Remarks By His Royal Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Obi Of Onitsha, Agbogidi, At The Eleventh Herbert Macaulay Memorial Lecture At The University Of Nigeria, Nsukka, 22 July 2004

Remarks By His Royal Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Obi Of Onitsha, Agbogidi, At The Eleventh Herbert Macaulay Memorial Lecture At The University Of Nigeria, Nsukka, 22 July 2004

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Remarks By His Royal Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Obi Of Onitsha, Agbogidi, At The Eleventh Herbert Macaulay Memorial Lecture At The University Of Nigeria, Nsukka, 22 July 2004

The Vice-Chancellor, Distinguished Lecturer, Eze Afojulu of Nsukka, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is a great privilege and pleasure to be part of the 11th Herbert Macaulay Memorial Lecture. I stand here in great awe and humility for I am neither an engineer nor a graduate of this great institution. I therefore salute the University of Nigeria and its Faculty of Engineering for risking to confer this role on me. My only consolation is that my wife and first son are alumni of the university, which I cherish very much.
My father had wanted me to attend a particular secondary school because its science laboratories were very good. For a different reason, I opted for another school only to discover that its laboratories were even better than my father’s preference. Though not an engineer, science and technology have determined my life to a large extent. I studied chemistry in my father’s footsteps and had a career involving the application of technology. Today as a traditional ruler I am totally inseparable from my computer and communication facilities. I thank God for that.
One does not have to read chemistry to appreciate how much our everyday lives are affected by science and technology. The modern world has essentially been built, and regrettably sometimes destroyed, by science and technology, particularly engineering.
This dominance of engineering technology has led to the common saying, particularly among engineers, that “After God comes the engineer”. I am sure that other professions would dispute that. Indeed, with the recent public adulations of Professor Wole Soyinka, many, particularly his literary colleagues, probably think that the man of letters comes after God.
But we are not here today for a debate. We are here to honour and immortalize Herbert Macaulay, the first Nigerian civil engineer, architect and surveyor, father of Nigerian nationalism and a shining model of self-dedication to the common good. We are doing so under the auspices of the
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Engineering Faculty of this great institution. In that context, it is apposite
that we ask if the sponsors of this event are living up to those great ideals of
the man we honour, and if not, why not? In effect, we are here to share
thoughts on how the engineering profession can continue to fulfill its
obligations to society.
Mankind’s transformation from the Stone Age to the modern and civilized
society has been a result of two fundamental historical changes, or
revolutions as they are called. They are the Agricultural and Industrial
Revolutions, largely initiated and powered by engineers and technologists.
For most parts of the world, the agricultural revolution, through the
mechanization of the farming process, has solved the most basic need of
mankind – food. Similarly, the industrial revolution, through the mass
production of goods, has solved other basic needs of mankind, such as
clothing, shelter and comfort, thereby making life more meaningful.
Indeed, it is a matter of great concern that we as a people – as a country – are
yet to be significantly touched by these two revolutions. Notwithstanding the
colossal sums that the government has spent in the agricultural sector, our
farming is still primitive and largely involves peasant farmers using
traditional implements. As a result, we still rank among the few nations in
the world that are not self-sufficient in food, despite our vast arable land.
Industrially, the same paradox applies. We utilize only a small proportion of
our installed industrial capacity whilst depending substantially on
importation of manufactured goods. The basic needs of life still elude the
greatest proportion of our society today. Most Nigerians are without
adequate shelter. Water, another basic necessity of life, is out of reach of
most of our people. We rely on foreigners to build and maintain our edifices
in Abuja, Lagos and other cities.
It is no wonder that, notwithstanding our oil wealth, we consistently rank
very low on the United Nations index of human development. We are
variously classified as the third world, underdeveloped world or less
developed world. This is regrettable in this age and millennium – but is
unfortunately true.
Today, mankind is engulfed in a third and more sweeping revolution, the
Digital or Information Revolution. Unlike the first two, which are
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characterized by physical processes that man can see, feel, and partake in,
the digital revolution is intangible and invisible. We can only feel its impact.
Also, unlike the previous revolutions, whose impacts were more specific,
that of the digital revolution is universal and all embracing. It is drastically
changing all that we have experienced before – the way we live, the way we
work, the way we rest and apparently the way we may eventually translate to
the other world. The digital age is bringing about change at a tremendous
speed, defies national boundaries and is literally unstoppable!
This raises a question for all of us, individually and collectively. Having
been by-passed by the first two revolutions, should we also allow ourselves
to suffer the same fate in the on-going digital revolution? The question is
aptly captured by the theme of today’s keynote lecture by someone who is
eminently qualified to address the subject of the Millennium Agenda. What
is our agenda or programme for this millennium, characterized by the digital
revolution? Put otherwise, where do we go from here? Do we fall back to the
Stone Age and become side tracked by yet another revolution? Or do we
jumpstart ourselves to cover lost grounds, and try to close the digital divide
that is growing wider by the day between the developed world and
ourselves?
The new world of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has
much prospects but also poses many questions for developing nations,
particularly ours with such enormous potentials. I trust that the lecture that
we are about to receive will lay out the issues and challenges as they relate
to Nigeria. I trust that, in doing so, the lecturer will advance the frontier in
the search for practicable answers and solutions. I trust he will do justice to
the subject.
