Following the decline in standard of University education and medical research, a Professor of Medicine and Immunology, Idris Mohammed has said Nigeria would only be able to attain its set target of being among the 20 richest and most powerful countries of the world by the year 2020,  if it addressed its state of education.

Speaking at the 14th Benjamin Oluwakoyode Osuntokun lecture at the College of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Professor Mohammed, the Chief Consultant Physician, Federal Medical Centre, Gombe, stated that neglecting education and research and refusing to fund or promote them politically was detrimental to the nation’s development.

Professor Mohammed, who remarking that there was no way to ensure development aside restoring education and vigorously promoting research, criticised University staff for doing nothing to ensure education and research was adequately funded.

The medical experts who stating that “when academic staff of universities or health professionals went on strike, more often than not, it was to press for more remuneration and improved welfare for them” said “to the best of my knowledge, they have almost never struck in the last 20 years solely to push for improved infrastructure for meaningful teaching and research.”

According to him, “the result is that the Nigerian society looks upon academics and health professional as selfish parasites that care less for our calling than for personal comfort.”

Professor Mohammed reiterated it would be naïve for sub-Saharan countries, including Nigeria, to expect dividends of research, indicated that it was through the acquisition of knowledge and its application that the better life that was now being enjoyed by developed western countries could be brought about.

The expert, drawing comparison with between African and Asian countries  that were at par in terms of human resources manpower and economic wherewithal at Nigerian’s independence, stated “we in Africa must re-examine our approach or response to the challenges posed by poor education, underdevelopment and political instability against the background of poor governance.”

He stated: “We must accept, advertise, fund and apply new educational benchmarks in order to restore quality to education, particularly science and technology education, as sine qua non for rapid socio-economic and physical development.”

He stressed the need to undertake a critical and dispassionate examination of some of the problems that have held the country hostage for this long, adding that this was a necessary prelude to honest and selfless interventions that would tackle those problems and move the nation forward.

The Immunology expert also cited the decline in meningitis and its collaborative effort that led to the development of a meningitis vaccine, named MenAfricVac, as depicting the possibility of poor developing country scientists also conducting relevant scientific research for development.

Professor Mohammed therefore called on the government to set aside 25 to 30 per cent of its budget to education, pointing out that a knowledge-based economy is what could drive growth and development.

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