A former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and immediate past World Bank’s Vice President for Africa, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has said that she belongs to the school of thought which would like that the country’s oil reserves should dry up, if possible.

Ezekwesili, who was speaking as a guest speaker at the 16th Success Digest Enterprises Awards Presentation Dinner in Lagos, over the weekend, said “I am one of those Nigerians who are praying for Nigeria oil to dry up so that our government can quickly take immediate actions towards diversifying the nation’s source of revenue… Alternative to oil should emerge immediately to cure the oil politics in our nation.”

The recently appointed member to the Board of Directors of Bharti Airtel in Africa continues: “Nigeria ruins its opportunities to grow economically with the likes of Singapore, Malaysia etc that had their independence almost the same period with our country, simply because Nigeria lacked the instrumentality of entrepreneurship of the public sector which had helped its contemporaries to grow tremendously.”

She then advised the Federal Government to quickly tackle the rising rate of unemployment in the country, the rate of which, it has been estimated, is around 40 per cent of the entire population.

Kemy11: I wont pray for oil to dry up but i ll pray that it would be sold at 5 dollars per barrel so that palm oil in the east, cocoa in the west and groundnut pyramid in the north will ressurrect.

anintia: why would you pray for such

Gbawe:

because, ironically, it may hasten our development.

Gbawe:

because, ironically, it may hasten our development.