SAN Urges Sacrifice, Empathy to Tackle Nigeria’s Challenges
Tunde Akanbi, Ilorin
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Osun State University, Professor Yusuf Ola-Olu Ali, has highlighted the absence of sacrifice and empathy as significant challenges facing the country.
As a legal practitioner, Ali emphasised that the lack of willingness among many citizens to sacrifice and empathise has even emboldened traders to arbitrarily increase the prices of goods.
During a gathering with members of the Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at his residence in Ilorin, he shared these observations.
Ali, a Professor of Law Practice at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), believes that it is essential to improve moral standards and revive empathy, as their absence hinders the progress of the nation.
He further advocated for a cultural shift that involves downplaying negativity about the country while simultaneously promoting aspects that elevate its standing in the international community.
According to Ali, reducing the emphasis on negative events will lead to their decrease.
Renowned for his philanthropic endeavours, the former Pro-Chancellor emphasized that rescuing the country from its current challenges requires the active involvement of its citizens.
“The holy Prophet encourages us to travel so that we can gain knowledge. What I have learnt from my traveling is that Nigerians lack spirit of sacrifice, empathy.
“Nigerians find it hard to believe that it is hard to build than to destroy. That is why we cannot expect life we have experienced during the military era to be the same during civilian government.
“For Nigeria to develop, the citizens must know that they have a big role to play. We must change our attitude, improve on the way we relate with ourselves, develop empathy for others and have spirit of sacrifice for our country.
“It is lack of empathy that makes Nigerians to inflate prices of commodities when festivities are approaching.
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“In Cairo where I just returned, they reduce price of commodity by 50 percent as a policy during Ramadan but reverse is the case in Nigeria. We should stop blaming the government for our own greediness and wrong doings.
“Though governments have their own roles to play, Nigerians have bigger roles to play. I stopped blaming the government for the problems in Nigeria because it is Nigerians that hoard goods in anticipation of higher prices and engage in price gouging.
“We have to improve on our moral standard and resuscitate empathy for one another as it was practiced in the olden days.
“We need to resuscitate our empathy, downplay negative things about the country and promote issues that put the country in a better place in the community of nations. The more we downplay negative events, the more it will reduce,” Ali said.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the state council of NUJ, Abdullateef ‘Lanre Ahmed, described the Professor of Law Practice as a major stakeholder in Nigeria, a philanthropist, and a staunch supporter of the media.
Ahmed expressed gratitude for Ali’s contributions to the nation and pledged continued media support for his endeavours.
The NUJ Chairman assured Ali of the media’s unwavering commitment to amplifying his words of wisdom and philanthropic efforts.
He affirmed that the media in Kwara would continue to uphold Ali’s legacy by highlighting his positive impact on society and promoting his messages of empathy, moral values, and national development.
