By Chukwuemerie Uduchukwu

A leading researcher at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs Prof. Osita Agbu, has accused Nigerian politicians of pursuing selfish agenda instead of delivering services that should benefit the majority of the Nigerian people.

Speaking Saturday in Awka, at the  Second Zik’s Leadership Lecture Series/Luncheon organized by the Nnamdi Azikiwe University chapter of the National Association of Political Science Students,  Prof Agbu lamented that Nigerian is in so terrible a state that it urgently needs a sovereign national conference to forge ahead. He added that the ongoing constitution amendment exercise is incapable of  solving the country’s knotty problems.

Delivering a lecture on “Globalization: The Politics of ‘We’ and ‘Them’”, Mr. Agbu, challenged the Nigerian government to rise up and check the skyrocketing inequality in the country.

Describing inequality in income distribution as one of the negative effects of globalisation, Mr. Agbu urged government to check the trend in the interest of societal stability.

He argued that globalisation “is a new stage of imperialism characterised by social injustice experienced in Nigeria today” which he said has caused several negative consequences for the world.

Citing Nigeria as an example, Mr. Agbu said national policies are now being adopted to satisfy world agencies such as the United Nations rather than do so in line with local realities.

He further said that globalization was fast eroding the cultural values of developing countries such as Nigeria because citizens usually prefer foreign values to theirs, a situation he described as a serious problem to society.

Mr. Agbu however admitted that globalisation has had some positive effects on the world especially in the area of technological advancement.

In his opening remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Ejiofor Egwuatu, a former member of the Anambra state House of Assembly, urged the youth to accumulate skills that could help them rise up to the challenge facing their country. He said the youth have since transformed from being leaders of tomorrow to being custodians of today’s leadership.

Also in his speech, Head, Department of Political Science, Makodi Biereenu-Nnabugwu, described the event as memorable especially because it took place on a day the African Union celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The AU started as Organisation of African Unity, OAU, 50 years ago.

Dr. Biereenu-Nnabugwu also said the lecture was organised to sensitise the public about contemporary events of global significance and what they portend for Nigeria.

In his welcome address, the president of the UNIZIK chapter of NAPSS,  Ngini Ignatius, noted that in contemporary Nigeria, important issues of  global concern crop up daily, raging from militancy and kidnapping to the current most pressing issue of terrorism by the extremist Boko Haram sect, which he described as a great threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the correct name of the keynote speaker. The speaker is Prof Osita Agbu and not Prof Osita Ogbu. 

Mr. Uduchukwu, a student of political science at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, filed this story for PREMIUM TIMES