Category: Sunday Interview

Special Adviser to Lagos State Government on Education, Tokunbo Wahab, in this interview with ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA, speaks on the crisis in tertiary institutions in the state and why applications in colleges of education are going south.

The tenure of the Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University will expire by January. There have been undercurrents on succession, amid disenchantment by some lecturers.

First, let me say there is no crisis in LASU. Besides, there is nothing that stops people from having ambition, so long as it is within the confines of the enabling law. Prof (Lanre) Fagbohun (LASU Vice-Chancellor) will be leaving by January 11, so it is natural that people will realign forces to be vice chancellor. However, what you can’t take away from him is that he (together with the Governing Council) has brought peace to the campus.  The university has had unprecedented back to back convocation for four and half years. Our desire is to maintain that peace.

Some members of the unions in AOCOED recently had an altercation with some top principal officers of the college. What is your stance on this?

I’m a stickler for rules, and you have to show me where the law allows the union to beat up top principal officers of the school. I’m a lawyer by profession, so the unions are free to challenge me if my stance is wrong.

The unionists, 24 of them, beat up the Bursar, Registrar and Chief Security Officer (CSO); locked up their offices, pasted obituary of them on campus. As the SAE to the Governor, I have a dual role. I will act as surrogate council first and then take up the report as SAE. I have issued them a query demanding explanation for their actions. However because of the rule of fair hearing, I won’t sit in panel over them. I won’t be a judge in my own case.

But the unions said government has not been fair to them over their whistle-blowing role.

To me, what they did was not explainable under any tenet of unionism. The workers were claiming that both the Bursar and Registrar did certain things that were not normal. But is that enough reason for them to take the law into their hands? They are supposed to have reached the government via a petition and we shall draw the attention of the affected principal officers to the allegations. It might interest you to know that we also issued these people (Bursar and Registrar) a query mandating them to respond to the allegations within 24 hours, which they have since done.  However, that will not take away the error the unions committed by manhandling top principal officers. That is a criminal case.  I won’t take my eyes off that.

Government just appointed an Acting Rector for the Lagos State Polytechnic. This is amid the demands by workers for the release of the White Paper by the Visitation Panel set up to look into the crisis that rocked the institution for the better part of last year.

The state we met Lagos State Polytechnic was not satisfactory. The school was shut down for six months and then reopened. I recall that Mr. Governor made a promise to set up a visitation panel, which he eventually did. Unfortunately, owing to the interruptions by theCovid-19 pandemic, the report could not be submitted on time. I am however happy that the report is now ready.

Interestingly, the tenure of the outgoing Rector lapsed on the 31st of May. The Law is very clear on this. We must appoint an Ag. Rector, usually for a six-month period. However, the newly appointed Acting Rector who is currently the most senior of the principal officers has also applied.  So, logically, we made him Ag. Rector for a period of three months instead of six months – because we want to give everybody a level-playing field.

We have shortlisted 17 people for the Rectorship.  As a government, we will play our own part dispassionately.

Workers in Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED) are still agitating over unpaid arrears.

First, you need to understand the history of MOCPED under the immediate past Provost. When he died, we discovered lots of financial holes. On appointment of another Provost, the state had to give them a bailout fund in hundreds of millions to clear arrears that were owed.

But the unions have described the bailout as a drop in the ocean.

Unions are like that; they will continue to crave for more. They have to look inwards and find ways to make that place viable, so that more people will apply there as students.

When you ask colleges to seek ways of generating income, the first thing they do is increase tuition. This is against the backdrop that NCE is recording low enrolment every year.

Can I ask you a question? Can you send your own child to go and do NCE? Why not Bachelor in Education? I have given both of them the option of looking at universities they can partner with which will make them viable. MOCPED is for primary education, while AOCOED is for secondary. They need to look at a bigger picture. Lots of jobs will become redundant. We’ll keep funding them to meet up their personnel. But while we do that, they must also make up for research and other things. I’m happy both of them now have affiliations with universities and changing the narratives.

Nigeria health workers in the forefront of Covid-19 pandemic fight share their struggles and pains, literally pulling the rug off the feet of the federal and state governments’ claims of sufficient protective gears and improved allowances, writes TAIWO ALIMI.

