“When my father was put in jail by local authorities because he needed my assistance with herding the livestock, it seemed like a harsh punishment. Were he (his father) to be alive to witness this day and the last 30 or so years of my life, I am sure that he would exclaim ‘wow! Education pays, after all’. By former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on the importance of education.
Tag: Education
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My father was jailed for refusing to let me attend school – Atiku
Late father of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was jailed for refusing to let him attend school in his hometown of Jada, Adamawa State.
The former Vice President recalled the incident on Sunday in remarks at the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree on him by the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Switzerland.
“When my father was put in jail by local authorities because he needed my assistance with herding the livestock, it seemed like a harsh punishment.”
“Were he to be alive to witness this day (Sunday ) and the last 30 or so years of my life I am sure that he would exclaim “wow! Education pays after all, ” Atiku stated.
The founder of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola recalled that as a young lad growing up in his rustic village of Jada, he had dreams, but that it was education that made his dreams come true.
According to him, “education is what brought me in contact with members of the United States of America’s Peace Corps when I was still a little boy; a contact and interaction that would have profound impact on my life, especially my love for education and service.”
While underscoring the imperative of education to personal growth and development, the former Vice President said it gave him the friends he made across Nigeria as he attended high school and university; gave him a job in the Nigerian civil service; and provided him with opportunities to meet and form more life-long friendships from across the world.
Atiku attributed the modest achievements he has made in business and politics and the contributions in improving the lives of others to education.
He stressed that education is what has informed his determination to give back to society, especially through education.
He noted that the centrality of education in the improvement of the human condition is one reason why public policy must seek to always improve the quality of and access to public education everywhere in the world, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.
He advised parents not to choose career options for their children but allow them to discover their innate potentials by charting their own preferred discipline.
“A young friend of mine, who heads the human resources department of an organization in Nigeria, called me up one night about seven months ago and said he came across an application for employment by one of my children and wondered whether I consented to my child applying to work in that organization.
“I asked why he needed to clear that with me first and he said he thought that I would prefer that my child works in one of my establishments. I then told him that I do not choose careers for my children. I owe them good education; I support them to acquire good education. What they do thereafter is up to them as adults,” Atiku said.
Others who received honorary doctorate degrees from the same institution are His Excellency (Dr.) Oguz Demiralp, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey and His Excellency (Dr.) Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Director General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and Honorary Dean of the Geneva School of Diplomacy.
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Evil genuises worsen Nigeria’s woes
The proposed policy by the United Kingdom, UK, that would require Nigerians to pay a bond of £3,000 (N750,000) to discourage them overstaying their visas evokes sadness about the discrimination we suffer from foreign countries.
The misdeeds of some have been allowed to affect the way all of us are perceived and treated – like the way oil from a morsel of food spreads from the fingers to the palm and wrist. Nigerians are not the only immigrants in the UK and other countries that commit crime. As distasteful as the policy is, however, this is not a diatribe to bemoan how badly we are treated outside our shores but to check ourselves and dedicate our bountiful energy and talents to productive endeavours.
From interviews with agents of many foreign universities in the UK and other places, I have learnt that Nigerians are brilliant and resourceful. They make good grades, win awards and join in many worthwhile projects. However, the bad deeds of our countrymen are in the news more often. If some Nigerians are not duping people, others are involved in fights, robberies and recently, terrorism and murder. Our reputation has suffered a battering because of these bad conducts.
The sin for which we are most notorious is fraud. Our unfortunate popularity in that field is so great that an author, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani dedicated her novel, I do not come to you by chance, to the subject and won an award for it. It takes so much intelligence to plan fraud that if Nigerian youngsters were to dedicate their energies to more useful purposes, we would have solved our electricity problems by now.
As these fraudsters seek ways to defraud foreigners, others ply their trade locally. Almost on daily basis, I am bombarded with scam messages in my email box telling me to take advantage of some huge amount of money somebody from God knows where left to a family member I do not know who suddenly wants to share some of it with me; or that somebody deposited N640,000 in a bank account I do not have or that I should update my internet banking details.
