The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has disagreed with individuals who blame colonialism for the country’s current predicament.
Rather, he attributed the problem to citizens’ mindsets.
Fashola made his position known in a speech he delivered at Veritas University’s 2022 convocation on Saturday in Abuja.
He said, “There are legions of examples that have held back our people from generation to generation; please do not subscribe to them. An example is the one that blames our situation and developmental status on colonialism—the amalgamation of Nigeria by Lord Lugard, and so on, 62 years later.
“I see it in the most basic of things, such as when we want to register businesses; they must have foreign names for us to feel good. It is the mindset that we must change.
“You do not need anyone to validate you. You are an original. Please tell the apologists of colonial heritage that the USA, UAE, and China were once colonies that have become either better than or as competitive as those who colonised them.
“It is a positive mindset that enables you to understand that those who colonised you are approaching the peak of their development while ours is still fledgling. We have much more scope for development, the opportunity to leapfrog, and the limitless capacity to be better. The future should not be defined or held back by the past.
“Our minds, your minds, our mindset, your mindset, and our state of mind are the unshakeable pillars upon which that future will be built.”
Also speaking at the event, the vice-chancellor of the university, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Ichoku, noted that the university awarded 28 first-class degrees to well-deserving students.
The PUNCH reports that a former national president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, and the Archbishop of Abuja’s catholic diocese, Ignatius Kaigama, were honoured with honorary doctorate degrees.
