The Deputy National Organising Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Nze Chidi Duru, has advocated for wealthy Nigerians to stand up for the people, saying the country urgently needs the like of billionaire Michael Bloomberg that can stand up to be counted as developmental champions.
Duru, who is also the Chairman, Grand Towers Plc & former member, House of Representatives (1999-2007), was reacting to the recent commitment of the sum of $600million to the endowment of four historically black medical schools in the United States of America to help secure their future economic stability by the financial sector billionaire, Michael Bloomberg.
According to Duru, this commitment follows an earlier $1billion pledge Bloomberg made in July to John Hopkins University to offset all medical students tuition fee in that university.
Reacting to the development in a statement made available to Thediscovererng.com said Bloomberg’s has may have upped the ante in the sphere of philanthropy.
He said: “Now, this, to my mind is one other way to profoundly impact life and lift society and I wished we have individuals that can replicate this philanthropic feats in Nigeria. In truth, it’s not as if we do not have such individuals except that the quantum of their Philanthropies have been of the constricted type.
“In this regards, I recall pleading with Nigeria’s banking stalwarts in an earlier article, to commit to a developmental agenda for both country and people so as to have an economically enabled populace that will not only engender a buoyant economy but impact the banking system for the banking chiefs benefits too.
“I am not asking bankers to dish out money as Bloomberg had done, essentially, I reason that if bankers commit to best practices to actively engage to make the Naira stronger and facilitate access to credit without the usual exploitative encumbrances that are associated with credits granted customers by Nigerian banks, the economic space will be energised and able to create wealth and better livelihood for the millions of Nigerians that are struggling to make a success of their respective businesses or those that are struggling to survive from one day to the other.
“Seriouslyspeaking, this time requires the type of wealthy Nigerians, that can stand up to be counted as developmental champions on the side of the Nigerian people.”
