Technical education, key to national devt. – Ex-OAU VC

Prof. Michael Faborode, a former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has described technical education as an important tool for national development.

Faborode said that vocational and technical education must be urgently fixed for the country to attain national development.

He spoke at a colloquium on education organised by Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, the CEO of Mutual Benefit Assurance on Wednesday in Osogbo.

The colloquium had as theme: “Education as Input Variable for National Development.”

Faborode, a former Secretary-General, Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigeria, said the challenges of industrialisation would persist until the problem of vocational and technical education was fixed.

Also speaking, Prof. Pat Utomi, the founder of Centre for Values in Leadership, said that Nigeria must be serious with vocational and technical education to join the developed countries.

“Our problem as a nation is that we consume more than we produce.

“If we want to be part of the technologically developed world, then we must embrace vocational and technical education,” Utomi said.

Also speaking, the Director-General, Dawn Commission, Mr Seye Oyeleye, noted that Nigeria was laying too much emphasis on certificates than skills.

Oyeleye called on Nigerian leaders to address the discrimination against technical certificate holders in the quest for national development.

Earlier in his remarks, former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade, who was the Chairman at the event, commended Ogunbiyi for organising the colloquium.

Akinrinade appealed to the Nigeria University Commission to review the process of admitting students into tertiary institutions by ensuring that qualified students were admitted to study education.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who was the royal father at the event, also commended Ogunbiyi for embarking on education, health, empowerment and poverty alleviation programmes.