By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu
Dr Oluwatayo Aduloju, Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), says Nigeria needs dedicated education hubs to advance and create more wealth.
Aduloju said this while delivering the 55th Convocation Lecture on Monday of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Monday.
The lecture was on: ‘Universities as Hubs for Development and Wealth Creation’.
According to the lecturer, Asian countries which have become middle powers transformed their educational institutions into hubs that connect industry, government and larger society.
He said that Nigeria would need to build effective economic, social and political institutions which would address current deficits observed in its financial, political and social frameworks.
There is currently no dedicated education hub for development,” he said.
According to him, there is the need to create education hubs that bridge the gap between academia and industry, fostering collaboration that rethinks societal functions and align goals with the country’s development paths.
Aduloju said that a multi-disciplinary, frontier-target-driven national education hub would require broad-based political authorisation to be globally competitive.
“To do this, a few selected universities, first five public universities along with the top five private universities to start, should be authorised to financially and institutionally re-organise their operating model to achieve progress,” he said.
According to him, there is the need to rebuild Nigeria’s intellectual foundation to enhance productivity and competitiveness, establish hubs to develop leaders and skilled workforce, enabling Nigeria to become a leading industrial reformer in Africa.
He urged that universities should inspire students to contribute to a shared vision for Nigeria’s future by establishing coordinated hubs for development and wealth creation in collaboration with industry-led competency councils.
The lecturer advised the graduands to identify what they had passionate for and go for them.
Earlier, in an address of welcome, the Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, said that the topic of the lecture was apt.
Ogunsola said that the lecturer had made enormous contributions to societal development, including reform initiatives in several socio-economic fields, such as aviation, agriculture, finance and fiscal development.
“In an era of rapid changes in knowledge, innovation and complex challenges, it is imperative to continuosly evaluate how well our university is doing in fulfilling its social contract with society to provide fit-for-purpose manpower, generate new knowledge to address societal problems and provide technology to shape the future.
“How do we use and optimise the talents in our universities? How do we convert the knowledge and theories to policies, devices and enterprises that drive development.
“How do we produce value that drives wealth creation?,” she asked.
In his remarks, Mr Babatunde Fashola, a former Governor of Lagos State and former Minister of Works and Housing, commended UNILAG for efforts toward national advancement.
Fashola was the Chairman of the occasion.
(NAN)
