Effective management and usage of natural resources by those at the helms of affairs of this country has been identified as an option to take Nigeria out of the poverty.
Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde said this at a church service in respect of the 2020 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration, held at Cathedral of St. Peter, Aremo, Ibadan.
Governor Makinde maintained the utilisation of the abundant natural resources in the country played significant role in its prosperity.
He cited some successful countries like Japan which barely have any natural resources but utilise the brain God has given to them to develop natural resources from other countries, refine them and sell it back to the countries they got it from at a high cost.
Governor Makinde said that the Nigerian Armed Forces has sacrificed heavily including with many of its officers making the supreme sacrifice for the peace and unity of Nigeria.
The governor charged Nigerians to emulate the Armed Forces by organising themselves and do the right thing at the right time, adding that Nigerians should look beyond the God-given natural resources and utilise the talents inherent in them as individuals to take the country out of poverty.
He, therefore, wished the members of Nigerian Armed Forces and their families a fruitful celebration and pledged the continuous support of his administration.
Earlier in his sermon, the Archbishop of Ibadan Province, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Segun Okubadejo, appreciated the members of the Nigerians Armed Forces for protecting the lives and properties of the citizens in Nigeria.
He admonished them to always put God first in all their dealings, even as he maintained that members of the Armed Forces were known to be indispensable in the society.
Iyabo Adebisi