Prof Toyin Falola, a Lecturer at University of Texas, Austin has today urged Nigerian Youths to believe in the development of the country and also believe in it educational system.
He noted that the Youth should not underrate their ability to develop the country, and not always think of emigrating to another country.
Falola disclosed this today in his lecture tagged "Emerging Issues in the Funding of Higher Education: Lessons From Around the World" at the 4th Prince Tunde Ponle annual lecture, sponsored by Global Affairs And Sustainable Development Institute (GASDID) at the Olagunsoye Oyinlola Auditorium, Osun State University campus in Osogbo.
While addressing the students, he noted that no one will develop the country if the talented ones move abroad, adding that those that have had the opportunity to travel out should give back their skills to society and also giveback their knowledge.
He said, "Nobody will develop your country for you, if you leave your country, we are leaving the human capacity to develop our own country so we have to appeal to people, and employer to know that this will create a problem for us if we don't find something to do".
Falola noted that there should be resources to revitalize and rehabilitate Nigeria's education so the Youths will be commited to the nation, adding that the spirit of leaving the country will evacuate them if there is employment opportunity.
He said, "You want to Japa, I want to Japada. In this moment, when our youth are traveling out of the country, we have to be aware that everything we do is because of them. We should do it in a way that they will be committed to the nation. We must do something about it, all these kind of lecture must be about them, it's the students who make it possible for us to be here and for us to be professor.
There should be resources. We focus on education, we build them so they will be committed to the nation, and Osun state University will be one that will be leading us in this new way. That spirit of saying they want to leave the country, we'll do something about it."
Speaking further, Falola noted that that UK employ Nigerians, still they complain about incompetency, adding that it is a contradiction because they cannot employ an incompetent person.
He said, "There's a contradiction that is ongoing and we must be aware of this contradiction, some complain that the educational system here is not good, they are the ones who come back here and recruit you. How can you blame people and still employ them? After abusing UCH students, UK alone had recruited 3,000 of them. If your school is not good, why are they recruiting you, that is a contradiction.
They will be abusing Adeyemi College of Education that is not good and they will be abusing UNIOSUN and yet they are looking for students from Adeyemi and UNIOSUN to recruit"
"Don't let anybody tell you, you are not good, it's a big contradiction. For those who have seen an opportunity to leave the country, after leaving any of our Universities and go to another country, one university in Canada, all the best students in law school were recruited in Nigeria"
"You finished from Osun state, you go to school of oriental in Osun state, you do so well. It means that you are already doing so well, it's not when you get there. Students believe in yourself, believe you are doing well, and believe in the university to transform yourself and to transform other places. There's no country in West Africa where you are not going to find products of Nigeria Universities", he said.
Speaking further, he noted "As teachers, as pharmacist, as engineer, as doctor, we are doing something right but we are tremendously badmouthing ourselves.
At various moments in history, they said we are going to perish, one million American died of covid, we didn't loose up to that. If you follow what they have been saying, you will not be in this hall, you will all die of Ebola. What is keeping us going, they will say, you leave one dollar a day, I will pay your ticket, go to Lagos and I will give you one dollar, if you will survive" He said.
Can anybody survive in Osogbo, and by repeating what they said about your own people, you are committing an epistemic genocide.
Stop destroying yours and start elevating yourself because there are many more things to celebrate and that is part of what we are doing today.
"The University of Ibadan was created in an agrarian age, ife was built on Cocoa production, university of today has moved away from that. To we want foco oare ourselves.
Let us spend our time on our environment, what have we done to transform our food production".
Moreso, in his remarks, the Director of Global and Sustainable Development Institute, Professor John Agbonifo reiterated that the development of tbe country is a joint work of everybody, noting that the government should rejig the educational system.
Present in the event are the Pro-chancellor and Chairman of Council, Osun State University, Yusuf Ali, Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimog Oyetunji, Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Olawale Adekanbi and some other monarchs who grace the occasion.
Prof. Toyin thereby gifted the school 1,500 hard cover note books.
