed Germany, the United Kingdom, and France to spur the growth across the continent,” he added.
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