The Nation Newspaper

Category: Campus Life

  • ‘Reading transforms human life, society’

    Reading stimulates the imagination, while also encouraging quick learning, and expanding horizons. It encourages imagination and curiosity. Reading enhances acquisition of skills for handling complex ideas or issues. Also, it is the mother of strategic planning.

    “But it is frightening how this practice, which used to be common among Nigerian students, youths and even adults, is fast eroding in our society at a speed faster than a jet,” said Prof Shittu Kelani Okunade, at the 69th Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University of Technology Minna (FUTMINNA), in Niger State.

    Speaking on the topic: “Reading nations are leading nations: Whither Nigeria?” Okunade decried the poor reading culture in the country.

    “Nigeria was rated, not too long ago by the World Culture Score Index (WCSI) as one of the countries in the world that has the lowest reading culture. A recent survey on hours of reading per week/person by the WCSI showed that India leads other nations in reading with a score of 10.42 hours per week/person, followed by Thailand with 9.24 hours and China having eight hours. Only two African countries, Egypt occupying fifth position (with 7.30 hours) and South Africa at 15th (with 6.18 hours) were listed in the survey, with Nigeria not being listed at all.

    “According to a study carried out by Henry (2004), about 40 percent of adult Nigerians never read a non-fiction book from cover to cover after they finish school. While the average Nigerian reads less than one book per year,” said the Professor of English.

    Underscoring the importance of adopting a good reading culture, Okunade said that leading nations of the world prided themselves in their promotion of reading for intellectual growth and national advancement.

    “A reading nation is an informed nation. Nigeria cannot be regarded as a reading nation because the younger generation of Nigerians does not consider reading a leisure activity.The poor reading habits of these younger Nigerians affect their performances at school and during examinations. Children with poor reading habits may engage in anti-social behaviours such as rioting, bullying and examination malpractice. These set of children receive poor grades at school, get easily distracted and frustrated, have behavioural problems, seem to dislike school, and often fail to develop to their full potential’’, he said.

    To develop good reading culture, Okunade advised early introduction of children to books, reading contests, establishment of classroom libraries, and training of teachers who will teach the children how to read.

    The inaugural speaker observed that since Nigeria was yet to move from 40-45 percent current literacy rate, there was need to passionately promote the culture of reading that could create a network of like minds that can contribute to national development.

    “The ability to read is an art which is capable of transforming life and society. No society or nation can dream of meaningful developments if its citizens cannot read. An educated citizenry can be easily mobilized for political, social, economic and technological development. Reading therefore is the bedrock of national transformation and development’’, the don said.

    Highlighting the individual benefits of active reading, Okunade said: ‘’Reading improves vocabulary, gives a glimpse into other cultures and places, improves concentration and focus, builds self-esteem, improves discipline, improves creativity, enables one to contribute to various discussions, improves reasoning skills, builds expertise, decreases mistakes, decreases boredom, reduces stress, improves writing skills, gets one away from digital distractions, change ones’ life, makes one to discover surprises and can attracts additional money.’’

  • Students union leader dies

    TREASURER of the Students’Union (SU) of Usmanu Danfodiyo, Sokoto (UDUS) is dead. Hawau Garba Shehu, the  final year student of the Department of Microbiology, died at the National Hospital, Garki, Abuja, on Friday, after a protracted illness.

    Campus Life gathered that before her death, she launched a programme, tagged, Youth for Progress (YFP), aimed at upgrading  youths and moving the country to  greater height.

    In an interview, one of her sisters, Maryam, expressed shock over Hawau’s death, saying the doctors could not diagnose her illness until she passed on.

    “With a very great concern, I was shocked when I heard that she was dead. I cannot say or describe how I feel about the loss of my sweet sister. I never knew life was so cruel like this. I have never dreamt of saying a painful goodbye to my dear sister. She suffered a lot of pains for several days and she was kept in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) just receiving series of treatments for an unknown illness. It is really painful that she is dead,” said Maryam.

    One of her brothers, Lawal, noted Hawau’s virtues, saying her death was a great loss to their family, especially her parents.

    He said: “The demise of Hauwa’u is a huge blow to the entire family, friends and well-wishers alike. She was a young woman full of life and ambition, intellectually gifted and patient. The bond between her and her family, especially mum and dad, was the core of her sanity. Even though death had taken her, her life and death shall continue to be a lesson to us. And her name shall continue to be etched upon our memory until the end of time.”

    Also, the Dean, Student Affairs, Prof Aminu Mode, described the deceased as a law-abiding and a very reliable student.

    “In fact, it is very pathetic that a final year and a very brilliant girl like her passed away at this time. But then, everybody will taste death. She was very law-abiding and reliable. When she was alive, there was never a bad report about her,” he said.

    SU President, Comrade Ibrahim Kalgo, who was also her course mate, described Hawa’u as very caring.

