Thread by @ProfOsinbajo

Sokoto is in itself a citadel of learning, home to revered leaders and revolutionary Sheikh Usman Ibn Fodio. We are justly proud of the quality of scholarship deeply entrenched in the research works of the founding fathers of the Caliphate.

At the maiden convocation of the Sokoto State University, I shared some thoughts so we can engage in the great work of thinking, planning ahead and proffering solutions.

The difference between failure and success is usually planning and preparation. And it is our duty to find answers to the difficult issues which will undoubtedly impact our future as a nation.

We are projected to quadruple our population at the end of the century. To handle this, education is important - especially that of the girl child. We also need to redesign the speed, scale and quality of our educational system to allow for creativity, technology and innovation.

The importance of girl child education cannot be over emphasized. It has been said that each additional school year increases a woman’s earning by 20%. Considering that women make almost half of our population, ignoring this will be a major disservice to us as a country.

Women empowerment also has a trickledown effect as seen in the case of Nana Asma’u, who back in the 18th century, educated women who went on to educate and empower other women across West Africa.

Climate change threatens our food and actual security by way of the farmers-herdsmen clash. To mitigate this, we are working with state governments through the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP). Solar power as an alternative to oil and gas is also being implemented.

To handle insecurity, technology will be crucial for both smart surveillance and interception of criminals. Also, now more than ever, we need a decentralized policing system and we have proposals before the NASS to bring this to fruition. We are working to safeguard ALL Nigerians

Racial and ethnic tensions are common to diverse societies like ours. However, it is essential for us to establish a culture of tolerance, open-mindedness and acceptance of people of all cultures and creeds. There is unity to be found in the face of such differences.