The All Progressive Congress (APC) chapter in Scandinavia has congratulated Lagosians and fellow Nigerians on the success of the peaceful elections process which has drawn global commendations.
Speaking in a statement, Ayoola Lawal, the group coordinator said it was a wise decision for Nigerians to have voted the All Progressive Congress (APC) at the just concluded 2015 general elections.
According to the group, APC has proven to be the only political party with the sincere intention to bring the changes Nigerians desired.
“Nigeria has faced a lot in the hands of the out-going administration, which has made corrupt practices the order of the day.
“It is even sad that the institutions set up to fight financial and economic crimes have become clueless or better put toothless watchdogs of our economy.
“The time is set and it is now for tremendous changes to come for the collective good of the country and the citizenry,” he said.
The group commended the spirit of sportsmanship among the out-going Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) politicians with which they conceded defeat when it was obvious the result was not in their favour.
Lawal further pleaded with politicians from the South-Southern and South-Eastern region of the country to imbibe the good spirit of sportsmanship by conceding to whoever the people voted.
“It is very important that our politicians from the east and south remember that global observers have begun to make good commendations concerning the elections. Then they should make sure their actions do not mar the entire process,” Lawal said.
He further pleaded with aggrieved parties to seek redress from the appropriate quarters.
Philip Obaji Jr. is the founder of the 1 GAME Campaigns advocating basic primary education for the over 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria. Obaji, who is also a Global Youth Ambassador, spoke to David Lawal on Boko Haram and it political undertone, Chibok girls and government’s role in education.
Kindly give a brief insight into your background?
I was born on August 8, 1985 in a town called Ogoja in Northern Cross River State. I am the founder of the 1 GAME Campaign, which promotes basic primary education for vulnerable kids in Nigeria. I am widely known for my activism for rights to education for Children, especially in Northeastern Nigeria. I’m a graduate of Marine Biology from the University of Calabar; a Global Youth Ambassador for United Nations critical education partner, A World at School; a member of International Network for Education in Emergencies; and a champion of Global Partnership for Education. Back home, I am an Executive Committee member of the Cross River State Football Association. I am soft spoken, a Roman Catholic and a man of peace. I believe in Nigeria and in every citizen of this country. And I want to play a role in making it a better place for all of us.
How long have you been into education advocacy?
I’ve been working for close to five (5) years now in education advocacy. It all started in 2010 when 1 GAME Campaign was founded.
What informed your decision to start education advocacy?
In 2009, I travelled to Ogoja where I was born. I had not visited the town since my family moved in 1988 when I was just three years old. I wanted to learn more about the place I first lived as a child.
I have had numerous conversations with my father about Ogoja, and he would often speak about its people, and how he missed them and their culture. Once arriving in Ogoja after a six-hour journey from Calabar, where I live, I was greeted by a group of young boys and girls at the bus stop, who rushed to me, begging for money.
The children were between six and fourteen years. When I asked them where they came from, they confessed that they were ‘Almajiris’ from Northern Nigeria.
They had followed a lorry transporting goods from Maiduguri in Borno State to Ogoja. They said they jumped into the lorry without knowing the driver and had no idea of where the vehicle was heading.
I was overwhelmed by the presence of so many out-of-school children and could not stop thinking about their plight and how to solve this crisis.
Thereafter I found 1 GAME Campaign aiming specifically at Almajiris helping them to enrol and complete their basic education. The name ‘1 GAME’ means that anyone involved in the campaign is asked to defeat violence, illiteracy and poverty – using education as a tool.
What is your disposition to the target on children across the world?
There is absolutely no justification for the target on children. Terrorists all over the world target children in order to strike fear and gain publicity.
Boko Haram for instance, gained global acclaim after the Chibok abductions. They got exactly what they were looking for. There are lots of similarities between Boko Haram which operates here in Nigeria, and the Taliban which operates in Pakistan.
While they both want to enforce full Sharia Law all over Nigeria and Pakistan respectively, they also want to ensure that there is no place for western education in the areas they operate.
But let’s not also forget that beyond these things, there is a political undertone to their existence.
About a year since the abduction of school girls from Chibok, what are the chances of seeing the return of these girls?
Honestly, no one is sure about the where about or wellbeing of the Chibok girls except their captors. There have been lots of rumours about them.
In fact, as we speak, there’s a video circulating around Maiduguri purportedly showing Boko Haram militants raping young girls and shooting those who refused to get laid.
Many people who have seen this video say the girls in the footage are the abducted Chibok girls, but I haven’t been able to get anyone to confirm if that’s true.
I can’t really say for sure if the Chibok girls are alive or dead or if they are safe where they are. Since there hasn’t been a word for some months from Boko Haram about the girls, no one can be sure about their wellbeing, and whether or not they’ll return.