I always thought I could not fall for such scams. After all, I do not expect to reap where I have not sown. However the latest scam mail I got and almost fell for left me quite shaken. I marveled at the brilliance behind the attack. Last year, about this time, my email was hacked into. By the time I regained access to it, all my contacts had been deleted as well as over one year’s worth of emails, which was painful because I used my box as some sort of archive that can be used research past stories we have investigated or published; and obtain photographs and other useful details.
That was why when I could not access my email from my office desktop computer on Sunday, I was worried. I remembered a mail from Yahoo that I neglected to read on my blackberry phone. When I could not sign in on my desk top, I went back to read it. It stated that I had applied for the cancellation of my yahoo mail and as a result the providers had started the process which would last three days. To terminate the cancelation in case I wasn’t the one that made the request, I was told to click on a certain link. Failure to do so would mean I would lose all my mails, contacts, draft and others in my box.
Because of my previous experience, especially as I couldn’t access my box from my desktop, I clicked on the link. It redirected me to another website which look genuine that I was to input my email and password. I typed my email. I was required to type the password twice. Each time I wanted to do it, I was distracted by another activity such that the task would be terminated. I tried again. All of a sudden, it dawned on me that I should not disclose my password online. It was then I noted that the website name, kaiedoaccessories.com had nothing to do with Yahoo. When I conferred with a colleague, I decided against it and opted to change my password on my desktop instead. That was how I narrowly escaped the scammers.
But the thought that I was nearly deceived, and so close to losing my details a second time did not leave me easily. I wondered at the intelligence the fraudsters used to nearly convince me to give up my password. I wondered why they could not use their brains to think up solutions to our country’s myriad problems. I could not stop thinking of how much we are losing when our bright young minds would rather use their intelligence and talents for evil, to cause agony rather than development. I pray they have a change of heart.
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Graduands show love to school
As part of their community service, the outgoing pupils of Edgewood College, Lekki, Lagos decided to present a table tennis to a public school, Victoria Island Primary School, VI, Lagos.
The presentation performed by Folakemi Oduwole, outgoing assistant head girl, formed part of Edgewood’s graduation last weekend.
Speaking at the presentation, Folakemi said presentation of gifts to the beneficiary school is an annual ritual. Last year, she said Edgewood gave uniforms, stationery, and text books among other items, a gesture she describes as a bond of love they have always shared with the school.
In his keynote address, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Odein Henry Ajumogobia (SAN), gave the graduands, some of who already had their ‘A’ Level results as well as those that had completed University Foundation Programmes, tips on how to prepare for the next step in life.
Ajumogobia, who was the guest speaker at the event, said their freedom began now, but warned that they must start taking responsibilities for their actions or inactions.
“From here, you students will be free and accountable for your actions to yourself and the law,” he warned.
He further warned that freedom at the tertiary level can be intoxicating, admonishing them not give in to it, because temptation of not attending class might occur.
He urged them to embrace qualities such as good manners, decency, and good sense of humour, remorse, knowledge and sportsmanship.
“Remember that your qualities as a person will be more important than your qualification,” Ajumogobia said.
He also counselled them to prepare for hard times.
“Explore your gifts and talent because they might bring you fame and fortune. Embrace hard work and humility, focus on others around you, challenge yourself and above all fear God.There are setbacks, difficulties and obstacles, embrace them because they are part of life. Keep your eyes on the goal; life is like a marathon; learn something new every day, follow God as you take these confident steps” he said.
In his valedictory speech, the outgoing head boy Maxwell Jack, said his heart goes out to his classmates of Year 2013 for the fortitude they demonstrated all through the year.
He said: “I also commend you for allowing me to lead you and yet teaching me so much. As we leave Edgewood to pursue degrees in various part of the world, i implore that we don’t forget the invaluable lessons we have learned at Edgewood. The sharp edge that we have should not be allowed to go blunt, the same determination we have shown here should be present in all our endeavours in our various universities.”
