Mrs Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, a social entrepreneur and human development expert, has slammed government in Nigeria for spending energy and resources to create Amotekun.
Akerele-Ogunsiji, who spoke at an event in Lagos, also lamented that the funds budgeted for education, infrastructure and other humanitarian needs of the country was not enough.
She said Nigeria has been so backward that the leadership was fighting a supremacy battle over Amotekun when countries were already fighting security issues with drones, satellites and robots.
She said “Nigeria is backward educationally but our hovernors are fighting the Presidency over Amotekun when countries of the world including neighbouring Ghana are already using drones, robotics and other technology borne out of research to fight insecurity.”
The social entrepreneur urged Nigerian students to challenge the older generation by demanding a better Nigeria.
She noted that the elites and political leaders were only willing to leave the stage for their children currently being raised in Harvard, Oxford, and Buckingham to take over.
She said, “In Nigeria, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering would call an illiterate auto-mechanic to fix his faulty car.
“Most graduates of Electrical Engineering in Nigeria cannot repair damaged bulbs, they need local electricians to do it for them.
“Our computer science graduates in Nigeria cannot type on Microsoft Word, it is that bad.
“The political elites in Nigeria love our backwardness because if Nigeria was developed, their wealth and hegemony will reduce.
“We should invest in innovation and research. Education is the only weapon we can use to wage war against hunger, insecurity, unemployment.
“Facebook is a mere application but today, it is one of the richest companies in the world. That is what research and innovation can do for a nation.”