    “Hawa’u Shehu was one of my course mates and a very close friend of mine. I had much respect for her because of her creativity and simplicity. She always encouraged me even when I wanted to quit,” he said.

    He noted her immense contributions to the development of the union.

    “She was one of the best comrades, if not the best. Her dedication and hard work are enormous. She contributed tremendously to the development of our administration.

    ‘’There’s no single project we carried without her contribution.” He explained.

    The Students’ Union Public Relations Officer (PRO), Comrade Suleiman Abubakar, described the deceased as one of the hardworking and committed union executives.

    “Sincerely, comrade Hauwa’u is kind, polite, courteous and hardworking. She took students’ welfarism as her first priority.

    ‘’We promised to do this job; we have to make sure that we discharge it effectively. We need to keep a tangible legacy for danfodites. “

    He added that the deceased served the Union with all her efforts.

    “She is well mannered and principled, but still has a sense of humour. She is as well wise and never relents in dropping one wise nugget or two. She used to believe that ‘The benefit of unionism is on recognition, and don’t anticipate anything besides it.

    “She served the Union with all her time, strength and ability, she emphasised on many project in female hostels… As I knew, she died with the intention of ensuring positive welfarism of her female Danfodites.” He added.

    The Public Relations Officer on behalf of the Union, however, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed for her to rest in peace.

    “All I will say is we love her but Allah loves her most. I will not say anything, for it pleases Allah. Allah has given. Allah has taken.

    Still, I implore Allah the Almighty to forgive her shortcomings and make Jannatul firdaus be her final abode.”

  • When the past speaks

    The past is not “dead” and “forgotten” as we often assume, it certainly speaks, but in what language? Is it the language of books, testimonies and accounts, or is it the language of metaphors, of symbols, and of structures? And once identified what and whose code will decipher the message and unveil the secrets being revealed and concealed? The future often remains unclear when the past speaks in tones the present cannot hear.

    I recollect an interesting interaction at a barber’s shop with a teenager I met reading a colourful book on American historical heroes. Out of curiosity I asked what he found interesting about the book. “I read about people who were fearless, selfless and determined to have a better society; people who left the injustice of Europe to establish a new society where man shall be equal before the law. I read about people who hate injustice and stood for what was right like the fight to end slavery and the oppression of black people.”

    He enthusiastically asked if I’ve heard of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Harriet Tubman, Andrew Carnegie etc. As he continued reeling out names from America’s past, people started clapping and commended his ability to recount heroes and positive lessons from America’s past.

    As is often the case wherever you see Nigerians gather, the discussion veered away from America to Nigeria. While commending him for his vivid recollection of American history and heroes including what they did for their country, I asked if he could recollect some Nigerian heroes and their contributions. Almost everyone laughed; one said I should forget it because “there’s nothing worth writing about Nigeria.”

    Ignoring the comment, I looked at the teenage with a gaze begging for an answer. He said he has not come across any book that will tell him about Nigerian heroes and society the way the one he’s reading did for America. He confessed that he knows more about America than Nigeria. For the short time we spent, I took out time to lecture him about Nigerian history and challenged him to visit the internet and read about our own heroes who fought for our independence and left legacies that we stubbornly refused to follow.

    When I got home, I reflected about the encounter with the teenager, how sharp he was with a virgin mind ready to be filled with positive things. If I had not given a contrary opinion, perhaps he would’ve left the place with the impression that “nothing is worth writing about Nigeria.” I strongly believe this should be a wakeup call for us to look at our curriculum again. We have inadvertently raised a generation of Nigerians who know next to nothing about their country.

    Whether we choose to believe it or not, the past has a strong bearing on the present and any society that lives for the present alone does so at its own peril. This is what makes America and other “civilised” nations great. Whenever we’re sober to reflect, we’d see that we are just moving in circles repeating past mistakes because of our morbid belief that the past does not matter. So, we do not find it worthwhile investing in simple illustrative books to tell succeeding generations about the Nigeria story.

    In the past, Nigeria had a strong foreign policy thrust and direction. Africa was the “center piece of Nigeria’s foreign policy” and the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and others were alive to their responsibilities. There were also development plans that served as roadmaps to where we intend to be. These are just two out of many instances. We simply lost the vibrancy years back. What happened?

    The missing link is the nexus between history and public policy formulation. Does history even play any role whenever we want to roll out new policies? Do we make out time to look at why similar policies failed in the past and how to ensure that the new one succeeds? From agricultural and other policies to ethical campaigns it is difficult pin pointing successful policies.

    This brings me to Hal Brands and Jeremi Suri’s “The Power of the Past: History and Statecraft,” an important book published in January 2016. The book seeks “to work toward a more fruitful interaction between the production of historical knowledge and the making of U.S. foreign policy.” The co-editors – both professors – assembled a distinguished, bipartisan team of historians and political scientists to connect history to policy making.

