The South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Noh Kyu-Duk, yesterday said investing in education remains Nigeria’s key to economic growth if it intends to replicate the South Korean model.
Kyu-Duk spoke in a public lecture at the University of Jos themed: “Growing the Nigerian Economy through Nigerian Universities: The South Korean model.”
He said many people had wondered what miracle his country had used in rebuilding its economy after its three-year war with North Korea.
“It is not a miracle; we rebuild our economy through education. Korean parents never abandoned the education of their children even during the war. This kind of investment in education was the driving force that created work forces which became the engine of economic turnaround for South Korea in the next few decades,” he said.
The ambassador said Korea’s ‘new village movement’ aimed at developing rural communities with infrastructures can be replicated in Nigeria especially with the country’s new zeal in the fight against corruption.
Kyu-Duk said Nigerian leaders must present opportunities to young Nigerians who have excelled and shown their talents around the world.
On Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the north-east, the ambassador said his country has committed $2.5 million.
The Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, Prof Sebastian Seddi Maimako, presented the ambassador with a proposal to assist the institution in the establishment of a vocational training centre.
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