Bukola Olatunji
27 November 2009
Abuja — No Nigerian leader, military or civilian has shown genuine commitment to the development of the country, former Governor of the old Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife has said.
Ezeife, who made the remark Tuesday at the inauguration of the Abuja Chapter of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Alumni Association said, instead, "they play excessive politics, talk religion and kill in the name of God. That is why, today, some of us cannot go home because you may go home and lose your freedom.
"I believe in re-branding, but it has a little problem. Rather than rebrand the outside," he said, "let us start from within and deal with all the iniquities inside, the lack of conscience, lack of care."
The former governor, who chaired the occasion called on all alumni associations to go beyond competing for which university is the best, to ìcompete in improving the image of their universities and the quality of education in Nigeria.
In his welcome address, Chairman of the Chapter, Chief Chyna Iwuanyawu, observed that it was " a serious indictment that our leaders have refused to vacate the topmost rankings in the global index for corruption and poverty while none of our universities is ranked anywhere among the first 4000 in the world.
"No meaningful success can be achieved by a Vision 20:2020 no matter how well articulated and intentioned without the support of an Educational System that will generate the necessary intellectual capacity and human capital resources to propel the process," he said.
Iwuanyawu said the inauguration was not just about UNILAG, but, "a clarion call for the alumni of Nigerian Universities to rise as critical stakeholders to the challenges that stare us on the face as worthy ambassadors of our Alma Matter."
He said the association has a dream of developing a scheme where over 250,000 alumni of this University will sacrifice and invest a minimum of N10,000 annually towards the alumni transformational plan for the University. "We are looking forward to the support and cooperation of all alumni and all critical stakeholders in University Education in Nigeria," he said.
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