Aviation minister predicts 20 years stable economic growth

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

Minister of Aviation has said despite the present challenges; Nigeria remains a country that holds great opportunities for her citizens with projections that its economy would continue to grow at the rate of over 6 per cent for the next 20 years.

The Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka, affirmed this at the 44th Convocation Lecture of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka when he spoke on “Rebuilding the Nigerian Dream: Mapping the Building Blocks,” as Guest Lecturer.

He said Nigeria has highly skilled, hardworking people with huge natural resources and large population that make the country a big market for goods and services which are key areas that would serve as stimulant to her economic growth.

Chidoka said Nigerians are fastidious and therefore have the tendency to criticise their country even when it is unnecessary, adding that although that attitude is seemingly wrong but it spurs the citizens and government to do things better.

“The most virulent critics of Nigeria are Nigerians. When two or three Nigerians are gathered, their topic is usually Nigeria: It’s missed opportunities, its poor outcomes and, particularly, the giant strides of other countries. A few years ago Nigerians celebrated one year of no blackouts in Ghana. Even though no such celebration took place in Ghana.”

He remarked that Nigeria has great opportunities that ensure a better future for its citizens, noting that these opportunities should be harnessed by young Nigerians who should be creative and make use of any chance that comes their way, adding that the country has huge potential to be great.

“Nigeria has many things going in its favour. We are regarded as Africa’s largest economy, with an annual growth rate of 6 to 8%. As Cosmo pointed out, we have one of the largest mobile phone markets on the continent. And nearly 40% of our population has access to the internet. That is almost as much as South Africa at almost 47% and far higher than Indonesia at only 16%. Even Brazil has only managed to connect 53% of its population online (CIA, 2015),” the Minister said.