‘No effective societal devt without addressing out-of-school children burden’

A Professor of Laws at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, United Kingdom, Mashood Adebayo Baderin, says until Nigeria takes concrete steps towards reversing its rate of out-of-school children, there can be no effective societal development.

This was part of his submissions while delivering the 13th Founder’s Day Lecture of the Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, entitled ‘Integrity in Leadership: A Moral Compass for Societal Development’.

The event was also to celebrate the 85th birthday anniversary of the proprietor of the university and former Judge of the International Court of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola, as well as to confer the 2019 Bola Ajibola Community Awards on four distinguished personalities for their outstanding contribution to the society.

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Professor Baderin contended that it was time Nigerians began to challenge the integrity of their leaders, as, according to him, Nigeria cannot develop without integrity.

He particularly bemoaned the rate at which corrupt practices have eaten deep into the country’s institutions, noting that practices that hinder effective development of the nation are undertaken by people within the institutions.

“Unless there is a change in the social behaviour of people in that regard, effective social development will continue to be a fantasy,” he argued,

Baderin noted, for instance, that a disease that would in Norway pass without notice would devastate Nigeria.

This devastation that the disease causes (in Nigeria), he said, results not from the disease itself but from what people in public institutions do, or do not do.

“How people behave in a country’s public institutions determines the quality of governance,” he said.

Baderin said further: “But even more saddening (is that) the corruption of our elite has eaten into our educational system and institutions to deprive poor and innocent in our society the opportunity to be educated.”

He cited a 2007 ICPC report that indicated that billions of naira allocated for basic education development were fraudulently mismanaged by officials of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), thus depriving millions of poor children the opportunity to receive a basic education.

“If we allow this to continue, not only will the education sector eventually collapse, but the entire society will eventually disintegrate due to lack of integrity in leadership,” he noted.

To solve Nigeria’s seemingly intractable corruption problem, he advocated the type of education that offers literacy but also instills values/ethics, integrity and civility in the populace.

With such “holistic education, we can hope to destroy the cancerous elements inhibiting effective societal development in Nigeria,” he said.

The recipients of the 2019 Bola Ajibola Community Awards were Alhaji Sheik Caliph Imam Adenekan; Alhaji Rafiu Adisa Ebiti (for exceptional contribution to education and youth development); Professor John Abolurin (for exceptional contribution to public service); Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Mamara (for exceptional contribution to education and social development).

Dignitaries at the event included the registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Professor Is’haq Oloyede; Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebpo; deputy governor of Ogun State (who represented Governor Ibikunle Amosun), Chief Yetunde Onanuga; Olowu of Owu kingdom, Oba (Dr) Adegboyega Dosunmu; Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu and the executive secretary, MUSWEN, Professor D. O. Noibi.