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| Zakaria, host, Fareed Zakaria's GPS on CNN |
Nigerian leaders have been urged to
ensure they invest in the future of the country with specific interest in
education, so as to provide quality foundation for Nigerian children.
Making this call in Lagos was a
renowned journalist, internationally acclaimed author and host of popular,
Fareed Zakaria’s GPS on CNN, Dr. Fareed Zakaria at the 2012 Airtel Night of
Influence.
Speaking under the theme, Africa’s
Political Economy: The Challenge of Leadership, he told a high profile
gathering of Nigeria’s best and brightest, including former President Olusegun
Obasanjo, observed that a focused investment in human capital development and
building strong institutions to safe-guard society from human failings are
important requirements for lifting developing nations out of the lowest levels
of economic growth.
The cerebral TV anchorman also
advised that rather than “subsidizing the present or buying votes, leaders
should invest in education, invest in Infrastructure, invest in healthcare and
invest in the future.”
He cited an instance with Taiwan
and South Korea, he further observed that although these countries do not have
natural resources, they have emerged strong economies with impressive GDP
growth rates because of their efforts in developing human capital and building
strong institutions.
Also, he noted that the United
States of America currently exports human capital in Liquefied Natural Gas and
other areas because the country had invested in research, training and
development in those areas.
“There is so much human talents in
Africa and in Nigeria. These talents need to be unlocked through education. It
is an irony that countries experiencing high GDP growth are countries without
natural resources. Look at Taiwan. What they have is typhoon … they do not have
any natural resources; yet, they have managed to emerge as one of the countries
with the highest GDP growth rate,” he said.
In his remarks former President of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo commended Dr.
Zakaria for his courage and insightful presentation and affirmed his belief in
a bright future for Nigeria.
“I must say I am an incurable
optimist and I can see that the future of our country is bright. And if we do
what we have to do, that future is near,” said former president Obasanjo
In his opening remarks, the
chairman, Airtel Networks Limited, Dr. Oba Otudeko, reiterated Airtel’s
commitment to providing world class telecommunications services to Nigerians.
“Airtel Nigeria means business and
is challenging strongly for leadership in the industry. And I dare say we are
demonstrating our commitment by the major initiatives we are embarking on in
network coverage expansion, capacity enhancement and quality improvement.
“We have a network that currently
has capacity to double the subscriber base. With over $1.5 billion dollars
invested over the past two years, it is only a matter of time before we assume
our rightful place in the Nigerian telecoms industry. Don’t forget we were
first to commence commercial operations on August 5, 2001! I am proud to say that we do not only have
some of the most highly motivated employees in the industry, we also have the
largest and the biggest 3.75G network in Nigeria,” he said.
Yinka Awosanya
... Making SENSE of digital revolution!
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