By Ebuka Onyekwelu
Sir Paul Chukwuma, the frontrunner for the 2025 Anambra Governorship Election under the All Progressives Congress, APC, emphasized the importance of collaboration between academia and society.
Chukwuma, in his keynote address at Nnamdi Azikiwe University’s Faculty of Management Sciences Hybrid International Conference, stressed that research and innovation are essential drivers of Africa’s development goals.
Delivering his keynote address on the topic; “Governance and Sustainable Development in Africa: Issues and Strategies”, Sir Paul Chukwuma said that it has become crucial for Africa to look inwards and device its own path to development. Accordingly, a path that reflects Africa’s realities and peculiarities, so as to achieve sustainable development for the continent. “We cannot develop properly without looking inwards”, Chukwuma said.
Sir Paul Chukwuma, who wondering why the gap between the academia and industry cannot be breached, averred, strongly, that the citadel of learning must assume its elevated position as part of the processes towards sustainable development in Africa. “Why can’t we breach the gap between research and innovation that go in the University, with the problem of the industry? In that lies sustainable development…the university, the academia has the answer”, Sir Paul observed.
Juxtaposing the concepts of governance and sustainable development with the present day experience in Anambra State, Sir Paul Chukwuma wondered why Anambra State has to become this troubling with severity of insecurity troubling the state. To this end, he cautioned that no meaningful development can be attained without security of lives and properties. “We cannot attain sustainable development under the circumstances we found ourselves”, Mr. Chukwuma regretted. Speaking on governance at the sub-national, he said that grassroots is critical to sustainable development, but lamented how state governors, including the current Anambra State governor, had promised to elevate grassroots through local government election but had no intention to do so. However, he commended the Federal Government for stepping in to rescue the grassroots from the shackles of the states. According to Sir Paul, “If we don’t take care of the grassroots, there won’t be sustainable development. I am happy that the Federal Government has forced the state governors to begin to think about how to deal with the local government.”
Commenting on the place of the rule of law in good governance and sustainable development, Sir. Paul Chukwuma frowned at the Anambra State House of Assembly for multiple amendments to the 2024 Electoral Law. “If you are manipulating and tailoring lawmakers to make laws that suites you as a person, then, it means that all of us are sitting on a keg of gunpowder.”
Similarly, the system of taxation in which citizens are brutalized in the tax collection process in Anambra state was described as unfit, to co-exist with sustainable development. Once again drawing from the Anambra’s experience, Sir Paul Chukwuma regretted that each government in Anambra begins to reconstruct the same roads constructed by one government with public resources, becoming the focus of a new government in Anambra State.
Drawing from the decentralization of rail and electricity, Mr. Paul Chukwuma called on Southeast States to synergize and embark on regional electricity and rail projects.
The conference was attended by the Acting Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umeobi, other principal officers of the university, the former Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Okechukwu Esimone, Director General of Sir Paul Chukwuma Primary Campaign, Hon. Ifeanyi Ibezi, Secretary of the campaign, Barr. CJ Chinwuba, and other members of the campaign Council. Students and Staff members of Nnamdi Azikiwe University were also in attendance.
