Dr. David Oyedepo, the Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, has advised tertiary institutions to train thinkable leaders that would provide immediate solutions to nation’s current challenges.
He said that these leaders must “first turn themselves into critical thinkers to reproduce young scholars that will sustain that thinking culture”.
Oyedepo gave the advice at the 54th Meeting of Committee of Deans of Postgraduate Schools in Nigerian Universities held in his institution on Tuesday.
The four-day meeting started on October 15 to end on October 18.
The meeting has the theme: “Repositioning Postgraduate Education for Sustainable National Development: The Leadership Dimension.”
According to him, leaders are thinkers and all committed thinkers are potential leaders.
Oyedepo said: “The real worth of a leader is in the value he adds, the contribution he makes, the feats he accomplishes.”
The chancellor urged Nigerian universities to embrace the virtues of thinking by training students who would see issues and proffered urgent solutions to our challenges.
He said: “The nation needs to wake up by imbibing development orientated in thinking so as to achieve sustainable national development.
“Let solve our immediate problems by using indigenous solutions.”
He added that he applied indigenous concept when he established Covenant University 15 years ago.
Oyedepo said underdeveloped mind in Nigeria and other African countries was the greatest challenge hindering their development.
He said Nigerians were fond of complaining incessantly about institutional failures, rather than being involved to alter things for the better and making themselves instruments of change.
Prof. Bamidele Sanni, the Chairman of Deans of Postgraduate Schools, said that it was the collective responsibility of all to lead postgraduate students in the right path so that there would be no problem when leadership was left for them in the future.
Sanni implored members to be up and doing in training their students to achieve meaningful development in the country.
Prof. Aderemi Atayero, the Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, said that there was the need for nation’s universities to refocus their vision, adding that this was vital in achieving sustainable education.
Atayero said: “The quality research, reviews of university reward system as well as reviewing sense of value would aid good development.”
He said that it was time the Federal Government started using indigenous research in solving our problems.
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