The Dean, School of Arts and Social Sciences, FCT College of Education, Zuba, Safiya Ismail Jika, over the weekend stated that the fields of humanities and social sciences are imperative to national development.

The dean stated this during the 2008 maiden conference of the college, to brainstorm on the theme 'Fate of Humanities and National Values in the Country'.

Safiya said that the importance of these fields of studies are crucial to the development of any country because a nation cannot solely rely on scientific and technological advancement, adding that social scientists contribute immensely to ensuring social integration and stability.

"It was necessary for the school to organize this conference to bring along stakeholders to discuss various issues relating to social sciences and how it can be enshrined in the Seven Point Agenda and consequently the Millennium Development Goals," she added.

Also commenting on the issue, Dr Badayi M. Sani, Associate Professor of Economics, Bayero University, Kano, stated that national development should be perceived as a nations ability to satisfy the needs, desires, goals and aspirations of the majority of its present generation, without jeopardizing or incapacitating the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs and aspirations.

Badayi deduced that promoting global human wellbeing and policy orientation should be the ultimate goal of social sciences, as it contributes to a better understanding of human phenomena and enhance human capacity.