Deputy Speaker Kalu Calls for Transformational Leadership in Nigeria

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu has urged Nigerians to rededicate themselves in building a Nigeria of opportunities, transformational growth, educational empowerment, technology and innovations.

The Deputy Speaker made the call at the 37th convocation lecture of the University of Calabar in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, southern Nigeria.

Kalu, who spoke on the topic “The Oath of 2075: A future We Must Build”, insisted that for Nigeria to realize its vision as a force in Africa and the world, there was need for its educational institutions to build expertise to drive true transformation.

Kalu expressed appreciation to the University of Calabar, his alma mater, for its educational and transformational power, which has shaped him. He averred that universities need to equip students with the skills relevant for the country’s development.

According to him, Nigeria is battling numerous challenges such as climate change, power shortages and outages, food insecurity, health, slow technology growth and more, hence the role of  tertiary institutions should be more of practical than theories.

He said, “Nigeria is abundantly blessed with solid minerals, yet for decades, our education system has focused more on theoretical disciplines rather than on harnessing the country’s vast natural wealth. To build a truly prosperous nation, we must align our educational priorities with the resources that define our economic potential.”

He recalled that countries like China and Germany had integrated mining into their national education strategies, producing engineers, geologists, and mineral economists equipped to transform their economies.

The Deputy Speaker said, “Nigeria must follow suit. Our universities should introduce specialized faculties dedicated to mining and mineral processing, collaborating with industry leaders to provide hands-on training, applying for research grants and field experience.”

 

Unlocking Nigeria’s blue economy 

Kalu, who further reasoned that education was a key for unlocking Nigeria’s blue economy, said, “as Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria stands to gain immensely from a thriving blue economy if its universities take the lead in building expertise tailored to the sector.

“Universities must equip students with the skills to harness the wealth beneath our feet, turning natural and marine resources into national prosperity,”.

On tapping into the Ai technology space, the 37th UNICAL convocation and 50th anniversary lecturer stated, “to increase participation, tech AI mining education should also be made accessible in local languages ensuring that more young Nigerians can engage with this sector from an early stage.

He noted that the advantages of building the needed expertise that would refine Nigeria’s vast resources would increase the country’s GDP besides set the nation apart on the economic global market.

 

Pillars of a University

Earlier, the chairman of the Convocation Lecture, Professor Ekanem Ikpi Braide said that a university has three pillars, which is teaching, research and community service.

She noted that while the first two pillars were visible, community service has been somehow neglected and expressed the hope that the convocation lecturer would highlight that critical function for the benefit of the institution.

Also speaking, the Pro Chancellor of the institution, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police; Udom Ekpoudom commended the University of Calabar for producing globally competitive graduates and called for the support of all Nigerians to move the university to the next level.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Florence Obi noted that the institution was proud to have produced people she described as great men and women, who have helped shape Nigeria.

The lecture was attended by the Chancellor of the University, the Emir of Kano, Aminu Addo Bayero; a judge of the Court of Appeal, Justice Okon Abang, the leader of the Senate, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, members of the national assembly and class 98 law students, who turned out to support the guest lecturer amongst others.

Highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the University of Calabar 50th anniversary compendium.

 

 

 

 

Emmanuel Ukoh