Obasanjo tasks political class on Nigeria’s renaissance

Council reviews curriculum of libraries, science schools
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has asked public office holders ‘incapable’ of bettering the lot of the citizens and engendering national cohesion to quit the scene for those knowledgeable in leadership and peaceful co-existence.

Obasanjo, who chaired the 22nd convocation lecture of the Lagos State University (LASU) at its main campus in Ojo, lamented that the lack of commitment and foresightedness of leaders had retarded the nation for years.

He warned that the nation would continue at the back seat if those piloting its affairs retain what he described as the “business as usual style of leadership.”

Moving forward, Obasanjo charged leaders in all spheres to adopt what he termed 3Gs – give, get others to give and get out of power – in order to sanitise the system for development.

He said: “I put the way forward for Nigeria in four words, and that is leadership, governance, development, and values within our culture. This four must go together, if we do not have them, then we are deceiving ourselves. God has given us all that we need, but we will get there, if only we apply what I heard today from the guest lecturer and Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed. This morning (yesterday) he shared his experience when he went to America with me.

“He said in America, they talk of 3Gs, if you’re going to manage any university, or going to be part of any leadership, you must have the 3Gs. You must give, you must get others to give, and if you cannot do either of the two, you must get out.”

Rasheed, who presented a paper on the “Role of Tertiary Education in Promoting Social Cohesion and Peace: Opportunities and Challenges for Nigeria,” noted that the tertiary education system had failed woefully in two of the three great missions identified in the Ashby Report, stating that the system needs a strategic rebooting.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by his Special Adviser on Education, Obafela Bank-Olemoh, said one of the most important roles of tertiary institutions was to provide solutions to problems.

Meanwhile, the Librarians’ Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) has reviewed the curriculum of libraries and information science schools in the country.

The Registrar/CEO, Professor Michael Afolabi, disclosed this during the opening of the workshop on cloud-based services for digital libraries at Bayero University Kano (BUK).

He noted that the revised curriculum was to assist young people in understanding their world in order to reach the zenith of learning.

His words: “It will make learning active, challenging, enjoyable, flexible, and not too fragmented or over-crowded with content.”