Former
National President of the Academic Staff Union of University, Professor Dipo
Fashina, has called for total overhauling of Nigeria’s value system and tasked
all citizens across board on ethical revolution.
Speaking
at the recent 2015 Annual Distinguished Lecture of Professor Fidelis Okafor
Annual International Lecture in Awka,
tagged: ‘The Literati Philosophia: The Human Science/Humanities &The
Recovery of Human Values For Social And Economic Development, disclosed that in
moral and social philosophy, there are no final answers to the question of
whether or not citizens have a legal right to revolution.
The
Professor of Philosophy explained that the normative question is when and
whether a revolution can be ethically justified.
According to him, “revolution is evidential turnaround and in political parlance, ordinarily suggests a forceful overthrow or a replacement of an established government or order, considered impervious in order to pave way for a favoured new system and a complete new order.
According to him, “revolution is evidential turnaround and in political parlance, ordinarily suggests a forceful overthrow or a replacement of an established government or order, considered impervious in order to pave way for a favoured new system and a complete new order.
“ In trying to understand or change or society,
we must understand our value and where they came from and we must also know the
fundamental features of our society, not leaving out our economic and political
ideologies “
“One
important ideological choice we are been forced to make, am not sure that our
people have chosen it but it’s been forced on us, it is called; Global
Liberalists Ideology; it is the ideology of global market mentalism, being
everyday in the economy would be subject to the principle of Buying &
Selling which is the major issue we are been confronted with now in our society
“
He
spoke further: It is national confidence that generate top class humanity, we
must open new area in Africa’s philosophy, I want to pose the taught to the
intellectual to know the level of our contribution to the nation humanist
crisis, there are serious crisis, crisis of people too are been skeptical because
about the state of the country because the intellectuals have not solve
problems they ought to solve, what is the role that humanists are going to play
and what are the historians going to do”.
“There
are those who say the problem facing Nigeria is about restructuring, lets us
restructure it, but on which principle? , as soon as you talk on the principle
of restructuring, you then see people who are looking for advantages to please
themselves, because I am not sure is an advantage to the people”.
“There
are another set who say that the problem of Nigeria is not a matter of
restructuring but there are a class of people who are ruling the country, what
we needed is for us to understand, if we can get a genuine ideological basis
for Nigeria, the people will unite, take over power and do whatever is necessary to make Nigeria
Work.”. He submitted.
Earlier
in the lecture, the representative of the Host, the vice chancellor Chukwuemeka
Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Professor Fidelis Okafor, Dr. O.S.A Obikeze charged
leaders at all levels to institutionalised programmes that would restructure
the nation’s eroding values to be at per with nations that were at Nigeria’s
level in the 60s and 70s who are now among the top celebrated countries of the
world.
He
said; “we are saying that this topic is apt and I will urge the galaxy of
intellectuals here gathered to come up with a unique theory that should be
suggested to the new administration to set Nigeria on a pedestal of greatness”.
The
2nd Professor Fidelis Okafor International Lecture is one of the
highest intellectual gatherings in the eastern part of Nigeria, where intellectuals
across the country gather to deliberate on national issues and come up with a
communiqué that is issued for national discuss.