A renowned professor of political economy and management expert, Pat Utomi, has urged the government to show more commitment to the country’s education system.
Utomi said if the government at all levels gives education priority, it will yield necessary dividends for national development.
He spoke yesterday while delivering a lecture as the guest speaker at the roundtable and award ceremony of Flannel Business School in Lagos.
The popular economist noted that in today’s world where everything is driven by knowledge, the country cannot develop unless it has knowledgeable citizens.
Utomi described as unfortunate the shutting down of the nation’s university system for over six months, saying this “is unacceptable.
The economist said it was unimaginable that “one person in Abuja steals more than we need to fix the university system, as per the request made by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)”.
He said: “We live in the age of ideas. Only those who know would be effective and make an impact on this world.
“How do you transmit ideas? The most powerful way of transmitting ideas is through books because you can interrogate, question, and throw things in-depth in a book in a way that enables you to influence thoughts. And, if you are going to create thought leadership that takes us down the path of solving so many kinds of problems we have today, which enables us to achieve leadership in a challenging world, then we have to mint something that is part of the culture and paying emphasis on the book.
“Our reading culture is critical for our educational system. It’s critical for the effectiveness of any democracy because this is where you bring out the issues that may lead to outcomes that society can use.”