In between walking and running, Fatima Yusuf (not real name) made her way briskly to the bus stop to join the official vehicle that has been taking her to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja (LASUTH) since the Covid-19 pandemic landed in Lagos and spread rapidly across Nigeria.

The single mother of two (six and two year-olds respectively) is lucky that school had shut down and she didn’t have to move in between her children’s school and crèche before heading to LASUTH. Even now, at the height of the pandemic, the nurse has had to bring in her younger sister to babysit the children.

“I work from 8AM to 5PM every-day except on my off-days, which is twice a week. Sometimes, I’m on night schedule and have to leave my children in the hands of my younger sister, who had moved in with us since the pandemic emergency.”

However, this morning, Yusuf, who has been in the service of Lagos State for close to 15 years and nearing the post of matron, is not worried about her children, rather, she is worried about the risk of contracting coronavirus at her work place and taking it home to her family and friends.

“It is like going to war everyday and thinking that you may join the growing list of your colleagues who had tested positive for the virus.”

Though not working in Covid-19 isolation center, she said more health workers had contracted the virus in private, state and federal hospitals than at isolation centers. “At this point in time, we are very careful because patients carrying the virus come to general hospitals without knowing. Some even lie about their symptoms out of ignorance or sheer wickedness.”

Chikwe Ihekeazu, Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on June 3, 2020, while addressing the media in Abuja, said over 800 Nigerian health workers have been infected with coronavirus. “We have had 812 care workers infected; they are not just numbers; 29 of these, work for NCDC. They are people I know. They have families, wives and children.”

As at June 14, 2020, Nigeria had recorded 16,085 confirmed cases and 10,445 active cases with 5,220 discharged and 420 deaths. About 5 percent of the cases are health workers.

Yusuf’s friend and co-health worker, who also wants to be anonymous, feared the number may be more.

Empty promises

She put a loll to the recent claim of government on increment of hazard allowance for health workers from N5,000 to N25,000, quantity and quality of medical items supplied and improved insurance scheme and better remuneration.

On April 28, Olorunnimbe Mamora, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, during the daily Presidential Task Force briefing on Covid-19, said the federal government will henceforth pay improved hazard allowance from the previous N5, 000, which had been in on since 1991. He said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed with health professional associations and unions regarding this.

In his words: “A special Covid-19 Hazard and Inducement Allowance of 50 per cent of the Consolidated Basic Salary is to be paid to all health workers in all Federal Government Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centers and at designated Covid-19 Centers and Primary Health Care Centers to last the first three months in the first instance.

“40 per cent of the Consolidated Basic Salary would be paid as special Covid-19 Hazard and Inducement Allowance to health workers at special Non-Public Hospitals and clinics in the Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for same three months period,” Mamora said.

This is coming behind the April 21, 2020 public declaration by the Lagos State government. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, through a circular dated April 21, 2020, and signed by Hakeem Muri-Okunola, Head of Service, titled ‘Increment Of Hazard Allowance For Health Officers In Lagos State Public Service,’ had raised hazard allowance of health workers in the state to N25,000 for the month of April.

The circular read in part: “In appreciation of the dedication of all health officers in Lagos State to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as well as their hazardous exposure to the highly contagious disease.

“It is hereby notified for general information that Mr Governor has approved the increment of hazard allowance for all health officers in Lagos State from N5,000 to N25,000 for the month of April, 2020.”

Yusuf declared that they have only collected the improved hazard allowance once, at the end of April. “May is over and we are yet to get it,” she noted.

Inadequate protective supplies

She said the state is, however, lacking in the area of protective items for her health workers.

“When you look at medical items available, it is grossly inadequate. Twenty-four nurses are expected to share two PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Only eight face shields are supplied for 65 staff, and 40 face masks are given by the government for 65 staff. Twenty-four nurses are mandated to use one bottle of soap for three days.”

She also said, “There is no ventilator anywhere for medical staff in case of emergency, and hand sanitisers supplied are grossly insufficient.

