Conference
By Chinyere Nwachukwu
Lagos, Aug. 30, 2018 (NAN) The participants at a three-day Research Conference and Fair, organised by the University of Lagos rose saying there is an urgent need for the country to focus on most valuable resources, which is “leadership by developing people”.
Ther participants made the assertion in a communique issued by the institution’s Director, Academic Planning, Prof. Wale Okunuga, at the end of the conference which is the 13th edition and with the theme, “Resource Utilisation and Sustainable Development”.
According to the communique, concerted efforts should also be made on honing leadership attributes as well as building ethics and morals.
It added that as a means of maximising the uses of the country’s resources and sustaining development, attention must also be paid to the development of indigenous languages to explain the state of affairs and realities in the nation.
“No meaningful development will be attained if there is minimal or outright lack of participation of all stakeholders in every sector of the society in consultations and resolutions relating to resource utilisation and sustainable development.
“The country also needs to wean itself of the system of ‘Nigeria’s Oil Structural Disease’ for the economy to grow and be sustainable,” the communique said.
According to the communique, it has been observed that one of the country’s major challenge is governance and that the nation is endowed with enormous resources but lacks governance.
It added that it had also been observed that the high rate of out-of-pocket expenses on healthcare for instance, had led to the low rate of utilisation of healthcare facilities in Nigeria.
“The health policy in Nigeria will not meet the health needs of majority of the population.
“Just like the increase in natural disaster, health challenges and environmental issues underscores the importance of ensuring that sustainable and responsible practices are undertaken by earth’s stakeholders,” it said.
According to the communique, though the abundance of natural resources could enhance the potential for economic growth, this alone is insufficient to guarantee escape from poverty to economic prosperity.
It observed that the best hope of any nation depended largely on the education of its youths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that over 544 fully registered participants from the academia within and outside Nigeria participated in the multi-disciplinary fair. (NAN)
CCN/PDE
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(Editing by Peter Ejiofor)