The Hajiya Hadiza Umar Foundation has called on wealthy Nigerians to contribute to nation building by giving back to society.

Founder of the foundation, Hadiza Umar, who made the call during an interview on Tuesday in Abuja, said such gesture would bring succour to the poor and less-privileged.

The philanthropist urged privileged and well positioned Nigerians not to sit on the fence and watch poor people grapple with their livelihoods.

She said that nation building also involved touching and impacting positively on the livelihoods of the less-privileged in communities and neighbourhoods.

Ms Umar said that giving back to society should be a prerogative of well meaning Nigerians who had made it to the apex of their careers and businesses.

“There is no better period to demonstrate and act out the role of nation building than now; when the government is trying to re-position our country for the future. People are really feeling the pressure presently and the task of nation building should not be left for the Federal Government alone. Nation building is a collective responsibility and wealthy Nigerians who have amassed wealth should also take the lead,” she said.

On how the government can drive the process of nation building effectively, she said that the government should supervise and monitor the process by giving responsibility to credible people who could be trusted to deliver on the job.

Ms Umar said that some insincere and greedy individuals existed to channel the commonwealth into their private pockets, adding that the government should be critical when giving responsibilities.

She said that the dividends of democracy would not get to the poor unless there was sanity enshrined in the process.

Ms Umar said she drew inspiration from the challenges she faced in her early life, urging Nigerians to bear with the President Bola Tinubu-led administration as there was light at the end of the tunnel.

(NAN)