“Nigerian health workers are infected with Covid-19 because they are not well protected with PPE and do not observe mandatory safety measures. We are advised to buy some items by ourselves.

“The bottom-line is that there is no accountability. The employees do not trust the employers because there is no transparency. When there is transparency, the employee will be more engaged and committed,” Yusuf said.

A visit to LASUTH revealed that patients are made to come with their medical hand protection before they are given attention by nurses and doctors. Those who do not come with it are advised to buy in a nearby pharmacy or turned back.

Federal hospitals

At the federal level, Dr Kehinde (not real name) of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), a federal hospital in Lagos, reported that they have not been paid the new hazard allowance.

“You can see the number of health workers that have been infected. We have been told to buy protective items and gears with our money because what is supplied by the government can’t go round. We are not protected in any way.”

Speaking with The Nation on Sunday, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, President of The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), said governments are not sincere in their claims and provisions for health workers.

“We think there is no sincerity in the way and manner government is handling this matter. The life insurance they claimed they have procured for doctors and other health care workers is only on the pages of newspapers. We demand immediate implementation of the revised hazard allowance and payment of Covid-19 inducement allowance.

“As I speak to you, I have just been informed of the death of one of our colleagues – Dr. Nas, who incidentally was my classmate in medical school. So, the point is that as people keep dying, what do we tell their families and relations? Is it that we are just watching them die, while government is doing nothing and we are not saying anything?

“What is worse is that in some states, the government has decided to further add salt to injury. They waited until Covid-19 time to slash doctors and other health care workers’ salaries. Kaduna State government, for instance, recently cut the salaries of health workers by twenty-five (25) percent.

“The federal government on its own agreed to review the hazard allowance of healthcare workers in Nigeria, which was widely published and publicised. Three months down the lane, nothing has been done. Our hazard allowance, even as at May, is still reflecting the N5,000, which they claimed they have reviewed,” Sokomba added.

Lagos State remains the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria. By June 14, 2020, she had confirmed 7,103 cases, with 5,884 still in isolation centres, 1,137 cured and discharged and 82 deaths.

Lagos is followed by FCT Abuja; 1,247 confirmed cases, 858 on admission, 363 discharged and 26 deaths. Kano State is in third place with 1,137 cases, 461 in admission, 626 discharged and 50 deaths.

Kano fatal fate

Further investigation revealed that the fate of health workers in Kano State is even more fatal.

Dr Tijani Hussain, Co-ordinator, Kano State Taskforce on Covid-19, while confirming 47 medical workers that tested positive for coronavirus in the state, said the state government had begun training of health workers and seeks to make them more secure and comfortable.

However, Kabiru Minjibir, Nigeria Labour Union chairman (Kano Chapter) in swift reaction said the government of Governor Ibrahim Ganduje is not taking the welfare of health workers seriously. This is coming on the heels of recent slashing of salaries of Kano workers-including health workers.

Minjibir said: “It is a serious problem if the Kano government can decide to slash salaries of health workers at this point in time. It is against the agreement sent to the legislature by the executive and signed by the president.”

He noted that health workers in the state do not have access to basic protective gears against Covid-19. “We have been bombarded with complaints from frontline health workers in the state who are been denied hazard allowance and should they down tool, we would back them without looking back.”

Following our recent interview with Pa John Dada Obafemi, president and member, Board of Trustees, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), titled ‘My Life as a teacher, soldier and preacher by 106-year old Nigerian (May 10 and May 17), in which he partly spoke about his years as a preacher and church official and the intrigues that led to the division in the church, reactions have been streaming in. One of such is that by Pastor Abraham Olukunle Akinosun, current president of the church, who insisted in this online interview with GBOYEGA ALAKA, that the centenarian was economical with the truth.

In an interview with the former President and Trustee of CAC, Pastor John Dada Obafemi, he said God spared his life in order to ensure the CAC crisis is settled. Why does it look like the GEC is frustrating his efforts?

Let me first state that Pastor Obafemi, as former President of CAC is our father in the Lord. It is not my wish to join issues with him in the press. But this interview is sequel to an interview he had earlier granted your esteemed newspaper, which has become a public document.

