DO State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, says there is no going back on the conduct of the assessment for teachers in the state. He made the remark yesterday when he had a meeting with the leadership of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools at the Government House, Benin City. Oshiomhole said, “We are not re-inventing or breaking a new ground. It is not a new chapter that is being opened. We have resolved, we are firm that the state cannot possibly continue to leave the children in the hands of those who will destroy their future. “The country is bigger than any individual and the state is bigger than the individual. Leaders will go, but the people will remain. I will be surprised that those whose profession is teaching, setting examination and writing examination regard assessment as something degrading.
Tag: Oshiomhole
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Teacher, no nonsense
Edo State, where Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, is governor today reminds me of Mr. S.A. Bodunrin, my good teacher and headteacher at the Ansar Ud’ Deen Grammar School, Isaga-Orile, near Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. To Bodunrin, I largely owe my understanding of English language, especially the written part of it. He was a good teacher, who never taught us nonsense. He obeyed the call of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and only taught us sense throughout his period with us.
Many teachers, however, teach their pupils and students nonsense. It is in order to guide against this that Oshiomhole decided that teachers should write a test to determine their competence to impart knowledge. The Edo governor did not just wake up and decide that teachers should be tested. Sometimes last year he had a shocking experience with a teacher who could not read. The governor could not hide his disdain. It was headline news in the newspapers the following morning.
The teacher in question presented two affidavits. One shows that she was born in 1954. The other shows she was born in 1964. What this means is that she is trying to reduce her age by ten years. And to add salt to injury, she does not even have anything in her brains to impart on the students. There are many of such teachers in Edo and elsewhere in the country.
The Edo scenario is a complicated one. The test which Oshiomhole decided that teachers should take has created a gulf between him and the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), who have continued to argue that the government was only out to embarrass teachers. Already, the state government has withheld the salaries of 920 teachers as a result of the dispute over the test. The government said they have not been sacked, but their salaries have been withheld so as to determine those with forged documents through a competency test.
The government, I understand, had a meeting with stakeholders in the education sector on Tuesday to iron out the grey areas. At the meeting, it was decided that an assessment test and not a competency test should be taken by teachers. Teachers shunned this meeting, which lasted some four hours. Their excuse is that the government is out to embarrass them through the test.
Oshiomhole had four times met with the NUT leadership. On each of the meetings it appeared headway had been made, but in the long run, something else cropped up and it is back to ground zero. From all indications, the government is unwilling to back down. As a matter of fact, it has set up a panel headed by a former Vice-Chancellor of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Prof. Dennis Agbonlahor, to oversee the test.
The governor says the whole fight is about replacing what is bad with what is good. So, is the NUT supporting what is bad over what is good?
My problem with the NUT is that it is always quick to assume that any attempt by government to test the competency of teachers is aimed at reducing the workforce. For me, if after the test, a teacher is discovered to be incapable of imparting knowledge, he or she deserves to be shown the way out of the service. And if a teacher is discovered to have forged a certificate or a birth certificate so as to gain undue advantage, he or she should not just be shown out of service, the police should be involved. After all, forgery of any sort is a criminal offence.
Some of us who are fond of our teachers have justifiable reasons for doing us. Of all my teachers, Bodunrin remains the one that left unforgettable impression on me. I remember when he was brought in as the Principal when I was rounding up SS1 and I wrote an essay for him to assess, I got minus four after he finished marking it for mechanical accuracy. I could not believe it because I thought I understood English. He took his time to mentor me and by the time we were about writing the terminal examination, I was getting six of the ten marks allotted to mechanical accuracy. He was so fond of me and I was like his secretary, taking notes any time he had a speech to deliver somewhere and that helped me greatly.
My plea to Edo teachers is that they should take the test and prove that they are competent. If they avoid the test and the incompetent ones remain within the system, it is the society that will eventually suffer for it and there will be no Bodunrin among them for anyone to refer to in the future.
Teachers, for their students, should be role models. A teacher, whose students are not proud while in school and, most especially, after school is a failure. It means he or she failed in character and impartation of knowledge. Knowledge is power and if a teacher is unable to empower his or her students or pupils through this means, then shame to him or her.
