African Must Find to Solution to Own Problem- frm UI VC

By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin city

Former Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Olufemi Baniro, has said that African countries including Nigeria must find solution to the problems of under development rather than relying on help from international communities.

The Professor of Engineering, said this at the University of Benin, during the inauguration of Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health ( CERHI), established by World Bank in the university.

Delivering a lecture titled, “Sustainable Development Goal and the Nigeria University System”, he said the problems can be solved through adequate funding and sustained research in our in universities.

” Our universities will have to focus on training, research, innovation and extension capability to tackle the problems. If we build the capacity of existing institutions, through funding and research, we will have the capacity to solve existing problems and new ones.

“Nigerians have ideas to run the country. But what do you say about implementation? Even when we did the Energy Commission of Nigeria where we proposed it and was supposed to lead this country in energy. But they brought somebody who knows nothing about energy to head it,” he said

He lamented that our universities’ curriculum is disconnected from industries, in terms of skill for employment, adding that the curriculum should be run in such a way that it will build the right skills for the industries.

“We must find our solution to our problems. Enough of this external influences that will come to advised and will be tapping into our problem,” he said.

CERHI leader, Prof Friday Okonofua, said the centre established by the World Bank in universities in West and Central Africa to help deliver effective and innovative postgraduate educational system and also proffer solution to regional developmental challenges.

He said the centre is to implement high quality training and applied research for reproductive health professionals needed to build a new cohort of human resource for reducing the regions high burden of fertility, unsafe abortion, maternal mortality and HIV/AIDs.