Let me correct the first error in the question. Pastor Obafemi was a trustee of the Church until 2015. But the General Executive Council of the church at a meeting in October, 2015 removed him for running afoul of the church’s disciplinary committee standard. He went to court to challenge his removal and the court turned down his plea.

To the issue of settlement of CAC crisis, Pastor Obafemi gave you truncated truth, which is worse than half-truth because it is only the aspect favourable to him that he narrated. It is therefore outright falsehood. But, like I said earlier, I don’t want to join issues with him. All I can say is that since Pastor Obafemi retired as the president of the church in 1997, he, like all other retired officers, has never taken part in decision making process or appointments in the church. All retired officers of the church are expected to take their well deserved rest; their only link being to receive their retirement benefit and occasionally grace church celebration on invitation.

The church constitution spells out how officers are to be appointed, so the idea of a retired officer settling the crisis in the church does not suffice.

Pastor Obafemi became president three years after the crisis started. He was antagonised and attacked during his tenure by the same opponents who are still opposed to the church. Several times, he was taken to court by the same people. There were times he was dragged to police stations by the same people during his tenure as president between 1993 and 1997. He had all the opportunities in the world to end the crisis to his satisfaction, but he didn’t.

To finally answer your question, if a father wants to settle a quarrel between two of his children, the way to go is to be neutral, but aside that he had no constitutional power to initiate such settlement, he was a combatant on the side of those who had opposed him while he was president, because it was convenient for him to use the opportunity of the lingering crisis to remove somebody he didn’t like from office and pave way for his preferred candidate.

So, there was no time the General Executive Council, the highest decision making body of the church, frustrated Pastor Obafemi in resolving the crisis in the church. But the disciplinary committee of the church had to invite him, when it was observed that he was carrying out anti-church activities.

What were these anti-Church activities? 

Pastor Obafemi never took part in what was going on in the church between 1997 and 2012. In 2012, he and a member of the GEC then, Elder Samuel Olatunji, opposed Pastor E. H. L. Olusheye, then outgoing president of the church for appointing officers without following constitutional provisions. Pastor Obafemi used his status as a trustee to sue Pastor Olusheye and the newly appointed officers then. Two months after the case was filed in court, both parties in the dispute agreed to settle out of court as they all reasoned that the GEC should not be seen or heard to be opposing themselves. The terms of settlement, which both parties agreed upon, was later filed in court as the consent and final judgment of the Federal High Court, which adjudicated on the matter.

One of the provisions of the terms of settlement was that the newly appointed officers should revert back to the positions they were holding before their appointments. So, as the newly appointed president at the time, I reverted back to General Superintendent. The pastor appointed as General Superintendent had resigned even before the conclusion of the case. Another provision of the terms of settlement stated that the General Executive Council, which has the power to appoint new officers, should appoint both the president and the General Superintendent. Don’t forget that I had reverted to my former position as General Superintendent. Part of the provision of the terms of settlement stated that every aspect of the church administration must be governed by the constitution. In line with that provision, I, being the highest officer of the church at the time, was acting as president, since the then president (Pastor Olusheye) had retired.

In April 2012, the GEC eventually called a meeting of its members to Ikeji Arakeji, with the aim of appointing new officers. It was at that GEC meeting that I was reappointed president and Late Pastor M. O. Agbaje emerged as General Superintendent. From then on, it was clear that Pastor Obafemi didn’t like how I emerged. In 2014, when it was time for the appointment of another General Superintendent because the incumbent was retiring, the GEC again met and appointed the current General Superintendent, Pastor S. O. Oladele. Pastor Olusheye was vehemently opposed to this appointment. He told me several times that the appointment must be changed. But I told him repeatedly that since the appointment was made in line with the provision of the church’s constitution, I would not be able to change it. It was at that stage that Pastor Olusheye, who had not been in friendly relationship with Pastor Obafemi, went to persuade him to join forces to fight the officers of the church.

