FORMER president of the United
States of America, Mr. Bill Clinton, on
Tuesday, said that Nigeria could do
better as a nation, if all its natural
resources and potential are well-
managed by its leaders.
Clinton who spoke at the 18th edition
of ThisDay Awards tagged “Celebrating
Nigeria’s Best Teachers”, held at the
June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto,
Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said
that the country was being confronted
with three major challenges that had
made it impossible for her to actualise
her vast potential.
Clinton, who ruled America from 1993
to 2001 recalled that he had listed
Nigeria as one of the 10 countries that
would emerge as world’s greatest in
the 21st century because of its
abundant potentials, adding that
Nigeria had not done well with its oil
money.
“First of all, when I became president,
my Secretary of Commerce, the late
Mr Ron Brown did a lot of work in
Africa before he was tragically killed in
a plane crash in 1995 and I said he
should make the list of the 10 most
important countries in the world for
the 21st Century and Nigeria was in
the list. Imagine the future of the
entire continent if Nigeria fails or
South Africa fails.
“I would say you have about three big
challenges. First of all, like 90 percent
of the countries who have one big
resource, you haven’t done well with
your oil money. You have reinvested it
in different ways; now you are at least
not wasting the natural gas, you are
developing it in pipelines.
You don’t do a better job of managing
natural resources,” he said.
Clinton also urged the nation’s
leaders to redistribute wealth among
the haves and the have-nots, adding
that sharing prosperity would bring
about development.
The 42nd US president also lamented
the poverty level among Nigerians,
saying such could result in uprisings
like that of the Islamic sect, Boko
Haram.
Clinton said that the poverty level in
the Northern part of the country was
far greater than what it was in the
Lagos area of the country, hence the
need for its leaders to tackle the issue
headlong.
He said, “Secondly, you have to
somehow bring economic
opportunity to the people who don’t
have. This is not a problem specific
for Nigeria.
“Almost every place in the world,
prosperity is heavily concentrated in
and around urban areas. So you have
all these political problems and no
violence problems, religious
differences, and all the rhetoric of
Boko Haram, but the truth is the
poverty rate in the north is three times
greater than what it is in the Lagos
area and to deal with that, you have to
have both powerful stake in the local
governments and a national policy
that work together.
“The third thing is there has to be a
way to take the staggering intellectual
and organizational ability that
Nigerians exhibit in every country in
the world in which they are immigrant
and to bring it to bear here so that the
country as a whole can rise.”
He also urged Nigerian leaders to
urgently address the challenge of
braindrain syndrome in the country.
The ceremony was well attended by
traditional rulers, captains of industry,
media gurus, students and diplomats
which include former president, Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo; Delta State
governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan;
Mr Wale Aboderin, Chairman, Punch
Nigeria Limited; Mr Sam Amuka,
publisher, Vanguard Newspapers; Dr
Yemi Ogunbiyi, Senator Biyi Durojaiye,
former Minister of Education, Dr (Mrs)
Oby Ezekwesili; renowned banker, Mr
Fola Adeola.
Fifteen teachers from primary to
tertiary levels were honoured with
best teachers award which attracted a
sum of N2m each while Chief Rasaq
Okoya; the Osile of Oke Ona Egba,
Oba (Dr) Adedapo Tejuoso; Professor
Laz Ekwueme and Mr Oba Otudeko
were honoured with Life Time
Awards.

souce:- tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/6201-nigeria-didn-t-do-well-with-oil-money-clinton-lists-3-ways-to-make-nigeria-great

I culd not see a northerner's name n d names if d attendees!
Y do pple tnk dat northerners ar poorer than d southerners? we ar all equally poor, but southerners always tnk dat God does nt destine him/her t be poor hence h/she must fnd a way out f h/her poverty, but typical northerner beleives that his poor condition s destined by God and there s nothng he can do about it! Northern women do not or are not allowed to think!

You dont need to tell us our problem. I have seen psycho person in nigeria complaining to his fellow psycho about how nigeria misuse its resources , I also remember this 9yr old kid that came visiting with parent here in us, I dont know what we saying and she tells me " nigeria prob is corruption" . Not that ppl dont know the problem but because everyone ever born inthat country is a PU..SS.Y.......... no body stand up for the fact but believes thats how God made it and he is the only that can change it! Talk about stup..id..ity

Even an slowpoke knows that