The Guild of Online Media Editors and Publishers of Nigeria, GOMEP-NG, has called for a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s development strategy, urging governments at all levels to prioritise human capital development, strong institutions and long-term planning over short-term political initiatives.
The National President of GOMEP-NG, Comrade Akpovoke Otiti, made the call while speaking on the state of the nation, describing Nigeria’s current situation as “genuinely frightening” and warning that Nigerians could not survive on sentiments and hope alone.
Otiti said Nigeria urgently needed a highly skilled, disciplined and productive workforce capable of competing in the global economy.
He particularly faulted the overreliance on economic summits as a strategy for attracting investments, arguing that governments should instead concentrate on building the human infrastructure required to sustain economic growth.
According to him, Delta State, for instance, does not necessarily need another economic summit to unlock its development potential, but should invest heavily in education and deliberately develop a highly skilled workforce.
“Companies will come because the human infrastructure will be something worth coming for, not because we organise economic summits,” he said.
The GOMEP-NG president also expressed concern over what he described as weak public institutions, stressing that sustainable development would remain elusive without institutions capable of enforcing standards and holding public officials accountable.
“We have no institutions that work in Nigeria. You will see a minister holding press briefings on a daily basis, talking without control,” Otiti said.
He called for genuine independence of the judiciary and improved remuneration for civil servants, arguing that better-paid public servants would be more capable of resisting corruption and maintaining professional standards.
Otiti further advocated stronger regulatory institutions that would make Nigeria more predictable for businesses and investors.
He said investors needed an environment where agreements were honoured, contracts enforced and rules applied consistently, irrespective of political connections or personal influence.
The GOMEP-NG president also called for a departure from development planning based largely on election cycles, urging political leaders to formulate policies with a long-term national perspective.
“We do not need to plan in election cycles; we need to plan in decades,” he said.
Otiti noted that genuine development could require citizens to endure short-term discomfort, stricter governance and higher standards of public service, but stressed that such sacrifices would be necessary to secure lasting benefits.
He said Nigeria’s development agenda should ultimately be measured by the quality of institutions, workforce and opportunities handed down to future generations, rather than by immediate political gains.
The GOMEP-NG president therefore urged political leaders to embrace long-term thinking and make decisions capable of strengthening Nigeria’s institutions and human capital for decades to come.
“Let us make our development genuinely instructive for our politicians to emulate,” he said.