Considering the present state of education in Nigeria, where do you think we got it wrong?
It started from the attitude of the government, and the trend is still continuing. The problem with Nigeria’s education has to do with poor planning, poor funding, and in some quarters, corruption. Take primary education, for instance, the Universal Basic Education Scheme was designed to provide compulsory, free education up to Junior Secondary levels, to be funded by both the Federal and State Governments. The Federal Government keeps 2 percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund into the scheme and allocates money to the states when the states contribute its matching amounts.
However, we’ve found out that most of the states never made their matching grants, denying themselves access to the funds; and in states where they had been given the grants, the education sector there is still pathetic. That tells you that these governments are not making education their priority.
The population of out-of-school children in Nigeria according to UNESCO is equal to the total population of the entire Czech Republic (10.5 million), who do you think is responsible for this?
The government has the biggest role to play in ensuring Education for All. In 2000, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, 180 countries including Nigeria signed up to make the six goals of Education For All happen, committing to putting legal frameworks, policies and finance in place so that everyone, no matter what their circumstances, could have an education – one that is available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable.
The richest countries pledged to help make Education for All a reality by committing to principles of international cooperation towards those countries with fewer financial resources.
Commitment towards the right to education was also reflected in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, set in 2000 with a deadline for achievement by 2015.
Out of the eight Millennium Development Goals, two focus on education. Both the EFA and MDG goals are all centred on what governments should do, and not what parents or children should do to create access to education.
But as much as the government has a huge role to play, we as citizens must encourage and drive our children to education. Teachers must inspire. Principals must lead. Parents must instil a thirst for learning. And students have got to do the work in school. And if we can all do this together, I assure you we will build great ideas and push this nation away from the stronghold of extremists.
What’s your advice to government on providing education for all?
The government must show more seriousness in achieving the goals of Education for All. Education is achievable if government mobilises the political will and available resources. The government must recognise that education is a universal human right; that it is the key to poverty alleviation and sustainable human development; and of course, education is its core responsibility. In doing so, it must ensure increased provision of quality early childhood education and care; the eradication of adult illiteracy and a second chance to learn for youth and adults who miss out on formal schooling; an end to child labour; democratic participation of, and accountability to, civil society, including teachers and their unions, in education decision-making at all levels; fair and regular salaries for teachers; properly equipped classrooms and a supply of quality textbooks; inclusive and non-discriminatory provision of services for all; the mobilization of political will and new resources in support of National Education plans to realize the EFA Goals, including adequate public expenditure of at least 6 percent of GNP. Without this in place, it would be difficult to achieve Education for All.
In doing so, it must ensure increased provision of quality early childhood education and care; the eradication of adult illiteracy and a second chance to learn for youth and adults who miss out on formal schooling; an end to child labour; democratic participation of, and accountability to, civil society, including teachers and their unions, in education decision-making at all levels; fair and regular salaries for teachers; properly equipped classrooms and a supply of quality textbooks; inclusive and non-discriminatory provision of services for all; the mobilization of political will and new resources in support of National Education plans to realize the EFA Goals, including adequate public expenditure of at least 6 percent of GNP. Without this in place, it would be difficult to achieve Education for All.
Philip Obaji Jr. is the founder of the 1 GAME Campaigns to advocate basic primary education for the over 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria. In this interview with David Lawal, Obaji, who is also a Global Youth Ambassador, speaks on the abducted Chibok girls and the duty of government in providing education for all among other issues.
Kindly give a brief insight into your background?
I was born on August 8, 1985 in a town called Ogoja in Northern Cross River State. I am the founder of the 1 GAME Campaign, which promotes basic primary education for vulnerable kids in Nigeria. I am widely known for my activism for rights to education for Children, especially in Northeastern Nigeria. I’m a graduate of Marine Biology from the University of Calabar; a Global Youth Ambassador for United Nations critical education partner, A World at School; a member of International Network for Education in Emergencies; and a champion of Global Partnership for Education. Back home, I am an Executive Committee member of the Cross River State Football Association. I am soft spoken, a Roman Catholic and a man of peace. I believe in Nigeria and in every citizen of this country. And I want to play a role in making it a better place for all of us.
How long have you been into education advocacy?
I’ve been working for close to 5 years now in education advocacy. It all started in 2010 when 1 GAME Campaign was founded.
What informed your decision to start education advocacy?
In 2009, I traveled to Ogoja where I was born. I had not visited the town since my family moved in 1988 when I was just three years old. I wanted to learn more about the place I first lived as a child.
