According to President Bola Tinubu, the country needs to make "difficult changes" to gain respect in the community of nations.
He spoke in Abuja on Sunday while declaring open the 2023 AGM of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at the Velodrome, MKO Abiola Stadium.
Although the initial reforms may be painful, Tinubu says Nigeria must be prepared to take tough steps to put the country on the path to growth.
"We cannot get the country we want without the reforms that have begun. It will be painful at first in the short and medium term, but we must do everything we must to move this nation to its great destiny.
It is not about you or I. This is about our unborn generations to whom we must bequeath a great and prosperous country, Tinubu's media aide, Ajuri Ngela, said on Sunday.
Tinubu, while ruing Nigeria’s external debt servicing figure, described it as “unsustainable”.
“Can we continue to service external debts with 90% of our revenue? It is a path to destruction. It is not sustainable. We must make the very difficult changes that are necessary for our country to get up from slumber and be respected among the great nations of the world,” the President added.
The former Lagos State governor equally promised to deal with issues around remuneration for judicial officers and legal practitioners.
“You are learned. I want to learn. Why are we so blessed and we are still lacking? We must have a change of attitude and a change of our mindset. We accuse our nation and its previous leaders,” he said.
“We complain a lot of the past. Is that the solution? No! Let us look forward and be determined! God has given us what we need. We must work hard with determination to make our country great and it begins with you who are seated here with me.”