In her goodwill speech the school’s Executive Director Mrs Kehinde Phillips told her pupils to be the best.
“The difference between extraordinary and ordinary is that extra. Never hesitate to attempt that little extra that can bring change in your life,” she said.
Thirty-two graduates were presented with certificates, plaques, and prizes.
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Why standard of education keeps falling
SIR: The standard of education started taking a different shape when labour unions began to embark on a litany of strike which lasted for several months without the union reaching a consensus with the federal government. Students were left to their fate as they could not return to their studies. Consequent upon that, parents, especially those that could afford the bill resorted to sending their children abroad to complete their education,
This development helped to kill the interest of teachers, especially those in the primary and secondary schools who saw teaching as non rewarding profession. The scenario saw a mass exodus of male teachers who joined other businesses with a view to providing for their families. Little wonder in our public schools today, female teachers far outnumber the male.
The military dispensation with its attendant strikes has come and gone but the citizens of this country are yet to be convinced that democratic dispensation places more value to education than the military as our schools and tertiary institutions are nothing to write home about in comparison with their overseas counterparts in terms of infrastructure and academics. Most of our public schools are in a very bad shape. They are not conducive for learning as the classrooms are without doors and windows and enough seats for the pupils and students. Office of the head teachers and principals are like animal pens. More worrisome is that the classrooms have become havens for hoodlums where they settle themselves with wraps of cannabis and other drugs.
Teaching is not the only factor that impacts positively on students. The environment and other factors like well equipped library and laboratory etc matter a lot. But unfortunately these facilities are lacking in our schools and the hope that they will be made available before 2015 is very slim as the country is now battling with the challenges of insecurity and the tussle for leadership in 2015.
The utopian year when education is expected to regain its lost glory is fast approaching but so far the score board is blank. It would be foolhardy for the present government to over flood its program with politics instead of embarking on meaningful projects like revamping the education industry that would determine our stand with other climes in future. A nation without education is a dead one. Government should therefore focus on this very important issue instead of having many irons in the fire.
• Nkemakolam Gabriel
Port Harcourt
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Council chief restates commitment to education
Chairman of Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Hon. Augustine Arogundade, has reiterated his commitment to educational development.
Speaking at a programme at the Children’s Day celebration held at the African Church Primary School, Meiran, Hon. Arogundade said: “Since assumption of office, our administration has made available free GCE forms for secondary school students; constructed Ilapo Primary School and renovated Aboru Primary School as well as Amikanle Primary School. I promise that we will not relent but continue to execute policies and programmes that will enhance excellent teaching and learning environment.”
Speaking further on the policy direction of his administration on education and school development, he said: “As a government, we have always been proactive towards the provision of basic and quality education to prepare our school children for adulthood and as good leaders of tomorrow. Many of our policies which are in tandem with the agenda of the Lagos State government have children in focus.”
He called for the support of individuals and corporate organisations in the quest to uplift the lives of children in the council area.
“I call on well-meaning individuals, corporate bodies and the public to support our administration in meeting the needs of our children as government alone cannot shoulder the responsibilities. The task of ensuring an atmosphere conducive enough to our children education is a collective effort.”
The occasion which was witnessed by members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and community leaders featured match past and quiz competition.
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Free learning on laptop
Opportunities for Nigerians interested in E-learning has been boosted by Allversity, a free service that links users with online courses and learning materials in health, entrepreneurship, agriculture, life skills, and human rights.
Based in Berlin, the not-for-profit e-learning platform according to a statement by Ysanne Choksey Program Manager, invites Nigerians to join its community in “creating a brighter future while enjoying the simple Magic of learning.”
Allversity.org helps users connect with experts, creators, and one another while sharing in the simple beauty of learning.
“Allversity is offering the people of Nigeria the opportunity to learn for free from a laptop, computer or smartphone device. Smartphone usage in Africa is expected to reach 40% by 2017.
“All it will take to start an education revolution is the accessibility of good content — and Allversity aims to enable emerging economies to create and innovate solutions with the rest of the world, ” the organization stated.