Engineer Ernest Ndukwe is one of the leading managers of technology in
this country. Do not mind his grey hair. He is relatively young and has many
more mountains to scale on the leadership trail. Professionals like him give
us hope for Nigeria’s future. I should know. After all, we gave him our
darling daughter to marry!
Please permit me to make one plea at this juncture. In this country, we have
a tendency to address issues and problems in only one manner, namely, from
the top down. We create formal organizations and spend enormous time
evolving policies. Then we file away the policy documents and congratulate
ourselves for a job well done. And not much happens thereafter.
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In other countries, the greatest impact on people’s lives have arisen from the
ideas of lone creative minds or a few persons working in informal but
stimulating settings – Robert Hewlett and David Packard, Bill Gates and his
gang, Dell, etc. Where are own home-grown equivalents of these great
minds of applied engineering and technology? Even our own Philip
Emeagwali and other accomplished Nigerians in diaspora would probably
not have blossomed if they remained in Nigeria. And that is another issue to
reflect on.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I make bold to say that we should
spare a thought on how to promote the right environment for fostering
creativity and the application of creative thinking. The universities are by
definition best placed to address such challenges in partnership with the
government and the private sector.
I have had occasion to say recently that our Nigerian intellectuals are equal
to and often surpass their counterparts elsewhere in the world with regard to
empirical knowledge. However, we lag behind when it comes to the
application of knowledge as has been done, say, in the famous Silicon
Valley and its numerous equivalents around the world. In such places,
knowledge-based industries co-exist in close and symbiotic proximity with
centers of research and learning.
I have pointed out that, for Nigeria’s rapid technological and economic
transformation, there is a yearning need for a tripartite partnership between
the universities, government and the private sector to adapt the vast
knowledge that is available for the benefit of our people. The government
has the duty to make effective policies, invest in infrastructure and promote
research. The private sector, including well-endowed citizens, should
actively invest in research on a venture basis and for endowment. The
universities and research centers need to build the necessary linkages and
develop the professional and managerial framework for the application and
adaptation of knowledge.
There are innumerable advantages from having knowledge-based industries
in close proximity with universities and research centers. For instance,
significant cost effectiveness can be achieved by sharing the burdens of
research as well as the benefits there from. Turn-around time can be much
reduced for projects. Also, faculty and students of the respective institutions
can have ready opportunities to test their concepts and feel part of the real
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world. Overall, much synergy can be achieved since there is only a thin line
between the end of empirical research and the beginning of applied research.
Let me tell one more story. Some years ago, Americans had a major
environmental challenge of how to dispose of old computers as newer, faster
and more sophisticated models came to the market in quick succession.
There were literally millions of these items awaiting disposal. The Indians
came to their rescue by taking them free of charge back to India. They set up
workshops to refurbish the computers cheaply and put them in their schools.
The benefits of this simple move have been immeasurable for India. They
built a solid foundation for computer maintenance followed by
manufacturing. They also exposed a significant population of their children
to ICT. In effect, the Indians started a mass revolution in ICT for very little
cost. Today, its computer industry has grown to the extent that the U.S.
companies, including giants like Microsoft, are outsourcing work to India
because Indians can deliver the same or better efficiency for far less
overhead than the Americans. I believe sincerely that there is a practical
lesson there for us. Indeed, a small Nigerian company is gearing up to rise to
similar challenge albeit in a small way. I pray it succeeds.
Having laid out some challenges for our universities, it is also apt to ask how
well they are equipped to meet those challenges. With a focus on the theme
of today’s lecture, what digital opportunities can be created for the Faculty
of Engineering and indeed the University of Nigeria in order that they could
pursue their mission of teaching, research and the application of knowledge
for service to humanity? Have they appropriate and adequate facilities and
enough qualified and motivated faculty and staff for the above mission? Are
their curricula in line with the needs of the society? From what I have read,
heard and seen, I am afraid the answers to these questions are mostly in the
negative. That must be terribly worrying to all of us here and beyond.
This lecture series was established to immortalize the name and memory of
one of Nigeria’s greatest patriots and nationalists, whose endowment to
society was through personal sacrifice in his chosen vocations. In like
manner, others Nigerians, including you and me, are being challenged to
emulate this great nationalist by making sacrifices for the benefit of our
people.
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My dear people, this challenge is being directly brought to us in this hall
today. We are being called upon to make personal and collective sacrifices
in order that the Faculty of Engineering and the University of Nigeria shall
benefit from the great promises and opportunities of the Digital Revolution.
The needs are quite substantial and varied and I will not attempt to
enumerate them here. I know that the faculty and the university have
identified distinct areas of need. There are specific facilities, projects and
programmes that are yearning for support and endowment. I call on
everyone to support generously in every sense with hearts, minds and, above
all, in material terms.
On my part, I offer to actively and firmly associate myself with a campaign
to raise funds and endowments for the faculty and university to meet their
objectives. It is a challenge that is well worth taking up. I trust that the
faculty, the university and myself can count on you.
The Vice-Chancellor, Distinguished Lecturer, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have
spoken at length. After all mine is only an appetizer. The main course is
about to be served. I thank you all for your attention.
Agbogidi. 22 July 2004.