Pastor Olusheye was a well-loved pastor, but I must add that he believed the end justifies the means. Whenever he wanted to achieve anything, he wouldn’t spare any means, no matter how crooked. The first step he took was to go to the same people he fought for the 17 years of his presidency and join forces with them. The second step was to reconcile with Pastor Obafemi. Don’t forget that Pastor Obafemi didn’t like how I emerged as president in 2012, and Pastor Olusheye, on the other hand, didn’t like the new General Superintendent. In order to remove us, both now saw the two of us (myself and Pastor Oladele) as their common enemy. They therefore decamped into the fold of the opposition which had fought them while they were in office. The same opposition, which our administration was still fighting at the time. The third step Pastor Olusheye took was to go to a court to swear to a false affidavit claiming that the certificate of incorporation he used to rule over the Church for 17 years was fake. He said the so-called certificate of incorporation of 1985, which was in the possession of the opposition was the authentic certificate.

In 2011, the church had won a landmark case on the issue of certificate of incorporation. The Federal High Court presided over by Justice Stephen Adah, as he then was, had ruled that the certificate of incorporation of 1995 which made both Pastors Obafemi and Olusheye as well as others, members of the board of trustees was the authentic certificate of incorporation and that since the constitution of the church was registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission in 1998, the only authentic ruling body in the affairs of CAC is the General Executive Council.

As at that time in 2015, the supreme council’s appeal against the judgment of the Federal High Court which we won, was still in the Appeal Court. Pastor Olusheye and Obafemi now went behind the church to sabotage the landmark judgment by formulating terms of settlement, which would nullify the judgment and oust all the rights the judgment gave us. In the provisions of the mischievous terms of settlement, they ousted the right of the GEC to rely on the judgement of the Federal High Court. They said the church crisis was over and new officers they would appoint with Pastor Olusheye at the helm, would rule the church for six months. To enable them file the fake terms of settlement in court, they removed overnight, the lawyer who had fought the litigation from Federal High Court to the Appeal Court, claiming they were the trustees of the church. But we thank God that we appointed another lawyer to represent us. It was in court on September 30, 2015 that we saw the new terms of settlement they filed.

So, the GEC Disciplinary Committee now invited Pastors Obafemi and Olusheye to come and defend their action as spelt out in the constitution of the church which appointed them. They refused to show up and the Disciplinary Committee recommended their removal as trustees to the GEC. The GEC eventually approved the decision and the General Council later ratified it. Pastor Obafemi later went to court to challenge his removal but he lost. The court ruled that the General Executive Council has the power to remove any erring trustee.

Pastor Obafemi alleged that Pastor Olusheye single-handedly appointed you as president and imposed you on the Church. He took the matter to court and he won, yet you have remained in the  office in clear violation of that court victory, why is this so? 

Following the complain in court by Pastor Obafemi and Elder Olatunji that my appointment (as president) and C.S Fasuyi (as general superintendent) did not follow the provisions of the church’s constitution, some well-meaning individuals intervened that the case be settled out of court. Pastor Obafemi, Pastor Olusheye and those of us who were joined in the suit as respondents then met with our lawyers to draft terms of settlement. The terms of settlement made three important provisions:

1. That all officers appointed should vacate their new offices and revert to their former positions.
2. That the GEC, which has the power to appoint new officers, should perform the duty vested in it by the constitution.
3. That the General Superintendent, shall, in line with the constitution of Christ Apostolic Church, deputise or act for the president in the absence of the president.

These terms were accepted by all parties and filed as the final judgment of the court in the case in February, 2012.

But there was an element of intrigue introduced by Pastor Obafemi soon after. He phoned the then General Secretary, Pastor Gideon Okegwemeh to call a meeting of some people, to hold in his house. Okegwemeh asked what the agenda would be, to which Pastor Obafemi replied that it was to appoint the church’s president and General Superintendent.

Pastor Okegwemeh had to remind him that he (Pastor Obafemi) went to court because he felt the appointment made by Pastor Olusheye was not constitutional and that this one he was planning would also not be constitutional and other people would likely go to court. He then appealed to Pastor Obafemi to allow the GEC to do its work.

