Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, on Tuesday, said that education is the foundation for increased socioeconomic advancement in the society.
Wike said this during the inauguration of the Ishmeal Ikpeazu Memorial Library and Center for Scientific Leadership in Umuobiakwa in Obingwa Local Government Area (LGA) of Abia state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the resource center was built by Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu in honour of his father, late Mr Ishmeal Ikpeazu, who was a teacher during his lifetime.
Wike described the resource center as a place that would serve as a hub that will showcase the role of education as the base which the entire building of human development stands.
Wike said that the resource center would be a symbol of a fruitful effort made to preserve legacies that would contribute to positively impacting the future generation.
In a remark, Gov. Ikpeazu said that the resource center was built to reflect the ideals and encapsulate the legacies of his late father.
“The Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu (DOVI) Leadership institute is housed in this library and we are going to enroll 50 candidates for DOVI fellowship.
“It would be made up of persons capable of changing the leadership paradigm and persons that think differently.
“This building will house a science laboratory that will be focused on validating folk medicine and a mini museum that will house relics of the Ikpeazu dynasty.
“There is an e-library that will contain 30 million volumes of books to grant users access to a plethora of books and a guest house to provide accommodation for researchers,” he said.
Ikpeazu said that the center was very symbolic because of the impact it would have on its users as they would have access to state of the art facilities.
Also, The Former governor of Ekiti, Mr Ayodele Fayose, commended Ikpeazu for building a center to preserve the legacy of his late father.
Fayose further commended the governorn of Abia for adopting a leadership style that encouraged inclusion and active participation of the citizens. (NAN)