The immediate-past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has urged African leaders to make human development the basis of governance for the continent to develop.
He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the District Conference 2025 of Rotary District 9126 held in Ede, on Thursday.
“The point I am making is that development must first take place in humans before it can translate into the changes in their environment and their living conditions.
“For me, development, though good, enjoyable and admirable in enhanced infrastructure and impressive environment, as seen in the good things of life, are actually its bye products,” said Aregbesola in his speech.
He bemoaned the armed conflicts across Africa, which have exacted a heavy toll in human and material resources in the continent. He disclosed that African countries, including Nigeria, lost the sum of $18 billion to 35 conflicts raging across the continent in 2023 alone.
He stated that an estimated 330,000 people were killed while over 40 million were displaced.
The former governor of Osun State who spoke on the Imperative for Human Development in Africa said the conflicts are a huge break slammed on development in the continent.
He noted that it is practically impossible to concentrate on any meaningful development when the continent’s huge human and material resources are dedicated to prosecuting what he described as ‘meaningless wars’.
Ogbeni Aregbesola lamented the dearth of development and the challenge this posed for the continent. “The biggest challenge in Africa is development. According to the World Bank, in 2022, 460 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa were living in extreme poverty. In 2009, 22 out of the 24 nations identified as having low human development on the United Nations Human Development Index are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“According to the World Bank data, only Seychelles has a GDP per capita above $10,000.
“Access to decent housing, healthcare, quality education, electricity and safe waters are poorest in Africa, compared to the rest of the world. “In Sweden, for instance, there are 70.3 doctors per 1,000 people. But in Africa, the figure is a staggering 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people.
“In 2023, adult literacy rate in Africa was 66.9 percent. In Nigeria within the same period, it was 66 percent, meaning Nigeria is below Africa’s average. But the literacy rate across Europe is 99 per cent, with countries like Britain, Germany, Sweden and France having almost 100 percent adult literacy.”
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Aregbesola blamed slavery and colonialism for arresting the development of Africa for nearly three centuries, a condition qnow worsened by poor leadership, corruption and failure to build institutions wesince independence.
“African leaders lack empathy. For most part, they are self-serving, vacuous and vainglorious, infernally trapped in primitive accumulation,” said Aregbesola.
Speaking further, the former minister highlighted some developmental projects initiated during his tenure as governor, saying that his administration pursued human development to the fullest.
He said, “Education, especially, was our priority. Our administration constructed state of the art 20 Elementary Schools, 22 Middle Schools and 11 High Schools.
“In addition to the new schools, we constructed 3,685 new classrooms across all school levels, expanding access to education for over 184,000 students in Osun.
“In addition, we renovated 410 classrooms, including 139 in 39 elementary schools, 271 in 36 middle schools and completely renovated nine high schools.
“We constructed toilets in 160 schools to ensure hygiene and the dignity of the students; we distributed 62,922 new sets of furniture to improve the learning environment in schools; we procured and distributed 45 brand new school buses to provide free and safe transportation for pupils; and fenced 20 old schools to enhance security and safe learning environment.
“We also recruited 12,000 teachers for high schools and 3,230 teachers for elementary schools.
“We also served 317 million hot plates of nutritious meals to 254,250 pupils in elementary schools between 2012 and 2018. We introduced calisthenics to schools, which also incorporated private schools into the scheme.
“Under our watch, Osun’s performance in external examinations shot up from 15 percent pass we inherited to 46 percent. The 11 high schools, by our projection, would each graduate 11,000 students every year. In 10 years, they would have turned out 110,000 first rate students. In 50 years, that would be 550,000 world beaters, occupying strategic positions nationally and globally.
“Our administration took care of the aged and vulnerable members of the society. In massive empowerment of artisans and traders, N3.5 billion were provided as interest free loans in our micro-credit agency. We also instituted a grooming programme at the grassroots under which we train women in vocations and empower them to stand on their own.
“The programme had 30,000 clients and distributed loans in excess of N1.7 billion.
“We established a youth engagement programme in the first 100 days of our administration for public works.
“Through this we engaged 60,000 youths in three tranches and reduced unemployment by 65 percent in Osun. During our tenure, Osun had the second least unemployment rate in Nigeria.
“We also established agencies for taking care of the aged and the mentally challenged. Interestingly, all the destitute and mentally challenged were rehabilitated and reunited with their families because they all got well, without exemption, all of them.”
Also speaking at the event, the Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke commended the Rotary members, saying their programme is in line with his five-point agenda. He therefore pledged support to the Rotarians.
Other dignitaries present at the event are the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi and members of the Omoluabi Progressives.
Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.
