Dafinone Warns Nigeria Risks Squandering Its Potential

Olorogun Ed Dafinone, a senator representing Delta Central, delivered a lecture titled "Harnessing Nigeria's Potential: Strategies for Sustainable Development" during the 18th convocation ceremony of Delta State University (DELSU) in Abraka on Thursday. He expressed concern that Nigeria is at risk of squandering its vast potential due to inadequate production capacity, which fails to translate into tangible products.

Dafinone emphasized that the country's core challenge lies not in a deficit of talent but in systemic failures. He posed critical questions regarding why Nigeria's potential is so unevenly distributed and called for a focus on building strong institutions.

He warned graduates against internalizing narratives of inadequacy and urged them to engage in disciplined, long-term efforts to develop the nation. Dafinone also highlighted the importance of continuous learning and innovation, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence, while cautioning that AI cannot remedy weak institutions.

Prof. Samuel Asagba, the Vice Chancellor of DELSU, described Dafinone's lecture as deeply insightful and thought-provoking.