I have had numerous conversations with my father about Ogoja, and he would often speak about its people, and how he missed them and their culture. Once arriving in Ogoja after a six-hour journey from Calabar, where I live, I was greeted by a group of young boys and girls at the bus stop, who rushed to me, begging for money. The children were between six and fourteen years. When I asked them where they came from, they confessed that they were ‘Almajiris’ from Northern Nigeria.
They had followed a lorry transporting goods from Maiduguri in Borno State to Ogoja. They said they jumped into the lorry without knowing the driver, and had no idea of where the vehicle was heading. I was overwhelmed by the presence of so many out-of-school children and could not stop thinking about their plight and how to solve this crisis.
Thereafter I founded 1 GAME Campaign aiming specifically at Almajiris helping them to enroll and complete their basic education. The name ‘1 GAME’ means that anyone involved in the campaign, is asked to defeat violence, illiteracy and poverty – using education as a tool.
What is your disposition to the target on children across the world?
There is absolutely no justification for the target on children. Terrorists all over the world target children in order to strike fear and gain publicity. Boko Haram for instance gained global acclaim after the Chibok abductions. They got exactly what they were looking for. There are lots of similarities between Boko Haram which operates here in Nigeria, and the Taliban which operates in Pakistan.
While they both want to enforce full Sharia Law all over Nigeria and Pakistan respectively, they also want to ensure that there is no place for western education in the areas they operate. But let’s not also forget that beyond these things, there is a political undertone to its existence.
About a year since the abduction of school girls from Chibok, what are the chances of seeing the return of these girls?
Honestly, no one is sure about the where about or well-being of the Chibok girls except their captors. They’ve been lots of rumors about them. In fact as we speak, there’s a video circulating round Maiduguri purportedly showing Boko Haram militants raping young girls and shooting those who refused to get laid.
Many people who have seen this video say the girls in the footage are the abducted Chibok girls, but I haven’t been able to get anyone to confirm if that’s true. I can’t really say for sure if the Chibok girls are alive or death or if they are safe where there are. Since there hasn’t been a word for some months from Boko Haram about the girls, no one can be sure about their wellbeing, and whether or not they’ll return.
Considering the present state of education in Nigeria, where do you think we got it wrong?
It started from the attitude of government, and the trend is still continuing. The problem with Nigeria’s education has to do with poor planning, poor funding, and in some quarters, corruption. Take primary education for instance, the Universal Basic Education Scheme was designed
to provide compulsory, free education up to Junior Secondary levels, to be funded by both the Federal and State Governments. The Federal Government keeps 2 percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund into the scheme and allocates money to the states when the states contribute its matching amounts. However, we’ve found out that most of the states never made their matching grants, denying themselves access to the funds; and in states, where they had been given the grants the education sector there is still pathetic. That tells you that these governments are not making education their priority.
The population of out-of-school children in Nigeria according to UNESCO is equal to the total population of the entire Czech Republic (10.5 million), who do you think is responsible for this?
The government has the biggest role to play in ensuring Education for All. In 2000, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, 180 countries including Nigeria signed up to make the six goals of Education For All happen, committing to putting legal frameworks, policies and finance in place so that everyone, no matter what their circumstances, could have an education – one that is available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable.
The richest countries pledged to help make Education for All a reality by committing to principles of international cooperation towards those countries with fewer financial resources. Commitment towards the right to education was also reflected in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, set in 2000 with a deadline for achievement by 2015. Out of the eight Millennium Development Goals two focus on education. Both the EFA and MDG goals are all centered on what governments should do, and not what parents or children should do to create access to education.
But as much as government has a huge role to play, we as citizens must encourage and drive our children to education. Teachers must inspire. Principals must lead. Parents must instill a thirst for learning. And students have got to do the work in school. And if we can all do this together, I assure you we will build great ideas and push this nation away from the stronghold of extremists.
What’s your advice to government on providing education for all?
Government must show more seriousness in achieving the goals of Education for All. Education is achievable if government mobilizes the political will and available resources. Government must recognize that education is a universal human right; that it is the key to poverty alleviation and sustainable human development; and of course, education is its core responsibility. In doing so, it must ensure increased provision of quality early childhood education and care; the eradication of adult illiteracy and a second chance to learn for youth and adults who miss out on formal schooling; an end to child labour; democratic participation of, and accountability to, civil society, including teachers and their unions, in education decision making at all levels; fair and regular salaries for teachers; properly equipped classrooms and a supply of quality textbooks;
inclusive and non-discriminatory provision of services for all; the mobilization of political will and new resources in support of National Education plans to realize the EFA Goals, including adequate public expenditure of at least 6 per cent of GNP. Without this in place, it would be difficult to achieve Education for All.
