The Pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nurudeen Adedipe, has described education as very crucial in the realisation of national aspirations and development. According to the erudite scholar, governments that are conscious of the importance of education should be commended and encouraged to do more in the interest of the society. He made this observation during the 6th Prince Bola Ajibola Annual Lecture Series, titled “Education as a Panacea to National Insecurity and Developmental Challenges”, held at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife recently.

Professor Adedipe, who was Chairman at the occasion, therefore, lauded the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, for according much recognition to education in his state in terms on investment. In his presentation, Ogbeni Aregbesola, who was the guest speaker at the Lecture Series, described education as “a very critical tool to the realisation of sustainable national development and the achievement of national security”.

He lamented that the Nigerian state today was faced by insecurity and other developmental challenges because of the continued erosion in the
quality and standard of our educational system. He added that lack of adequate investment in education by successive administrations in
Nigeria had crippled the system to an extent that what seemed to matter to students was just the acquisition of certificates. The governor also stressed that there was no reason why children and youths in parts of the North and the Niger Delta areas of Nigeria should not have the same quality education as their counterparts in other parts of the nation. In his address, Prince Bola Ajibola, Proprietor of the Crescent University, Abeokuta, had described Ogbeni Aregbesola’s strides in the education sector as “education plus” in the sense that in would infuse good morals into the educational curriculum of young people through the “Omoluabi” virtue. Also speaking at the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Professor Bamitale Omole, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Ajayi Adebisi, stressed that the topic of the lecture was most appropriate at this crucial time when the nation was facing many security challenges.

Meanwhile, Professor Nurudeen Adedipe was awarded the “Distinguished Education Administrator Award 2014” at the programme.