EDUCATON: We Are Making Progress
SPEECH OF HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF NASARAWA STATE, ALHAJI (DR) ABDULLAHI ADAMU (SARKIN YAKIN KEFFI AND THE A’ARE OBATERU OF THE SOURCE, ILE IFE) AT THE CEREMONIES MARKING THE AWARD OF HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE BY THE UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOUR –RIVERS STATE, ON SATURDAY 11TH MARCH, 2006
It is with a deep sense of humility and personal satisfaction that I receive today, the prestigious Honorary Doctorate Degree conferred on me by the Federal University of Port Harcourt. I am also highly honoured to be asked to speak on behalf of my fellow awardees.
On behalf of all of the recipients, let me first start by thanking the Council, Senate and the entire community of the Federal University of Port Harcourt for finding us worthy of the various awards that have been bestowed on us today. It is a rare honour that you have done us, one that confers on us the privilege of being part and parcel of this important citadel of learning and scholarship in the country’s tertiary education system.
Today’s occasion is, therefore, an honour not only for us individually, but also for the good people of the states to which we all belong. It is a bond of friendship that would be cherished and would remain indelible in our minds for a very long time to come.
Please permit me to recall with nostalgia that about 3 years ago, the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, awarded me an honorary doctorate degree. At that occasion, I talked about the symbolic unity such awards hold for the awardees and the people of this great country, in general. The significance of occasions such as this should, therefore, transcend the ceremonies and allow us a deep and sober reflection on the state of our nation. It is clear to most of us that almost seven years into the present democratic experience, there is a compelling need for sober reflection by all and sundry. As citizens of this great nation, which harbours potentially tremendous opportunities for all, we need to emphasise more those things that bind us together rather than those things that divide us. Most of all, it is incumbent on all of us to do our level best to make our democracy work. This we can do by giving our support to the efforts of our various governments, particularly the federal government, which is ably led by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCRF, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This, indeed, is the spirit of the bridge-building philosophy, which I believe Nigerians should learn to comprehend and identify with.
As we converge today in Port Harcourt to witness this epoch making occasion of the conferment of honorary degrees on eminent Nigerians, let us all resolve to do all within our capabilities to contribute our various quotas to national development.
History has shown that the great countries we hold in awe, and whose achievements we marvel at today, attained such feats through radical changes and re-orientation of their educational system. To achieve a great nation, therefore, all of us must resolve to contribute our quota to the educational sector whether at the Federal, State or Local Government levels.
In this respect, it is important to mention recent developments, for the better, at our tertiary institutions. In the past two academic sessions, at least, there has been noticeable calm and stability in various tertiary institutions across the entire nation. Gone are the destabilising strikes and face-offs between university lecturers, non-academic staff, on the one hand, and university authorities and the Federal Government, on the other. There is now the recognition that years of instability in, particularly, our universities, have been detrimental to the academic work of students and by extension, Nigeria’s manpower development. We cannot hope to turn out outstanding graduates, if, in the first place, they are unable to learn because the university environment is unstable. It is not a strange coincidence that the calm that now pervades our universities is due largely to the efforts of President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has managed to turn around the adversary relationship between the government and our tertiary institutions. The cooperation that now exists must be nurtured and built upon to ensure that our tertiary institutions play their laudable roles in developing adequate manpower for the nation. No nation can be great without requisite manpower development.
Nevertheless, it must still be noted that the financial outlay involved in uplifting our educational system is too heavy to be left solely in the hands of the three tiers of government. It is important that corporate organisations, the private sector, NGOs and rich individuals should come to the aid of this vital sector to ensure, in cooperation with our various governments, that the educational decline of the recent past is completely reversed.
In our corner of Nigeria, in Nasarawa State, we recognise the vital role that education plays in national development and I am glad to say that since May 1999, our administration has deliberately accorded education the priority attention it deserves. This becomes understandable considering the neglect that this sector suffered in the past.
Over the years, our policy has been to devote 26% to 28% of our annual budget to bring our educational sector into the 21st Century and redress the sorry picture we inherited. It is with satisfaction that I note today that those efforts have begun to yield positive results and change things for the better.
We started with aggressive renovation of classrooms, hostels, staff quarters, recreational facilities, construction of new classrooms and provision of basic teaching and learning tools, which were almost totally lacking when we came in.
Over and above all, we have established new tertiary institutions, including the Nasarawa State University, in Keffi, which we are very proud of. The university is fully operational with state of the art facilities. The pioneer students of the University who matriculated in 2002 graduated in February 2006 in very colourful convocation ceremonies, attended by Mr. President.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, my distinguished co-recipients, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, these modest achievements are testimonies to the importance of education to the developmental well being of our States and our country, Nigeria. We have not relented and education will continue to be dear to us and will continue to receive the pride of place in Nasarawa State.
As I conclude, let me once again thank all those who stood behind and beside us during all these years of our struggle to better the lot of our citizens who are mostly peasant farmers residing in rural area.
I wish to thank the organisers of this great occasion and the University authority for finding us worthy of the honour bestowed on us today. We assure you that in both conduct and action, we will do our utmost best to portray the good image of this University to the outside world. I also wish to thank, on behalf of my fellow awardees, all the eminent personalities who have come along to Port Harcourt to share this joy with us.
May God bless each one of you and grant you journey mercies back to your various destinations.
Thank you.
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