Lagos State University (LASU) lecturer, Prof. Sylvester Odion Akhaine, has called for stronger intervention by African governments in addressing poverty, food insecurity, housing deficits and other social challenges confronting the continent.

Akhaine, who spoke on Sunday as guest lecturer at the public presentation of Lion Biodun Sowunmi as the 18th president of the Lagos Paddles Lions Club, said the scale of social and economic challenges facing Africa could not be adequately addressed by relying solely on market forces, private corporations and philanthropic organisations.

The event also featured a N150 million fundraising initiative.

Akhaine said the continent was confronted by multiple crises, including food insecurity, inadequate housing, unemployment and limited access to education and healthcare.

He cited Nigeria’s challenges in particular, including what he described as a shortage of nearly 100 million housing units and millions of children lacking adequate access to education.

According to him, the situation underscored the need for governments to reassess their role in providing basic welfare and social protection.

He criticised the neoliberal approach to capitalism, which, he said, emphasised market forces while reducing the responsibility of the state in addressing public welfare.

Akhaine said, “The state should have nothing to do with public movement. And that it should be left to private individuals, private corporations, philanthropic organisations to achieve. And that the state should just merely be a watchman of the society.”

He argued that market forces were ultimately driven by human beings and therefore could not be treated as an independent mechanism capable of resolving all societal problems.

“But you and I know that those market forces are human beings and not spirits at the end of the day,” he said.

The professor pointed to China as an example of what he described as the impact of strong state intervention in development.

He said China had mobilised millions of people through its Communist Party structures to provide basic necessities, including food, clothing, education, healthcare, housing and water.

According to him, China’s approach demonstrated that the state remained important in tackling poverty and improving living conditions.

“Houses are for living, not for speculation,” he said, while citing China’s efforts to address property speculation and expand public infrastructure.

Akhaine also linked Africa’s present development challenges to its historical experience of slavery and colonialism, arguing that the effects of those experiences continued to shape contemporary economic inequalities.

He said Africa’s development challenges were being compounded by what he described as new forms of external influence and structural inequalities within the global system.

The academic maintained that governments must retain responsibility for providing welfare, security and other basic services to citizens.

“People had to be able to provide welfare, security, people’s lives, and comfort. That was why the state was formed. So the state must be allowed to perform its historical role,” he said.

Akhaine further urged African governments to focus on broader societal needs rather than allowing market forces to determine access to essential services.

“In short, Africa serves the broader societal needs, rather than allowing market forces to create public survival,” he said.

He also called for greater transparency and integrity in the mobilisation and use of resources, particularly funds raised through voluntary donations and philanthropic initiatives.

The professor said African societies needed to strengthen institutions and develop infrastructure capable of addressing the continent’s longstanding social and economic challenges.

In his acceptance speech, Lion Sowunmi, the newly installed 18th president of the Lagos Paddles Lions Club, pledged to make service, compassion, integrity and community impact the defining principles of his tenure.

He challenged members of the club to identify societal problems and become part of efforts to provide solutions.

He said leadership should not be measured by titles or the number of meetings held, but by the lives touched, communities strengthened and hope created through service.

“The world does not need more titles. It needs more people willing to serve,” Sowunmi said.

He urged members of the club to renew their commitment to the Lions International motto, “We Serve,” stressing that the organisation should use its platform to make a meaningful difference in society.

According to him, Lagos does not merely need organisations but people willing to contribute to solving the challenges confronting their communities.

“It needs people willing to identify problems and become part of the solution,” he said.

Sowunmi pledged to lead the Lagos Paddles Lions Club with compassion, courage, integrity and excellence, while encouraging members to work collectively towards achieving the club’s humanitarian objectives.

“Let us serve with compassion. Let us serve with courage. Let us serve with integrity. Let us serve with excellence. Let us serve together,” he said.

He further urged members to ensure that their actions had greater impact than their words, saying the success of his tenure would ultimately be reflected in the lives and communities affected by the club’s interventions.

“And let our service speak louder than our words,” he said.

Sowunmi said he hoped his tenure would be remembered not by the number of meetings conducted, but by the positive difference made in the lives of people and communities.

“May our tenure be remembered not by the number of meetings we held, but by the lives we touched, the communities we strengthened and the hope we create,” he said.

He called on members to work together to strengthen the Lagos Paddles Lions Club as an instrument of humanitarian service.

“Together, let us make a difference. Together, we serve,” he said.

Earlier, the First Vice President and Chairman of the Investiture Committee, Lion Kunle Adeneye, said Sowunmi’s dedication, vision and passion for community development gave the club confidence that his tenure would expand its humanitarian impact.

According to him, the club had set a target of raising N150 million for legacy projects focused on health, education and community welfare.

“These projects are carefully designed to address critical needs in health, education, and community welfare, ensuring that our footprint of service outlives this service year,” Adeneye said.

He appealed to individuals, corporate organisations, partners and other donors to support the fundraising campaign, saying the club could not achieve its objectives without the collective support of the wider community.

He added that members of the club had a responsibility to leave society better than they found it.

“We owe it a duty to make the world better than we met it. Today we all have the opportunity to touch lives in different ways. Let’s be counted as we serve humanity with our resources and donation,” he said.