Tag: DON

A  university teacher, Prof. Oluwole Charles Akinyokun of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), has said the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can break it up.

He spoke in Ibadan yesterday at the 80th birthday anniversary lecture of Chief Dejo Raimi, delivered at the Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan.

Akinyokun, a professor of Computer Science, who spoke on the topic, ‘Philosophy, Conflict and Conflict Resolution: The Practice, in Nigeria’, said President Goodluck Jonathan’s remark that the problem rocking the party it a minor issue was a mild way of expressing it.

At the event, which had in attendance the wife of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bola; President, Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Robert Adeyinka Adebayo; wife of the former governor of Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, Mutiat, former Minister of Special Duties, Wole Oyelese, among others, the guest speaker maintained that “unmanaged or poorly managed conflicts generate a break down in trust and lost productivity”.

He said: “By resolving conflict successfully, you can solve many of the problems that it has brought to the surface, as well as getting benefits that you might not at first expect.”

A university don, Prof Mike Obadan, has said the proposed Vision 2020 by the Federal Government cannot be achieved.

He listed some of the constraining factors as poverty, poor implementation of agriculture and manufacturing policies, among others.

Obadan, who teaches Economics at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), explained that the vision’s blueprint was prepared amidst a deep economic recession.

According to him, poverty has increased from 54.4 per cent in 2012, meaning that 112,518,507 Nigerians now live in poverty.

The don spoke at the monthly seminar series of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on the topic: Nigeria Vision 20:2020: Prospects and Challenges.

The economic expert noted that increased poverty has led to low human development.

He said: “Nigeria’s Human Development Index (HDI) was O.471 in 2012, placing the country as a low human development country with the rank of 153rd of 186 countries.

“The relatively strong growth has not translated into broad-based economic and social development needed to lift millions of people out of poverty and reduce inequalities. Indeed, rather curiously, the incidence of poverty has been increasing, suggesting that growth has been poverty-increasing.

“Also, unemployment is high and increasing; inequality index is high and worsening while human development is low.”

Obadan noted that the potential challenges of the vision were manifest from the beginning, because the blueprint was prepared against the backdrop of deep economic recession.

If public office holders pay attention to public schools instead of running their own private schools, the quality of education would improve in Nigeria, says a lecturer, Dr Uwaoma Uche.

In an interview with The Nation, Uche, who is the Head of Mass Communication Department at the Abia State University, Uturu, said the neglect of teachers and schools are among the reasons for poor standards in the education system.

She said: “How many people are attending public schools that we used to attend those days; Model schools and the likes of them? Let our leaders forget about developing their respective private schools to the detriment of public schools. The welfare of teachers and lecturers should be looked into as well in order to motivate them. If the encouragement in developing public schools is pursued with all seriousness and determination by all, you will discover that our education system will definitely improve and the teachers will have their pride of place in the society.”

Mrs Uche said the neglect is why Nigerian lectures are seeking greener pastures abroad.

“Most lecturers are now leaving the country to even Ghana, South Africa, Bostwana, United Kingdom and other countries. There is a brain drain because the education standards are not being maintained. The earned and leave allowances of lecturers are not being paid. So, you see that things are now going worse,” he said.

The don also blamed too much emphasis on certificate acquisition by parents and students as reasons for the continued failing standard of education in Nigeria.

She said Nigerians must de-emphasise paper qualification.

“The first thing we need to do is for us to de-emphasise the issue of certificate syndrome. The certificate syndrome has made people believe that with their certificate, they have become educated. We still have educated illiterates who have passed through the university but they did not allow the reorientation and culture of education to pass through them.

“Emphasis should be placed on entrepreneurial skills, it will do us a lot of good. Let people be tested on the basis of their intelligent quotients and not on the certificate that they have acquired. This is why you have people who have Bs.c in Banking, but cannot calculate,” he said.

Mrs Uche also faulted parents for influencing their wards negatively.

“Parents also contribute to this problem. Most parents want to send their children to ‘miracle centres’ to make good results at all cost. They pay money to gain admission,” he said.