AKSG Press Release: GOVERNOR AKPABIO CALLS FOR REASON AND DIALOGUE

By Aniekan Umanah
Hon. Commissioner, Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Information & Social Re-Orientation

AKSG PRESS RELEASE (Posted: September 20, 2011)

Governor Godswill Akpabio has contended that Nigerians can address all national challenges facing the nation by submitting to good reason and dialogue.

Governor Akpabio, who was one of the five persons awarded doctoral degrees (honoris causa) by the Nigerian Defence Academy Saturday, was speaking on behalf of the other honorees after the award. The other honorees were, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa�d 111; the former Minister of Petroleum Resources and Senator, Prof. Jubril Muhammad Aminu; the honorable Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke; and the National Security Adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi (Retd).

In his evocative speech, which pulsated with patriotic ethos, Governor Akpabio whose degree was Doctor of Management Science (honoris causa), stated that it was possible for Nigeria to "find a way out of the quagmire of ethnicity, and come out of this cesspool of violence a stronger and better country." He, therefore, urged all Nigerians to rise up as one and fight the insecurity situation, which he said had replaced economic austerity as the main concern of Nigerians, with the same zeal that the founding fathers of Nigeria fought for and obtained independence for our country.

He stated that though Lord Lugard amalgamated Nigeria without the consent of the different ethnic nationalities, Nigerian should accept that "our union" was an unchangeable fact of life and put all their hands on deck to steer the nation to the "sunlit paths of prosperity, justice and unity."

He expressed the regret of the honorees that they were honored at a time when men and women trained by the Nigeria Defence Academy to defend the nation from external aggression, were involved in battles in our country to defend "our law-abiding Nigerians from law-breaking Nigerians" and when the cords of brotherhood have been strained by the truama of bomb explosions.

Maintaining that the honorees, in the estimation of the NDA, typified the best aspirations for a united Nigeria, he noted that to whom much was given, much was expected and made a promise that they would rise up to the challenge.

President Goodluck Jonathan, as President, Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and visitor to the NDA, stated that perpatrators of violence should be told in clear terms that government would spare no effort in making it impossible for them to achieve their dastardly goal, adding that his administration "places premium interest on National Security, peace and development."

He advised Nigerian universities to emulate the example of the NDA by only graduating students found to be worthy in both character and learning and insisted that "character" should be prioritized in the assessment of students for certificate awards.

He wondered how cult members were allowed to graduate in some universities after using an axes or cutlasses on other students. He was also nonplussed that in some schools, lecturers write thesis and dissertations for their students and that there was a failure in morality in schools today. He urged the Nigerian Universities Commission to do something about this state of affairs.

The commandant of the Nigeria Defence Academy, Major General Emeka Onwumaegbu, congratulated the honorees on their award and stated that the institution was accelerating efforts in developing men and women who would rise up to the security challenges facing our nation and that their focus was in ensuring that such men and women were qualified in character and learning for the task ahead of them.

Pastor Anietie Ukpe
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor