• Seeks implementation of previous recommendations
• Decries lack of political will

A globally renowned security scholar at the University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Isaac Olawale Albert, has said that Nigeria will overcome security challenges when its leaders are ready and possess the political will to tackle them headlong.

Albert stated this during the third yearly departmental lecture of the Department of Political Science and International Relations of Kola Daisi University, Ibadan, which held at Agbeke Auditorium with the theme: ”Strengthening Peace and Security Studies in Africa through the Quadruple Helix Innovation Modeling.”

According to him, the political will to make Nigeria work is not there; Nigeria will work when the leaders want it to work. The pioneer Director of the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies, UI, said the leaders must summon the political will to overcome the challenges. He said that the proposed security summit by the National Assembly was needless, urging the leaders to implement the reports of the past conferences.

”On the security summit, we need meetings. But I think what we should be worried about is what have they done with the reports of the past meetings? It is becoming a yearly ritual for the National Assembly to hold security meetings. After the National Assembly meetings, the military will call their meetings. We do not see any significant change in the security of the country. So, it is not meetings that we need but the implementation of the past recommendations.”

He, however, urged academics and students to strengthen their capacity, saying: ”We need to strengthen our capacity to solve problems. All academic disciplines are expected to contribute to problem-solving.

In his remark, the Dean, Faculty of Arts, Management and Social Sciences, Prof. Jendele Hungbo, who represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adeniyi Olatunbosun, said the lecture was to bridge the gap between the producers of knowledge and policy makers.

He said: ”The approach is to codify knowledge production and to see that there is a link between the knowledge produced in the ivory tower and policy makers. That is talking about the government as the basic driver of policies. Policies have to be informed by adequate knowledge production. That is the direction to go.”

Also, the Acting Head of Department of Political Science and International Relations of the university, Dr Adebukola Ayoola, said: ”This edition of the Department of Political Science and International Relations guest lecture makes it the third in the series. The initiative behind this programme was born two years ago. Our aim is to expose them to the nitty-gritty of the subject matter, both in theoretical and practical aspects. Our students are the life of the department, and we believe so much in them as people with great potential, if well harnessed, can help to grow the department. We are more concerned about our products as the best marketers of the programmes.”