ART 2024: Help for “Agbado” Economy and Tinubu Presidency.

By Bolaji O. Akinyemi.

A happy 2024; my wish for all Nigerians at home and in the diaspora. Beyond wishes and felicitations upon this first day of the year are intentional and deliberate action plans we must initiate to make this year count for us as individual citizens and collectively as a nation or continent.

During the electioneering campaign towards the 2023 election, the then presidential candidate of APC and now President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu made many gaffes, one of which was recruiting 50 million youths into the army to end the fight against terrorism.

On the surface, statistically, the President seems “wrong” but discerning and probing this philosophy I am convinced it is workable and am inviting you to join hands with us to make it work.

In need of urgent employment is our idling workforce which can’t be less than 50 million youths.

The database of the population to determine what 7.2% of those aged 15-24 years & 4.2% of the labour force participation rate represents isn’t provided by the news story on Nigeria Bureau of Statistics Website. However,
the 50 million Youths referenced by PBT would be used to demonstrate how to deploy knowledge, understanding and wisdom using ‘agbado economy’ to create wealth.

The fight against terrorism is first against poverty, hunger and illiteracy. The constituency providing army of youth who are deceived in ignorance into believing they are fighting to advance their tribes or religions.

Truth be told, our experience with the triplets of our unfortunate confrontation viz poverty, hunger and illiteracy, is nothing short of war!

Our Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces must be prepared to lead this battle from the front. I must admit that nothing much can be achieved without a constitutional reform which will provide the legal frame work for the battle and will enforce the rules of engagement for the war!

Poverty of course has assumed a full scale war in Nigeria, with 135 million people captured to its side as prisoners of war!

There can be no further delay to set them free. A hungry man, is said to be an angry man because he has many mouths to feed. A hungry “Country” of 215 million people may set itself on fire out of frustrations occasioned by anger. This is what our tales had been and the story may not change until capacity is developed to put food on the table for all Nigerians!

Our literacy rate of 62% means 38% of the citizens are held down to illiteracy; with 20 million vulnerable school-going children having no access to secular educational learning facilities.
A glimpse of the poverty and hunger data shows that 135 million citizens of the 215 million Nigerians are below the poverty line.
Thus, the index of poverty, hunger, illiteracy (Phi) amongst the citizens is truly alarming and requires urgent nationwide action plan to address the prevailing Phi data.

What is the potency of our chances with Agbado, Cassava and Garri as proposed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?

This question is what the Paper; The Seed Concept; “Stewarding Monetary System for Wealth Creation” will provide answer to at the Apostolic Round Table 2024.

ART is a gathering of men and women in the service of God to humanity in the market place, politics and public arena.

The dynamics of national development is for the government to develop the people and the People their nations!

No nation can develop above the capacity of its people. That is the philosophy driving ART.

At ART 2023, I opined the need to view leadership of Nigeria beyond service to our Nation and I placed before the audience the need to keep Africa in view. A pan African leadership of the continent by Nigeria is sacrosanct and this must be impressed strongly on this administration! Hence our continental focus of ART 2024.

Our interest collectively as a continent should be how to place the wealth of the continent in the hands of our people to better their lives and develop our continent.

ART 2024 is another opportunity to talk and follow through with public action plans for citizens to create wealth for their happiness.

The paper to be presented by me as the Convener will be subjected to the scrutiny of astute Professionals from relevant fields of interest to help analyse for successful implementation. Experts in Monetary Policy Formulation and Implementation, the team consist of the trio of Prof Eunice Egbuna, Mr Jubrin Musa and Mr Peter Okafor.

Our Team of Accounting Experts will be led by a Chartered Accountant with exposure in tax administration in person of Pastor Fisayo Awogbade, the immediate past Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of Chattered Institute for Taxation of Nigeria, CITN.

Our Team of Development Economists will be led by Dr Haggai Haruna Gutap, PhD.

The legal spectacle of ART 2024 will be worn by Mr Jiti Ogunye who would lead us to take a look at the legal framework of our monetary system as presently constituted and propose a rejig where necessary.

Our Communique and Communication Team will be led by Professor Funmi Adesanya-Davies, a communication teacher of many years and a former Presidential Candidate.

All that is needed to transform Africa is in just one seed of “Agbado”! As a Nigeria homegrown philosophy of wealth creation of the citizens for the citizens by the citizens.

Can we find one seed of Agbado in Nigeria? If we can, then we are on our way to developing capacity not just to feed ourselves but to feed the world and make wealth for 215 million people in Nigeria and by extension Africans to live happily here on earth!

We can’t therefore afford to sleep on this seed concept for wealth creation.

It is in a data enabled world we find ourselves, our planing must therefore be data based, our decisions data informed and our actions data driven. At the base of our evolution as a nation and continent should be an overhauled NBS ready to provide up to date data for public action projects.

Phi plus Idling workforce equals the recipe for social disorder, nay revolution!

National Bureau of Statistics should have accurate data for labour force participation rate, unemployment rate & related labour market data in public interest.

ART 2024 is an agenda to help the Federal Government of Nigeria deactivate the grievances of the latent social force that’s already bulging to intolerable level
The paper will be shared with Mr President, it will also be made public to all Nigerians and follow up with very strong and pragmatic public action advocacy!

To this awareness for Nigerians to know that as always we have no reason for failure, we are committing ourselves. We all must be alerted of any move in the direction of failure and the need to deprive this government of another journey to it.

The new Ministry of Creative Economy at engaging the youths is an identification of the “Agbados” that our creative youths have become to the field of talent economy in the global market, getting seven (7) of our music icons on the nomination stage of Grammy due to their sheer hustle and energy is a proof of what the future holds for our country and continent.

ART 2024 will place at the finger tips of Government what their involvement in the sector should be to get things better because the pace has been set by the practitioners themselves and the government must be reminded of the need to keep them in the lead while providing the push!

ART 2024 will help us Identify other potential seeds of “Agbado” in Nigeria that, if planted and nurtured can make us great in just a circle of one year!

ART 2024 will, on behalf of Nigerians provide a practical model of wealth creation for all through the concept of one seed!

In One Man is usually the One Seed needed to transform nations and generations. In you may be the seed of our national emancipation and continental deliverance.

Are you the “Agbado” in whom the potential of our greatness depends as a nation? Come find out at ART 2024; Stewards Of Nations.

Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder President Voice Of His Word Ministries, Convener Apostolic Round Table; ART. The BoT Chairman Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija and CEO Masterbuilder Communications.

bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com

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