The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde has affirmed that the papers and communiqué that emanated from the recently held1st International Conference of the Faculty of Administration and Management Sciences of the University would be published in the University local and international journals. Speaking on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor,
Professor (Mrs.) Ebunoluwa Oduwole who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University said that the seventeen developmental goals highlighted in sustainable Development Goals would ensure zero hunger index, clean water provision, qualitative health, education and climate change in the country through governments at all levels. She added that through robust discussion and seminars involving the country’s stakeholders, practical and concrete steps taken by successive governments in the country beginning from the current government, would ensure that the goals would be permanently achieved by 2030 for the benefit of all and well being of the human race.
Speaking further on the Conference Theme which is “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria by the year 2030”, Professor Oduwole stressed the need for university graduates to work towards the goal of eradicating hunger in the land through the government empowerment programmes. She also emphasized that through soft loans and funding of agricultural programmes of governments at all levels, the goal would be achieved.
She enjoined participants at the Conference to decide through their comprehensive deliberations on issues affecting the sustainable development goals and come up with a communiqué that would outline the Conference submissions in order to assist governments in reducing corruption, climate change phenomenon and hunger in the land. She urged participants at the conference to publish all the presented 3 day papers on the sustainable development goals and continually sing the seventeen goals to governments and the enlarged public towards the attainment of the goals.
In his keynote address at the conference, the Deputy Manager of the Bank of Industries in Nigeria, Mr. Waheed Olagunju stated that if the country was to achieve her ambition of catching up with the industrialized nations of the world, the Federal Government needed to start planning for long term.
He stressed that the Conference was timely because the country had just emerged from economic recession with over a year of five quarter negative growth of her economy. He added that the recession brought the country down to her highest level of inflation resulting in negative impact on the country’s economy.
He emphasized that the nation had to lay emphasis on key objectives that accompanied recent government economic plans such as: Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) for its survival.
He said that such emphasis would help create a road map by which Nigeria would be able to achieve her sustainable development goals by the year 2030.
He further disclosed that for Nigeria to achieve even one of these goals, it has to align the current objectives of her economic plans with the objectives of the SDGs to ensure both short term and long term sustainable development.
Mr. Olagunju Waheed said for the country to succeed at these operationalized goals, the country should primarily hinged her efforts on industrialization which he described as a “process by which a country is transformed from one that was primarily depended on factor advantages to one that thrives on the local productive sector”.
He said such factor advantages like arable land natural resources, a large semi skilled workforce and favourable climate should be used to advantage in productive activities with the exportation of primary goods as key drivers of the economy.
Olagunju revealed further that the government, the private sector and other stake holders had to shift away from exportation of raw materials and importation of finished goods to one that places emphasis on production, processing and export of both intermediate and finished goods.
He submitted that for the country to arrive at the doorstep of industrial revolution “collaboration between the economic stakeholders is very key to resolve challenges such as access to finance, dearth of infrastructure that had stalled previous attempt at industrialization in Nigeria must be tackled”.
The opening ceremony attracted government functionaries at the state level and representative of the Honourable Minister of State for Budget and Planning who in their goodwill messages to the Conference emphasized that the country had to create a one stop shop like what the Ogun State Government had done for ease of business for investors.
In his own submission, Mr. Sam Oyeleye who represented the Ogun State Commissioner for Information outlined the achievements of the Ogun State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Senator Ibikunle Amosun particularly in small and medium scale enterprises. He said the government had partnered the Bank of Industries in granting loans to women and youths who were into rice production for both local and international consumption which would soon earn the state a favourable tag-name of the food basket of the nation.
By: Niyi Oduwole
