…Charges President to shun criticism, focus on goals
The Provost, University of America, Nigeria, Professor Michael Ikupolati has said President Bola Tinubu is leading the foundation for the country’s economic growth.
Ikupolati also advised the president to not listen to unnecessary criticism but focus on goals that would birth a new Nigeria, while urging Nigerians to give the president the opportunity to settle so as to be able to find solutions to the challenges currently faced by the country.
He said this in Abuja Saturday night, at the Graduation/Convocation Ceremony of the University of America in Nigeria, held at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria.
Ikupolati said, “The current president should be given some time to settle. What he has started to do now is what we call the foundational aspect of economic or national development. When you are building up your foundation, nobody can see the building, all you can see first is people labouring and that is exactly what is happening now.
“We can’t see the beauty of what he is doing but I can tell you that he is leading a foundation for the geometrical growth in the economic development of Nigeria if he does not derail and focus on the future,”
He further noted that any leader that holds yesterday too tight to his chest will not see tomorrow but if you can focus on tomorrow and the goal and the general good of the people, will see the beautiful job.
“So I advise the president not to listen to unnecessary criticism but focus on the goal and look at Nigeria as one entity so that he can put things in place for the purpose of development. You can see that the country has been destroyed for over 63 years, and rebuilding it cannot take 63 days, it will take some time.
” He must also make use of good people, people that can deliver, people that have the ability to do and the willingness to do the work. We need leaders that have the willingness and the ability to perform and if you can just get them, we will be able to move forward.
“Pareto principle says you only need 20 per cent of your resources to achieve 80 per cent of your goal, so he can identify 20 per cent of Nigerians with technocrats, he will be able to achieve the goal,” he added.
The President and Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Prince Gamaliel, said America brought the institution to Nigeria to contribute to the manpower of the country.
He noted that there was a need to give unparalleled education to Nigerians and not allow students to rely on their certificates but ensure they possess the skills needed to transform their lives.
Gamaliel said, “We are contributing something to Nigerian society and one of the most important things Nigeria needs is leadership. After independence, we left the education system in Nigeria in what I called the indigenisation of education. We have now brought it back to take Nigeria forward. Every problem in Africa and Nigeria begins in the classroom because all the politicians come from the classrooms.
“If they are better equipped in the classrooms they would come out to be better leaders but if we have failed in the classroom what we see outside is the product we have from the classrooms. We must give unparalleled sound education and not just certificates but give them the experience that is needed for life. And that is why we are here to give people the skills,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Planning Committee of the Convocation Ceremony, Dr Simeon Obida, who’s also a graduate, called on the government to make education compulsory, affordable and accessible to all Nigerians.
Obida also called on Nigerian leaders to give educational institutions a facelift, especially in the area of research to enhance learning and teaching activities within the institutions.
