The former US ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Walter Carrington, yesterday noted with deep concern that Nigeria’s “growth without development” is one of the most shocking contradictions in her development economics which has brought her to the crossroads.
He observed that since 2006 till date, the country’s overall unemployment rate rose from 6.4 per cent to 24.20 per cent which was about half of the rate for young people between the ages of 15 and 34, adding that at the same time, many were celebrating Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate.
Besides, his wife, Dr. Arese Carrington, also observed that the patriarchal nature of the society which disenfranchises women is one of the mistakes that have continued to haunt the nation and Africa in general. She said Africans should believe strongly in the future of Nigeria and the African continent because that will inspire the citizenry to account for the present and learn from the past mistakes without repeating them.
The couple spoke as guest lecturers on the themes “Nigeria and the future of the black world” and “The female imperative in the new Africa” respectively at the Inaugural Eminent Lecture Series organised yesterday by the University of Benin, Edo State.
Amb. Carrington pointed out that the country’s strongest growth rates in Africa was “encouraging”, adding however, that its sustainability is in doubt because of the near collapse of oil prices worldwide.
