Way to achieve accelerated, sustained growth in Nigeria – Industrialist

By Usman Aliyu

Growth

An industrialist, Mr Gilbert Uzodike, says Nigeria will require collaboration among government, academia and the industry to attain accelerated and sustained growth.

Uzodike, a Mechanical Engineer, stated this on Thursday while delivering the 2023 Annual Public Lecture of Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar College of Engineering, Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO), Edo.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture was titled: “Engineering and Politics: Catalyst to National Growth, Industrialisation and Security”.

According to him, Engineering is the foundation of any development, but it cannot achieve the purpose without good politics.

“Government should be a partner in the development of Nigeria. We are yet to have a credible partnership in development from the government.

“Some still doubt if at all if we have a partner at all,” he said.

The industrialist tasked Nigeria to borrow a leaf from the technological growth of Japan, South Korea and China, noting that when engineering is well applied “it leads to growth, security, stability and wealth creation”.

Uzodike, who is the Founder, Cutix Plc, manufacturers of electrical cables, also recommended international partnership for national growth.

He however cautioned that Nigeria need to be wary about foreign dominance, saying such partnership has a way of building balanced structure.

Earlier, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, the Vice-Chancellor of the university,  said the institution remained potent mechanism for civilisation.

According to him, IOU will continue to play the critical role of providing solutions to social problems.

Ezemonye said the lecture was organised to provide platform to interrogate issues of national importance with a view to contributing its quota to national development.

The vice-chancellor, who enumerated the achievements of the university, explained that the lecture was also to underscore the need to build a future of hope and prosperity for all on a healthy planet.

(NAN)