A maiden public lecture in honour of Prof. Emeritus Benedicta Egbo titled,”Reclaiming Nigeria’s Future: Strategic Frameworks for Achieving Transformative Change”, is set to hold on Thursday in Abuja.
Speaking during a news conference on Monday in Abuja, the Chairman, Planning Committee, Dr. Chiakor Alfred revealed that the event will also provide the opportunity to unveil and present to the general public, Professor Benedicta Egbo’s seminal and critically acclaimed book entitled,”Education and Sustainable Development in 21st Century Nigeria”.
Alfred said,”On behalf of the Planning Committee, we welcome you all to this Press Conference. It is hosted with the objective to give further publicity, through the print, electronic and online media, on the forthcoming Public Lecture in honour of Professor Emeritus Benedicta Egbo under the theme: “RECLAIMING NIGERIA’S FUTURE: STRATEGIC FRAMEWORKS FOR ACHIEVING TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE”. The event shall also provide the opportunity to unveil and present to the general public, Professor Benedicta Egbo’s seminal and critically acclaimed book entitled “EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN 21ST CENTURY NIGERIA”. The Public Lecture and Book Presentation shall hold at the Congress Hall, NAF Centre, Abuja, on Thursday, 21st March, 2024.
“Current realities require that we see it as a patriotic duty to contribute to the processes of articulating choices in promoting the ideals of nation building, socio-economic progress and transformative change at this critical time of our national consciousness. The intensity of pressures and challenges facing the nation, makes it imperative to promote robust nation building endeavours and discourse such as this public lecture, which as we envisage, will provide us the opportunity to proffer suggestions and practical strategies that will lead to positive and transformative change for the common good.
“The Public Lecture is therefore an initiative that aims to deepen democracy and advocacy; promote sustainable development as well as the prioritization of national goals and value orientation. The public lecture is a call to collaborative action and strategic partnership that will move the country forward. With an impressive assembly of scholars, public intellectuals, technocrats, political actors, etc, and robust interface with various Stakeholders both at home and in the diaspora, it is expected that discussions at the forum will provide important roadmap to the levers of governance as well for achieving the Nigeria of our dreams. The Public Lecture shall be delivered by Prof L. Adele Jinadu – Professor of Political Science and Senior Fellow, Centre for Democracy and Development.
“By building synergy, the event shall engender commitment to shared responsibilities towards achieving the institutionalization of the road map and priorities of the policy frameworks crafted to provide stability, security and overall development Nigeria’s priorities. It is also the expectation of the Conveners that the derivatives from the event shall enhance knowledge leadership & management, regenerate confidence in marshalling productive forces to turn around the fortunes of the country, as espoused by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, at different fora, both locally and internationally.”
Speaking about the book, Alfred disclosed that the exciting book covers a wide range of topics on education and sustainable development within the context of a competitive 21st Century global arena that demands innovation, creativity, adaptive skills, multiple literacies.
“About the book:”Education and Sustainable Development in 21st Century Nigeria” Written from an interdisciplinary perspective, this exciting book covers a wide range of topics on education and sustainable development within the context of a competitive 21st Century global arena that demands innovation, creativity, adaptive skills, multiple literacies (including knowledge of ICTs), environmental stewardship and responsibility. It does so by examining and then, proffering practical strategies for addressing the myriad challenges facing education in Nigeria (and Africa more generally) while simultaneously emphasizing the interrelationship between education, society and sustainable development. Importantly, the theme of inclusive and environmentally responsive socio-economic development cuts across all nine chapters of the book.
“The overarching message of the book is that engendering sustainable development in Nigeria requires significant overhaul and transformation of the country’s education system through visionary, innovative and pragmatic policies that are dialectically aligned with the country’s development goals, within the context of a complex and competitive globalized 21st century world,” he explained.
About the honouree, he said,”Professor Benedicta Egbo is Professor Emeritus of education at the University of Windsor, Canada. She is also a former Director of the Joint PhD in Educational Studies Program which is jointly offered by a consortium of three Canadian Universities. A globally renowned scholar and researcher, Professor Egbo has contributed enormously to education and development nationally and internationally.
“Throughout her illustrious and distinguished career, she has constructively engaged in the development of the talents, skills and intellectual powers of professionals and aspiring scholars through her intellectual work, teaching and publications. Not surprisingly, her books, articles and other publications which appear in prestigious journals are used in universities world-wide including in countries like Canada, the United States, the UK, Australia, South Africa etc.
“In addition to her publications, she has delivered countless conference papers, keynote addresses and invited talks in various parts of the world.”
Alfred further revealed that Prof. Egbo is a member of numerous professional organizations and associations.
“A philanthropist, Professor Egbo is the founder of African Winds International Foundation (AWIF), a non-profit organization which, among a host of other projects, provides scholarships to indigent students in Nigeria.
“As part of her educational philanthropy, she has donated copies of one of her books to several universities in Nigeria. In recognition of her scholarly/intellectual achievements, and her contributions to education, social development and humanity, the erudite scholar, author and technocrat has received awards and honours both nationally and internationally.
“In 2010, she was named (and received an award) as one of the top fifty US/Canada based Nigerians. More recently (2023), she received the prestigious Independent Newspapers Award as the “Outstanding Female Politician of the Year”.
“In furtherance of her contributions to transformative change and development in Nigeria, an annual colloquium, the “Professor Benedicta Egbo Annual Lecture” has been established in her honour,” he said.
The Planning Committee Chairman, noted that despite living in Canada as a Nigerian in diaspora, Prof. Egbo’s aspiration has focused on educational reform and social development initiatives in Nigeria, among others.
He said,”Despite living and working in Canada as a Nigerian in Diaspora, Professor Egbo has been involved in educational reform and social development initiatives in Nigeria. Grounded in her deep understanding of the dynamics of both the Nigerian education system, the country’ development needs, as well as the international context of education, she has proffered strategic and practical solutions to the myriad challenges facing the country’s education system.
“Often described as a public intellectual as a function of her interdisciplinary perspectives on matters related to education, the economy, politics, institutions, governance and development, she has also published extensively on Nigeria’s geo-political and socio-economic challenges.
“A true patriot and, based on her conviction that “Nigeria was ripe for a female president” Professor Egbo was a Presidential Aspirant in the recently concluded 2023 general elections under the banner of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) party.
“Prof. Egbo believes that the monumental challenges facing Nigeria are not intractable because the nation has so much talent, resources and potential.
“She is also convinced that with the right policies, governance architecture, strong institutions, a peaceful and thriving socio-economic and socio-political environment, Nigeria can, once again, live up to its nickname as the “giant of Africa” as well as become a thriving and highly respected nation-state among of the comity of nations.”
Alfred added,”The wellbeing and future of our dear country, Nigeria, including its security, territorial integrity and development is the collective responsibility of every citizen, whether private or public; at home or in the diaspora.
“We must as a matter of urgency put aside all prejudices to help forge a common front to confront the challenges that are threatening the integrity of our corporate existence as a people and as a nation.
“It is incumbent on us all therefore to engage robustly on how to deter and mitigate these challenges in a systematic and coordinated manner. This way, we can be sure of preserving our collective heritage and the sanctity of our nation.
“We trust therefore that as patriotic professionals of the fourth estate of the realm whose duties are often impacted by the aggravated assault on our collective psyches, you will see this as a call to duty and help disseminate the content of this press conference to a wide domestic and global audience.”
By Chimezie Godfrey
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