Education
Don Identifies Nigeria’s Pathway To Prosperity
A University Don,
Professor Ben Naanen, has identified what he Christened “Pathways to Nigeria’s Development.”
Such pathway, he said, include “Visionary Leadership that Work for the well being of their entire citizenry, rather than Pandering to the pecuniary interest of the parasitic elite class.”
Professor Naanen, stated this at the 119th inaugural lecture of the University of Port Harcourt recently.
Delivering the lecture entitled, “The Prosperity and Poverty of Nations: Using Global Models to Explain and Mitigate Underdevelopment in Nigeria,” Naanen cited Singapore and China as prosperous Asian countries which were once mired in poverty, corruption and under-development.
According to him, these countries later attained development and economic prosperity as a result of visionary leaderships.
He, therefore, called for “visionary, decisive and enlightened leadership to move Nigeria to the next level of development,” noting that, “great leadership, strong and effective institutions, including doing the first things first, are needed to achieve posterity and national greatness for any action.”
The Professor of Economic History continued that Nigeria is enmeshed in debilitating circle of corruption, underdevelopment and poverty, saying that the solution to this “may come more from the political channel than through economic channel.”
Poverty, he said,” is a state of abject want and the absence of the basic needs of life. Manifestation of poverty include lack of money, hunger and malnutrition, illiteracy and ignorance, lack of decent clothings and housing.
“Great nations are never products of accident, rather, they are results of complex and conscious processes of nation –building, social engineering and national sacrifice. There cannot be a great nation without great leaders.
“Great leaders will first conceive a vision, then design a strategy to attain that vision, know where to take their nation and how to arrive at the destination, pursue their vision with focus and intergrity, mobilize, inspire and earn the support of their citizens.
“They will then proceed to build strong institutions, and the institutions in turn will define the trajectory of successive leaderships,” Naanen explained .
The essence of instituting strong institutions, he said, will check corruption, ensure that economic and development policies conceived by the visionary and enlightened leadership work in order to create wealth, and ensure the rule of law.
When this happens, the Professor continued, the overwhelming majority of citizens are inspired to do their right thing in order to build a prosperous nation.
Sogbeba Dokubo
The 11th Global President of the Rivers state University Alumni Association (RSUAA), Dr. Marry- Ann Perekebina has praised the Obarijima Waite’s led Postgraduate Students Association(PGA), describing his tenure as ” visionary, transparent and worthy of emulation.
Dr. Perekebina , who spoke with journalists at the sideline of the commissioning of projects embarked by Obarijima Waite’s administration in Port Harcourt, eulogises him for leading a purposeful administration – characterised with team work, love and result.
She maintained, that Obarijima Waite’s have led a purposeful administration that touches on cole values expected of any leader,adding that he has embarked on several projects that will have direct bearing in the lives of PGA students who will make use of the facilities.
“I think it’s worthy of emulation and recognition and he deserves all the accolades. He is a transformational leader who believes in carrying everyone along.” she said.
Also speaking at the sideline, a Postgraduate student of Law and Diplomacy, Edward Olaka, equally lauded the President of PGA, Obarijima Waite, for his visionary and outstanding leadership style, and describing him as “a Square peg in a Square hole”
According to him, the performance of the incumbent President and his team will throw a huge challenge to his successor’s, stressing that their administration will be used as a yardstick to measure whoever that would be coming after them, describing his performance as a commitment and testimony to hard-work built on the fear God.
” This is the handiwork of God, because it is said that when the righteous rules, the people rejoice.”
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is set to establish a Driving Training Centre at the University of Port Harcourt, to be domiciled at the Centre for Logistics and Transport Studies, NEMA House.
A team from the FRSC National Headquarters visited the University on Friday, September 12, 2025, to inspect proposed facilities in line with the Driving School Standardization Programme (DSSP) mandatory requirements.
Speaking at the end of the inspection, Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, represented by the Head of Driving School, Mr. Sunday Attah, expressed satisfaction with the standard of facilities available at the institution. He commended the University for its readiness to host the pilot scheme, noting that the Centre will be replicated in other parts of the country in due course.
Earlier, during a courtesy visit to the University Management, the Corps Marshal explained that UniPort was selected to host the pilot project because of its strategic importance to the nation.
Responding, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Owunari Abraham Georgewill, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Professor Chukwudi Onyeaso, welcomed the initiative and assured that the University remains open to partnerships that will promote academic excellence and national development.
A scholar and the 119 Inaugural lecturer at the Rivers state University, Prof.Chukwu Sancho Nwobuisi has called on political leaders across the world and Nigeria in particular to be transparent, accountable and lead with the fear of God, bearing in mind that when we depart the earth, we shall take home nothing, except the spirit who shall return back to the maker to give account of how we lived our lives.
Speaking to Journalists shortly after delivering his inaugural lecture on Wednesday in port Harcourt with the topic: ” War and The Dynamics of Ehianomics Economy The Nigerian Experience Who Are The Losers”, called on political leaders and those at the position of trust to think outside the box if they truly want the Nigeria to be great again.
He explained that the topic of the lecture basically is about social ills and how to correct the false narrative affects the system, while maintaining that the system has worsen to the point that the future of our younger generation now in dire danger, due to unemployment ,poor infrastructure,poor healthcare and everyone looking for a means to see ends meet.
The Frontline scholar,regretted that agriculture that used to be the economy main stay of the country is now downgraded due to over dependent on oil revenue, hence the unfortunate social and political crisis found daily in our communities.
” The study looks at the effect, influence and what affects the economy of the nation and how our mindset can change from over dependent on oil”
Prof. Nwobuisi, who didn’t mince words about corruption, maintained that corruption remains a serious challenge that the government needs to mitigate by the institutions saddled with the responsibility to pull the nation out of the menace.
” The way forward is that the nation’s anti-graft agencies must be strengthen to look around us especially on the invasion by the so called Yahoo boys.” Prof. Chukwu said.
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