••• Urges lecturers to act or be part of problem

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has warned that Nigeria is drowning in "more noise, but less light", condemning the growing gap between classroom ideas and government action.

Soludo handed out the warning on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at the 6th Biernial Adada Lecture organised by the Association of Nsukka Professors at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

The Governor who spoke on the theme, "Igbo integration within Nigeria’s federal system”, during his speech took a swipe at academics, accusing them of producing “thousands of papers" that never leave the shelves while the country struggles for real solutions.

He stressed that knowledge that does shape policy is as good as useless.

Addressing a packed auditorium of scholars, the Prof. Soludo argued that while Nigeria’s past currently appears greater than its future, the "fusion of thought and action" remains the only bridge to a national rebirth.

Soludo who took out time to cite some notable names in Nigeria, like late Nnamdi Azikiwe, Kwame Nkrumah and Isaac Newton reminded scholars that history favours thinkers who act, not those who only write.

He thundered: "Why is Adada not a first-world-zone, despite having hundreds of professors?”

He challenged lecturers to look onwards, insisting: "Intellectualism without action is sterile.”

While pushing a radical idea, "Sacrificial Volunteerism", the Governor urged professors to step beyond lecture halls and personally tackle societal problems, even without expected government backing.

Referencing the historic auditorium's role during the Nigerian Civil War, he regretted what he described as shocking failure scholars to fully document such refining moments.

On political issues, the Governor did not mince words, from Biafra agitation to marginalisation claims, saying that the future of the Igbo lies in a limited Nigeria

According to him, intellectuals must lead the debate-not leave it to street rhetoric.

He said: "Stop standing akimbo while the nation drifts. Silence from the intellectual class could cost Africa dearly.

"Talent is not enough. If you don’t act, you are part of the problem."

The lecture concluded with a provocative challenge to the intellectuals and the wider academic community: to multi-task, as the modern intellectual must be both a thinker and a doer, Question the Status Quo which remains a fundamental element of true intellectualism.

He further called for a deepened sense of personal responsibility, stating that in spite of systemic constraints, individuals must take action for the collective destiny.

Earlier in his speech, the Vice Chancellor of UNN, Prof Simon Ortuanya, described Soludo's visit as a "homecoming" and praised his diverse contributions to society.

On his part, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof Osita Ogbu, observed that the true benchmark of academic excellence is not found in the complacency of achievement, but in an unyielding hunger for discovery and the courage to apply that knowledge to real-world challenges.

He asserted that intellectuals are never satisfied, they keep working.

Soludo was later presented with award of Excellence by the organisers.