Fola Adeola, founding Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, has identified the 12 giant evils plaguing the nation to include the evils of hunger, ignorance, disease, idleness, darkness, voidness, barrenness, wastage, aimlessness, crookedness and insecurity.

Delivering a lecture on “Human Development Index vs Economic Growth: Nigeria’s Policy Options” at the third edition of Vanguard Economic Discourse in Lagos, he warned that if the evils are not addressed, they would ruin the nation.

Taking ignorance, for instance, he said that out of over 180 million Nigerians, 75 million do not have basic literacy skills. He added that Nigeria has the highest number of out of school children in the world and accounts for more than half of the 20 million out of school children globally.

“Ignorance is evil because it negatively impacts the ability of our citizens to make informed choices about their future and the future of their children. It limits their earning potential, and robs them of the opportunity to participate, much less compete in a global market place. “With the largest population in Africa, almost twice that of Ethiopia, which is second in line, continued illiteracy in Nigeria will spell disaster for the country and the continent and almost likely result in a humanitarian crisis,” he warned.

To address the evil of ignorance, Adeola suggested the provision of free high quality universal basic education and subsidised, targeted and functional tertiary education. To achieve this, the government, he said, should make it mandatory for all children of primary school age to attend school, while parents who do not adhere to the rule should be made to face legal consequences.

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