Dr Yemi Farounbi has served the country in many capacities, including as Nigeria’s former Ambassador to The Philippines. Ahead of his 80th birthday, he spoke with SAM NWAOKO on a number of issues. Looking back, it’s racing to 80 years since you’ve been around.
How would you say it has been, considering the various eras? It’s been one long story of hope and failure. One long story of enthusiasm and frustration; one long story of potentialities and challenges..
. Nigeria offered so much hope but Nigeria been unable to fulfil its hopes. Nigeria offered the blacks and indeed the Africans the lamppost for development and growth.
When Nigeria became independent, everybody believed that Nigeria would be the star and perhaps the only star in Africa’s firmament in terms of political stability, in terms of political maturity, in terms of economic growth and development. But here we are – misplaced priorities, missed opportunities and we are, today, unhappy. We had always thought that given the diversity in Nigeria and given the inherent strength capable of harnessing that Nigeria, will challenge any nation in the world in terms of growth and development.
But here we are. I recall that in 1966, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, as the Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) where I was a student, delivered an eloquent speech on how to use ethnicism as a weapon for development. He said the various ethnic groups in Nigeria had peculiar characteristics that could be tapped into to.