I will also appeal to Oshiomhole to put in place mechanism to ensure that the process is transparent. There should be no room for anyone to manipulate the system and claim that a teacher who excels is denied his or her rights, while those who fail are left in the system to continue to teach nonsense.
Teaching nonsense breeds armed robbers. It breeds kidnappers; it breeds forgers; it breeds assassins; it breeds oil thieves; it really breeds nothing good. At this stage of our nation, when we have enough criminally-minded individuals to contain, we must do all within our powers to stop more people from being recruited into the unenviable community. I dare say we have enough armed robbers already; the population of oil thieves is overwhelming; the assemblage of kidnappers is mind-boggling; and the army of assassins is too much for comfort.
So, what we needs are troops of intellectuals who are out for nothing but the good of the society. Having competent teachers, who will not teach nonsense, will go a long way in assisting us do this. I rest my case.
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Oshiomhole redirects education course in Edo
Erastus Ikhide, a journalist, highlights the efforts of Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole in tackling basic education and the mounting opposition against a man bent on cleaning the Aegean’s stable.
In the last five years of or so, Governor Adams of Oshiomhole of Edo State has taken measured steps to raise the standard of education in the troubled sector. Most recently, the sacking of 936 primary school teachers for age falsification and incompetence.
Some of the affected teachers ought to have retired some 10 years ago at the maximum or five years ago at the minimum, but chose to stay back in the state’s service; thereby blocking their children’s and grandchildren’s employment into the state’s teaching service and stultifying the growth of educationin the state. There is, therefore, a lot to contend with if education givers like teachers at the formative stage are themselves embroiled in roughish conducts that spell doom for the future of education in Nigeria and the younger generation.
The second is that of a female teacher early last year who demonstrated sheer illiteracy. The incident forced Oshiomhole’s administration to embark on the overhauling of the comatose education system that was left to decay and derailed. It is the second incident of a teacher who could not read a sentence that give away the other fraud of age falsification.
The governor in 2012 had sent 41 zonal inspectors and chief inspectors of education and local government education officers packing over non-performance and negligence of duty. The decision was the outcome of a thorough performance audit carried out by the governor. The crises coincided with the demotion of the Vice Principal of New Era College, Mr. S. E. Akhabue, from Grade Level 15 to Grade Level 14 for being a perpetual latecomer. The time-book of the teachers, which the governor went through showed that the vice principal sometimes got to the office as late as 9:55a.m. The punishment didn’t go down well with political opponents who exploited the sentiments of some misguided labour leaders who made spirited efforts to revert their punishment.
Add to that was the teachers recruitment sagger embarked upon by the state in 2011, which was later discontinued due to massive money-for-employment scam by the officials of the State Universal Basic Education, SUBEB. Even though some of the teachers had worked for about two months, Oshiomhole’s paid them off and asked them to reapply; this time with thorough scrutiny. The governor didn’t stop at that. He dissolved the board and sacked all the officials who were remotely involved in the racket. This has rein in – to some extent – the corruptive tendencies of SUBEB officials and others in the ministry of education.
The lapses in the education inspectorate come to the open when the governor paid series of unscheduled visits to public schools across the state where he made mind-boggling discoveries bordering on teachers absenteeism or dereliction of duty.
Oshiomhole said: “It’s obvious from what I’ve seen today and from what you’ve told me that you’ve all breached your basic duties, which is to monitor schools and file basic reports, which among other things, should include reports on those present and absent so that government can take steps to assist those who want to work to remain and those who don’t want to work to go home.
“Edo State Government has lost millions of naira of taxpayers’ money because of your failure to do your duties. “You are guilty of negligence of duty. I believe that most times, you don’t even come to work. We do not need this set of zonal inspectors of education, chief inspectors of education and local government education inspectors.
“The days are gone when people don’t do their jobs. It’s shocking that you recognise that you are supposed to have written reports, yet you fail to do so.
