Vice President Kashim Shettima, has applauded the contributions of academics to national unity, saying through their works a more secure and prosperous Nigeria is possible.
The Vice President gave the commendation in Abuja on Friday during the public presentation of two books, “Boko Haram and Other Security Challenges in Nigeria: Issues and Options for Policy” and “Reflections on the 2023 General Elections,” written by Professor Abdullahi Shehu.
VP Shettima, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Mr Aliyu Moddibo, noted that beyond standing as custodians of the nation’s memory, the intellectual inquiry and data-driven analysis of scholars can “help to chart a course towards a more secure and prosperous Nigeria.
“It’s a must-read book for those tasked with protecting lives and properties. We must ensure that our dear brother’s ideas and discoveries don’t merely remain as a literary exercise,” he added.
Commending the scholarship of Professor Shehu, the VP said:
“These books aren’t only topical but much-awaited interventions in our public discourse and policy circles. The books must be seen by each of us, present and absent, as an invitation to learn and adhere to the truths of our nation. The books are also an invitation to recreate a memory of the nation that is rooted in neither bigotry nor dishonesty.
“This retelling of our history through research, free from the biases that have frustrated public discourse in Nigeria, is the memory we seek.
“We must read these books not only to understand what has been done by leaders of the nation in the past but also to guide successive generations of leaders and stakeholders involved in the business of making peace.”
He urged academics in the country and beyond to support the President Bola Tinubu administration’s efforts to surmount challenges confronting Nigerians, restating that the government “has made security a top priority, and so the empirical research provided by scholars like Professor Shehu is essential and serve as indispensable resources for informing policy reforms and driving national development.”
Dominica Nwabufo