    It succeeds in answering two key questions laid out in the introduction: “How and why do policymakers use history?” and “What light can history shine on the dilemmas confronted by contemporary policymakers?”  History, with its insights, analogies, and narratives, is central to the ways in which the United States interacts with the world.

    In his chapter, titled “History, Policymaking, and the Balkans: Lessons Imported and Lessons Learned,” former Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg describes three dimensions in which policymakers tend to approach the past, starting with “deep history.”  Policymakers ask each other: Is the situation at hand another Haiti, Somalia, or Rwanda? In essence, they’re interested in finding out if the new policy will not fall into the same trap that made interventions in these areas to go awry. To this end, good history can contribute to effective policy by stimulating conversations that produce options and predict opportunities, costs, and risks.

    Other chapters examine the historical lessons from World War II, the Vietnam War, the Yugoslav War, and the Persian Gulf War, as well as the American occupation of Japan, the rise of human rights, prohibitions on human trafficking, and the end of the Cold War. Scholars and policy practitioners collaborate to offer insights about the uses and misuses of history, and possible ways to improve both historical scholarship and policy-making in the future.

    Driving this point home, former British Prime Minister, late Sir Winston Churchill made this comment at the House of Commons on 2 May 1935, after the Stresa Conference, in which Britain, France and Italy agreed – futilely – to maintain the independence of Austria. “When the situation was manageable it was neglected, and now that it is thoroughly out of hand we apply too late the remedies which then might have effected a cure. There is nothing new in the story. It is as old as the sibylline books. It falls into that long, dismal catalogue of the fruitlessness of experience and the confirmed unteachability of mankind. Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong–these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.”

    Back to my teenage friend; as most of us desire to have a nation we can truly be proud of, nothing should stop us from telling the Nigerian story. Yes, we may have derailed, but a derailed train can still be put back on its track after repairs to continue its journey. Nigerians over fifty years old often remember the Awolowos, Azikiwes, Ahmadu Bellos, Michael Okparas etc because of the impact they had on our early nationhood.

    They laid solid foundation for sectors like education, agriculture, health etc. Our varsities were world class producing seasoned academics that are renowned globally. All that changed decades later with the universities they struggled to build becoming shells of their old selves.

    Is it too late for us to pick the bits and pieces? Despite the chaos and mess we are presently in, some good things can still come out. It will, however, not come from politicians but from an enlightened and united citizenry whose mastery of politicians’ deceptions and divide and rule politics will be high. The ball’s in our court and understanding their machinations is the key that will unlock the future we desire.

  • Group denies endorsing A’Ibom APC governorship candidate

    A Group identified as the National Association of Akwa Ibom State Students ( NAAKISS ) has denied endorsing the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Dr Obong Nsima Ekere for the Akwa Ibom governorship seat in 2019.

    NAAKISS President, Comrade Aniefiok Edet in a press conference distanced the association from the purported endorsement of the All
    Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate by a group called Supreme Council of Chapter President of NAAKISS Worldwide.

    “The attention of the 6th legislative Assembly of the National Association of Akwa Ibom State Students (NAAKISS WORLDWIDE) parliament has been drawn to the endorsement of the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC)  in the person of His Excellency Obong Nsima Ekere by five renegades acting on fictitious and fraudulent platforms called Supreme Council of Chapter President of NAAKISS Worldwide.

    “There is nothing like Supreme Council of Chapter Presidents in the entire constitution of NAAKISS Worldwide, thus any purported decision
    of the said platform remains criminal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever,” he added.

    Edet, who stated that the constitution of the association, does not recognize the existence of supreme council of chapter president, said
    that the decision by the platform remains “null and void, and of no effect.”

    The student body also said it would mobilize its members across the country to resist any further invasion of the State House of Assembly.

    It condemned the recent onslaught on the assembly by suspected hoodlums following the crisis between All Progressives Congress (APC)
    and Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) lawmakers, said it was sad that Nigeria’s democracy was being threatened.

    “The leadership of NAAKISS has condemned in the strongest term possible, the breach of the rule of law as perpetuated by the five constitutionally and lawfully sacked members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and the criminal partnership of the Nigeria Police
    Force which is seriously threatening the subsistent peace in the state.

    “There is every indication that the APC in the country are resolved to plunge Nigeria to a lawless society, as evidence in, the invasion of
    the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and carting away of themace by an APC senator,” he said.

  • ‘Missing’ scripts row at open varsity

    Some graduating students of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) have kicked against paying N20,000 fine each for their ‘missing’ examination scripts to be remarked. The more than 3,000 students, whose fate hangs in the balance, risk being delayed for an extra year if they do not have complete results. They are praying the Minister of Education and NOUN Chancellor Mallam Adamu Adamu to prevail on the management to release their results. TEMITOPE YAKUBU reports.