Meanwhile, as a result of the judgment I reverted to my former position as General Superintendent. But there was already vacancy for the position of President because the former President, Pastor Olusheye had retired by January 2012. According to our constitution, when the position of president is vacant, the general superintendent would act for him until another one is appointed. I combined these two positions until April 2012 when the General Executive Council called a meeting where I was formally appointed as the substantive president, while Pastor Agbaje was appointed as the General Superintendent. I was appointed because in our constitution, anybody to be appointed into the position of president must have held office as the General Superintendent. That means I was the only eligible candidate for the position of President.

Consequently, he alleged that you also stopped his entitlement. Was that a punishment?

The problem is that Pastor Obafemi often mixes issues together. I, as Pastor Akinosun never stopped his entitlement. When the coup he plotted with Pastor Olusheye failed, he and Pastor Olusheye were invited by the Disciplinary Committee of the General Executive Council. The Disciplinary Committee of the GEC is constitutionally empowered to investigate cases of infractions committed by any officer. So, when the committee received complaint of the conspiracy and attempt by the officers to fraudulently void a monumental judgment in favour of the church, the committee invited the two former presidents but they refused to show up. The committee then recommended that their entitlements be withheld pending the time they would appear. When eventually they didn’t appear before the committee, it then recommended that they be removed as trustees. The GEC later affirmed these recommendations, but pleaded with us to pay them and the GEC later resolved to pay their entitlements.

Let me state that it was when I became President that I got the GEC to raise Pastor Obafemi’s allowance generously. You can ask him, he was on N25,000 before I raised it by several hundreds percent.

Pastor Obafemi claims that he is the only surviving trustee of CAC, one feels that if you don’t respect his age, you should have given him the honour to settle this crisis because of his status as the only surviving trustee.

Pastor Obafemi is no longer a trustee of the church. As for allowing him to settle the crisis, if he had approached the issue as a neutral arbitrator, nobody would oppose him. But he came into the fray as a combatant on the side of our opponents.

I understand you have also exceeded the 75 year limit, as stipulated in the constitution, yet you are still president.

The practice in the church is to send you on retirement at the end of the year you reach 75. It does not matter whether you become 75 in January or any other month in the year. I am not the only one who is enjoying this privilege. Pastor Olusheye became 75 on January 3rd 2012. But he stayed till December 31, 2012 before he proceeded on retirement. That is the reason I am still in service.

Pastor Obafemi said your insistence that the Supreme Council should beg your GEC and that you will only give them assistant positions are the issues preventing the unification of the Church. How far is this correct?

This is totally incorrect. We thank God that in spite of the intrigues by some people who were behind the recent activism of Pastor Obafemi, members of the Supreme Council, on their own, have seen the need to settle the crisis. We have proceeded well in peace negotiations and we almost reached final stage when we would announce to the general public that we have ended this crisis. Our position in the GEC is this: what was the cause of this crisis? Having identified the main cause to be indiscipline, how do we eliminate the causes and forge lasting unity? We believe in the GEC that if our brothers and sisters in the Supreme faction have what is required to fill any positions, they will be appointed into the positions.

But it is unfortunate that at the time we have moved far in the peace process, another crisis brewed from within our brothers’ camp, which split them into factions. What we are doing now is to get the factions united so that we can come together as a church.

Would you be willing to meet with Baba and settle all issues once and for all?

Despite our differences, we are meeting. I and some members of the Supreme Council were with Baba on January 11, 2020. Baba called me during this covid-19 lockdown to advise me on certain things he wanted us to do as our corporate social responsibility. He was glad when I told him we had done what he advised.

Baba is such a father we all respect a lot. His approach to the issue was the only thing that created differences between us.

It’s the season of the new normal and one sector already taking a dive, adopting the e-learning innovation, is education. But how well and how far can the people adapt to this new method? OMOLARA AKINTOYE explores the challenges for parents, teachers and students.

Mrs. Deborah Uchenna woke up that early morning with a serious hangover. She tried hard to remember what was on her mind before she fell asleep the previous day – she is a mother of four, with the eldest, Chima, in SS2; closely followed by Chioma who is in JS 3; while the last two are in the lower basics 2 and 5.

