Prominent Nigerians and eminent personalities from all walks of life, converged on Thursday, in Abuja for the Annual lecture and book launch in Honour of Professor Emeritus, Prof. Benedicta Egbo titled ‘Education And Sustainable Development in 21st Century Nigeria’.
Prof. Benedicta who is a professor Emeritus of education at the university of windsor, Canada and a former Director of a PhD in Educational Studies Program, jointly offered by a consortium of three Canadian Universities.
Professor Egbo has contributed enormously to education and development nationally and internationally. Through out her illustrious and distinguished career, she has constructively engaged in the development of talents, skills and intellectual powers of professionals and aspiring scholars through her intellectual works, teaching and publications.
Despite living and working in Canada as a Nigerian in Diaspora, Professor Egbo has been involved in educational reform and social development initiative in Nigeria. Grounded in her deep understanding of the dynamic of both the Nigerian education system, the country’s development needs, as well as the international context of education, she has preferred strategic and practical solutions to the myriad challenge facing the country’s system.
In his welcome address, the chairman of the event Maj Gen. Chris A Garba, who applauds the honouree, Prof Egbo on her achievement in the field of education, stated that many lifes has been transformed through her dedication and service to humanity and how she have done exceptionally well in the area educational both in the country and outside the country.
He said: “I want to recognize everyone who has left far and near to grace the this memorable occasion. We have two events here today a book launch and annual lecture and I think it is going to be a great talk and I want everyone to pay kin attention.
“We are also launching a book written by our beloved sister on education, she has been involved in writing, teaching and carrying out research to improve knowledge in the field of education. People say a jack of all trade a master of non not in the case of Prof because she is master of all trade, I never felt she will make much recognition if leaves Nigeria judging by her skin colour but she did.
“Making it in Nigeria requires one having the heart of a lion and of a truth, our sister possess the heart of a lion and again she has made us proud.
“If i start rolling out her achievement today, we are not going to leave here on time because the Prof we are talking about here is an institution and it is not possible to talk about an institution in a day so don’t forget to read the book and also don’t forget to pick one for a friend”
“Once again I want welcome you and I want to congratulate you for being here to mark this wonderful occasion”.
The honouree, Professor Benedicta Egbo, Professor Emeritus of Education, who thanked the guest for taking out time to grace her book launch in her special remarks, said her joy today is full because she was able to achieve all what she achieved being a Nigerian, she is so proud of it and that she is not ashamed to be called a Nigerian anywhere and at anytime.
She said” Am often asked you are in diaspora and you’ve done remarkable things why do you bother such much about Nigeria, Nigeria has alot of problems, you’ve visited alot of places in the world, you’ve been invited to be Deen in Australia and in different places based on your work why bother with Nigeria”
“My simple answer which is unchangeable, remains you can take me out of Nigeria, you can’t take Nigeria out of me because that’s where i was born, that’s where I hold most of the skills I have, if had i not come from Nigeria of those days, I wonder if I would be able to do the things i do, I wonder if i would be able to go to class and over a period of twenty years and counting I have stood to teach a group of white students colleagues at one point, I was appointed the director of Phd program that had over two hundred faculty members all white.
“It was given to me because over there, they don’t base it on chronizim, nepotism and primordial sentiments but pure compitence, what you have in your head and what they can get from you.
“They don’t care about who you are, they don’t care if you’re a woman you come from Africa, you speak with an ascent is not their problem and this is the mind set that drives me” She said
Prof Egbo, noted futher that her desire is to see Nigeria and Africa grow in development, according to her Africa and Nigeria isn’t a continent of baggers but a continent full of potentials however, mared with bad leadership structure.
She continued “There is a saying that Africa won’t be respected until Nigeria is respected, am proud to be a Nigerian and this is the purpose for this annual lecture and book launch”.
On his own part, Aare Oladutun Hassan Esq, who also graced the occasion as one of the panelist, commended the honouree, Prof Egbo on her achievement in the education sphere, harped on the moral free fall in the country owing to lack of governments attention in the educational sector in the country.
He stressed the need of fighting corrupt through priming the moral value of Nigerians through education.
He said “I believe the best we can do is to encourage our amazon I see a new Dora Akunyili in you ma because you’ve started a journey of telling Nigerians to be patriotic and that is what Dora saw and the sided to fight with the character and spirit of a true Nigerian”.
“We need to emulate her, we need to talk and breath Nigeria because where we lack this patriotism is in our character because if we don’t prime our character, all we are talking about here will end in our personal corruption because most of us sitting down here, our minds are corrupt not just in financial corruption but moral corruption, which is the height of every corruption because when you go to church, you won’t find moral, likewise when you visit the mosque, you go to the family life, you see the dresscode is not something to write home about, we no longer speak out and when you turn on the TV you watch music that attack moral and the ministries and government agencies saddled with the responsibility to regulate such music, has been compromised.
“We need a nation that belongs to all of us, I want to use this platform to call on the government to look into the educational system and if have to nominate anyone for an advisery role for education to strive in Nigeria I will pick you for that role to advice the government on how to revamp our educational syatem in Nigeria .
“You have the passion and you have developed the Canadian vision and we would want you to reseprocate same in Nigeria, you’re born in this soil and this soil trained you and you’re passionate in giving back to the society but you’re not being encouraged but we want to encourage you and we want to let you know that the doors are open for you in the South, North, East and West” he concluded