    How does it sound for a school to ask students to pay for the remarking of missing examination scripts? Bizarre? Well, that seems the scenario at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), a federal school that has campuses and study centres across the country, which has asked about 3,000 students whose scripts were declared missing to pay N20,000 per  script to be remarked.

    A memo by the school, which asked students to pay before their examination scripts could be marked, is generating ripples. The controversial memo followed the release of second semester results nationwide in which examination scripts of over 3,000 students were said to be missing.

    Some students complained that they have about two to three of their examination scripts missing; some more than three. So, a student with three scripts missing will have to pay N60, 000. Most of the affected students, CAMPUSLIFE gathered, are in graduating classes.

    If the missing scripts are not graded, it could delay their graduation by one year as the school, according to the memo, ordered the affected students to pay the money or risk an extra year.

    By implication, students with more than one missing scripts would have to pay N20,000 times the number of scripts to get the required grades for graduation.

    Students have described the development as “a plain extortion”, insinuating that their scripts could have been withheld to extort money from them. They wondered why they had to pay the school for an administrative service. The students want the Minister of Education and chancellor of the school  to intervene in matter.

    In a memo released on October 19, 2018, the school said: “All students who have issues with their results are to make complaints with their faculty officers between October 22, 2018 and October 30, 2018. They are to write a letter in a tabular format, indicating name, matriculation number, code of missing course, course title, semester in which the course was registered and date of examination.

    “Any student with missing results will not be attended to after October 30, 2018. Students are to come with both hard and soft copies of their complaint letter, and attach photocopies of their stamped examination registration slip as evidence they sat for the paper.”

    In compliance with the directive, the students in the graduating class went to their respective study centres across the nation to submit their letters in which they expressed disappointment and complained about sloppiness in the school’s handling of examination scripts.

    Weeks after, the school did not respond. The students claimed that they called all telephone numbers provided by the school to channel complaints but the calls were never answered; text messages sent to the phone numbers were not replied. Also, the students’ messages to the official email address of the school were not replied.

    While students were waiting to get responses to their complaints, the school released the controversial memo on November 21, titled: National Open University Policy of Remarking of Students Examination Scripts and Recomputation of Results.

    The memo reads: “All applications for re-marking examination scripts should be addressed to the Registrar through the Study Centre Directors and a copy forwarded to the Dean in the faculty concerned. Applicants must submit the necessary application form at the relevant study centre. Students must ensure that the course(s) code(s) and title(s) is/are correct when completing the form.

    “A non-refundable fee of N20,000 is charged per course for the remarking of examination scripts. The said amount should be paid into a bank account designated for the purpose. Students should note that the evidence of payment of the fees must be attached to a completed application form. Also payments without application forms would not be processed.

    “The decision to remark is a prerogative of the Faculty’s Examinations Committee. Remarking of scripts shall be completed within two weeks. The new score awarded shall be approved by the dean on behalf of the Faculty’s Academic Board. If a student decides to withdraw his/her appeal before it is considered by the committee, a notice of withdrawal shall be done in writing to make it valid. The Faculty Board shall communicate its decisions to the Senate within a period of 14 days for ratification.”

    Majority of the affected students complied and paid the N20,000 for the remarking of their scripts. Weeks after, there have been no action from the school.

    At the time of filing this report, the school was yet to release the grades for the remarked scripts and has not responded to any of the students’ requests, raising concerns among the students on what could have become of the money they paid and their missing scripts.

    The aggrieved students are accusing the school of extorting them, calling on the Minister of Education, Prof Adamu Adamu, National Universities Commission (NUC), and chancellor of the school, Igwe Lawrence Okolio Chikezie, to prevail on the authorities to release their results.

    One of the affected students, Kingsley Mbamalu, described the development as “a daylight robbery”.

    He said: “From the way the scenario played out, it was clear the school authorities purposely withheld our examination scripts to extort money from us. How can the scripts of over 3,000 students go missing at the same time and the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Abdalla Uba Adamu, asked us to pay N20,000 each for the school to remark ‘missing scripts’ and give us a grade? This is unbelievable. We want the minister and chairman of Governing Council, Prof Peter Okebukola, to look into this official daylight robbery.”

    Kingsley said the development had dashed the hope of his colleagues, who wanted to use the degree certificates for promotion at their places of work.

    The aggrieved students decried the lackadaisical attitude of the school towards the academic pursuit of its students, which they said contradicted the purpose for establishing the institution.

    Stephen Obi, a graduating student at NOUN Community Study Centre in Emevor, Delta State, said: “Most of the people studying at NOUN are public officers and workers who want to obtain additional qualifications for career progression. Now, the chances of these people tendering their certificates for promotion this end of the year is slim. They went through pain attending the school; to graduate, it is another period of pain. Who should we hold responsible for this?”

