When Yoruba elders gave solution to Nigeria’s education problems at VOR annual lecture

Speaking one after the other like passionate fathers and mothers concerned over the future of their young children, relevant stakeholders in the education and social firmament including eminent elders statesmen last week raised the alarm over the quality of education in Nigeria, expressing concern that until government places premium on education, research and innovation, Nigeria will continue to be a dream.

Lamenting the education standard of the country, key stakeholders who converged on Agip Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos for a lecture entitled: ‘Restructuring: Building a Knowledge-Based Economy,’ organized by a Yoruba Intelligentsia group, Voice of Reason (VOR), in honour of her founder, the late Prince Goke Omisore, opined that it is unfortunately a reality that most students educated in Nigerian tertiary Institutions cannot compete with any secondary school student in any part of America and Europe.

Opening the floor for discussions at the event, the keynote speaker, Professor James Ayinde Fabunmi argued that without promoting a knowledge-based economy and society, poverty, hunger, starvation and economic degradation will continue to boom like the waves of ocean across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

Fabunmi who is the Chief Executive Officer of American Defence Corporation, United States stated that “in a knowledge based society, wealth is created by engaging human knowledge for value addition and delivery of services. Compare two economies – in one the raw materials are exported with no added value, while needed manufactured goods are imported. Thus is buying high, selling low, which leads to loss of wealth.Whereas if human knowledge were used to add value to natural resources before being exported, we would be selling high and buying low, leading to gain of wealth. As a matter of fact, there are nation-states with little or no natural resources, yet they thrive because they manage to develop an economy that relies exclusively on value addition based application of human knowledge.”

The lecture was attended by the governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu, represented by his Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources and the governor of Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde.

In his contribution, Afenifere chieftain and elder statesman, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, said at 92, he is concerned about the future of Nigeria because the country has been very unlucky with leadership. Adebanjo, a fiery speaker said despite the far-reaching resolutions submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari on how to restructure Nigeria politically, economically and socially, President Buhari is less concerned because he does not know what restructuring means.

“President Muhammadu Buhari does not know what restructuring means, he is less concerned about the future of Nigeria, he is only bothered about his cows, if not he would not say restructuring Nigeria to return the country to the era when Africans were trooping into our nation for greener pasture is a waste of time. I am 92 now, i want to challenge the younger generation here present to take their lives in their hands. There is little to what I can do, the energy is no longer there. I want you to take the bull by the horns. Take Nigeria back from the hands of your oppressors and build a society that will make you proud among your fellow young people in the global economy,” he said.

The chairman of the occasion, Aare Afe Babalola, founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State said the country is building a den of underdevelopment if those saddled with the responsibility of political leadership continue to pay lip service to funding of quality education, research and development.

Represented by the vice-chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Professor Kunle-Olowu, Babalola said the country going nowhere developmentally if education is not considered as a catalyst to development, adding that “as a university administrator, I can say a lot on the education system of Nigeria. If we do not fund education and promote research and innovation, we go nowhere. I appeal to the elites  to consider one fact: If American elites behaves like Nigerian elites, would there be an American university for them to take their Children to? For the sake of our grandchildren, let’s build an economy and country that encourages innovations and research,” he said.