Nigerian singer Abolore Akande, known as 9ice, has spoken on Nigeria’s slow development and the role he believes faith and daily life patterns play in it.
NOP NIGERIA reports that he shared his thoughts on Wednesday night during the listening event for his album titled Beginning of Wisdom, which took place in Yaba, Lagos.
The singer said he has tried both Christianity and Islam in the past but feels the country has not seen real progress tied to the frequent calling on Jesus and Allah.
According to him, Nigeria needs to return to its cultural foundation if it wants better leadership and real progress.
He explained that many national problems have not been handled from the base and that this is part of why the country still struggles despite its natural resources.
He also noted that Nigeria has oil, bitumen, and other resources, yet still faces development challenges.
In his view, countries like the United Kingdom function differently because people focus more on work and daily productivity rather than spending much time in religious activities.
He said: “For us to have a good president in Nigeria, we need to go back to our roots. Many of our problems are not being addressed at the root; we need to tackle them from the foundation. If things begin to make sense to us, and if the God we call upon is truly enough, we wouldn’t feel the need to compete with anyone. Whatever I do should not concern you. We need to return to our roots.
“Since we started calling on Jesus and Allah, this country has not gotten better. We have oil, we have bitumen, we have everything, yet we are still lagging. If you go to London, nobody goes to church; they go to work. Here, we go to church on Sunday, have Bible study on Wednesday, and have a night vigil on Friday. When do we go to work? You don’t have a job, yet you’re always in church.”
