The President, Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr Femi Adesina, on Thursday in Asaba said that Nigeria needed to envision and evolve a nation beyond oil or it could “perish’’.
In his address of welcome at the 9th All Nigerian Editors Conference, Adesina said “Nigeria must now diversify, or die. For well over four decades, we have run a mono-product economy.
“Petroleum has been our mainstay, and we have allowed the easy money from oil to strangulate other cash cows like agriculture, solid minerals, tourism and many others.
“But as they say, `everyday is not Christmas, and the Egungun (masquerade) festival must end one day. The honeymoon is about ending.’’
Adesina also told the conference that “oil is fast becoming a vanishing source of easy revenue. Nigeria once had a pride of being one of the largest producers of petroleum on the continent, but not anymore.
“Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroun, Chad and some others have also found oil. And much more contentious is the fact that America, our largest customer has discovered shale oil and so may not need to patronise us again.
“I tell you doomsday is by the corner, except we become proactive and stave off the evil.’’
He argued that it was inconceivable that a country which could no longer fund its imports remained a consumer nation.
He queried: “Can you conceive the chilling prospect of a country no longer able to pay wages and salaries to its army of civil and public servants?’’
He explained that the conference was designed to primarily address the way out of the situation the country had found itself.
