Nigerian Philosophical Association, a body of teachers of philosophy in Nigerian universities will host its biennial international conference at the University of Lagos from October 15th-18th, 2014 that will x-ray the state of Nigeria since Amalgamation and the current realities of the country in relation to other countries of the world.
The Conference with the theme: Nigeria: 100 years After Amalgamation: Philosophical Issues and Perspectives will attract scholars, researchers and academics from Cameroun, Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa who will join their Nigerian counterparts according to the National President of NPA, Professor Joseph Agbakoba who is also a lecturer in the department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
‘The conference is motivated by the need to look at Nigeria after 100 years of our amalgamation by Lord Lugard in 1914. We can all agree that in Nigeria today there are fundamental issues of justice for the Minority and Majority groups. There are issues of culture, value systems, political structure and ideology that are facing the country.
‘’There is also the issue of the justification of the economic model we are running vis our model of capitalism and our traditional culture. We also have issues surrounding revenue allocation. Don’t forget that Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914 because of the budget surplus in the South and the deficit in the North. And since then the South has been paying the bills of the country in terms of the extra money needed to balance the budget and pay for infra structural development. The outstanding foreign exchange earners in this regard have been first Palm Oil, then Cocoa and now Crude Oil. This is not say that the North has had no money at all, we must not forget tin in Jos area and the groundnuts pyramids, but they were not enough to gain budgetary surpluses. The conference will look at all these issues and examine them from various philosophical standpoints. It promises to be very intellectually engaging and enriching.
The Conference will also feature the inauguration of an annual $5000 US dollars prize tagged The Emmanuel Onyechere Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Prize for the Best Philosophy Book in Africa to be given to any philosophy teacher of Africa descent who is adjudged to have published the best book on philosophy.
The NPA is also collaborating with the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation to promote the teaching of ethics, logic, creative and critical thinking in primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.
Comments
Post a Comment