Fashola Gives Recipe For Rapid Dev

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has given a recipe for  accelerated national economic growth in the country, saying the states should be  allowed to be the laboratories for science and economic development of the country.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at a public lecture with the theme, “Rebooting African  Economies: Technological Innovation, Growth and Political Transition,” organised by  the state government in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School IFED  Programme, said the time has come for states to begin to play more roles as engines  of national development, if the nation must be lifted from underdevelopment in this  generation.

The governor regretted that in countries across the world, especially in developing  countries, states and provinces are often embroiled in bitter antagonisms with their  central governments on issues of development, pointing out that such antagonisms  often impede development.

“Oftentimes, it seems that states and central governments across the world are  embroiled in very bitter war of superiority. But the reality is that we share only  one common purpose. Government exists only for the private sector,” Governor Fashola  said adding, “In Lagos, we have defined that private sector as the jobless destitute  in the street to the biggest corporation in the private sector. Our responsibility  is to ensure that they prosper in a competitive manner.”

He urged the different levels of government to collaborate for overall development  of the country. “Whether you like it or not, we are joined at the hip. We must begin  to speak the same language. We must begin to share the same experience; we must  begin to compete in our areas of comparative advantage.

“Some people might find it offensive, but I think the time for paradigm shift is  now,” the governor said and pointed out that the most critical factor in the growth  and development of any institution is the human factor.

“Institutions are only artificial legal entities. The truth about it is that  institutions prosper when men and women in them have done right; they fail only when  men and women in them fail. And, therefore, at the heart of the institutions, really  lie people. It is the ability to pursue development without fear and with an  openness of mind and commitment to see it through that institutionalizes processes”,  he said.

Noting that his administration has committed itself to addressing the problem of  unemployment, Governor Fashola described as a tragic irony the fact that a country  like Nigeria with so much to do and that has so much people still complains of  unemployment.

“What we have seen is a mismatch between curriculums from the production centres in  the universities and what the economy and the society need. And, therefore, we are  producing graduates in areas that are not our areas of need,” the governor said,  adding that the Lagos State Government is leading the change and advocacy for the  re-examination of the National Education Curricula.

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