By Adedayo Akinwale
As Nigeria marks its 61st independence anniversary, the Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, has said that while Nigeria is still challenged, the country is not stagnant.
Oyetola stated this Thursday during an interaction with journalists in Abuja to mark his 67th birthday, saying that the country might not have attained the level it ought to be, but insisted that progress has been recorded.
He stated: “I think by every standard, we have moved. We may not have achieved the level that we are thinking of as a nation, I think we are moving. Comparing us with other nations that had attained the same independence as ours may not necessarily be too good enough because you are not too sure of what they have.”
Oyetola added that the country could have done better given the level it has attained now, particularly the efforts that have been put into running the affairs of the country under the administration of President Muhamadu Buhari.
According to him, “We are not stagnant. We are challenged. For instance, the issue of security is a big challenge but that is not only peculiar to Nigeria, we have challenges in other parts of the world. But what is important is for you not to give up. I believe we are making progress, we may not be at the level which we are expecting as a nation but we are not stagnant. Nigeria is moving forward.”
Oyetola added that he has been able to pay salaries of workers up to date because he was able to define his priority, insisting workers deserve their pay.
“There is no magic. It is a question of defining your priority, getting them right. I also believe that workers deserve their pay. Don’t forget that I came from the private sector background. I employed people in my company. As a matter of policy, there was no time I didn’t pay their monthly salary. So, I decided that moving forward, I must of necessity make the payment of workers salary a priority.
“God has been quite kind. I look at my cash flow and define my priority right. So there is no magic, it is a question of creativity and setting your priority right. There is no magic in finance.”
