A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, Abiodun Ajiboye, has asserted that Nigeria has struggled with a lack of clear developmental direction since gaining independence in 1960.
Ajiboye made the remarks on Tuesday while appearing on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television.
He argued that the country’s infrastructure growth over the decades has been largely unstructured due to the inability of successive administrations to implement established development plans.
According to him, several infrastructure projects currently being undertaken by President Bola Tinubu’s administration were originally conceived in 1983 but were abandoned by governments that followed.
The APC chieftain also expressed concern over what he described as the absence of deliberate efforts to cultivate patriotism, nationalism, and civic responsibility among Nigerians.
He maintained that overcoming the country’s numerous challenges requires the active involvement of all citizens, stressing that national issues should not be left solely to the government.
Ajiboye said, “The situation with Nigeria is like a country that has existed since 1960, with no direction in terms of infrastructure. We didn’t have any direction.
“Some of the infrastructure projects that President Bola Tinubu is executing now are development plans of 1983 that subsequent governments did not touch.
“Also, a conscious effort wasn’t made to build a society of nationalistic, patriotic and civil Nigerians. The problems of Nigeria should be every individual’s problem.”