It noted that Nigeria is following the trend in e-learning which is on the rise in the country.
“E-learning Nigeria provides online testing and education materials for learners at university level, which has proved invaluable for distance learners and those without the time to go back to university or college.
“But there is an accessibility gap for users in low-resource areas in connecting with practical learning materials designed to help them meet the unique challenges they face. This leaves a large part of the population uncatered for by the e-learning sector — namely the majority of Nigerians who do not go to university, but would like to continue their education beyond the primary school level.”
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Education: Oshiomhole wields the big stick
No inkling where the fast moving convoy was headed early that morning. None of the aides was cock sure about the mission either. This was not out of place for an administration dogged by surprises.
In what seems to have underscored the style of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as Edo State helmsman, his hectic site inspection schedules will catch even his sentry panting. It could either be late into the night or span into the small hours of the morning depending on his fancy.
Suddenly his convoy screeched to a stop at the expansive New Era Girls’ School along Mission Road in the heart of Benin City. Alighting from his car, Baba Oshio as the governor is fondly called was stern and brisk, some signal that something was amiss.
He barely had time to acknowledge cheers and pleasantries from the principal and other senior teachers before hopping into one of the classes. Like a school master, he was soon immersed in the task of engaging the pupils.
His hunch paid off as one of the female students tinged his ears: “our teachers are usually not around to teach us”. A bemused Oshiomhole had gotten the lead into what he smelt was a rot that had taken over public schools in the state despite the huge intervention by his administration to rehabilitate them. His inquiry into the staff attendance notebook further stirred the hornet’s nets. Many teachers are just being paid without offering any service.
Not giving to hearsay, the comrade governor paid more impromptu fact finding visits to some other public schools within the state capital. What he found was most disturbing. He decided to wield the big stick by sacking 20 teachers with immediate effect. The affected teachers, he found out, no longer performed their legitimate responsibility to either the state government that pays their monthly salaries or the children they are paid to mentor.
Barely a week later, the governor continued with his unscheduled visits to some more public schools, including others he visited earlier. The result was a can of worms. Apart from discovering that a vice principal was a perpetual truant, he found out that the Zonal Chief Inspectors of Education, ZCIE, and Chief Inspectors of Education, CIE, whose responsibility it was to monitor and ensure that head teachers and teachers live up to their responsibilities, were simply non challant. They were equally relieved of their jobs to send a clear message that this matter would no longer be treated with kid gloves..
As the comrade governor puts it, “If I find the courage to collect taxes, I have to find the courage to ensure that those who are beneficiaries of the tax payer’s money also render corresponding services. I have a duty to remind you that when you abandon your job, you also lose it.”
Upon his re-election recently, Oshiomhole made it clear that as part of his promise to the people to rebuild the state, his major policy thrust this time around would centre on the need to pay more attention to human capital development. His reasoning is premised on the belief that human capital is the most important element required in the race towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.
The comrade governor was emphatic that his administration would insist on removing any obstacle on its way of rejuvenating the education sector such that his administration would wield the big stick if it realizes for instance that teachers and all those given the responsibility of ensuring that the investment in the sector are not living up to their assigned duties.
“My promise to Edo people is that we are rebuilding the state. And human capital development is the most important element. But our investment in schools would be useless if our teachers are not doing their jobs properly. It is worse if those that should help to ensure that people are teaching are not doing their jobs.”
Equally startling was the antics of the absentee teachers. Oshiomhole found out that teachers did not only absented themselves from their duty posts as an on-going practice but connived with some of their colleagues to mark their names as regularly present on the attendance register.
Beyond the dereliction of duty by the teachers, the comrade governor’s unscheduled visit also unearthed another issue. On assumption of office, he made it imperative that regularly teachers must be posted to different duty post after having spent a specified number of years in one particular school. However, the policy has been flagrantly abused over the years.
