Professor Abdullahi Umar has called on Nigerian governments to effectively harness the country's natural resources to create jobs and stimulate economic growth of the country.
Umar made the call while speaking at the 46th inaugural lecture of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi.
He decried the alarming rate at which Nigeria's natural resources are being exploited by non-state actors, while the country continues to rely on loans to fund its operations.
"We are not able to extract them. Yet we go for loans to run governments. It is not necessary to go for loans if we can use the natural resources that are there through the local governments and states to establish clusters where the youth will be involved in mineral processing,” he said.
The Don proposed a decentralized approach, leveraging local governments, states and wards to create employment opportunities for the youth, estimating that this could generate up to seven million jobs.
"What is attracting criminality in Gwana district? It's the minerals. That's why I chose a very simple formula for it.
“Local governments exist. State wards exist. There are ward heads. There are councillors. So along those lines, you can create something that will keep the youth busy, give them loans to buy some of those simple equipment," he explained.
The Professor cited the example of aggregate quarries, where youths can be employed to break stones, as a simple yet effective way to create jobs.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of ATBU, Professor Ibrahim Garba, charged academics to redouble efforts towards achieving excellence in research and community service.
The inaugural lecture, titled "A Disaggregated Approach to Ceramics, Raw Materials, Beneficiation, and its Socio-economic Impact in Nigeria," was well-received by the Senate of the university, former vice chancellors of the university, among other attendees.
Professor Garba lauded Professor Abdullahi Umar for volunteering to kick-start the series and urged other professors to follow suit, assuring them of full support from the university administration.
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