President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to continue to support the fight against corruption to accelerate Nigeria’s development.
Buhari made the call in Abuja on Saturday at the presentation of two books by Maj.-Gen Sam Momah rtd, a former Minster of Science and Technology.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the books “Restructuring Nigeria beyond Oil’’, and “Pulling Nigeria off the Brink’’ were presented to the public to mark the 75th birthday of the author.
Buhari said the author had in his various works recognised the strategic importance of the fight against corruption to sustaining the integrity of Nigeria and ensuring equity, justice and fair play to all.
The President, represented by the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi said all Nigerians must remain committed to the fight against corruption.
He said it was a struggle that the nation could not afford to lose.
The President, who felicitated with the author on its 75th birthday, described him as an accomplished strategist, astute scientist, an intellectual, who served the country in various capacities meritoriously.
He said the celebrator had continued to contribute his quota to the development of the nation even after retirement, describing him as a prolific writer who had written on a verity of national global issues.
According to him, the authors’ earlier works have touched on issues pertaining to global strategy and technology amalgamation in Nigeria.
“With these current works, this celebrated author has contributed immensely in deepening the level of our national discourse and in providing new vistas of understanding.
“This will go a long way in helping the administration’s present struggle in overcoming some of the perennial challengies,’’ the president said.
In his remark,s Momah said at 75, he has nothing else to offer Nigeria than to express his anxieties and elucidate his vision for the country in a book form to guide Nigerian present and future generation .
He said the books were on issues that were presently on the front burner in Nigeria.
Momoh said rather than treat the issues as serious global phenomenon, they were being politicised and localised.
He said the book, “Restructuring Nigeria Beyond Oil’’ was prompted by the signing of the climate change agreement in Paris on Dec. 12, 2015 by 195 countries including Nigeria.
“The world as from that date will start using non fossil fuel or renewable sources of energy such as electricity solar, hydro, wind and biomass.
“It means that Nigeria’s oil will have no buyers, its revenue will drop near to zero. The earlier we start restructuring our minds and polity, the better for us as a nation.’’
He said the second book was to alert Nigerians that in 12 years’ time, it would no longer have oil money to share, adding that there was the need to intensify efforts at diversifying the economy from its overdependence on oil.
“We must immediately start reducing our recurrent expenditure and the cost of governance by restructuring a painless contraction in phases of our bloated bureaucracy.’’
According to Momah, restructuring is a strategic foundation that must be laid to ensure that the adverse economic challenges that will occur due to global change from fossil fuel to renewable energy by 2030 is reduced to the barest minimum.
This, he said could be archived by drastic reduction in cost of governance and massive investment in technology.
“Restructuring is a win –win for all Nigerian states, restructuring is beyond resource control, it does not mean breaking up Nigeria, instead, its main objectives is to reform, re-organise, re-enforce and rejuvenate Nigeria.’’
The high point of the event was the unveiling of the books as well as the inauguration of the “Sam Momah Foundation’’.
The Foundation is designed to reawaken and promote reading culture among students by establishing reading centres in parts of the country.
Present at the event were serving and retired top government functionaries from different sectors of the economy.
