Prof. Emmanuel Emovon was the Minister of Science and Technology during the General Ibrahim Babangida-led military administration. He is also a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos. He recently clocked 86 years and wrote a book about his life and the things that shaped his decisions. In this interview with OSAGIE OTABOR, Prof. Emovon, whose wife is Prof Adesuwa Emovon, daughter of Oba Akenzua II, reveals the secrets behind the success of his 57-year-old marriage and explains why he wrote a book to coincide with his 86th birthday. Excerpts:
Why did you choose to write a book about your life at 86?
I have lived in this country for 86 years. I have made some contributions to the development of this country, no matter how modest it is. I didn’t want to close my eyes without those contributions made known to the public. I then decided to write this book. It has come at the late age. I wanted it to encompass everything that I stood for; every contribution I made to this country and my children in particular. Although some of them grew up with me, they may not have known all that I knew. So it will be a monument to them.
I stood for some qualities: humility, hard work and honesty. Those are qualities you lack these days. I also stood for discipline, lack of which is the bane of our society today. There is no discipline. Anybody who reads will discern those qualities.
How did you make out time to write the book?
I retired from active service some years ago. Rather than sit back and watch events, I thought I could put what I did on paper, because a number of my friends told me to write something so that people will make reference.
How long have you been married to your wife?
We have been married since September 6, 1959. That is almost 57 years. We have been living together all these years. She is probably the only one that knows everything about me. Writing that book will fill the gaps in their knowledge of me.
Were you not scared when you approached the daughter of a monarch for marriage?
I had the courage to brace it because I was associated with a number of people from the palace and also attended the school where some of the daughters of the Oba attended. One started nursing ideas at that moment.
What did you tell her that made her to accept you?
It was not a question of sitting down and praising myself. Her brothers were friendly with me and they would have told her who I was. I broke the idea after walking round the family, ensuring that I would not have any opposition—the Oba, the queen, the brothers all said they would be happy. I was someone who had good character, which I thought was a recommendation for me. I was also promising because I was in the university.
What is the secret of spending so many years as a married couple?
There is no secret. What you need for any marriage to succeed is mutual confidence. Your wife must know your thinking just as you know hers. We must be honest with ourselves and, above all, there should be love. It was love that brought us together, and then we worked hard to sustain it. Both of us contributed to make the love blossom.
People think princesses are bossy. What qualities of your wife swept your feet?
That was the attraction to her. She was a humble person. She was not haughty and would not go out to announce that she is a princess. She was humble and firm.
How do you feel being a son in-law to the Oba of Benin?
I feel great.
What pushed you to study Chemistry?
I started out by wanting to become a medical doctor. I did the entrance examination to the University College and passed, but there was no scholarship to study Medicine. The Benin Native Authority called BNA, which encompasses seven local government areas today, advertised for people to be sponsored in the university. I was so sponsored but on condition that I did science and not medicine. I then had no choice but to do science. My choice of Chemistry was after my intermediate examination. I did so well that I was offered a college scholarship. I decided to study Chemistry.
Why is there is a dearth of science teachers?
Having a enough science teachers or researchers has been a problem in this country. A solution was suggested some years back that admission into the university should have 60 per cent science and 40 per cent arts and social sciences. A number of people find science difficult, particularly mathematics, physics and chemistry. Biology is made up of things we can see, but subjects like physics and chemistry look abstract. You don’t see them as you see plants and animals. That is why there is a dearth of science teachers. Only a few of them get to read science in the university.
Since I wanted to study medicine and I diverted into the sciences, there was a disparity in the question of remuneration for social science teachers. Teachers were not well paid. They were looked down upon for a long time in this country. If you studied social science, the sky was the limit. But if you study science, it was said that you would end up in the classroom. Most people gravitated towards the arts and social sciences rather than science. The impression that those subjects are difficult is still there.
As a former Minister for Science and Technology, what things did you put in place?
