TheCable

Ogbonnaya Onu, minister of science and technology, says the innovative ideas of Rauf Aregbesola, Osun state governor, has revived the lost glory of the country’s educational system.

Speaking at the 14th meeting of the National Council on Science and Technology holding in Osogbo, Onu said the state has been re-energised in both human and capital potentials.

“I can say this over and over again that Osun, through Mr. Governor’s innovative ideology has revived the lost glory, and decadence in education system of this country as the state widely opened the door of the schools to all children without being influenced by any socio-economic, political and religious tendencies,” he said.

“He (Aregbesola) believes that every child is entitled as enshrined in our constitution to benefit from quality, functional and qualitative education just as his administrative philosophy is based on the need to ensure that every child is educated, knowledgeable and literate in order to contribute meaningfully to national growth and development.

“We know you, and we knew that within six years of your administration, Osun has been re-energised both in human and capital potentials in building an ideal society greatly conscious of science, technology and innovation.”

He said the country could create new technology that would help improve productivity and change its status to a producer nation.

Onu noted that some of the state’s interventions have been replicated at the federal level.

“So, when we talk of moving our nation from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, we can’t achieve this until we eliminate illiteracy, and this is what Governor Aregbesola has been doing in Osun,” he said.

“Your social intervention projects are now being implemented by federal government. This include; School feeding programmes, youth empowerment programmes, among others.”

On his part, Aregbesola said the country could only achieve progress in science and technology if the society was knowledge-driven.

“How can we also be spending $20 billion on food imports, including $700 million on fish? If we leverage on our population alone, we have enough market for as many products we can come up with,” he said.

“However, we know that if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. We simply lack the capacity to produce. This includes the knowledge base, quality personnel, financial capability and entrepreneurship.

“I believe that before we begin to talk about science and technology, we should first be concerned with the making of a knowledge-driven society. There is a prevalent disdain for knowledge and scholasticism in our society.”