By Lilian Sati, Josephine Kwaptel and Emmanuel Kwapyil
The Branch Controller Central Bank of Nigeria, Jos, Mr. Satu Jewon has faulted whooping failure to manage resource endowment as the greatest reason for Nigeria’s underdevelopment. He said this while giving a key note address during the International Journal of Management Science Research (IJMSR) maiden International Conference in Jos recently.
Jewon who praised the Faculty of Management Sciences of the University of Jos and IJMSR for organizing the conference, described the move as bold and the theme ‘Emerging Issues In The Management of Resources in a Democracy’ to be apt.
He said, “Wastefulness and poverty to a very great extent are derivatives of the absence of management culture and I can always see the evidence on our streets and many spheres of life in Nigeria. We know management as a discipline of study, as a profession and as well as an activity of managers; and it can be used as a tool for conceptualising, creating, maintaining and improving all that are made for the wellbeing of man.
“Some questions we need to address as a people is, how do we stem the tides of wastefulness, how has democracy help in value addition in Nigeria? Many Nigerians keep running to other countries that are doing well, who built those nations? And if we keep running away who will build ours?” He added.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Prof. Sebastian Maimako who was represented by the DVC Admin, Prof. Theresa Madu while declaring the conference open congratulated the organizers for what he termed ‘a great collaboration and manifestation of team spirit’.
The Vice Chancellor said, “this is the right step in the right direction in a ladder of academic excellence which when nurtured and sustained will no doubt propel this dynamic faculty to lane one, where quality education through several academic initiatives such as teaching, research and mentoring reigns”.
Speaking further Prof. Maimako said that development in recent times suggest that effective management of resources is a challenge, particularly in an emerging economy like that of Nigeria, hence the need for an academic gathering to discuss this very crucial theme which is apt and relevant for sustainability and development of solid knowledge-base for a prosperous democratic future.
According to him, this conference avails the Faculty of Management Sciences the opportunity to uphold the vision and mission of the University of Jos, namely: Commitment to scholarly excellence to Nigerian and global community through creation, presentation, integration and utilization of knowledge for enhanced development of human life. I urge other faculties to emulate this giant stride.
The Chairman of the conference, Prof. Ekoja B. Ekoja, Director, Office of Research and Development, University of Jos called on scholars to always endeavour to research and be careful to publish in the right Journal both locally and internationally.
Dean of Management Sciences, Prof. Samuel Ocholi in his speech, listed as challenges facing the use of resources; poor documentation, resource planning capacity problem, resource risk not adequately access, lack of appropriate skill to plan well, unrealistic deadline, inconsistent application of resources, unplanned request for resources leading to shifting resources to what it wasn’t meant for and overshared resources among others.
The LOC chairman for the four (4) day conference, Dr. Yohanna Jugu told our reporters during an interview that, they came up with the theme in order to be able to use all the thematic areas in the researches, the research areas within the management sciences to be able to proffer solutions on how scarce resources could be managed in Nigeria and other countries, particularly developing nations.
According to Jugu, the conference is a benefit to lecturers, teachers, students and the society at large, because as an academic seminar the end result is the presentation and publication of papers as materials to anyone studying or looking for solutions in this area; and that he has faith in the whole process and hope that those holding offices of authority at whatever level will see the need and have the will for implementation.
He said the website address of the International Journal of Management Science Research is www.ijmsr.net, he called on the public to take advantage of this as it is available to all and individuals can access materials from it at any time.