“I am happy that parents and guardians are returning their children to public schools as a result of the massive investment we have made in the education sector, yet, you who are to ensure that teachers work do not do so.
Teachers, as it were, are the backbones of any nation because they are responsible for shaping and nurturing the leaders of tomorrow, if indeed such nation is ready to remedy and rescue the future from the present. They too have to be sufficiently equipped to undertake the task of knowing how and what to teach the pupils, coupled with moral value. They must be responsible to the pupils as much as the state must be responsible to them, with decent working condition, regular training and liveable wages, so that they wouldn’t have any reason to be distracted from their core duties.
But the people of Edo State and the country at large may not have be sufficiently taken aback on the parlous state of the nation’s educational system until the recent Oshiomhole-primary-teacher’s-drama.The incident offered the country a classic evidence of the collapse of the foundation of education in an astounding literacy drama. A female primary school teacher, who had taught for upward of 20-year was unable to read her age declaration affidavit. Even when the governor encouraged her by reading the text and asked her to repeat after him, she floundered. The drama lasted for a few minutes.
That absurd drama watched by Nigerians on television which has now become the butt on the internet is not relative to the state alone. It is a national crisis, which demands decisive response. The springboard of this serio-comic was the massive discovery of teachers’ age falsification in which some of them claimed to have obtained their primary school certificates between the ages of eight and nine.
“We found that of all our primary school teachers, only 1,287, representing nine per cent, out of 14,484 teachers, had proper and accurate records in our system,” says Oshiomhole.
The incident which attracted wide commentary – including some critical editorials – is most shameful, to say the least. It is a serious indictment on the teachers and the supervisory organs of our primary education system. As this was shown across the country and beyond through prints, electronic and instant or social media, the country’s image of a civilised world tumbled. It sends the wrong signals that we are less likely to meet the 2030 UNESCO target for equitable and qualitative education.
As demonstrated in the state, teachers’ credentials audit may have unfurled some of the worse cases, but what is most critical is how to redeem the system from its self-inflicted harm. An embarrassing and destructive issue such as this calls for a tough policy decision just as Oshiomhole is doing in the state. The good of the society, achieved through training of the mind – the essence of education – is in danger.
The belief is that Oshiomhole has demonstrated the political will needed to write majority of the wrongs in the state’s educational sector more than any other state in Nigeria; the same way he acted when he signed the death warrants of condemned criminals, becoming the first governor to do so since 1999.
So many states across the country are yet to checkmate the profiteering syndicates that rule the employment of teachers by the officials and Personnel of State Schools Management Boards. One of the ways to ensure that we do not get to this embarrassing state where teachers can’t read even their own document in the future is to subject teachers recruitment and employment process to external body for scrutiny who may not have applicants affinity to the political party in power. There is no way we can separate the teachers employment racketeering and the attendant disgrace like the one we just witnessed in the state from politicians who are notorious for bending the rules for political patronage.
What we are witnessing in the state and elsewhere in Nigeria is a clear departure from what we were used to in our early school years. The primary teachers’ scandal evokes the question of death of the Inspectorate Division in our education system. In the past, inspectors made unscheduled visits to schools to investigate teachers’ punctuality and performance in the classroom. We must necessarily return to the weekly or monthly monitoring of our public and private schools by tested and trusted inspectors who will not compromise the value and quality of the nation’s education no matter the financial inducement.
The Oshiomhole-female-teacher’s tragic episode in Edo calls for ethical rearmament: a total overhaul through national education policies that will reinvent the wheels of inductive education, qualitative mentorship and practical teaching of the kids.
The modest achievements Oshiomhole has made in the last five-year would remain a flash in the pan if there is no institutional sustainability.
On a sad note, it would be particularly grim for Edo people at the end of Oshiomhole’s tenure if the loafers with artful background presently positioning themselves after him made it to Osadebe’s Avenue, the seat of power.
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Swimming with Oshiomhole
I’m always excited anytime the opportunity presents itself for me to head for my village, Okpokhumi-Emai in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State. I look forward to eating meals cooked in local pots. I cherish the aroma of the food prepared with firewood. I also salivate as I visualise how I will devour the bowls of bush meat and snail. I’m still licking my lips.
