The Keynote Speaker at the opening session of the 63rd NBA-AGC in Abuja was the Chairman of UBA Plc and Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu, who also serves as the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
NEWSWIRE Law and Events Magazine correspondent at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, venue of the Conference in Abuja reports that Elumelu began his wide-ranging speech by noting the fact that the central theme of this year’s NBA-AGC was nation -building, and decrying the fact that our accomplishment are few as compared to our population and potential, and went on to set an agenda for all stakeholders – leaders and led alike – designed to make the most of our country’s greatest resource, namely, her people. He was referring to the need for investments in the nation’s power sector as well as social infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and so forth. He also called for investments on our young people, noting that by empowering them we set the tone for social advancement, thereby making the world a better place to live in. He also called for robust investments in women, noting that when a woman succeeds, the community succeeds.
Paraphrasing the great civil rights icon, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Elumelu said, “Poverty anywhere is a treat to our prosperity and safety everywhere.”
In his much-anticipated speech at the occasion, The President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, who declared the 63rd NBA formally open, said Nigeria could no longer sustain what he called ‘a failed economic theory‘ that sees the expenditure of about 90% of its scarce revenues on the servicing of external debts in the midst of the many developmental challenges facing her.
The President who spoke mostly ex tempore, energized the over 16, 000 assembled lawyers and guests when he stated that the prosperity Nigerians required, would only be made possible with the focused cooperation of Nigeria’s private sector leaders, many of them present at the opening ceremony.
To this end, he expressed his administration’s readiness to make the very difficult changes that are necessary for Nigeria to rise from its slumber and be respected among the great nations of the world.
Addressing the theme of the conference, “Getting it Right: Charting the Course for Nigeria’s Nation-Building,” the Nigerian leader stated that hard decisions must be made to set the country on a growth trajectory, despite the initial pains which meaningful reforms usually bring. “We cannot have the country we desire “, he insisted, “without the reforms we have initiated. It is painful at the beginning, in the short and medium term, but we must do what we have to do to take this nation to its great destiny. It is not about you and it is not about me. It is about our generations yet unborn, for whom we must bequeath a great and prosperous country.”
Looking back at the acclaimed judicial reforms he undertook as Lagos State Governor, Tinubu renewed his commitment to deal conclusively with the pressing issue of renumeration for judicial officers and legal practitioners, noting that true justice reform must begin with world-class salaries and benefits for legal professionals in Nigeria.
“You are learned,“ he told the gathering. “I want to learn. Why are we so blessed and still lacking?” What is sorely needed, he went on to say, is a change of attitude and mindset, adding that constantly bemoaning our national condition and accusing successive leaderships in the country are not the answer. “Let us look forward and be determined. God has given us what we need. We must work hard with determination to make our country great, and it begins with you here.“
Singling out the Keynote Speaker, Elumelu for praise, the President described the UBA boas as one that is already the agenda for economic growth and development in Nigeria, and concluded his speech by making a commitment that his administration would ensure that Nigeria generates and distributes the amount of electricity the economy required to thrive and to bring the vast majority of Nigerians out of poverty.
NEWSWIRE Magazine’s correspondent reports that the event was finally declared formally open by the President.
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