to the Lagos State Governor on Media, Hakeem Bello at the weekend, has
urged Nigerians to project positive things and work hard to make
Nigeria reap the benefit of investments in Africa.
According to the governor, the challenges confronting the nation
should be seen as building blocks to greater things; he therefore
advised that the country should take advantage of Africa as the next
investment destination to reclaim her pre-eminent status: "Africa is
now experiencing six to seven per cent annual growth on a sustainable
basis. In that context, where do we lie? We must reclaim our
pre-eminent status."
On the pessimistic outlook that most Nigerians have about the state of
the nation, Governor Fashola says, "This (Nigeria) is not the worst
place to live. The Spanish government raised its taxes by 52 per cent;
Italy has raised its tax by 60 per cent. Italians are leaving their
country. That is not our position here. People are being struck by
earthquakes, Tsunami; but we have arable land for farming here."
So, as we celebrate our 52nd Independence Day anniversary – albeit
low-key – we should exude some level of positivity and be optimistic
about things generally. However, if Governor Fashola is trying to say
that some countries would be wishing that they were in our shoes right
now, Italy and Spain are definitely part of those countries!