Suddenly she remembered. She didn’t have a kobo to buy data for her children to go online that day. It has not been easy for Mrs. Uchenna in the past one and half months, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic and all its repercussions. The whole economy has been literally grounded for almost 2 months; her husband, who worked in an I.T firm came home two weeks ago with a “Disengagement Letter” – stating that his service was no longer needed. Her children’s school, on the other hand, has adopted the online e-learning technique to reach out to its pupils and ensure that learning does not stop altogether, meaning more expenses via data. To make matters worse, Mrs. Uchenna’s business has not been moving fine – no thanks to the pandemic. Having to therefore add the burden of buying data, and of course fuel for her generator, due to incessant power failure, looks quite like a herculean task. That was what brought about her hangover.

The Alade family children, comprising Ife, Biola and Wole, could however not be involved in the online learning because their parents could not  afford a laptop, and have resorted to going to their neighbour’s house – whose parents could afford Ipads and laptops, to borrow and copy notes. Already, Ife and Biola are complaining to their parents because this has meant them lagging behind and playing catch-up. They have also missed out on tests, assignments and many others.

Theirs, however, is just one out of several other Nigerian children facing the same plight at this time.

March 2020 will for a long time be remembered as the month the education community the world over, witnessed total schools shut down – as a result of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. The speed of these closures and the rapid move to distance learning/e-learning has allowed little time for proper planning and migration.

At least 1.5 billion students and over 80 million primary and secondary teachers are affected by this school shut down in 191 countries. Research also revealed that half the total number students – nearly 830 million do not have access to a computer, and more than 40% do not have internet access at home.

Disparity, a major threat to education

According to education advocates, this disparity could be a major threat to education.

A teacher at Chrisland Schools Limited, Lagos, who preferred anonymity, said e-learning has been quite successful so far, as the school is using various online platforms such as Zoom, Google classroom, Edmodo etc to reach out to the pupils. “We have kept learners occupied academically. Using same platforms, we were able to complete the second term examination, which had begun before the compulsory Covid-19 break. Our school has always been in the forefront on child protection, hence our parents were carried along throughout the processes. Through the Parents’ Forum provided by some of these platforms mentioned above, parents were able to monitor the online activities and academic progress of their kids.”

He also said e-learning has a lot of advantages both for the learners and the educators or teachers, chief of which is helping them to acquire some essential computer skills.

He, however, admitted that the new learning mode is not without its challenges. “Sometimes, students are not punctual and because some of these ICT tools and e-learning platforms are relatively new to our secondary school education system, some kids tend to abuse the usage. However, most of the kids were very cooperative and used the gadgets and tools solely for academic and research purposes.

There is also the challenge of power supply and erratic internet network. In a situation where parents cannot guarantee these, e-learning would not be sustainable.

He also conceded that the high poverty level in the country will make this type of learning unaffordable for the common man. Data, laptops, desk tops etc all come at great costs.

The Chrisland teacher, however, believes that e-learning has a bright, exciting future in Nigeria and has come to stay. He said the advantage of this method has been further accentuated by the lockdown situation.

Parents express mixed reactions

A parent, Mr. Ikpe Nkanang, who is Managing Director at Benig Nig. Ltd, a logistics company, said most of what his children do are manual, in note books, although assignments are given through internet.

According to him, “E-Learning is a good development, as most parents are around to supervise and monitor their wards. It also exposes the kids to the use of the internet in a wider capacity than when they were only browsing for solutions to specific questions. Their scope of reasoning has also expanded. Research and comparison of works done has exposed them to new ideas.”

He was, however, quick to point out that the new method has its challenges. “One of my kids needs special attention. He is easily distracted and has a tendency to venture into areas not suitable for kids.

“Also, getting the teachers to respond to each pupil takes time and as such, the kids get agitated and lose interest. The issue of epileptic power supply and cost of buying data are also major challenges. Some homes cannot afford personal computers for their wards. This has led to a situation where my neighbours’ kids crowd my house because their parents cannot afford the basic tools. Some parents are also not literate enough to supervise their kids.”