    Kola Olaseni, Feyisetan Adesola, Tobiloba Olanrewaju and Damilola Sogbesan of Oyo and Kwara states’ study centres lamented that the withheld results had affected their academic pursuits negatively, noting that their plans to further their studies had been shattered.

    The students unanimously criticised what they called “costly blunder” committed by the school’s Management Information System (MIS) and departments concerned with the processing of examination results.

    The affected students, comprising undergraduate and post-graduate sets,  appealed to the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education, Minister of Education and NUC to prevail on the school to resolve their complaints, pointing out that the development could delay the graduation of over 3,000 students.

    According to the school memo, any of the affected students in the graduating set, who did not pay the N20,000 for the remarking of their missing examination scripts, must register for the courses asa  carryover on or before October 26, 2018. The fate of the students is hanging in the balance, as the school is yet to release the results of those that paid the script remarking fee.

    In a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the school, Ibrahim Sheme, the school clarified the reason for the charges.

    Sheme said: “I would like to clarify that NOUN does not charge any unnecessary fees or fancies extorting money from students.

    “What obtains in the case is that, when results of examinations are approved and released by the university, any student who feels that he or she ought to have scored higher grades may decide to apply to the university for the remarking of such courses.”

    “The procedure is that, such papers will be forwarded to other experts in another university, who are paid together with courier service from the fee the affected student pays for the remarking that he or she has asked for.

    “NOUN does not withhold the results of students in order to ask them to pay for marking their scripts. Any delay in releasing results may have been caused by a minor hitch in procedure, but the said fee affects only the student who files an appeal for remarking with the hope that he or she will score a higher grade.”

  • MAPOLY suspends SUG election as committee chair goes missing

    There was tension at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, following an indefinite suspension of Students’ Union Government (SUG) election.

    The exercise, scheduled for last Thursday at 10am, could not hold due to the absence of the Students’ Union Electoral Committee (SUELECO) chairman, identified as Adeniji.

    Students had gathered at the school’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre, the venue of the exercise, to cast their votes when it was discovered that Adeniji was not part of the 10-man committee that wanted to conduct the election.

    The development raised concerns among the voters and supporters of one of the presidential candidates.

    The two contenders for the union president are Samson Omoniyi, (aka Heritage), and Akinyemi Akinwale (aka Genesis). Both are students of Mass Communication.

    While Akinyemi’s loyalists were ready to cast their votes in the absence of the SUELECO chairman, Samson’s loyalists withdrew.

    An attempt by other members of the electoral committee to continue with the process met a stiff resistance from curious students, who asked for the whereabouts of the committee chairman. When the committee members could not give an answer, the students staged a walkout and called on their colleagues to boycott the election.

    Akinyemi’s campaign manager, who identified himself as Mandela, accused the opponent of masterminding the disappearance of the electoral committee chairman to disrupt the election, noting that Samson and his supporters knew they could not win a fair contest.

    He said: “Samson and his supporters should be asked questions on the whereabouts of the SUELECO chairman. They went to hide him somewhere and came here, asking for him. They want us to leave here so that they can conduct their own election. No way; we will remain here and election must hold.”

    The Staff Adviser of the Mass Communication Students’ Association, Mr. Lekan Togunwa, who addressed the agitated students, urged them to continue with the voting.

    Togunwa said it was not mandatory for the SUELECO chair to be available, but the students insisted on seeing the ‘missing’chairman before the election could go on.

    Togunwa disclosed that the whereabouts of the electoral committee chair was unknown and his phone number unreachable.

    At noon, the Director of Students Affairs (DSA) arrived in the venue and suspended the election.

    The DSA said: “Due to the absence of the chairman of the Students Union Electoral Committee, I am here on behalf of the school management to announce the suspension of the election till further notice.”

    At press time, the whereabouts of the electoral committee chairman remained unknown. Calls placed to the SUELECO Public Relations Officer (PRO) and the General Secretary were not received.

  • 2019 as turning point for paradigm shift in governance

    In the last few months, Nigeria’s political firmament has witnessed a frenzied overdrive, as different partisan camps seek to position themselves ahead of the 2019 general elections. The presidency, 29 governorship seats, and hundreds of state legislative seats will be up for grabs. In acrimonious primaries, political parties nominated and presented their standard bearers for the many vacancies in public office. Ostensibly, the political actors are asking the Nigerian people to hire them as the best persons to do the job of bringing about good governance, and impacting the lives of citizens.

    For serious minded system reformers therefore, there is no better time to interrogate the content and character of the current brand of national politics, its outcomes and where it will take the country. Many indices point to the fact that Nigeria is not heading in the right direction.

    The fundamental question facing voters in 2019 and beyond therefore, is not just about the political party or candidates who would occupy these vacant public offices; the main governance question in the polity as at today revolves around the key issue of our national survival.

