Nigeria Has Everything Needed to Prosper, But Poor Leadership and Corruption Have Held It Back — Femi Adesina

Former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has attributed Nigeria's inability to achieve its full economic and social potential to poor leadership, corruption, weak infrastructure, and rising unemployment.

Adesina made the remarks while delivering a lecture titled "Nigeria's Kinetics: How Long?" at the first annual public lecture organised by the Foursquare Gospel Church, Aba Ibeji, held at Mauve 21 in the Oluyole Local Government Area.

Speaking during the event, Adesina said Nigeria possesses all the ingredients required for sustainable growth and development, including a large youthful population, abundant natural resources, fertile agricultural land, and a strategic geographical location. However, he lamented that these advantages have failed to translate into widespread prosperity for citizens.

According to him, decades of corruption, poor governance, inadequate infrastructure, and high unemployment have continued to slow the nation's progress, leaving millions of Nigerians particularly young people struggling to find decent jobs and improve their standard of living.

"Nigeria is endowed with both human and natural resources, but unfortunately it has not translated to wealth," Adesina stated, stressing that the country's enormous potential remains largely untapped.

The former presidential spokesman also reflected on statements made by Nigerian leaders over the years, from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa to President Bola Tinubu, noting that successive administrations have consistently spoken about Nigeria's immense promise and bright future. Despite those assurances, he said, many of the expectations of citizens remain unfulfilled.

Adesina urged the nation's political leaders to go beyond speeches by implementing policies and reforms that will translate Nigeria's abundant resources into tangible benefits for the people.

Other speakers at the event echoed similar concerns, emphasizing that national development is a shared responsibility. They called on both leaders and citizens to work together in promoting accountability, good governance, and sustainable development to build a more prosperous Nigeria.