Before I came in, there were two other ministers who were appointed by Shehu Shagari. I was an official of the Science Association of Nigeria and, of course, the Academy of Science. We pressurised the Shagari administration to set up the Ministry of Science to have a voice in the cabinet of his government. He agreed and appointed one Sylvester Ugwu. He was teaching English at Nsukka. After him, there was another person.
The Buhari coup came and the new administration thought that there was duplication of efforts. He decided to merge education with science and technology and they became one ministry. When Babangida came, he resuscitated the science and technology ministry and I was appointed the minister.
People were not too enthusiastic about science and technology. They did not see any direct relationship between science and technology and the economy. I did my best to ensure that the public was oriented to adopting science as a way of life and as a basis for economic prosperity. We had a number of structures. Raw Materials Research and Development has a big establishment. There is the pharmaceutical research, the Social Science and Technology complex in Abuja. The Seed Bank also provided safety for seeds. They preserved the seeds of plants that were getting extinct. Those things are still subsisting.
I reorganised the research institutes to become more oriented towards productivity because we had results. I set up a lot of committees which yielded fruits; like the committee consisting of bankers, industrialists, deans of science and technology in the universities and the institutes themselves.
What do you think would make science and technology develop?
We have taken some positive steps to make sure that the sciences are ingrained in this country. Everybody is now aware that science and technology should be the basis for economic development. Places like the Asian Tigers invested in science and technology. That was how they caught up with Europe. One thing that is lacking in us at the moment is the will. With good remuneration, you can get people to carry out research. Some of them are beginning to come back because we have taken a positive step to ensure we get to the right place in 2020.
How do you spend your time?
I am a chief of the Benin Palace. I spent my time at the palace, stay at home, do some reading and play some games. During my youthful days, I was a sportsman. Even though my legs are not strong enough, I still play snooker and others.
You played cricket in your secondary school days. Why do you think the enamel of cricket is yet develop in the country?
It is unfortunate because cricket is not just a game, it teaches morals. Unfortunately, the equipment for cricket is expensive. In those days, it was only government colleges that played cricket. The mission schools were not interested. They played football but not cricket. In my school, Edo College, we played cricket because we had a big field, which is lacking these days in most schools. When I got to the university, I continued playing cricket. They are trying now in this country to raise a team to compete in the world cricket games, but the effort is concentrated in Lagos.
What steps do you think should be taken to develop cricket at the grassroots?
They cannot develop cricket at the grassroots here like they do in the West Indies. Over there, cricket is the alternative to football. You don’t hear about football there. Every person plays cricket in the West Indies. It is an expensive thing and government has not been too willing to fund the game as it should. The balls are expensive.
Lack of quality education has been the bane of the country’s development. What steps should be taken for us to get to the right place?
Government should regard education as the bedrock of development. We are still lagging behind in the literacy level. We should be able to invest in education so as to provide the necessary infrastructure, which is in a shambles. Government should concentrate on improving facilities at the universities. Investment is the basis and good monitoring with the money provided. UNESCO has said 25 per cent of national income should be devoted to education. What they release is pittance to what is needed.
Did you allow your children determine the courses they studied?
Somehow, I did guide them, but not force them. They have their interest but I still tell them stories of what I wanted to do.
What lessons did you learn from your father that shaped your personality life?
The first is discipline. My father was a disciplinarian, so he ensured that we were all disciplined. The second thing is selflessness. He thought us to be generous. My mother always gave people the bean cake she used to fry. Steadfastness, firmness and humility were the things that stand me out.
You said that you got scholarship from the Benin Native Authority. Why can’t the present day Benin Traditional Council continue same to help indigent students?
The structure is very different these days. The BNA took overall management of the whole of Benin Division. In those days, we had the Benin Province. We had a lot of forest which yielded money for the BNA, which has been taken over by government and over-exploited by the people through issuance of licenses. These were sources of income and BNA was reputed to be one of the richest in the west of those days until all the changes now occurred. There were only three local government areas in Benin Division.
Why they cannot do it now is that whatever allocation came to them went through the state government to the local government. How much of that money came to them, I don’t know. The type of council set up also drains money. You have all sorts of departments. The amount they were getting in those days was pittance.
