2 months ago
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The National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Kenneth Ukeagu, has expressed concern over the economic hardship plaguing the nation.
Ukeagu said that the challenges are deeply rooted in the behaviour of its citizens and are not solely the fault of the government.
He stated this during the 2024 Entrepreneurship Grant Ceremony organised by the Connak Foundation in Abuja on Saturday evening.
Ukeagu argued that since governance is a reflection of the broader society, Nigerians must take responsibility for the current economic difficulties facing the country.
According to him, everyone has a role to play in nation-building.
The INEC commissioner also contended that it is unfair to place all the blame on the government and public officeholders without considering the role of the average citizen, who may be contributing to the system’s dysfunction through unethical practices.
He said, “I want you to understand that it is not an overnight process. You don’t start today and achieve results the next day. It requires commitment, devotion, and discipline. The truth is that we, Nigerians, are the problem. Those who form our government come from the society, and those who push them to act wrongly are part of the system.
“From the person who shuts down their petrol station because they’ve heard there will be a scarcity tomorrow, to the one who takes pleasure in seeing long queues after deliberately closing their station to make extra profit on the black market—these are Nigerians, not the government.
“Even the woman selling vegetables in the market will cite exchange rates as the reason for increasing prices, despite having grown her produce in her backyard. She doesn’t work for the Central Bank of Nigeria. She is a Nigerian. We all have a responsibility to empower and support each other. Yes, there are shortcuts, but these so-called shortcuts also demand a great deal of hard work.”
The Chief Executive Officer of Connak Foundation, Mrs Carol Sunday, echoed these sentiments, stating that most shortcuts often lead to disaster.
Sunday further emphasised that her initiative is committed to assisting the government in areas such as empowerment, investment in human capital development, and ethical practices to overcome the economic challenges facing the country.
She said, “We believe in human capital development, and most of our thematic areas have always focused on helping people, as our motto suggests. But now, it has expanded to the whole nation. Every geopolitical zone is represented here today, and that is how we have always operated.
“Today, we have over 500 youths under our scholarship scheme. We started the entrepreneurship programme with about 100 participants, and now we are training over 25,000.”