To the village I went penultimate Friday. What would have been a cruise was punctuated by the need to rescue my dad and younger sister whose car had a cut fan belt just before Ehor. Having replaced the fan belt, the journey continued to Okpokhumi-Emai. I stopped at Ojavun as my dad headed home.
Ojavun stood still for three days. Sympathisers thronged the dusty town to celebrate with the Managing Director of Vintage Press Limited, Victor Ifijieh, the passing on to glory of his 82-year-old mother, the late Mrs. Elizabeth Okheren Ifijieh. It was an exciting event. Edo State governor, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, was there, witty and jocular all the way. Trust Oshiomhole to seize every platform to rub home the supremacy of the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Carry go Osho Baba. I digress!
I saw my colleagues, many of who knew that I was at home. As a good host, in groups, I them to my village, which was the next from Ojavun. Many marvelled that my 83-year-old father walked unaided. I smiled because my dad still drives himself and insists on playing tennis. Back in Ojavun, I thrilled most of the editors on Friday night. I took them to Sabongida Ora, where we had fun. We had to hurry back to Ojavun to attend the wake-keep/ service of songs. It was a moving session.
But at 9.15pm, my phone rang. My friend wanted to know if I was in Okpokhumi. I answered in the affirmative. He challenged me to hit Auchi, if I could take the risk. It was a distance that could be covered in 30 minutes, using the Warrake route. I took off for Auchi and got there in good time.
My friend wasn’t shocked that I took the risk. He welcomed me into his palace. Food was organised that night (10.30pm) after which I opted for a cold bath. Looking refreshed, my friend informed me that we would be going to visit Oshiomhole at home. I couldn’t say no because my friend revealed that he had the governor’s mandate to ensure I came to see him. Oshiomhole wanted to meet with the writer of “Oshiomhole’s suicide mission”, published in this column last year.
As we drove through the chilly night, I left my mind blank, but the writer’s instinct took over, once we were ushered into the governor’s massive parlour. There he was sitting in his usual unassuming style, but listening to jazz. I was lost. I’m not a jazz freak yet I marvelled at the manner Oshiomhole was engrossed while listening to the music.
Oshiomhole surely loves architectural designs. The topography of the road leading to his home is hilly and spiral in shape. But what baffled me was the distinct way in which he deployed the architects to place structures that further beautified the Appian Way to his home. Driving towards the governor’s home rolled back the years to January 14, 1972, when I resumed as a student of Government College Ughelli (GCU). I digress!
As I stepped into the governor’s parlour, I saw a giant piano, although the snow white settee was unmistakable. I assumed the piano was for decoration, or at best an instrument to be played during impromptu morning masses. I was wrong. The governor is a music freak, I later found out.
As the sound system blared out the sober tunes, we watched the artistes on the mighty television set strutting their trade. The governor occasionally walked towards the piano, but he didn’t play it. I laughed inside me, believing that my theory of the piano being just an instrument for fellowship was spot on. I was wrong, because Oshiomhole played some of the tunes we listened to. I immediately promised to share these moments with Oshio Baba with you, dear reader.
What did I leave out? I remember now. As I stepped into the parlour, my friend walked me up to where the governor sat and said: “Here is the writer of Oshiomhole’s suicide mission.” Goose pimples ran through me as the governor sprang up to his feet to embrace me. He said so many nice things about my column and The Nation, quoting some of my writings.
“Look, my dear friend, when I saw the headline at the back page of The Nation, I unknowingly asked which suicide mission again? Quickly, I stopped to read it because I was actually preparing for breakfast. I then read through it. It was when I got towards the end of the article that I realised that you were talking about the Okpekpe Road race. That was a very compelling write-up. Well edited, and it held me spellbound till the end. I want to commend your writing, especially your courage to say the truth at all times. Please keep it up.”
