The immediate past Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO, Prof Francis Eze, has said that the pursuit of economic growth should never be at the expense of human dignity and social justice.
In a keynote address earlier today (Wednesday, November 13), at the maiden international conference on Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards organised by the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards ( CE-s PESS) of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, with the theme ‘Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards – Key to Sustainable Livelihood in the 21Century, Eze, who spoke on ‘Unlocking Sustainable Livelihoods in the 21 Century’, the former Vice Chancellor said:
“The pursuit of economic growth should never come at the expense of human dignity or social justice. Procurement decisions have profound implications for Labour rights, community well-being and equitable access to opportunities. Social standards are essential for promoting equity, inclusion and human well-being in the 21 century. Incorporating social standards into procurement processes means actively seeking suppliers who demonstrate fair Labour practices, respect for human rights, and commitment to community engagement.”
According to Prof. Eze, “environmental standards are a vital aspect of sustainability, ensuring the long term health and resilience of our planet.”
“Procurement professionals and all chief executives of organisations have a responsibility to minimize ecological footprints. It is crucial to recognise the interconnectedness of procurement, environmental and social standards. Sustainable livelihoods depend on the delicate balance between these three pillars,” he declared.
Simialry, the Acting Vice Chancellor of Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences , Umuagwo, Prof C Eze , who spoke on ‘Sustainable Social Development- A Paradigm Shift’, pointed out that any efficient procurement process must take into account sustainable social development of the people, consider the environment.
“We must consider the environment, the people and create jobs in our procurement process and stricter regulations to save the environment for future generations,” he said.
Also, Prof Nzeadibe Chidi of the Environmental Sustainability and Management of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), said for an effective and efficient procurement process the stakeholders for projects must be identified.
“If the communities are part of the projects, the implementation will be efficient. Community perception should be determined, government engagement is necessary, cultural diversity and participation is important,” he stated.
Dr Aminu Dodo of Najran University, Saudi Arabia called on the federal government to make more commitment to the building of more Green Houses in Nigeria as a way of promoting a good environment and fighting climate change, noting that only 30 green buildings have been built despite the establishment of the Green Building commission.
The vice chancellor, Prof Nnenna Otti , earlier in her brief welcome address, described the Conference as an intellectual harvest.
She commended the Director, Centre for Excellence, Prof Gloria Chukwudebe for organising the maiden international conference.
“Universities all over the world are a place of academic harvest. In this conference I look forward to where theories bow to new innovations and applied research findings for the benefit of humanity. I thank the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission for his support to the centre which has contributed to the hosting of this event,” she said.
In her remarks, Prof Chukwudebe recalled that the centre was established in 2019 as part of the SPESSE project, designed to integrate procurement, environmental and social standards’ professionalization within the Nigeria public and private sectors to enhance sustainable development and value for money in all government projects and processes.
“Currently the centre has programmes in advance certified Procurement courses in which we have trained 800 persons . We have post graduate, Diploma ,Masters, First Degrees and Executive short courses where we have already trained about 7000 persons since 2019 . All the programmes have been accredited and approved by the National Universities Commission,” she disclosed.
