As Nigeria celebrates its 66th Independence Anniversary, some residents in Lagos have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to prioritise electricity, digital infrastructure, affordable internet access and ease of doing business to improve the economy and create opportunities for Nigerians.
The residents, who spoke separately with LAGOS EYE NEWS in Lagos on Thursday, said many Nigerians were yet to fully feel the impact of independence in their living conditions.
They also urged the Federal Government to strengthen support for entrepreneurs, young Nigerians and other critical sectors of the economy.
The calls came against the backdrop of President Tinubu’s Independence Day address, in which he said his administration was moving from economic reforms towards shared prosperity, with emphasis on jobs, enterprise and industrial growth.
Speaking on the state of the economy, Mr Tope Farotika, CEO of Lebanon Cedars Furniture, said Nigeria needed to achieve greater economic and political independence.
Farotika said although Nigeria gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960, what he described as neo-colonialism continued to affect the country’s economic and political development.
He said the prevailing economic conditions had made it increasingly difficult for entrepreneurs to operate sustainable businesses.
“As entrepreneurs, we can hardly do business successfully under the prevailing economic conditions. People no longer have enough money to buy the products and services we offer.”
According to him, the high cost of doing business has affected the ability of business owners to make reasonable profits, pay workers’ salaries and sustain their operations.
“Many businesses are folding up, and the cost of doing business in Nigeria is astronomically high,” he said.
Farotika called on political leaders to place national development and the welfare of citizens above personal interests.
Looking ahead to the 67th Independence Anniversary in 2027, he urged political leaders to demonstrate greater commitment to building the country and harnessing its resources for the benefit of Nigerians.
“Nigeria has all the resources and potential required to become a great nation. Unfortunately, our political leaders have not demonstrated sufficient commitment to building the country,” he said.
He also called on citizens to take responsibility for contributing to national development, saying Nigeria had the resources required to build a prosperous nation if leaders and citizens demonstrated the necessary commitment.
Also speaking, technology expert Mr Ayoola Ajiboye identified technology education and digital skills development as areas where Nigeria had recorded encouraging progress.
Ajiboye noted that government initiatives such as the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, alongside partnerships with organisations and industry groups, were helping to equip young Nigerians with modern technology skills.
However, he stressed that skills development must be accompanied by an economic environment capable of providing opportunities for young people to deploy their skills productively.
According to him, Nigerian technology professionals are facing greater difficulties accessing international remote opportunities compared with the period during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic.
He warned that the situation could contribute to brain drain as skilled Nigerians seek better opportunities outside the country.
“Training thousands or even millions of young people in technology is only part of the equation. We also need an economy capable of creating opportunities for those skills to be deployed productively,” Ajiboye said.
He urged the Federal Government to create an environment where technology professionals can build businesses, work for global companies from Nigeria, attract international investment and contribute meaningfully to the domestic economy.
Ajiboye identified economic stability, reliable electricity, digital infrastructure, affordable internet access, ease of doing business, stronger protection of digital and intellectual property, and a predictable business environment as areas requiring greater attention.
“Nigeria has the talent. The opportunity now is to build the environment that makes talented Nigerians want to stay, build and succeed here,” he said.
He added that creating such an environment would be an important measure of progress by Nigeria’s 67th Independence Anniversary in 2027.
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