The governor continued to do his business of the state with some of his lieutenants. Oshiomhole is a team player, works 21 hours, as he explained to me later. The clock read 1.30am on Saturday, but the governor wasn’t ready to let us go. Like a flash, he rose from his chair and beckoned on us to follow him though a door. Behold! A swimming pool fitted with state-of-the-art facilities. Not too expensive but exquisite. What bowled me over at the sight of the swimming pool was the architectural design of rocks which formed a pyramid.
The confluence from the pyramid diverted the water via a fountain with which anyone eager to swim stood underneath to prepare himself or herself for the exercise. I spent most of the time there, wondering how the rocks were so beautifully arranged. I waited patiently to see how the governor would swim. I expected a big splash reminiscent of how a little child splashes water when left in the bath.
I had a second thought watching the way the governor obey the rules preparatory to taking a dive. It struck me that he could swim. Still, I had this inkling that it could be another ‘suicide’ mission. It wasn’t. I was startled when the governor dived in a professional manner. It took him time to come up to the surface after the plunge but the way he stroke his hands and the movement of his legs in a fish-like way, told the story of a man who is passionate about the aquatic sport.
It wasn’t all about swimming at the poolside. There was a lot to eat and drink. The governor also provided good music for all to listen to. The setting reminded me of synchronic swimming.
Watching Oshiomohole unwind through swimming explained why Edo State is working. I say so because the swimming session witnessed the presence of key members of his executive council who came intermittently to whisper words into his ears about completed jobs, meant to deliver the dividends of democracy to people who live in Edo State. Oba Khato Okpere, Ise!
Done with swimming at about 2.45am Saturday, I walked up to the governor to find out when he rests. From his reclined chair, he shook his head around for seconds, perhaps pondering over what to say. Then he said: Three hours rest.” Looking sideways, he saw Mike Itemuagbor and the discussion on Okpekpe Road Race began.
The discussion on how this year’s edition of the Okpekpe Road race would be organised showed that Oshiomhole was preparing for it. Everyone confirmed that he wakes up at 6 am and embarks on a 10 km road race before heading to the bath room to get set for the business of the day. Oshiomhole canvassed for an increase in the kilometers to be covered during the Okpekpe Road race from five kilometers to 10. The governor was informed that road races are always five kilometres. He still insisted that he would run again this year.
What is the essence of bringing the swimming session with Oshiomhole to this column, many would ask. There are a lot of diligent sports governors who can change the face of what we term lesser sports in Nigeria, only if the administrators can come up with programmes that will involve them.
I’m sure that if the Swimming Federation asks Oshiomhole to bankroll a one-day swimming competition at N1million in Edo state to mark his late wife’s anniversary, he would jump at it. Oshiomhole likes challenges and would gladly do anything to celebrate his departed wife. Will our administrators do that? They would rather come up with frightening figures of between N15 million and N30 million for a one-day competition.
Oshiomhole likes kids. He is a grassroots man and loves to relate with his people. If the Swimming Federation chieftains take a competition to Oshio Baba, he will splash the cash. Not with their outrageous figures.
I shocked my friend and brother in The Nation on Wednesday night when I told him that the Ekiti state governor was a fantastic badminton player. The look on his face showed that he had doubts. He quickly called the governor, who confirmed his prowess in badminton. They threw a challenge. I will relate the result when the games are played. Soon.
Who says the Ekiti governor cannot spend N1million for a one-day circuit for our big stars? The catch will be for the federation chiefs to include the governor in the draw. The governor would gladly accept the challenge. With every edition, the prize money will be increased. I know that the Badminton Federation men know that Dr. John Kayode Fayemi is passionate about the game, which he has been playing since his days at Christ’s School Ado-Ekiti.
King Toba Falode is gone
Reluctantly, I want to talk about a little boy, Toba Falode, who enjoys picking his mother’s phone. Anytime I call Aisha Falode and she doesn’t pick my call, I’m almost sure that if I persist, her son Toba’s voice will come on the phone.
When the news broke that Aisha Falode was bereaved, not once did I think it would be Toba. In fact, Eddy Ohis told me that the person who died was a boy. I dismissed Ohis, believing that such a person would be an elderly one.
