The President of The Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has on Monday expressed his regrets over Nigeria and its lack of anything to show for the huge resources it made from the oil security in the past 16 years.
The President lamented that past leaders refused to plan for days of economic hardship and turmoil despite the fact that oil sold above $100 per barrel for the greater part of the last 16 years.
The disclosure was made in a statement released by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, while the President received the Nigerian-born President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Dr. Bernard O. Aliyu, at the
Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari in the Statement noted that: “In the First Republic, more enduring infrastructure was built with meagre resources. But in the past 16 years, we made a lot of money without planning for the rainy day.
“We showed a lot of indiscipline in managing our economy, and that is why we are where we are today. But this time round, we’ll do our best,” the President added.
While stressing the need for urgent action to ensure that all hands are on deck and the country’s potentials are harnessed adequately towards ensuring greater productivity, Buhari said: “Nigeria needs to work on her potentials, so that we don’t remain permanently at the level of potentials.
“If Ethiopia is sustained largely by her airline industry, we have greater potentials here. But we must move out, engage with the rest of the world, as we need to re-establish the integrity of this country. We need to rebuild this country again.”
Dr. Bernard O. Aliyu, President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation however commended the president for his strides on anti-corruption fight.
He added: “Civil aviation is a catalyst for economic development. The level of aviation development in any country mirrors the economic development of that country,”
Dr. Aliyu also pledged the support of the organisation in the development of the aviation industry in Nigeria.
He admonished the country to keep improving on training and capacity development, aviation security, aerodromes and air navigation, runways, control towers as well as terminal buildings, among others.