The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL), the apex socio-political youth group in the South East zone, has expressed disappointment, stating that the nation has failed after 63 years of independence.
The youth body in a statement issued by their President General, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, said that it’s shameful that rather than improving for the better after taking charge of her destiny via independence, Nigeria still has nothing to show after this long period of independence.
He said: “other countries in Africa that got their independence 20 years ago have overtaken us and we are going backwards instead of forward”.
He said: “Nigeria was manufacturing her own textiles materials and now we are importing all forms of textiles, we used to be a major exporter of cotton and now we are no longer planting cotton. We were assembling our own cars in Nigeria and now we depend solely on imported cars. We were exporting palm oil and now we are even buying palm oil from Indonesia, a country that came to Nigeria to buy palm seedlings from Nigeria to plant in their country. What a shame”.
The PG pointed out that some private manufacturing companies like Innoson Motors owned by Mr Innocent Chukwuma located at Nnewi, Anambra State and Omaa Motors owned by Mr Chinedu Oguegbu, located at Umunaya, Anambra State are manufacturing indigenous cars and vehicles indigenously but unfortunately the federal and state governments are not patronizing them the way it should be. According to him, high patronage of these locally made vehicles will boost our economy and also help create jobs for our teeming youths.
He said: “Unfortunately after 63 years of independence, we don’t have the belief and confidence in our own products. The President, Governors, Senators, federal house members, state legislators and other Nigerians don’t believe in what is being produced and manufactured by their own but rather prefer to buy and use foreign vehicles and products which by all standards, our own locally made vehicles and products are far more better than”.
He was of the opinion that the nation should come back to their senses and start using products and services made and manufactured in our own country.
“The ground observed that the country depends solely on foreign vehicles and products, which means that they are not yet an independent nation pointing out that this amounts to modern colonization. To say that the country is an independent nation when they still depend solely on their former colonial masters for everything we need.
He said: “American President uses made in America cars and products. The British President uses made in Britain cars and Russia President uses made in Russia cars and products. Why is our own different?. Our political leaders need to cure themselves of this lack of confidence in themselves and their country.”
According to him, Nigeria will only be truly an independent nation when our President, Governors, Senators, all government functionaries and all Nigerians are using made in Nigeria cars, vehicles and products.
He regretted that currently, “the national exchange rate is N1020 for just $1 whereas in 1972, the naira was higher than the dollar. Americans were struggling to get visas to Nigeria. But today, the reverse is the case.
The body called for revival of the nation’s refineries in order to start producing fuel and stop importation of petroleum products, adding that there is need to revitalize the country’s moribund industries and revive the educational system among other things that need urgent attention.
They called on the country’s leaders to use this independence day to reflect and put things right so that Nigeria can move forward as a nation.
According to him, “there is a need to restructure our nation so that every component unit can compete with her own comparative advantage, adding that if it is done, it will be difficult to experience the type of growth and development we experience during and after post independence.”
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