What is your advice to the younger generation?
They must adopt the spirit of discipline and hard work. Mountains are not climbed by merely looking at them. Many youths want to get to the top without work. They don’t have patience and honest living. They should be determined. Why did you choose to write a book about your life at 86?
I have lived in this country for 86 years. I have made some contributions to the development of this country, no matter how modest it is. I didn’t want to close my eyes without those contributions made known to the public. I then decided to write this book. It has come at the late age. I wanted it to encompass everything that I stood for; every contribution I made to this country and my children in particular. Although some of them grew up with me, they may not have known all that I knew. So it will be a monument to them.
I stood for some qualities: humility, hard work and honesty. Those are qualities you lack these days. I also stood for discipline, lack of which is the bane of our society today. There is no discipline. Anybody who reads will discern those qualities.
How did you make out time to write the book?
I retired from active service some years ago. Rather than sit back and watch events, I thought I could put what I did on paper, because a number of my friends told me to write something so that people will make reference.
How long have you been married to your wife?
We have been married since September 6, 1959. That is almost 57 years. We have been living together all these years. She is probably the only one that knows everything about me. Writing that book will fill the gaps in their knowledge of me.
Were you not scared when you approached the daughter of a monarch for marriage?
I had the courage to brace it because I was associated with a number of people from the palace and also attended the school where some of the daughters of the Oba attended. One started nursing ideas at that moment.
What did you tell her that made her to accept you?
It was not a question of sitting down and praising myself. Her brothers were friendly with me and they would have told her who I was. I broke the idea after walking round the family, ensuring that I would not have any opposition—the Oba, the queen, the brothers all said they would be happy. I was someone who had good character, which I thought was a recommendation for me. I was also promising because I was in the university.
What is the secret of spending so many years as a married couple?
There is no secret. What you need for any marriage to succeed is mutual confidence. Your wife must know your thinking just as you know hers. We must be honest with ourselves and, above all, there should be love. It was love that brought us together, and then we worked hard to sustain it. Both of us contributed to make the love blossom.
People think princesses are bossy. What qualities of your wife swept your feet?
That was the attraction to her. She was a humble person. She was not haughty and would not go out to announce that she is a princess. She was humble and firm.
How do you feel being a son in-law to the Oba of Benin?
I feel great.
What pushed you to study Chemistry?
I started out by wanting to become a medical doctor. I did the entrance examination to the University College and passed, but there was no scholarship to study Medicine. The Benin Native Authority called BNA, which encompasses seven local government areas today, advertised for people to be sponsored in the university. I was so sponsored but on condition that I did science and not medicine. I then had no choice but to do science. My choice of Chemistry was after my intermediate examination. I did so well that I was offered a college scholarship. I decided to study Chemistry.
Why is there is a dearth of science teachers?
Having a enough science teachers or researchers has been a problem in this country. A solution was suggested some years back that admission into the university should have 60 per cent science and 40 per cent arts and social sciences. A number of people find science difficult, particularly mathematics, physics and chemistry. Biology is made up of things we can see, but subjects like physics and chemistry look abstract. You don’t see them as you see plants and animals. That is why there is a dearth of science teachers. Only a few of them get to read science in the university.
Since I wanted to study medicine and I diverted into the sciences, there was a disparity in the question of remuneration for social science teachers. Teachers were not well paid. They were looked down upon for a long time in this country. If you studied social science, the sky was the limit. But if you study science, it was said that you would end up in the classroom. Most people gravitated towards the arts and social sciences rather than science. The impression that those subjects are difficult is still there.
As a former Minister for Science and Technology, what things did you put in place?
Before I came in, there were two other ministers who were appointed by Shehu Shagari. I was an official of the Science Association of Nigeria and, of course, the Academy of Science. We pressurised the Shagari administration to set up the Ministry of Science to have a voice in the cabinet of his government. He agreed and appointed one Sylvester Ugwu. He was teaching English at Nsukka. After him, there was another person.