In the case of wards, whose parents cannot properly monitor them, it is an opportunity to be absent online. Chronic absenteeism is a potentially big problem, with more students – than ever before – missing classes, as the vast majority of physical schools remain closed and lessons, conducted remotely. It’s either they’re not logging on, not checking in or not completing assignments. This is not to mention lack of concentration.

The rate of absenteeism would appear to be particularly high in schools with many low-income students, whose access to home computers and internet connections can be spotty. Some teachers report that fewer than half of their students are regularly participating.

Not without a fee

It is important to note here that online teaching/e-learning is not without a fee, as most private schools are billing parents for the service, failure in which their children are disengaged.

A parent of Atlantic Hall School, Epe, Lagos, who would not want his name mentioned said parents are paying as much N175,000 for online teaching service aside the regular school fees.

“This is bad because they are using it as an avenue to exploit parents. We are all feeling the heat of the pandemic together, as most businesses and jobs are affected,” Mrs. Temitope Adeyanju, a parent and a teacher said.

Adeyanju, however, pointed out that e-learning has increased the standard of computer literacy among children, bringing them up to par with the standard in the Western world, where it has become like the norm.

“E-learning has also forced parents to learn more and become more computer literate – because they want to meet up with what is being done on their children on the e-platforms. Also, it has helped to create cordial relationships between parents and children, because most of the parents who never had time to go through their children’s work, ostensibly because of the nature of their job, now feel compelled be on top of it,” she said.

“But the cost implication of data being consumed per week is a big challenge to parents. Meanwhile, jobs are being affected. Some parents, as a matter of fact, have lost theirs, while some have had their income reviewed downwards. At the same time,  no parent would be happy to see their children missing out on classes. Many have gone as far as borrowing.  For example, I spend at least N4,500 on data per week for my three children to connect with their classes online. That is on the high side,” she lamented.

Another major challenge is that parents are now at a disadvantage, as they now share their phones and other gadgets with their children. In the process, they sometimes get spoilt or broken, – leading to another expenses.

Of course, some use it as opportunities to play online games, thereby running down data unnecessarily. One cannot also foreclose the fact that some of the more mature or adventurous ones could use the opportunity to go on porn and other forbidden sites.

She enjoined parents to endeavour to get their children phones that are not expensive, and  connect such phones to the parents’ server, so that the data can be monitored.

“Also there are softwares that can be installed on parents phones and connected to children’s to monitor their text and WhatsApp messages. Google mail opened for children must be connected to their parents’ email, so that information can be through the parents to the children’s mail to monitor their activities.

Finally, parents should always collect the phones from the children after each day’s lectures. She also advised that network providers create special bundle for e-learning to reduce high cost rate of data.

For students in public schools in Lagos State, government has adopted the use of multiple media, including radio, television and the internet to reach the students. Besides, government said it has worked on a technology device loaded with the Nigerian curriculum that the students can use while at home. With this device, they will be able to continue learning, test themselves and send tests to their teachers who will also be equipped with the device.

To kick-start the process, the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has developed daily lesson programmes on radio and television for senior secondary school students as, well as interactive radio instructional programmes for primary school pupils.

The programmes, according to the Head, Public Affairs Unit, Ministry of Education, Mr. Kayode Abayomi, are to run throughout the period of the closure of schools in different subjects.

Abayomi said the idea behind it is to get public and private school students to be fully engaged while at home, adding that even if there is a challenge in power supply, they can tune in to Wazobia FM on their rechargeable radio.

“That is the more reason why we adopted the radio programme. As I am speaking with you now, my radio is on. I have a rechargeable radio; it also uses battery, so they should be able to tune in and know what is going on around them.”

He added that the ministry had already sensitised schools in Lagos, saying, “At the onset of the idea leading to the closure of schools, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, did a video recording, which she sent to all schools in Lagos State. We also sent the video across all social media platforms, so that it went viral. It trended for quite some time on these platforms. The essence was to make people aware that such a programme is going on.”

To ensure that parents also key into the scheme for the benefit of their children, Abayomi said, “Wazobia FM is running the programme for us for free. As a matter of fact, they wrote a letter to the Lagos State government, stating their preparedness for partnership on the issue. We have been working together since the very first day; they did the audio recording and jingles.”