UNICROSS Professor Hannah Etta Calls for Stronger Education, Religion, Governance Linkages
Professor Hannah Etta of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) has called for deliberate efforts to bridge missing links in education, religion, governance and family life to promote peace and social cohesion in Nigeria.
judithhh
Director of Academic Planning, University of Cross River State, Prof. Hannah Etta, has called for deliberate efforts to bridge “missing links” in education, religion, governance and family life to strengthen social cohesion in Nigeria.
Prof. Etta made the call while delivering the 12th Inaugural Lecture of the institution in Calabar, titled, “Links, Linkages and the Missing Links: From DNA Backbones to Social Cohesion.”
Etta, a Professor of Genetics and Biotechnology in the Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, described the lecture as “an intellectual journey from the origin of life to society as it is now.”
She examined various forms of linkages in society, including education, religion, politics and governance, and drew a philosophical parallel with “the missing link in the Garden of Eden” and the gaps evident in contemporary society.
Speaking on education, Prof. Etta likened the mentor-mentee relationship to genetic transfer, warning that a break in the chain could endanger the country’s intellectual future.
She said, “Just like genetics has to do with the transfer of genes from parents to offspring, educational linkage has to do with the transfer of knowledge from the mentor to the mentee, and that perpetuates the generation of intellectuals. If there’s a missing link in that transfer, there’s going to be chaos.”
On religion, the academic said religion ought to foster peace and togetherness, noting that Nigeria continues to contend with religious divisions.
“In a place like Nigeria, we have seen that our dichotomy has always been religion. The North, core North, Muslims; South here, Christians. And there’s always that conflict. We will have a society bereft of intellectuals, a society bereft of knowledge. The onus is on us, especially the lecturers, to maintain that linkage,” she added.
She urged Nigerians to “bring all the missing links together and find a way to coexist.”
She also cautioned against parents prioritising career advancement at the expense of child upbringing, saying this creates “lacunas” and “missing links in homes.”
In her welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Francisca Bassey, commended the inaugural lecturer for her diligence and commitment to the growth of the institution, describing her as “a stress-free and result-oriented staff member.”
“Hannah is one of my colleagues, staff working under me, that has not given me any form of stress. It is not a political talk. I am saying this to encourage others. If you give Hannah an assignment, be ready for the trouble, because she’s going to bombard you with results. And she will call you and send you messages if you don’t respond. That’s who Hannah is,” the VC said.
Prof. Bassey attributed some of the university’s recent achievements to Prof. Etta and her team, including collaborations, new academic programmes and the accreditation exercise conducted last year.
“It gladdens my heart that I’m here today. Without Hannah and the rest of the team, we would not definitely have been here. That’s the truth. The collaborations, the new programmes we are starting, the accreditation exercise last year. I am proud of her. I am proud to call her my staff,” she stated.
