“Wrong information sounds more sexy” – Ngozi Okonjo-Iwela speaks at The Future Awards Symposium

                                     
                                      Dr Okonjo Iweala

 The second day of the Future Awards Symposium which took place on April 7 at the Ikogosi Warm Springs, Ekiti state was an opportunity for constructive discussion. The panel which featured several discussants including Salihu Tanko Yakasai and Dada Olusegun of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC); Atom Lim; Ife Adebayo a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Temie Giwa, an advocate for women’s rights; Akitunde Oyebode, a member of the private sector, and Michael Orodare, a member of the Labour Party in Ondo State, saw the discussants speaking on the mode of engagement of young people in the political process as we go closer to the general election in 2015.

 The second panel session for the closing day had the minister of information and co-ordinator of the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala speaking on the theme: The cost of nvolvement: Why your generation must get involved. Iweala spoke on the numerical strength of the Nigerian youth and why they are important in the political process. “That is why it is right to have this interaction with you who represent this generation” she said. “You ignore the youth at your peril,” she added. Iweala said the youth, however, need to imbibe good moral values to succeed in making the difference they seek.

 According to her: “Moral values start with you, not somebody else.” She acknowledged that more needs to be done by the government to encourage the standardisation of systems so that process can be institutionalised and be independent of individuals. Iweala maintained that the government is doing a lot along these lines but the information gap between government and the people needs to be filled. She said, “So much debate is coming out of Nigeria but before you go into any debate you need to check what you are debating.” According to her, many people stick with the wrong information even when they are aware of the correct one because “wrong information sounds more sexy.” She enjoined the youth to project the country in good light warning that everyone suffers if they do not do so. “People forget that the image they create for their country forms the basis of how you are perceived in other countries. You are killing yourself,” she warned. Iweala spoke on the importance of leadership and the necessity of maintaining a clear and unencumbered channel of communication. The event ended with the book signing by the minister. The book, ‘Reforming the unreformable,‘ chronicles the efforts of her ministry at improving Nigeria’s volatile and unstable economy during the former president Olusegun Obasanjo administration.