This is sometimes done with the active connivance with officials of the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, and State Primary Education Board, SPEB. For instance, some teachers are said to be in one location for well over 12 years while some that have been posted out of one school found their way back within three months.
Investigations also indicate that there are more reasons why the Oshiomhole administration must beam more search light on the sector. As part of efforts to recoup losses incurred from the no fee policy of the state government, school teachers, backed by principals and other officials have since device other means.
One of them is to source potential students and particularly candidates for both SSCE and NECO. While regular students so sourced are meant to pay for as much as N7,500 to cover sundry requirements including school uniforms, every graduating pupil or student is made to pay between N2,500 and N5,000 to collect testimonials, certificates and other relevant documents.
Often times, most classes in the affected schools are crowded, making genuine teaching and learning processes virtually impossible. These monies are shared among those who sourced the students and other relevant school officials. The students are later enrolled for either SSCE, NECO or both and made to cough out fees ranging from N2,500 to N10,000.
Indeed, putting an end to the development is necessary if the Oshiomhole administration is determined, as it has shown, to put a new lease of life to the education sector. In other words, there is need to deal decisively with erring officials in order to ensure that state policies, including those affecting the education sector are implemented to the letter.
In particular, it seems obvious that a number of teachers and other school officials under the employment of the state government are yet to appreciate the responsibility they owe both their employer state and children whose lives are virtually in their hands to mould.
The situation is made more pathetic as the teachers appear not to understand the need for them to show a commensurate appreciation of the better remunerations which they now enjoy over regular civil servants in the state.
If they do, they ought to appreciate such gesture by increasing their productivity in order that the state government can make real progress in its avowed determination to focus more attention on human capital development.
Above all, there is the need for the administration to constantly remind them that they are under oath to live by the spirit of every policy of the state government, their employer, in order to at least justify the salaries they receive at the end of every month. This will serve as a reminder to everyone that much is expected of whom much is given.
Certainly, they cannot be committed to the past where the education sector deteriorated so badly that even the poor removed their children and wards from public schools.
They are poles apart and must never mix. Therefore, those teachers and other state officials who appeared to be consigned to that past should be shown the way out of service now. The need for the state government to be very firm in this regard cannot be over emphasized.
Over the years, observers have been unanimous on the need to urgently rejuvenate the nation’s education sector. Their position is not unconnected with the decadence the sector has suffered over the last decades which resulted in the rejection of product of the nation’s public schools on the strength that holders of their certificates and degrees cannot, practically speaking, defend the certificates and degrees in their possession.
Unarguably, the malaise has robbed off with great consequences on the sector at the state levels where both primary and secondary schools are always the subject of constant ridicule. In Edo state, the situation was particularly so serious that on his assumption of office, Oshiomhole took time off to study the situation with a view to prescribing relevant solution.
At the moment, appreciable intervention has been made in infrastructure by his administration in public schools in the state, so much so that both public primary and secondary schools which used to be the last resort of the poor are now enjoying a new lease of life as more and more parents and guardians are bringing back their children and wards.
However, it is sad that while Oshiomhole is receiving accolades for a job well done, certain elements appear bent on drawing back the hands of the clock.
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Oditah seeks partnership in legal education funding
A SENIOR Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof Fidelis Oditah, has advocated public and private sector funding to bring legal education to the desired standard in Nigeria and Africa.
He spoke at the Second African Regional Conference of International Association of Law Schools with the theme: Legal education in Africa in the 21st Century and the challenge of globalisation.
He said: “Strengthening our legal education obviously requires putting more money into our legal education. Increased funding requires a partnership between the governments, other stakeholders and donors.
“Law firms and lawyers have a big role to play. What is needed is a public-private partnership where the government provides the lion’s share of funding supplemented by private money.
He challenged lawyers to rise to the defence of democracy in their countries, saying that it was the responsibility of African lawyers to promote democratic ideas in their countries, provide basic structure for economic growth of their nations and position themselves as instruments of social engineering in their societies.