    How do we get 13.5 million out of school children back to the classrooms? What should we do to reverse the undesirable tag of poverty capital of the world? What concrete ideas do we need to put forward to address the serious deficit in electricity and our ramshackled health systems? A corollary to these questions is to ask if the current crop of political leaders angling for various offices have what it takes to take Nigeria out of the woods. Do they have the commitment, drive and passion to think deeply and craft solutions to the most pressing issues facing the people of our country?

    Since the reality of the dismal outing of the current political class has already been well advertised, the logical thing to do is to search for credible and viable alternatives. This task requires a healthy dose of hope and optimism. Although the Nigerian situation could make any die-hard optimist rethink the belief that things will get better, hope is still an absolute necessity if we must grapple with the very many challenges confronting us as a people.

    The quantum of hope citizens generate will certainly reinforce the notion that at the level of leadership and followership, things can be done differently. It is only on the basis of hope and a disciplined engagement of the democratic process, that we the people can push for a new governance order, driven by ideas, and the passionate pursuit of what is in the best interest of the vast majority of citizens.

    Above all, the ingredient of hope will fire the imagination of active citizens towards a realisation that a crop of transformative leaders, backed by engaged followers, can become a constant feature of our civic life. In this nexus between hope and a different approach to governance lies the potency of the model of transformative leadership. This model of leadership, especially in the context of Nigeria is largely driven by hope, not despair. The push for transformative leadership is motivated by the optimism that our national situation will change, if we have the passion, drive and resilience to confront the challenges facing us as a people. Also, the transformative leadership model avoids the fixation on one super position as exemplified by the Presidency in the case of Nigeria. This model goes to the grassroots to demystify the challenges there and proffer practical and sustainable solutions to them. In other words, not every governance problem we face as a people would be solved by occupants of the presidency. There are many local issues requiring governance, not at the presidential level, but at the grassroots level where governance should be closest to the people.

    In 2019 and beyond, this is the kind of leadership paradigm Nigerians should be aiming to put in place, if they are truly tired of the direction, which the current political class has taken the country. The task of identifying, recruiting and supporting this kind of transformative leaders, across all party platforms, is one of the cardinal objectives of Shift Nigeria.

    Shift Nigeria, is an organisation, which has irrevocably committed itself to the rise of transformative leaders, who would take over the politics and governance in Nigeria. However, the task of building transformative leaders is too important to be left to just one organisation. It is, therefore, critical for citizens with transformative ideas, who are keen to reject the current self-centred model of governance to pull together and engage the political process, beginning from the ward level. One can imagine the quantum of change that would be achieved, if good leaders with transformative ideas are elected into the various legislative chambers at the local government, state and federal levels.

    This is the sense in which many would have expected the multitude of young and exciting aspirants running for the position of president, to strategise and organise to take control of key democratic institutions at the all levels. Control of those institutions, particularly the legislature, would be in turn used to shape policy and build popular support for a push for the highest office in the land. On a strategic level, Shift Nigeria is looking forward to supporting vibrant and committed Nigerians to explore the exciting opportunities available to change the narrative of failed leadership and governance in our country. Almost two decades since the return of democracy in Nigeria, our country has operated the current leadership model driven by corruption to disastrous effect. There is no better time to travel a new road by adopting the paradigm of transformative leadership.

    • Armsfree writes from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

  • Evans and the fight against kidnapping

    The name “Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike” may not ring a bell when mentioned, but bearer’s operational appellation “Evans” instantly connects to our eardrum wherever it is called. Evans, as Chukwudumeme is popularly called, is not known for a noble, heroic or righteous cause. He attained a ‘celebrity’ status not for anything good, but for his unrivalled deftness in broad daylight abduction.

    Before he was eventually nabbed last year inside his imposing mansion at Magodo area of Lagos State, Evans was a deft and mercurial kidnapper who rightfully deserves an honourable mention in the infamous hall of Nigerian dare-devil criminals. For the records, he had reigned supreme as a fearless ringleader of a kidnapping syndicate for almost a decade.

    Shouldn’t he, by now, be languishing in one of our horrifying dungeons, a year after he was caught?

    Not in Nigeria, where prosecution, like other fundamental national issues, takes forever before a final court verdict is given. In saner climes where things work, it is a matter of an inconsequential time for the likes of Evans to find themselves banished to prison permanently for their heinous and reprehensible actions.

    In Nigeria, the question many have asked, and are still asking is: when will the master of kidnapping, Evans, meet his comeuppance? The germane answer, possibly, will be provided by the bowel of time.

    Meanwhile, why has kidnapping become a lucrative venture in our society? Of course, unemployment takes the lead as the principal cause of abduction in return for a colossal amount of money.

    We have become the world’s poverty capital, says Theresa May, the British Minister in South Africa, prior to her diplomatic trip to Nigeria, in October. If her statement is anything to go by, then concluding that poverty has not only fueled kidnapping in the ‘Giant of Africa’, but made the atrocious trade to boom, will not be fallacious.

