Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana and former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko on Monday in Lagos attended the 70th birthday lecture in honour renowned poet and author, Odia Ofeimun.
Aregbesola who chaired the conference held at the University of Lagos with the theme, “Taking Nigeria Seriously in speech said that intellectuals, writers and poets at the best of times are not well materially endowed as a result of the economic dependent category they belong to, and as such the gathering cannot but stimulate cogitation on the plight of writers, poets and intellectuals in a challenging economy. ‘’
Aregbesola noted that contrary to popular assumption, that Nigeria was not rich, although has huge untapped potential to be among the richest in the world, the poverty evidently has been the result of its burgeoning non-qualitative and non-productive population, which regrettably and ironically has impacted badly on writers who devote their lifetime chronicling the challenges of the nation and working hard on how to overcome them.
Also speaking at the event, former Ondo State governor noted that the unemployment situation in the country ”speaks to the poor state of the economy”.
“Again, you don’t need to tell anybody that the economy in Nigeria has failed,” he said. “The level of failure of our economy is on the streets.”
Mr Mimiko said that irrespective of what the Nigerian bureau of statistics says about unemployment, if everything is factored into the mix, graduate unemployment should be “more than eighty per cent.”
“That’s why there is cultism, there is violence,” the former governor said.
“The young ones have no Biodun Jeyifos, no G.G Daras, there is no Osofisan to look up to. They only look up to Marley… Marley Naira or whatever.”
An excited Ofeimun in his appreciation remarks thanked the dignitaries and guests for attending the epoch-making event.
Reputed literary scholar, Biodun Jeyifo, Popular veteran actress, Taiwo Ajayi Lycett also graced the occasion.
