Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Friday urged academics to chart a course towards a more secure and prosperous Nigeria.
Shettima made the call in Abuja ,at the public presentation of two books tittled,” Boko Haram and Other Security Challenges in Nigeria: Issues and Options for Policy,” and “Reflections on the 2023 General Elections.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the books were written by Prof. Abdullahi Shehu.
Represented by Dr Aliyu Moddibo, Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Shettima acknowledged the role of academics as custodians of the nation’s memory, intellectual inquiry and data-driven analysis.
The Vice-President applauded the contributions of academics to national unity, adding that through their works, a more secure and prosperous country was possible.
Shettima described the books ” as a must-read book for those tasked with protecting lives and properties.
” We must ensure that our dear brother’s ideas and discoveries don’t merely remain as a literary exercise,” he added.
He commended the scholarship of the author of the books, Prof. Shehu, saying ” these books aren’t only topical ,but much-awaited interventions in our public discourse and policy circles.
” The books must be seen by each of us, present and absent, as an invitation to learn and adhere to the truths of our nation.
” The books are also an invitation to recreate a memory of the nation that is rooted in neither bigotry nor dishonesty.
” This retelling of our history through research, free from the biases that have frustrated public discourse in Nigeria, is the memory we seek.
” We must read these books not only to understand what has been done by leaders of the nation in the past but also to guide successive generations of leaders and stakeholders involved in the business of making peace.”
He urged academics in the country and beyond to support the President Bola Tinubu administration’s efforts to surmount the challenges confronting Nigerians.
Shettima restated that the government had made security a top priority.
The Vice-President said ” the empirical research provided by scholars like Prof. Shehu is essential and serves as indispensable resource for informing policy reforms and driving national development.” (NAN)
By Salisu Sani-Idris
