Nnaji Laments Poor Funding of Education, Advocates Increased Investment in STEM
By Chijioke Attah
Former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has called for increased government funding of the education sector, particularly Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM, to accelerate Nigeria’s industrial and economic development.
Nnaji made the call while delivering the guest lecture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, Founders’ Day celebration.
He said adequate investment in education, research and technological innovation was critical if Nigeria must join the global community in the ongoing industrial and economic revolution.
The former minister lamented that Nigeria remained among the countries with the lowest government investment in education as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product, GDP.
According to him, “Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable economic advancement without adequate investment in education and research capable of driving technological innovation.”
He advocated greater funding for STEM education, describing it as a major pathway to achieving an industrial revolution and developing home-grown solutions to the country’s challenges.
Nnaji, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Geometric Power, further called for stronger collaboration between universities and the organised private sector in research, innovation and inventions.
He said such partnerships would bridge the gap between academic knowledge and the skills required in the workplace, while creating opportunities for research outcomes to be translated into practical solutions and economic value.
The former minister urged governments at all levels to increase their investment in education, stressing that the future of Nigeria’s economy depended largely on technological competence, innovation and the capacity to develop indigenous solutions.
Nnaji also called on Nigerians to pay greater attention to the quality and competence of those elected into leadership positions.
He said the country needed leaders with the requisite knowledge, character and ability to navigate the complex challenges confronting the nation and provide sustainable solutions.
In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of UNN, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, said the annual Founders’ Day lecture was instituted to promote the ideals of the university’s founding fathers, encourage scholarship and critical thinking, and provide an avenue for reflection on the institution’s role in Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
Ortuanya said the university remained committed to preserving its tradition of academic excellence while responding to contemporary challenges through research, innovation and strategic partnerships with the wider society.
Also speaking, former Vice-Chancellor of the university and Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Bartho Okolo, said UNN was established on the vision that the institution would help propel the newly independent Nigeria to global academic competitiveness and excellence.
Okolo commended the Prof. Ortuanya-led administration for what he described as significant strides in infrastructural transformation and improvement of the physical and academic environment of the institution.
Highlights of the occasion included the presentation of gifts to the guest lecturer, Prof. Barth Nnaji, and Emeritus Prof. Uche Azikiwe, wife of the founder of the university, the late Rt Hon. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.
The event also featured the cutting of the 66th Founders’ Day anniversary cake.
EDITOR
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, as well as M.Sc Mass Communication at National Open University of Nigeria.
He is the immediate past NUJ Chairman, Enugu state.
samowailo@gmail.com
