DON, OTHERS TASK UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ON NAT. DEVELOPMENT.
A former Delta State commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof Patrick Muogboghare, has tasked the alumnae of Nigerian Universities to be more committed to issues of national development in the face of unfolding ethnic, security and political conflicts that continue to threaten and challenge the unity of the country.
Prof Muoboghare, who gave this admonition in a keynote address during the 2016 Annual Dinner of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, UIAA Asaba chapter, noted that while true federalism remained the panacea for equitable resource distribution, the security threat of Boko Haram, which has been successfully handled with the recapture of Sambisa Forest, should equally be extended to Ossisa Forest in the Niger Delta where suspected Fulani herdsmen have overrun the farmers and imposed fear in the local communities with their unchecked fatal activities.
The don, who also lent voice to the efforts to seek peace in the Niger Delta, equally advocated for the harnessing of local skills and technology as a pragmatic alternative to engaging the youths in the region and urged alumni members of Nigerian universities to deploy their reservoir of knowledge in ensuring that some of these issues are addressed with the intellectual approach they deserve.
In their respective comments, the chairman of the occasion, Dr. David Maduemezia, the former Delta State Deputy Governor, Sir Benjamin Elue, and former Delta State Commissioner of Police Chief Ikechukwu Aduba, urged members of the UIAA Asaba chapter to explore ways of tapping into the rich natural resource in the state for technological advancement and while stressing that the reluctance of the West to transfer their technology to us should serve as a wake up call to our graduates in relevant disciplines to rise up to the challenge, advised the Federal government to initiate policies that would address both the security apparatus in Nigeria and the welfare status of Nigerians to ease the present hardship in the country, especially in this time of recession.
The UIAA Asaba chapter 2016 Alumni dinner, which was hosted by Sir Okey Ofili, a former Delta State Head of Service, also had the UIAA National President, Dr. Kemi Emina, as Special Guest of Honour and the chapter Chairman and immediate past Delta state Head of Service, Sir O.P Origho as the Chief Host, as well as other distinguished academicians, traditional title holders, top civil servants, corporate and professional personalities in attendance.