Back at work, my deputy Ejiro Femi-Babafemi told me that Aisha lost her son. My heart sank. I ran to my office to call another ‘son’ of Aisha, Wale Ajayi of AIT. Once I introduced myself on the phone, the painful narration of Toba’s death began. At 53, I thought I could never shed tears. But I cried and not once after dropping the call on Wale Ajayi. I hope he understood why.
Quickly, I called Aisha’s phone. The voice at the other end told me that she was indisposed. When she realised that I really wanted to speak with Aisha, she asked me to drop the message. My voice failed me. I dropped the call knowing, that I didn’t disappoint the receiver.
Aisha, what will I be telling you without asking after the King, Toba? At 53, I thought I couldn’t shed tears. But I did when Wale Ajayi confirmed Toba’s demise. You’re inconsolable, no doubt, but God loves Toba most. May God grant you the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. For Toba, it is good night to a very good boy. Mehen nosen. Sleep well King Toba Falode.
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Edo workers used kids’ certificates for employment – Oshiomhole
Some Edo State workers who used their children or brothers certificates to secure employment or promotion have been uncovered.
They were among the 1,800 workers issued letters to explain discrepancies in their credentials.
The workers were caught during the verification exercise carried out by the state government recently.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole gave a hint on the outcome of the verification exercise during a meeting with some civil society groups.
According to him, ” “It is true we have done verification in the health sector, civil service and others, which puts a lie to the claims by teachers that they are being targeted and are the only ones asked to do verification, and we discovered some civil servants who are using their children’s certificates or their brother’s certificate.”
“However, we have not sacked anybody. If anything, we have directed the Civil Service Commission to employ new hands into the Civil Service. In any event, we don’t have a record of taking unilateral decisions on matters affecting the workers.”
Oshiomhole, who maintained his disposition towards training and retraining of teachers, said the teachers’ competence level must be determined to design an appropriate retraining programme for them.
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It’s a miracle I survived, says Oshiomhole
Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole said yesterday that it was a miracle he survived an accident on the Benin-Abuja Road on December 28.
Speaking at a special thanksgiving mass, the governor said it was God’s mercy that made him and other occupants survive the direct impact of a bus, which hit his car and destroyed it.
Reading Psalms 127:1 “Unless the Lord watches the city, the watchmen watcheth but in vain”, Oshiomhole said: “The essence of today’s occasion is to give testimony to the fact that when we buy armoured vehicles, we are only thinking in terms of enemies who might choose to use firearms to fire at their enemies.
“But as I saw on December 28, even the armoured vehicle is not sufficiently armoured to protect the vehicle itself from accidents.
“The real armour is the armour that God provides when we submit to His will. It cannot be procured by money, it cannot be procured by the most potent arms makers. Only God can armour us against evil.
“We had a serious accident and the armoured vehicle was itself destroyed. Those of us in the car, three of us, none of us were harmed and as you can see, we all came out of the armoured car unhurt, alive. “The armoured car is off the road, but we the ordinary people covered by the Blood of Jesus survived it”, he said.
The governor added: “I pledge to rededicate myself to the services of the people of this great state. For the remaining time that I have, I will do as God directs me to continue to use the instrument of governance to deliver the greatest good to our citizens.”
Speaking in a homily at the service, the Archbishop of Benin Archdiocese, Rev. Augustine Akubeze, said there is a need for people to always thank God for his kindness and mercies.
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Oshiomhole registers, lauds party
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, yesterday formally registered as a member of the All Progressive Congress saying the party is leading by example by taking democracy to the grassroots.
Oshiomhole, who was a member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) before the merger of parties which gave birth to the APC, registered at Iyamho Primary School in Etsako West Local Government Area and was given a membership card with number 10018645.
The governor, who urged people in the state to troop out and join the party, said the registration process was free, fair and transparent. According to him, “the issue of membership of the party is open; it is transparent. The location is exactly as you would find in INEC rules. Every polling unit is the unit for registration. That means whether you are a governor, a party chairman, or a leader, you have to go to your polling unit to register as a member of APC.
