The immediate past chairman of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council and the Obi of Owa Kingdom, Dr Emmanuel Efeizomor II, has advocated for more resilience in the unity of Nigeria in the face of the current socio-economic downturn in the country.
He called on Nigerians not to despair but rather to look inward for more self-sustainable socio-economic measures to cushion the effects of the harsh economic realities of the time.
In his New Year message to Nigerians, the octogenarian monarch advocated for a more united Nigeria in the face of the current diversity occasioned by socio-economic and political woes in the country.
According to him, more focused attention should be placed on agriculture and farming as a panacea to the current food crisis in the country.
He posited that if governments at all levels prioritise agriculture and food production, the measures would go a long way to reducing the high cost of living and improving the daily socio-economic well-being of Nigerians in the new year.
The Owa Monarch also emphasised the need for government authorities to provide a conducive environment in terms of security to enable farmers to go to their farms unmolested by herders in order to guarantee food security and stamp out hunger from the land.
He commended the media for not only standing tall to be counted when it mattered most but also for their doggedness in telling the truth to power, adding that the agenda-setting function of the media had promoted societal values, cohesion, and upheld the rule of law, which is the fulcrum of the nation’s democracy and development as a nation.
Dr Efeizomor II described 2024 as an economically difficult year characterised by high inflationary trends, hunger, and untold economic hardship and hailed the resilience, doggedness, and patience with which Nigerians surmounted the excruciating economic challenges of the outgoing year.
He passionately appealed to those in the corridors of power at the national and sub-national levels to endeavour to change the narrative in 2025 by engaging in deep reflection on the essence of governance and service delivery with a view to enthroning a new paradigm in the policy directions of the government, especially in the areas with direct impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.
The Owa Monarch identified insecurity, get-rich-quick syndrome, joblessness, high cost of living, and hunger as some of the economic problems confronting Nigerians.
While enjoining Nigerians not to despair over the current state of affairs, Dr Efeizomor II urged them to look forward with greater optimism and unshaken faith in the collective desire to achieve a Nigeria as envisioned by the founding fathers.
On some pending topical national discourse such as the electoral, judicial, and tax reforms, the revered monarch called for more dialogue and advocacy to enhance cross-fertilisation of ideas and aggregation of opinions in order to achieve consensus on issues of common interest in a multi-ethnic nation for the greater good of all strata of society.
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