Vice-Chancellor, Highstone Global University, Prof. Edward Ayeni, has said societal reforms are the key to unlocking human development as any nation that doesn’t prioritise education would suffer setbacks.
   
While lamenting that the government is not giving education the necessary attention, he stated that to bring sanity and development to the nation, the educational system needs to be addressed.
    
This was made known at the 2024 Conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees and Awards Ceremony of the Highstone Global University, Texas, USA, in collaboration with Total Miracle Group of Schools held in Lagos.
   
Speaking on: ‘Reshaping the nation under economic hardship’, Ayeni decried that older books authored by Africans have been abandoned, saying that such publications brought sanity, discipline, truthfulness and honesty to academics that transcended to the society.
   
“Those authors and their books have been abandoned. Those books reshaped Africans better in character and moral standards than books written by foreign authors,” he said.
   
He charged Nigerians to go back to agriculture as its importance has been highlighted due to the economic hardship, adding that the nation can leverage on the academia in agriculture to develop the sector.
   
Director, Lagos State Directorate of Tertiary Education, Dr Yemisi Omoloye, representing Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, encouraged the university to maintain the high standard and professionalism they are noted for, asserting that the state through her directorate will continue to monitor and evaluate its performance to ensure core standards are adhered to.
   
A total of nine individuals were conferred with the Honorary Degrees, including, A Paramount ruler from Urhobo Kingdom in Warri, Delta State, His Royal Highness Ogheneochuko Morris; Senior Pastor, Glory Place Church, Ijegun, Lagos State, Bishop Dr. Joseph Akintunde; Managing Director, Rocket Petroleum and Energy Resources Limited, Dr. Smart Ogbonna and Senior Pastor, Christ Apostolic Church, (CAC) Igboho, Oyo State, Prophet Bello Moses among others.