The don, however, noted that it was too early to judge the present administration of President Bola Tinubu but urged the current administration to prioritise funding of higher education and the welfare of staff of higher institutions in the country.
He stated this at the 10th distinguished lecture of the University of Medical Science, Ondo, Ondo State, held on the campus of the institution, on Thursday.
The lecture was titled, “Knowledge, governance and sustainable development in Nigeria: the missing gap.”
Akinrinade pointed out that good governance promotes information accessibility, encourages innovation and protects intellectual property
The don, “Until now, our country’s record with respect to good governance is not an enviable one. If we consider all the parameters of good governance noted earlier, i.e., transparency, accountability, rule of law, participation, consensus-oriented, equity and inclusiveness, and effectiveness and efficiency of governmental processes, it is difficult to come to a positive conclusion.
“It is too early in the life of the current administration in the country for us to pass concrete judgment in whichever direction but if the Government is to provide a departure from past years of neglect, it must embrace the prioritisation of higher education funding and promotion of the welfare of academic and non-teaching staff who are servicing this critical pillar of the nation’s knowledge economy framework.”
Akinrinnade, who noted that education and knowledge were cardinal in the development of a nation, said
the development in the educational sector could not be achieved in isolation, noting that it involved concerted efforts from all stakeholders such as the government, donors, civil society, private sectors, and academia.
Akinrinnase said “Knowledge is essential for development because it enables people to increase their productivity, enhance their well-being and participate in the social, economic and political possesses of their society”
“It equips the people with the basic skills to be useful members of the society and not engage in activities that would compound the societal problem”
“Knowledge is the key driver of innovation which is the creation and diffusion of new products, processes, and services that can generate value and improve competitiveness.”
He further stated that as a country, “we must embrace knowledge if we want to move forward. We cannot despise knowledge and move forward.”
The don tasked the governments to invest more in education, especially in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics field.
“A better education system will allow Nigerian youth to take advantage of economic opportunities and become active players in their own economy, ” he stressed.
He also said the government had a central role to play in innovation and fostering technological breakthroughs by sponsoring research and development and allocating them based on merit.
In his closing remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the UNIMED, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, revealed that the institution had put a policy in place where researchers were funded to carry out their research.
