Ahead of the 2023 election, the founder of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare has asked Nigerians to consider the capacity of the candidates of political parties, in choosing whom to vote for 2023 elections.
Bakare said this while delivering the 10th-anniversary lecture at the Elizade University, Ilara Mokin, Ondo State entitled “The lecture was titled ‘ Nigeria beyond 2023: the human capital paradox’.
He identified human capital development as a catalyst to Nigeria’s development.
According to him, human capital refers to investment in people as a critical component of the assets of society, such as a nation.
“We have an opportunity as a nation to address the state of our public institutions and make this the decade of the Nigeria of our
dreams; the decade of the new Nigeria.
“This is why, even as we approach a decisive juncture in our national development trajectory, namely the 2023 general elections, topmost on our list of criteria for leadership suitability must be the capacity of candidates at every level and arm of government to respond to the human capital deficit constraining Nigeria’s development.”
“Human capital development begins at the level of the individual and brings to the fore the skills, , training, and experience of the individual. It is the idea that the individual’s investment in capacity building can bring economic returns to the individual in the short- to long term.
” However, human capital as a national economic concept entails converging the individual capacities of a nation’s citizens towards the national interest. This is why the concept of human capital is closely linked to the theory of the social contract.
“For citizens to commit to deploying their individual earned capacities towards the national interest, there must be a highly compelling national vision.
“A compelling national vision will give our young people the best quality education; it will facilitate innovative solutions to Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges.
“Bakare maintained that there is a need to reverse Nigeria’s human capital paradox through a compelling National vision for all-round development, lamenting over the poor performance of the country in terms of education, life expectancy and income per capital.
“More than 90 million Nigerians experience multidimensional poverty making Nigeria second only to India. 33.8% of Nigerians are deprived of adequate nutrition, 45.5% lack access to fuel for food preparation and 36%are deprived of sanitation systems.
“25.3% have no access to clean drinking water and 32.8% have no access to quality housing. About 10.5 million Nigerian children are out of school, the highest number in the world; 85 million Nigerians lack access to grid electricity,” he said
He said ” Human capital development begins at the level of the individual and brings to the fore the skills, competencies, training, and experience of the individual. It is the idea that the individual’s investment in capacity building can bring economic returns to the individual in the short- to long term.
He however said a new Nigeria is possible and said “a New Nigeria is a nation where no one goes to bed hungry and no child is left out of school without access to quality education; where our homes, schools, streets, villages, highways and cities are safe and secure.
A new Nigeria where Nigerians can work, play or travel with their minds at rest, and go to
bed with their hearts at peace; a Nigeria where our hospitals are life-saving institutions and every Nigerian has access to good quality
healthcare; where no youth is unemployed and our young men and women are job creators.
“A Nigeria where businesses thrive on innovation and made-in-Nigeria can compete anywhere in the global market; where
homes and businesses have access to clean and uninterrupted power supply and ideas are facilitated by functional infrastructure and cutting edge technology”
Speaking on his plan for 2023, Bakare said “My plan for 2023 is to contribute my quota in a very meaningful way with the support of Number 15 to become Number 16 President of Nigeria.
“In 2018, I wrote a book titled the Woman who saw the future from valuable lessons my mother told me. In that book, I wrote that from Tafawa Balewa to the current President there are only 15 people who had led this nation.
“I have been destined to have a role to play when it gets to 16th and I knew that since April 1967 and it’s not going to be only me, you’re all going to be involved. We will Change this nation”
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the Elizade University, Prof. Olukayode Amount said the university had experienced a geometrical increase in the area of academic and infrastructural development in the last 10years.
” Our vision and mission are to make a meaningful impact on the developmental need of the nation through provision of quality university education, the VC stated.
The founder of the university, Chief Michael Ade Ojo said the university was making efforts to produce quality and credible graduates.
Ade Ojo said ” we have not got any government’s support in the building of this university. It is total self-efforts.
” So I thank God for what He has done through me from which people from parts of the country are benefitting today,” he enthused .
He noted that all the massive infrastructural development on the campus were built through his personal, revealing that he had never received neither assistance nor grant from government.
“I thank God for what he has done through me and many people from all parts of this country have benefitted from it. By the grace of God, it is total self-efforts.
He added that “I love my hometown very much. I want to thank God for the capability of building a university. By building Elizade University, it is the fastest way that this town can be recognized and I think that is fulfilled.
