Esther Oluku
Civil Society Organisation, Think Tank on Nigeria (TTON), has unveiled a compendium of 10 communique, proffering solutions on 10 pressing economic and social issues, affecting Nigeria, with a vision of stimulating growth in Nigeria
Think Tank on Nigeria, established in 2022, is a meeting point of over 250 professionals and experts across various fields of society pulling together ideas across sectors to engineer all-around progress for Nigeria’s economy.
The topics of the communiques cuts across; youth engagement and unemployment in Nigeria, leveraging entertainment and sports for growth, industrialisation, means of funding for the Nigerian economy, optimizing the informal sector, mining and national development, future elections in Nigeria, substance abuse and its impact on national development, corruption and mental health.
Speaking during the presentation of the document titled ‘Conversations’ in Lagos, the Convener, Think Tank on Nigeria, Mr Dideolu Falobi, stated that the cause was born out of the need to proffer lasting solutions to Nigeria’s economic and social challenges which leaders at every sphere of society can adopt and use.
He noted that Nigeria’s socio-economic woes have led to a collapse of societal values, increased poverty levels, human capital flight, collapse of the naira and food scarcity.
Dideolu explained that while ‘Conversations’ is the first collection of solutions to ten topical issues, subsequent volumes will be made available to the public and people in authority to help address challenges in other areas of society as the need arises.
He said that at the heart of the initiative is the desire for professionals to contribute their ideas to building a nation of every Nigeria’s dream.
“We can’t continue to complain in our corners. Let us take our complaints to a platform where experts will pick an idea up, knock it around and come up with a communique.
“The whole idea is to bring out the best from Nigeria. We want to create a port of ideas that people in authority can use because these ideas are useless if we put them in our pockets. It is about enhancing the capacity of Nigeria to perform.
“If the local government chairman picks this document and is able to see something there and implement it, it is his own. If a state governor sees it, if an MDA director picks it, then there is something for everybody. We’ve stayed away from politics because there are so many issues in Nigeria.”
In his remark, writer and member TTON, Mr. Onorakpene Eviosekwofa, stated that for professionals, it is time to shift the focus from the rhetoric of the problems to the possibility of solutions.
“We don’t want to dwell on the rhetoric of Nigeria’s problems. For us, whatever the solutions we put forward, governments and leaders across the nations can take advantage of it to improve our nation.”
