Adams Oshiomhole: Nigeria’s future depends on human capital development, not oil

EDO State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole Tuesday in Benin said that what the nation need most now was to change its focus from crude oil and other mineral resources to its abundant human resources.

He said the focus on the development of its human capital made some of the Asian tigers great today in the world economy.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State receives a souvenir from Mr Collins Osaghae of the National Union of Edo South Youths during the group's courtesy visit to the Governor, yesterday.

Addressing a mammoth crowd of students at their 3rd Summit, Oshiomhole said “Japan achieved greatness not by the quantity of oil on their soil but by the quality of their human capital development and the patriotism of their people.”

“Nigeria must get to a point where it is what you know that matters not who you know. A system where there are different lists for admission does not augur well for the country. Miracles can’t deliver a country that devalues merit and celebrates hypocrisy and godfatherism.”

The Governor said many politicians seek public office just to get power without having a clue on how to change the fortunes of their people said:
“politics is about power and power without purpose is useless. The problem is that a good number of those in power wrongly define their purpose in government”.

He urged the youths to engage those seeking political office to and ask them questions on what they have done in the past to change the lives of the people for the better, saying “the young people have a duty to enlighten the society, more than anyone else, you know that one way to determine who moves to the next level is to show your report card.

“As we approach the next campaigns, it will be less rhetoric but more of showing of report card. The beauty of democracy is that it is a leveler, its not based on command structure. The ballot of the Corporal is as potent as the ballot of the general. The people must have the right to interrogate those who wish to represent them, that is the irreducible minimum in a democracy.”

He noted that his government recognized the importance of education, saying “that is why we have re-ordered our priorities and are restoring confidence in public schools by rebuilding the schools with the best materials and we have laid a foundation for restoring confidence in public schools” he said.