A university don has advised the government to use modern-day technology to tackle the nation pressing challenge: national security.[blockquote right=”pull-right”]“In warfare, the advances are moving at a dizzying pace and the war of the future will be a borderless war; it is going to be a war between big armies and small groups like we are having now in Nigeria. So, you need technology that will be able to enhance your intelligence and then counter measures that can help to eliminate or reduce the power of the enemy”, according to the university don. [/blockquote]
Peter Okebukola, a Professor, made this disclosure at the University of Ilorin while delivering the keynote address at the 49th Annual Conference of the Science Association of Nigeria (SAN) themed “Exploiting Advancement in Science and Technology for National Security”.
Okebukola, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council at Crawford University in Ogun State noted that the success of any military expedition is often linked to advances in science and technology.
The Federal Government needs to provide an enabling environment for the nation’s security forces by investing more in science, technology and engineering infrastructure, he added.
Okebukola told attendees at the conference that the task of national security is a collective responsibility and urged members of SAN to be part of global efforts towards advancing the frontiers of science and technology as part of their contribution to the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.
“In warfare, the advances are moving at a dizzying pace and the war of the future will be a borderless war; it is going to be a war between big armies and small groups like we are having now in Nigeria. So, you need technology that will be able to enhance your intelligence and then counter measures that can help to eliminate or reduce the power of the enemy”, according to the university don.
According to Okebukola, “the Nigerian Army has not got the financial resources to be at the frontier of the acquisition of these new technologies and so we cannot be that capable to address modern-day challenges, but I’m sure that Government is now getting to an increased awareness of that and I see that in a couple of months the Nigerian military will be given a lot more financial resources to enhance their science and technological resources.”
Speaking in the same vein the Abdulganiyu Ambali,Vice Chancellor University of Ilorin urged the Federal Government to deploy the technology approach of the United State in a securing the White House in the wake of the September 11, 2011 terrorists’ attacks.
According to Ambali, “I want us to draw inspiration from this kind of patriotism and use this platform to push scientific skills to its limits and evolve frontline ideas and innovations that can put a permanent end to insurgencies, ritual killings, kidnappings and arms proliferation that have been threatening our survival and security as a nation.”
He added that, “we all have a shared interest in the security and stability of our nation, and if that is the case, we must harness our capabilities to contribute to the safety of our nation”, noting that, “there is no disputing the fact and reality of our time that science and technology could be positively exploited to bring about absolute national security.”
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