Have you ever imagined a scenario where pupils of primary schools pay teachers’ salary? That is the situation in a yet-to-be-approved Government Primary School in Ijoko, Ogun State. It is usually interesting to hear government officials say that education is free in Nigeria, especially at the primary level and the most important section as it is. How true is this saying?
For several reasons ranging from Community Development Association’s (CDA) inability to further maintain facilities (rented building and provision of Chairs and textbooks in some cases) and to manage both teachers’ and pupils’ needs, to their inability to erect a structure suitable for government approval, the school has changed locations for about 4 times.
What now poses as St. Saviour Primary School Olayemi Annex, Oluke Tuntun, Ijoko, Ogun State, used to be United Community Primary School, established in 2005 by the collective effort of the members of Olorundusin (Fadunsin) CDA, area of Ijoko.
However, the farther the school goes the more or less accessible it became for some pupils, and some hopes to attend primary school were dashed. At Basic (Primary) 6, the pupils are merged with an approved school for placement into Basic 7 (Junior Secondary School 1) at the nearest Government Secondary School.
Government at all levels calls it Free Education but Pupils of St. Saviour Primary School, Olayemi pay N600 while their colleagues in the yet-to-be-approved annexe pay N1600. This is because, at the yet-to-be-approved annexe, pupils pay N500 for teachers’ salary and N500 for the school building. The other N600 supposedly paid to the government, is N300 for maintenance and N300 for insurance from the government. What then is free? This is obviously not peculiar to St Saviour; it seems to be the culture in Ogun State.
For new intakes in an unapproved school like St. Saviour Annex, the story is slightly different. They pay N2200. This is the regular levy of N1600 plus N100 for a chair and N500 for government approval of the school. Only God knows how long this payment for approval will last before nature smiles on them.
The said N600 supposedly paid to the government is per session since its introduction until early 2014 when pupils now pay every term, which now amounts to N1800 per academic session in an approved school and N4800 for the yet-to-be-approved school pupils. Maybe the cost of insuring and maintaining these pupils has increased.
Meanwhile, the curriculum at primary school level is expected to provide a permanent literacy for children from ages 3 and 5, including pre-primary. It also extends to the laying of a sound basis for scientific, critical and reflective thinking, inclusive of equipping children with the core life skills to function effectively in the society. It could not have been otherwise, that is what makes it a primary education to human existence anyway.
St. Saviour Oluke annexe has tried to do just that for about 9 solid years now. This poor to-be-public primary school, in its unapproved form, has continued to produce primary school graduates, laying a questionable foundation.
After going through hell, the school now has a structure of four classrooms, which is one of government’s requirements to approve a school as fit to offer public primary education. Just as the Basic 6 pupils occupy a classroom that also doubles as office due to the inadequacy of classrooms, the pupils of Basic 1 also occupy a classroom out of the four classrooms available. On the contrary, Basic 2 and 3 share one classroom, while pupils of Basic 4 and 5 also share a classroom. All these are efforts of the children of the masses to acquire education by all means.
It is, therefore, logical to best describe this kind of education as cheap and not free education. If the government does not know what it is doing, the citizens know.
It is pertinent for government to want to revive public primary education in Nigeria. If it would remain free as claimed, it does not have to be with bad structures and ill administrative systems. Students of public schools also deserve some dignity and sense of satisfaction for attending government schools. It is expected that whatever government does should be at its best. However, many Nigerians, home and abroad have lost hope in the governmentet, there are few who believe that government can and would attend to the very needs of the citizenry, giving rise to out of school children in the country.
Thus, schools should be often rehabilitated and equipped with up-to-date facilities including white boards, markers and library, as well as qualified manpower to mention but few. In the light of that, fresh graduates could be employed in classrooms to both reduce unemployment and rescue government schools. Most of these graduates after National Youth Service often end up teaching in private schools with a stipend in the name of salary. These, undoubtedly will help reposition primary education again in Nigeria.
As vital as it is to equip and manage schools, it is even more important for government to build enough schools across every settlement to overcome the risk of overpopulated few available schools and or the risks of pupils travelling more than 3 kilometers to school. More so, one of the supposed reasons why private schools seem to do much better is because teachers do not attend to too many students which may bring about a hostile teachers-students relationship. One teacher to 20-25 students is not bad. Also important is the need for re-orientation of teachers about their relationships with students.
On the whole, rewards and certificates of recognitions or of honours often boost worker’s will-power to do more at work. Teachers should not be left out of such appropriate motivations and reward for extra efforts to improve the learning of pupils. Education is light as knowledge is power. In the voices of the children of Nigerian masses, government should do the needful to boost the ego and will-power of teachers to improve education.
No sooner than these and many other reforms are effected, education will be revived in the country again and the future can be promising.
