JUST IN: Nigerians have taken steps backwards to remain a country, says Emeka Anyaoku

Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has expressed regrets that rather than taking steps to become a nation Nigerians have taken steps backwards to remain a country.

Anyaoku who recalled how safe and secure it was to travel within the country when he was a young man, pointed out that there was a need to return to those old days when Nigeria worked.

He spoke on Tuesday in Uyo Akwa Ibom State capital during the 12th Emeka Anyaoku Distinguished Lecture series with the theme, “Imperative of good governance in Nigeria”, organised by Youth Affairs International.

His words: “My first words must be to thank His Excellency the Governor for agreeing to host this lecture. This as you have been told is the 12th in the series. The first in the series was hosted by the then-governor of Lagos, Governor Fashola.

“This time I am truly delighted that the governor of Akwa Ibom State decided to host it.

“When the organizers approached me and told me that they were thinking of Akwa Ibom State, luckily this was a few days after I had seen on a Television programme His Excellency the governor of Akwa Ibom State speaking about his emphasis on Education, his emphasis on how to deploy the resources of the State to Education rather than luxuries I was so impressed.

“And I would say that what I have seen and read about Akwa Ibom, encourages me to believe that if Governance as it is conducted here in Akwa Ibom were to spread nationally, then Nigeria will stand a good chance of returning to the period when Nigeria worked.

“When I say the period when Nigeria worked, you would understand that I lived as a young man in the period when it was safe to travel within Nigeria. It was a period when Nigeria worked not only in terms of security but more importantly in terms of hope. We the young people at the time were full of hope.

“We were proud to identify ourselves as Nigerians wherever we went. We were glad that our country was evolving slowly to become a nation. But today it seems we have taken steps backwards to remain a country. We have not yet become a nation”

Chief Anyaoku thanked the Keynote speaker, and Director General Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Prof Eghosa Osagie, noting that the analysis and prescriptions he mentioned, most of them were already working in Akwa Ibom State.

“And I believe that when the practice here in Akwa Ibom spreads to the rest of the country, particularly to Abuja, Nigeria will begin to work again. I also thank the organisers of the lecture series, ‘Youth Affairs International’.I thank them and wish them well”, Anyaoku added.

In his remarks, Governor Umo Eno described Chief Anyaoku as, a “Nigerian gift to the World”

The governor who noted that he took an excuse to attend the Governor’s forum meeting in Abuja late because of the Lecture and the personality involved, stressed that he couldn’t have missed the event for anything as the host.

“It is not every time a Chief Emeka Anyaoku come by. I would like to say that he has been a Beacon of Hope for some of us. On behalf of the people of Akwa Ibom State, I welcome you, and we celebrate you for all that God has used you to do for our country.

“Let me thank the organisers of this event for seeking after knowledge, and for instituting this lecture series and immortalizing the name of one of our great leaders in Nigeria. What you are doing is commendable and I want to also thank you for choosing Akwa Ibom State to host it”, Eno said.