    Then, enters illiteracy. How does one who is not well or even educated – at all – decipher that abduction for money is entirely callous and perhaps, satanic – both in the eyes of mankind and God Almighty.

    It is absolutely pointless shedding light on how corruption, greed and politics have led many youths into kidnapping, most especially in contemporary times. The sheer psychological trauma and depression suffered by victims of forceful abduction is better imagined than being experienced. And that is, if the ruthless kidnappers didn’t snuff their (defenseless preys) lives out.

    Emphasis should be given to massive job-creation for the unemployed and sophisticated training of anti-kidnapping personnel to help combat the vice. It is imperative also that stringent punishments be meted out to convicted abductors. It is one of the most potent ways of curbing the disturbing malady. But at this moment, one can only hope that government does the needful, and not engage in giving rhetorical reassurances. The fight against kidnapping must be approached with a sense of burning urgency, and nothing else.

     

    • Arafat, 100-Level Mass Communication, BUK

  • Hijab: What the law says

    In contemporary times in Nigeria, Muslims have been at the receiving end of institutional discrimination and this is becoming so alarmingly pronounced, even in other part of the world where western cultural norms hold sway.

    The way and manner with which Muslims are being treated in the modern society are not appealing to eyes, neither suitable to the ear. In several human societies, Muslims have been tagged terrorists, even when there is no reason for such discriminatory appellation. The actions of few humans have been used by a population of brainwashed people to measure Islam in an attempt to put the religion in bad light.

    Whereas, every religion and culture has the trait of savagery and viciousness inherently built in its adherents. Which religion or culture doesn’t have immoral and corrupt people in its fold? Yet, only the Muslims are singled out and criticised for crimes being committed by all. These wrong tag and discrimination in the word today are affecting Muslims both in their daily life activities and in practising their religion.

    Therefore, this article aims at analysing the discrimination Muslims are presently facing in Nigeria, especially on the use of hijab by young Muslim ladies in school.

    It is an undeniable fact that wearing of hijab in Islam is one of the attributes of identifying pious Muslim women. Not only that, it is an act of showing obedience to Allah who ordered women to cover their head and other fascinating parts of their body. It is saddening when Muslim ladies are denied their rights to use hijab in school, after the Constitution of Nigeria gave them religious freedom. In law and morality, the action of those stopping Muslim women to use hijab is wrong.

    Undoubtedly, the freedom to practise any religion in Nigeria is guarantee and circumscribed in Section 38 (1) of 1999 Constitution as amended.

    It states: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.” By the virtue of this section, it is crystal clear that our right to practice our desired religion is guarantee under the law and as such, Muslims are entitled to wear their hijab anywhere as it is part and parcel of their religion. By this, any act of restraining Muslim women from using their hijab while in school is a direct violation of their right to freedom of religion.

    Without doubt, public schools are bound by this constitutional provision. But, many have argued that private schools are not expected to follow this constitutional provision and that they are at liberty to decide the dress code for students.

    In my opinion, the constitution guarantees the rights of all religions’ adherents, including Muslims, to practice their religions in the best way as stipulated by the tenets of their religions. Section (1) of the 1999 Constitution further goes to declared itself to be supreme and above any other law and enactment.

    The Section (1) states: “This Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on the authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    By the virtue of the supremacy of the Constitution, the regulations laid down by private schools’ proprietors for banning Muslim girls from using hijab contravenes the provisions of the Constitution and as such, it is null and void.

    The private school proprietors’ order is an infringement on the constitution-guaranteed rights of Muslim students to religious freedom and by that, it goes contrary to Section 38(1) of the Constitution and once any regulation goes against the Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail as provided under Section (1), Sub-section (3), which states: “If any other law is inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, this Constitution shall prevail, and that other law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.”

    One of my learned friends argued vehemently that in law, one can waive his rights. If the students are informed before or at the time of admission, and they accept to study there without hijab, it would deemed that they had waived their right to wear hijab in that school.

    Even if any Muslim parent decides to enroll his child to that school after his had been informed about the proprietor’s idea about the use of hijab, that cannot and will not lead to acquiescence because fundamental human rights are actionable anytime you feel like they are being infringed upon or they are likely to be infringed upon.

    Wearing of hijab in private school is constitutionally guarantee and any act, which prevent Muslim from using their hijab, while in school is wrong morally and constitutionally.

    It is noteworthy to state here that Islam is a religion of peace that respects its fundamental tenets and cannot bend its rules for any law formulated by human being. The use of hijab is part and parcel of Islam.

    • Habeeb, 300-Level Law, UDUS

  • Honing graduates’ skills for jobs

    Cadbury Nigeria Plc has hosted some students to A day in Cadbury, a session aimed at honing their skills for employment and building a successful career after school. WALE AJETUNMOBI reports.

