By Daniel Tyokua
A book, Education as a tool for national development, has been launched in the nation’s capital, Abuja with a call on government at all levels to invest more in the sector.
Speaking at the launch, the author Miss Mary Ibifuro, PhD, said the book challenged misconceptions that undermine the value of education, emphasizing inclusion, gender equality, and lifelong learning as pathways to sustainable development and citizens’ empowerment.
She insisted that education is not a scam, explaining that through education, people become informed, capacities are built, and society is transformed when the knowledge acquired is effectively put to good use.
According to her, education aligned with industry, innovation, technology, research, and the revitalization of tertiary institutions is central to achieving Africa’s bold Vision 2063.
Ibifuro, therefore appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in addressing the high cost of instructional materials and other challenges militating against citizens’ quest for education, in order to ensure that no child is left behind.
According to her , with more government support for either formal or vocational education, the increasing cases of miscreants, touting, and out-of-school children will be minimized.
“This book, ‘Education as a Tool for National Development’ is written from the conviction that every society’s strength, peace, and prosperity depend on the minds it nurtures.
“This book presents education as more than classroom learning. It is the foundation of national transformation, a force that shapes values, drives innovation, and builds the human capital upon which all development rests,” Ibifuro said.
Deputy Director in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and Chairman of the Furo Revive and Educate Trust Foundation, Mr. Sunday Akor, lauded the vision of the book author, Mary Ibifuro, noting that her call for inclusive education and charity reignites purpose.
In her remarks, the Head of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, Mrs. Udegbue Stella Ngozi,expressed hope that the book will address the misconception being peddled in some quarters that education is a scam.
Reviewing the book, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Environment and Technology, Ogoni, Rivers State, Professor Prince Chinedu Mmom, said the 12-chapter, 254-page book authored by Mary Ibifuro Abbey is a veritable resource and an eye-opener on how education can transform every sector of society.
r Mmom said the title and content of the book are apt, adding that it mirrors the multidimensional nature of education in national growth.
He noted that the book X-rays how education can serve as a cornerstone of human development, an engine that fuels economic productivity, social cohesion, and moral advancement that translate into societal progress.
“The approach is critical to repositioning our institutions to produce graduates who can create jobs, drive enterprise, and engineer sustainable change,” Mmom said.
Mmom commended Miss Mary Ibifuro Abbey for her vision, passion, and commitment to promoting education for all, and urged other youths with great ideas to pursue them until their visions are fully attained.