“The extent to which Africa can attract business and foreign direct investment depends in part upon investor perception of the quality of our civil and criminal justice system. Like many other developing countries, Africa needs a strong, independent and effective legal profession and judiciary to trade itself out of poverty and into prosperity.”
Oditah, a professor of Law at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom bemoaned the insignificant involvement of African lawyers in top legal services involving businesses and governments, saying that even when African lawyers are involved, their roles were often limited to offering advice on local regulations and licensing requirements that have to be complied with while African governments sought advice on the substance of transactions and investments from foreign lawyers.
He insisted that the prevailing practice denied African lawyers the opportunity to enrich their knowledge and experience as well as the financial benefit accruing from playing a significant role in high profile investments.
He regretted that African lawyers, who had practised law in Africa, often find it difficult to find their feet in English and American legal practice, a development he blamed on the low quality legal education in Africa.
Oditah, therefore, suggested an improved content in the teaching of Law as a panacea for deficiencies of legal education in the African continent. He suggested that legal education in Africa should be students-centred, as opposed to the prevailing lecturer-dominated approach. He urged teachers of law in Africa to pattern their lectures in form of vocational training by ensuring that their students “learn by doing rather than being told what to do”.
Explaining the essence of the conference, the President of the International Association of Law Schools, Prof Francis S.L. Wang, said that the forum was instituted to provide a platform for law teachers to exchange ideas and proffer solutions to problems affecting the practice of legal profession in their region.
The Dean Emeritus of Law of Soochow University in China, added that the choice of the University of Nigeria (UNN) for the conference was based on the tall reputation of the university and the active involvement of its Faculty of Law in advancing legal studies and practice. He stated that the conference would help strengthen the tie between his university and the University of Nigeria, as well as help participating faculties to make friends.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria (UNN), Prof Bartho Okolo, thanked the association for choosing the conference at the UNN. He explained that the university had performed creditably in its mandate of providing future leaders for Nigeria and Africa, especially in the legal profession where the institution had produced many judges and senior advocates.
Okolo, who spoke through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof Malachy Okwueze, said the varsity administration was working hard to reclaim the pride of the university and establish new benchmarks of excellence.
According to him, the strategy included collaborations with other renowned universities to enhance exchange of scholarly ideas.
Okolo believed that the conference would open doors for further collaboration that would be of mutual benefit to UNN and the partnering institutions.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Enugu Campus) and the Dean of Faculty of Law, (UNN) Prof. Ifeoma Enemo, said the Law Faculty would continue to uphold its culture of excellence that had enabled it to produce leading lights in legal profession.
The Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Dr Mamman Tahir, said the conference was important because it would help boost the opportunity for Nigeria and Africa to be relevant players in global legal practice. He commended the Faculty of Law of UNN for its contributions to the legal profession, adding that his record showed that products of the faculty are doing well.
The UNN Law Faculty hosted deans of over 35 Law Schools from Africa and other parts of the world.
The UNN Law Faculty, which took off in 1960, is the oldest law faculty in West Africa.
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Orji: free education still on
THE Abia State Government has debunked claims that it has canceled its free education programme.
Governor Theordore Orji, in a statement by his spokesman Ben Onyechere, said the “insinuation” was not true.
“The insinuation that the Abia State free education policy of Governor Orji has been reversed is the desperate repetition of an old slogan and the habit of those who have severally attempted to constitute a clog in the wheel of progress of Abia State.
“The youth empowerment programme, which has received massive applause, was also criticised. These detractors claimed that the beneficiaries of the programme were cronies of the governor.
“If I may ask, are those cronies not citizens of Abia State? We would have been surprised if they had acknowledged the veracity of those programmes in a positive manner,” the statement said.
The governor said the government was aware that no amount of good work can please detractors, saying he would not be distracted.
He said: “The government and people of Abia State know that no amount of development can assuage the bitterness of the sworn enemies of the state.
“This anti-Abia group has been overwhelmed by the level of activities in the state, which they never imagined could be achieved.
“In any case, no amount of falsehood can distract the present administration because the secret of such criticism has now been exposed,” the statement added.