Experts Say Increased Productivity Will Improve Value of Naira
- A one-day roundtable on national issues was recently organised by Development Specs Academy (DSA) in Abuja
- The roundtable had participants drawn from the civil society communities, youth-based organisations, youths in politics, and social media influencers
- Experts at the event warned that the country could have a looming crisis if public universities are not opened soon
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
FCT, Abuja - Only increased productivity and a change in consumption patterns of Nigerians will shore up the value of the naira.
This was among the consensus reached by experts at a one-day roundtable on national issues organised by Development Specs Academy (DSA) in Abuja.
Source: Twitter
Speakers at the occasion include the convener, Dr. Okey Ikechukwu, a former spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Brig-Gen Sani Usman (rtd.), Rev Fr George Ehusani, Prof Jim Unah, Dr. Amaechi Anakwue, Prof. Christopher Ogbogbo, Dr. Amara Albert, Dr. Hyeladi Haruna, among others.
Dr. Okey noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has made several policy interventions to improve the value of the national currency.
PAY ATTENTION: Share your outstanding story with our editors! Please reach us through info@corp.legit.ng!
The bank is also said to have taken further, hands-on, measures, including the Anchor Borrowers Program, which he said created and capacitated several farmers’ cooperatives and enhanced their access to loans.
His words:
“This initiative alone has created millions of jobs, taken many youths off the crime path, and rescued many local economies.
“Only economy-reflating and socially impactful efforts, as seen in such initiatives, in addition to consuming what we produce and producing what we consume, will give us the prospect of bringing up the value of the National Currency and keeping it up.”
Brig-Gen Usman described as unacceptable, the level of insecurity in the country and called for more strategic efforts towards ensuring the release of citizens being held in captivity by terrorists.
He also urged the government to prioritize the release of kidnapped victims including the remaining Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu, the Kaduna train victims, and others.
He added:
“Government should be proactive in information dissemination about what it is doing concerning those in captivity in various parts of the country.”
On his part, Rev Ehusani called on youths to take advantage of their numerical strength to vote for competent Nigerians in the 2023 general election.
The roundtable with participants drawn from the civil society communities, youth-based organisations, youths in politics, and social media influencers among others, warned that the country could have a looming crisis if public universities are not opened.
It also called for the promotion of vocational skills and innovative entrepreneurship and values reorientation for youths to create the right mindset that would enable them to function successfully in a 21st-century world.
The roundtable bemoaned the cost of forms for aspirants to various political offices in the country, noting that it is too high, elitist, exclusivist, and seems designed to ensure that only individuals and groups with heavy war chests can contest for political office.
It proposed an outright reduction in the cost of forms by over 95% and a return of the balance to the aspirants, except for those of them who may wish to donate such excess to the individual parties concerned.
The forum also noted that fake news and deliberate distortion of statements of public officials are among the factors compounding insecurity in the country.
The DSA Roundtable, according to the organisers, will henceforth be a monthly national event.
New initiative launched in Nigeria to inspire changemaking among youths
A global organisation that supports the world's leading social entrepreneurs, has officially launched the “Everyone A Changemaker” (EACH) Movement in Nigeria.
Promoters of the organisation known as Ashoka, say the EACH movement will be implemented in six metro areas in Nigeria, including Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Yola.
Legit.ng gathered that a changemaker city or metro area is a connected ecosystem of influential institutions, leaders, and actors in a region, who are collaborating and co-creating innovative strategies that foster and support the next generation of changemakers in their communities.
Yiaga Africa commences community organising training for young civic leaders
In a related development, Yiaga Africa, on Monday, May 9, commenced a community organising training for young civic leaders in West Africa.
The program was adopted from the Leadership, Organising and Action curriculum from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The initiative had about 40 participants across the sub-region and is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy.
Source: Legit.ng
