Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described Nigeria as a graveyard of unimplemented policies by past and present administrations.
He spoke weekend during a lecture and awards ceremony organised by the Nigerian Institution of Space Engineers (NISE) in Abuja.
The theme of the lecture was ‘Nigeria’s 21 years in space: Achievements, challenges, and prospects’.
The former president said the habit of abandoning policies has stagnated Nigeria’s progress.
Many policies, he noted, particularly in the area of space technology, have remained unimplemented and unexecuted.
According to him, the situation is prevalent across other sectors and has been counterproductive for the country.
“It is not enough to have good policies. Nigeria is not in short supply of good policies. In fact, go to our archives, it is a burial ground of unexecuted policies which leave us where we should not be.
“There are many dead policies, unimplemented and unexecuted. What I am trying to say is that it is not enough to have a policy”, he added.
The elder statesman said the development had retarded the country’s development adding that countries that have excelled walked the talk.
“That is why we are where we should not have been. Those who have made progress have not done it on mere wishes. They took active steps”, he stated.
Obasanjo criticised the inaction of successive governments in establishing a space programme for the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).
He said his administration had planned to launch Nigeria’s first satellite but regretted that little progress was made. (Daily trust)
