Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Minister of Works and Housing, disagrees with those who attribute the country’s current predicament to colonialism.
Instead, he said that citizens’ mindsets were to blame for the issue.
In a speech he gave on Saturday in Abuja at the 2022 convocation of Veritas University, Fashola stated his position.
He stated, “There are countless examples that have prevented our people from moving forward from generation to generation;Please do not follow them.One example is the one that attributes our situation and current level of development to colonialism: Lord Lugard’s amalgamation of Nigeria 62 years later, and so on.
“I see it in the most fundamental of situations, like when we wish to register businesses;For us to be happy, their names must be foreign.We need to shift our perspective.
You do not require validation from anyone.You are one of a kind.Please inform the advocates of colonial heritage that the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and China were once colonies that have evolved into nations that are either superior to or as competitive as their former colonizers.
“It is a positive attitude that enables you to comprehend that those who colonized you are nearing the pinnacle of their development while ours is still in its infancy.We have a lot more room for growth, more chances to advance, and more ways to get better.The past should not define or impede the future.
“The unmovable pillars upon which that future will be built are our minds, your minds, our mindset, your mindset, and our state of mind.”
The university’s vice-chancellor, Rev. Fr., also spoke at the event.According to Hyacinth Ichoku, the school conferred 28 first-class degrees on deserving students.
According to the PUNCH, honorary doctorates were bestowed upon Cardinal John Onaiyekan, a former national president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, and Ignatius Kaigama, the archbishop of Abuja’s catholic diocese.