    Lack of requisite skills that will improve graduates’ employability is one of the factors that causes unemployment. Lack of mentoring programmes to prepare students for life after graduation also contributes to low employability among graduates.

    Equipping graduates with soft skills and exposing them to workplace experience are crucial to bringing down the rate of employment. This is the objective of a graduate career scheme with the theme: A day in Cadbury, introduced by Cadbury Nigeria Plc, a subsidiary of Mondelēz International, which is aimed at sensitising students and fresh graduates on how they can have successful career after school.

    Sixty-one participants, comprising students and fresh graduates selected from various parts of the country, were hosted for career mentoring at the event held at the corporate headquarters of the company in Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The company’s head of Procurement for West Africa, Mr Tolu Adesalu, harped on the need for setting achievable career goals and having a quest for new skills when he engaged the participants on: Cross-functional team, experience and skills required to succeed in the business world.

    To have a successful career, Adesalu said it would require an employee to have passion for the job and build a strong will in surmounting workplace obstacles, stressing that the confidence to tackle challenges and adaptability to new task would lead to job satisfaction.

    He advised them to be inquisitive and never afraid to volunteer for roles outside their core skills in order to diversify their professional experiences.

    He said: “The more you open and expand your career goals at your place of work, the more you have a better career. In achieving set goals, you need to know there are always obstacles you must deal with. The obstacles might appear impossible to overcome, but the necessity of the goals should be the driving force that will help you realise these goals.

    “Your quest to be better and improve your skillset must never end. You must develop the culture of inquisitiveness. While you are improving on your core skills, it is necessary to also learn skill to have diversity in your career. Never be afraid to volunteer for new roles. No experience is useless.”

    Adesalu also admonished the graduates to take courses that would improve their credentials.

    The head of Human Resources Department, Mr Tope Philips, who spoke on Interviewing tips, emphasised the need to have “good attitude” at a workplace, saying no company would recruit people who have no character.

    An applicant getting a job, he said, starts from the values the applicant projects at point of interview, pointing out that an employer only wanted people that would possess the traits in line with vision of the company.

    He advised the participants to build a network of “important people” who could vouch for their competence and help them to choose good career path.

    Philips said: “There are many multinational companies with different rules of recruitment. But, there is always a common ground for recruiting people to fill open positions. What employers are looking for in curriculum vitae is not the list of competences, but a line that describes that drive and passion of the applicant, which can help the company achieve its organisational goals.

    “Companies have human resources mechanism that can make a fresh graduate with no experience work better, but the employee must demonstrate his passion attitude to help the company projecting its values.”

    He urged the participants not to allow their careers to be driven by their superior, telling them that they could only get job satisfaction and career growth if they are in charge of their career. He also advised the graduates to be careful on the information they share on social media, noting that employers had mechanism to know the character of their potential employees through their social media engagement.

    A senior staff member at Cadbury Nigeria, Ifeoma Chuks, engaged the participants on Enhancing employability skills. The company’s Financial Director, Mrs Yimika, engaged them on The importance of soft skills in the workplace.

    Cadbury Nigeria’s Talent Manager, Erica Imama, said the programme was introduced in response to the inability of fresh graduates to get their dream job because of lack of requisite skills.

    She said the participants were selected based on the business needs of Cadbury, adding that the training would help them secure positions in firms where their skills were required.

    She said: “This programme is designed to equip the participants with employability skills by bringing them in contact with professionals with many years of experience. This will help the participants overcome workplace challenges by mentoring them to build skillset that will give them successful career in their respective fields.

    “For Cadbury, the programme is not a Corporate Social Responsibility; rather, it is a way of giving back to the country where we operate. We undertake the scheme to complement the effort aimed at bringing down unemployment in the country.”

    The participants described the event as “highly inspirational”, urging the firm to sustain the scheme.

    Jenny Ukpai, a graduating Finance student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), said: “I came here with no high expectation because I had attended similar workshops on career. However, this Cadbury programme turns out to be the most valuable event I have attended this year.

    “I have been exposed to basic skills the business world expects from fresh graduates. Now, I have a picture of what I want to be and where I want to be after my graduation from school.”

    Ewah Odianosen, a Chemical Engineering graduate of University of Benin (UNIBEN), said he learnt that loyalty remains a valuable trait to building impressive career.

    “The session taken by Mr Tolu Adesalu was the most inspiring for me. He taught us that loyalty matters in building an impressive career with a company. Despite that he got so many offers elsewhere, he stayed with Cadbury in times of crisis and boom. This is a key value I am taking away from here,” Ewah said.

    Also, Zainab Bada, a Mechanical Engineering graduate of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), said: “I have just known that the leadership roles we take up in school also translate to experience we can use to get jobs. I have learnt how best to write my CV and the need to learn soft skills in addition to my core areas of competence. I am grateful to the Cadbury Nigeria for this chance opportunity to build a rewarding professional career as I prepare to launch myself into the job market.”