Background
Between 18th and 20th
May, 2016 history was made as the Faculty of Social Sciences hosted her
First National Conference to ever be organized by any Faculty since the
inception of the Federal University Lafia in 2011.
The
Conference was geared towards achieving one of the Faculty’s cardinal
objectives – Research and Development. It could not have come at a
better time considering the Federal Government’s on-going reform to
reposition the country, which focus is on the leadership challenge in
Nigeria, hence, the choice of the theme for the conference, “The Leadership Question in Nigeria and National Development”.
Leadership is said to be as old as creation; it is found where there is
a group. The effectiveness of any leadership is critical to the
functionality of the group in terms of realizing its set goals. Thus,
the Conference was conceived to add value to the efforts aimed at making
leadership responsible to the yearnings of followership.
Challenges Addressed by the Conference
The
Conference sought to address the leadership crisis Nigeria has
experienced and is still experiencing, which is staring at us as
manifested in the misconduct of our public officials and the citizens in
form of corruption, bad governance and impunity, political violence,
armed gangs on our streets, terrorism, ethnic violence, religious
bigotry, militancy, poverty, disease, squalor, insurgency, poor living
standard of Nigerians and incessant strikes in the educational and other
sectors all serious problems the conference addressed in the face of
the “Change Mantra” of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s-led All
Progressive Congress Federal Government.
Goals
The
central goal of the Conference was to contribute answers to the
lingering questions of political leadership, economic governance and
social engineering thereby making meaningful input to the attainment of
true and sustainable national development.
The Conference
The
Conference was well attended with the University Auditorium, being the
venue full to capacity. The Keynote Speaker, Chief Ekpo Nta, Chairman,
Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission
(ICPC) Abuja, and the Lead Paper 1 Presenter, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, Asaba,
Delta State made presentations at the opening ceremony, chaired by
Senator Philip Aruwa Gyunka, Senator Representing Nasarawa North at the
National Assembly. Plenary in breakout sessions continued to day one.
Professor Sam Egwu of the Department of Political Science, University of
Jos, Nigeria opened the second day with Lead Paper II presentation.
This was followed by Plenary Session as well as the Closing Ceremony.
In
addition to welcome speeches by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Muhammad
Sanusi Liman, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Martin
Ogbe; Dean of the host Faculty of Social Sciences Professor Sam O. Smah;
Keynote and Lead presentations, the Conference received 31 abstracts
from scholars who registered and presented papers. In all, the
Conference was adjudged to have been well articulated, hosted without
hitches and was a huge success.
Commendations
While
it is hoped that such Conference would be an annual event and adequate
funding provided, the Faculty of Social Sciences hereby commends the
Vice-Chancellor, Principal Officers and other arms of the University,
Media/Press, other staff of the University and donors as well our staff
and students for a job well done. We thank them all for their
contributions in cash and kind towards the successful hosting of the
Conference.
In brief are pictures of major events before, during and after the Conference.
A cross section of Students at the Conference
Key Note address by ICPC Chairman, Ekpo Nta at the Conference
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