The Buhari coup came and the new administration thought that there was duplication of efforts. He decided to merge education with science and technology and they became one ministry. When Babangida came, he resuscitated the science and technology ministry and I was appointed the minister.
People were not too enthusiastic about science and technology. They did not see any direct relationship between science and technology and the economy. I did my best to ensure that the public was oriented to adopting science as a way of life and as a basis for economic prosperity. We had a number of structures. Raw Materials Research and Development has a big establishment. There is the pharmaceutical research, the Social Science and Technology complex in Abuja. The Seed Bank also provided safety for seeds. They preserved the seeds of plants that were getting extinct. Those things are still subsisting.
I reorganised the research institutes to become more oriented towards productivity because we had results. I set up a lot of committees which yielded fruits; like the committee consisting of bankers, industrialists, deans of science and technology in the universities and the institutes themselves.
What do you think would make science and technology develop?
We have taken some positive steps to make sure that the sciences are ingrained in this country. Everybody is now aware that science and technology should be the basis for economic development. Places like the Asian Tigers invested in science and technology. That was how they caught up with Europe. One thing that is lacking in us at the moment is the will. With good remuneration, you can get people to carry out research. Some of them are beginning to come back because we have taken a positive step to ensure we get to the right place in 2020.
How do you spend your time?
I am a chief of the Benin Palace. I spent my time at the palace, stay at home, do some reading and play some games. During my youthful days, I was a sportsman. Even though my legs are not strong enough, I still play snooker and others.
You played cricket in your secondary school days. Why do you think the enamel of cricket is yet develop in the country?
It is unfortunate because cricket is not just a game, it teaches morals. Unfortunately, the equipment for cricket is expensive. In those days, it was only government colleges that played cricket. The mission schools were not interested. They played football but not cricket. In my school, Edo College, we played cricket because we had a big field, which is lacking these days in most schools. When I got to the university, I continued playing cricket. They are trying now in this country to raise a team to compete in the world cricket games, but the effort is concentrated in Lagos.
What steps do you think should be taken to develop cricket at the grassroots?
They cannot develop cricket at the grassroots here like they do in the West Indies. Over there, cricket is the alternative to football. You don’t hear about football there. Every person plays cricket in the West Indies. It is an expensive thing and government has not been too willing to fund the game as it should. The balls are expensive.
Lack of quality education has been the bane of the country’s development. What steps should be taken for us to get to the right place?
Government should regard education as the bedrock of development. We are still lagging behind in the literacy level. We should be able to invest in education so as to provide the necessary infrastructure, which is in a shambles. Government should concentrate on improving facilities at the universities. Investment is the basis and good monitoring with the money provided. UNESCO has said 25 per cent of national income should be devoted to education. What they release is pittance to what is needed.
Did you allow your children determine the courses they studied?
Somehow, I did guide them, but not force them. They have their interest but I still tell them stories of what I wanted to do.
What lessons did you learn from your father that shaped your personality life?
The first is discipline. My father was a disciplinarian, so he ensured that we were all disciplined. The second thing is selflessness. He thought us to be generous. My mother always gave people the bean cake she used to fry. Steadfastness, firmness and humility were the things that stand me out.
You said that you got scholarship from the Benin Native Authority. Why can’t the present day Benin Traditional Council continue same to help indigent students?
The structure is very different these days. The BNA took overall management of the whole of Benin Division. In those days, we had the Benin Province. We had a lot of forest which yielded money for the BNA, which has been taken over by government and over-exploited by the people through issuance of licenses. These were sources of income and BNA was reputed to be one of the richest in the west of those days until all the changes now occurred. There were only three local government areas in Benin Division.
Why they cannot do it now is that whatever allocation came to them went through the state government to the local government. How much of that money came to them, I don’t know. The type of council set up also drains money. You have all sorts of departments. The amount they were getting in those days was pittance.
What is your advice to the younger generation?
They must adopt the spirit of discipline and hard work. Mountains are not climbed by merely looking at them. Many youths want to get to the top without work. They don’t have patience and honest living. They should be determined.
