Former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, on Saturday, prescribed meritocracy as the antidote to Nigeria’s problems.

Speaking at the seventh annual general meeting of Ilorin Emirate Professors Association in Ilorin on Saturday, Gambari, who was the ex-Nigerian envoy to the United Nations (UN), recommended commitment to excellence and mentoring of the youth population in the country.

Talking on ‘Roles and responsibilities of academia in good governance’, Gambari advised the government at all levels to harp on mentoring the younger generation of Nigerians.

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“Our founding fathers believed in mentoring others and, at the end of the day, pushing those mentees into positions of responsibility. I, therefore, urge the ruling class not to take the communities for granted,” he said.

He also tasked academics to move out of their comfort zone by engaging in dialogues that would ensure good governance.

“While we should encourage that academia moves out of its comfort zone in the ivory towers to encourage conversations and dialogues in a very constructive setting in the achievement of governance, we must, nevertheless, not forget the idea of March.

“Today’s world is characterised by disruptions of all sorts, mostly technologically driven, social polarisation, new age nationalism, political instability and climate change. In the midst of this governance, architects are forced to make tough decisions which involve allocating scarce resources to a myriad of challenges and demands. We must provide support in the form of clarity in the process of making such decisions.

“For the academia in Nigeria, it is important that we evolve in how we practice and must understand where the world is headed, given all the complexity we currently face in a very turbulent geopolitical world order.

“Additionally, there never has been a more critical time where our voices should be heard in a very constructive tone and pitch, and the only way to do it is by maintaining our independence and dignity while speaking truth to power”, Gambari said.

The diplomat recommended an amalgamation of sciences, social sciences, humanities and technology to overcome the complexities of issues facing Nigeria.

Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, and chairman of the Governing Council of the Kwara State University, Malete, Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali, had preached love, peace and unity among scholars from the Emirate.

He counselled against pull-him-down syndrome.

On his part, the president of Ilorin Emirate Professors Association, Professor AbdulKabir Solihu, said that beyond conventional mandates of teaching, research and community service, “academia is increasingly called upon to provide thought leadership, evidence-based policy input and ethical guidance in governance processes”. (Sunday Tribune)