Zik of Africa
It has become a tradition at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, for the institution, named after the first President of Nigeria, Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, to commemorate the birthday of the late statesman with an intellectual lecture under the auspices of the Zik’s Annual Lecture Series. Okey Maduforo reports on the 12th Annual Lecture Series delivered by the former president of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Hilda Banda.
Dignitaries present
The auditorium of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka chapter came alive once again in such an electrifying manner when the first female keynote speaker at the 12th Zik’s Annual Lecture Series and former President of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Hilda Banda rose to address the crowd of participants who had come to be part of the intellectual feast in honour of the First President of Nigeria, Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. The keynote speaker who most observers may have thought, had come along in age proved to the audience that age, still, is only a number and that she still had all her wits around her. Slow talking but hard hitting matriarch of the modern Malawian democracy, took her listeners on a journey towards actualizing the dream of a United States of Africa.
Memory lane
Dr. Joyce Hilda Banda was unapologetic with in her views of the colonizers of Africa and the adverse effects of their occupation on the socioeconomic development of the African continent. Banda contended that one of the biggest problems of African leadership is the process by which politicians come to power, insisting that any African leader that did not respect the democratic process in his ascension to power, is the enemy of the masses and good governance in general. She also did not spare the looters of the commonwealth of African countries, who steal resources from African and stash them away in the country to their former colonial masters who claim that those countries of their former colonizers.
Zik’s world
Banda who spoke on the theme: “Reclaiming Zik’s World; Climate Justice and African Sustainability” said: “We in Africa are not completely free and this is a fact that we cannot wish away and Africa has continued to be at the receiving end of the climatic change. “This is occasioned by the looting of African resources which of course led to the climatic change and we African leaders have the responsibility of preserving our future and the future of our children. “Those of us who are Presidents and governors must tell ourselves that the natural resources from our lands belong to the people that we are leading and do not belong to our pockets. “We must tell ourselves that the wealth of our nation is not ours and as leaders we are custodians of that wealth on behalf of the people that we lead.”
Obvious setbacks
Banda however regretted that the administration of late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was cut short and should have been given more time to actualize the leadership of his dream adding that a purposeful and united African leadership was what Azikiwe stood for, which is not being practiced in the continent. Sharing the same view with Dr. Banda, Governor Charles Soludo said that it is a new dawn in the African continent noting that Africa is going back to that route of Zikist ideology centred on one united livable and prosperous Africa. “I think the message shall be in our minds to build and form one nation and with that we face the rest of the world. “But it is important that we must forge one United Africa and Her Excellency (Dr. Banda) when you leave I want you to take this massage as former President of Malawi, that we must come together and form a common peace and that it is time to go back to that Zikist era with the slogan ‘Africa Unite’ because without unity of Africa all that we are doing to make a change cannot be actualized” he said.
Peter Obi speaks
However, Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi contended that the problems of Africa is that of bad leadership. He said: “My contribution is that the problems of Africa and Nigeria rest squarely on bad leadership and it is bad leadership that is the burden of Africa and it is not the colonizers.” “I give you example of our problem here in Nigeria; as a professor your salary of N400,000.00 and if they pay you without spending your money for thirty years your salary will amount to N144 million which is not up to what we use to buy cars for our legislators in Nigeria. “This University gets about N10 million from the federal gov- ernment as subvention monthly and for one year it would be about N120 million” “We have 500 Professors, 4,000 lecturers and 40,000 students and so five of our universities will get about N600 million annually which converted to dollars is about $500,000 and that is what we use to go to meeting of United Nations for one week and that is our problem in Nigeria”, he said.
Esimone’s tribute
Speaking earlier the Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Charles Okechukwu Esimone said the theme of this year’s lecture series is particularly significant adding that it brings the world view of late Azikiwe into an extant global context, as climatic change has become an issue of grave concern across the world. “It connotes that, that world had been lost or vitiated somewhere along the line and now needs to be reclaimed. “It captures the dilemma of Africa and it’s socioeconomic development aspirations that while the industrialized world is seeking global action to curtail carbon emissions, the culprit for climatic change, resulting principally from industries in the industrialized world, Africa which is still struggling to industrialize and thus contributes minimally to carbon emissions, would bear the brunt of global action on carbon emissions”, he said.
Makinde’s remarks
Also speaking, the Governor of Oyo State Seyi Makinde noted that the life and times of late Azikiwe was one that reflected in his brand of politics adding that Azikiwe is an example of a detribalized Nigerian. He noted that the earlier Nigerians begin to see themselves as Nigeria and not displaying primordial tribal sentiments, the best for the country and it’s drive towards national unity. Makinde however urged politicians and leaders to run an all inclusive government that would not give reasons for the pockets of agitation across the country.
Lecture benafactor
The lecture couldn’t have been said to be conclusive without the input of the benefactor of the annual lecture, Senator Ben Obi whose brainchild it was to immortalize Azikiwe through the special lecture series. He said: “Twelve years ago we began this academic journey of immortalizing the late Zik of Africa and 12 years after I am super proud of what we have so far accomplished. “While we have surpassed our projections and expectations including where we are today, I am equally of the firm belief that no matter where we are or what we have achieved so far, there is still a place call forward. “So the topic on climatic change or climate justice is a further attempt at addressing them hence those issues need not be overemphasized because they are matters that shall continue to present themselves at all times and as they come the Lecture Series would try as much as possible to address them. “First of all I wish to thank immensely the University Community for their steadfastness in the execution of Zik’s lecture series and the approval of the Senator Ben Obi Institute for Governance, Legislative Studies and Zik Lecture Research.
Appreciation
“It is my belief that this Institute when fully completed will become a rallying point for research and a breeding ground for academic excellence. “As a matter of fact, we have made appreciable progress with the building of the institute de- spite the meager resources available to us. “In furtherance of my avowed commitment to the completion of the institute, I have reached out to well spirited friends of mine whose penchant for the advancement of education through knowledge acquisition is well known, for their collaboration towards completing this very project that will shape the future of all generations. It is of note that this Institute would further immortalize the great Zik of Africa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and on the other hand become a great educational legacy that will outlive many generations.”
