Ndoma-Egba, Kukah Cautions Government to Prioritize Education for a Better Tomorrow
By Missang AKPET
Government have been called upon to priories education in a bid to build a solid foundation for a better tomorrow.
The Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church Bishop Mathew Kukah made the call in a keynote address at the 4th edition of the Amaka Ndoma-Egba memorial lecture held in Abuja.
In his address titled: “Leaders of Tomorrow: Creating Lasting Change in a Complex World”, Kukah said Nigeria has faced prolonged underdevelopment because of undefined leadership style which has failed to lay a solid foundation and system.
“Nigeria has had accidental leaders in the past and not people who had prepared for the leadership, hence it was always a case of trial and error.
“I am not talking about perfect governance system, because it’s nonexistent nor found anywhere, but some leadership style that will consider the uniqueness of the people, and give them what is workable for them” he said.
On his part, the host of the Amaka Ndoma-Egba memorial lecture, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba said his late wife was one who never hid her love for children.
He said: “She picks up children from the street, clean them up and give them life. She was very full of life, but sadly, she died and we decided to do something to ensure that the people she cared for get the kind of attention she had wished for whether alive or dead.
“We decided to float a Foundation, Victor & Amaka Ndoma-Egba Foundation (VANEF) which stands for helping, healing and caring, to immortalize her and care for these people that depend on her for a better tomorrow.
“We need to be intentional about raising a better society for tomorrow, how can educational institutions and night clubs be paying the same electricity bill, tax and other levies? Why is it that educational institutions pay tax while religious institutions don’t? There is need to prioritize education for a brighter tomorrow” he lamented.
Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, in his remarks, acknowledged the importance of education to the development of any individual and society, hence the state government’s increased investment in the educational sector.
He maintained that Cross River state supports basic education for every child hence the reason the state government paid WAEC fees for over 16,000 students in the state.
