Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday declared Nigeria has become a burial ground for policies, making the nation to be bogged down by back and forth kind of movement.
Obasanjo who laments that the country take two steps forward and three steps backward, maintained that Nigeria is not short on policies to achieve greatness but has over time became a “burial ground of policies as a result of unimplemented and unexecuted policies.“
”It is not enough for leaders to have policies or make statements. We are not short of policies in Nigeria. Unfortunately, Nigeria has become a burial ground of policies that are either unimplemented or unexecuted.
“Those who make progress achieved progress, not on the basis of wishing to make progress, but on taking actions. They do not take two steps forward and three steps backward.
“Regrettably this is what we are doing in every aspect of our national life. And as long as we are doing things this way, progress will elude us. Let us carry the ones we can carry, we cannot be jack of all trade and master of none,“ Obasanjo said.
Obasanjo was Special Guest of Honour at the Olusegun Obasanjo Space Centre, Abuja, during the 8th Engr Brig Gen (rtd) Micheal Agu Annual Distinguished Lecture and Awards.
The annual lecture and awards were organised under the auspices of the Nigerian Institution of Space Engineers with the theme:”Nigeria’s 21 years in space 2003-2024: Achievements, challenges and prospects.”
Obasanjo was presented an award as Grand Commander of Nigerian Space Exploration by organisers of the event.
He said when the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) was established by his administration, over 100 Nigerian engineers were sent to China for training in different categories and specialisations.
He recalled that his administration had plans to launch its first Satellite in space by China, the second Satellite by Nigeria in collaboration with China and the third plan was to launch Nigeria Satellite in Space exclusively made by Nigeria.
He regretted that no progress made on the plans afterwards as it turned out that at some point, NASRDA could not even pay its workers after he left office.