“The process has been decentralised and very transparent. So it is not a matter of favour as you can see. Even as governor of this state, I had to leave Benin City to come to my village where I am a registered voter to come and register.
“I think this is extremely important. If you look at the turnout of voters across the state and the country, you see the excitement on the faces of the people, which shows that APC has laid a solid democratic foundation on which we can build,” he said.
On the issue of presenting the INEC voter’s card for registration, the Governor said: “It is to ensure that people register where they are expected to vote. The tendency is for people of little minds to try to acquire many cards in order to use them on election day.
The Governor declared: “You know that when it comes to ward congresses, people who are not even members of the party are given emergency party membership to use them to distort the primary election.
“By insisting that you have your voter’s card, you cannot move from one location to another. It is an attempt to copy INEC and decentralise the process and avoid double registration.”
On the possibility of extending the registration exercise, Oshiomhole said: “There is no need to talk about extension because there is no evidence of people who want to vote and are prevented. Given the enthusiasm of people who want to register, there might be some polling booths where people are much more than the number of cards available.
“The national secretariat of the APC has give assurance that whatever number of cards required would be provided. So in any event, this is just to kickstart the process that would be continuing everyday because more and more people are likely to join the party.”
Oshiomhole further declared: “The APC registration has shown that we are taking democracy to rural communities and encourage them to become politically conscious, and with that level of consciousness, they will hopefully one day use their numbers to compel people who wield political power not to forget the rural majority.
“Other parties should borrow a leaf from what the APC has done in this exercise. I am proud of it,” he said.
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Oshiomhole’s aide preaches reading
Senior Special Assistant to Governor Adams Oshiomhole on Private Schools Monitoring, Wilson Ibhawa has urged school proprietors to help imbibe reading culture in their pupils.
Ibhawa, who lamented that the state government is disturbed by the crisis of value in the school system, also urged the proprietors to collaborate raise standard in privately-owned schools.
He spoke at Irrua during a meeting of the Association of Private School Owners of Nigeria (APSON).
Ibhawa urged school proprietors to avail the state government information on the existence of illegal and sub-standard schools in their locality.
He said much progress has not been made on private school monitoring because of challenges he did not mention.
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Oshiomhole and the widow
In the synoptic gospels of Mark and Luke, Jesus, while teaching at the temple in Jerusalem, eulogised the widow’s mite. She gave all from her heart. The New International Version (NIV) of Luke 21: 4 says: “… but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” And so was the widow of Benin, Mrs. Joy Ifije. Unfortunately, the widow had put in all she had to live on in the wrong place at the wrong hour.
The plight of Nigerian widows is that which needs not be overemphasised. It is common and well-known. The challenges widow’s face after the demise of their husbands, who customs bequeath the role of the head of the family, is no longer a strange phenomenon; it is all the same fate across different cultures in Nigeria.
Inevitably, the widows assume the role of the head of the house, a role which comes with a lot of responsibilities. In such a situation, life becomes so difficult, especially for widows who are not financially independent prior to the passing away of their spouses. The unexpected transition bestows on them a father figure.
Mrs Ifije must have had her share of widows’ plight. She had been a victim of theft by a truck pusher who went away with her goods, a week before her encounter with Governor Adams Oshiomhole. To avoid such an occurrence again, she placed her goods on the road contrary to the state’s law on street trading.
On the other hand, the law is no respecter of persons and so was the governor. The widow’s encounter with the Edo helmsman was a blend of pain and gain. Despite government’s effort to rid the state of street trading and other unhealthy practices due to the hazard they pose to public safety, the governor, who was on inspection, was enraged at the widow’s attempt to sabotage his administration’s effort.
Just like Jesus, so many of us had expected the governor to tell the poor widow to go and sin no more. On the contrary, he was upbraided. The law, Anatole France, a Nobel Prize winner, said forbids, in its majestic equality, the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. But, the diction was, nevertheless, too strong for public consumption.
Such an uncensored utterance from an elected public figure was deemed inappropriate. While apologising, the governor said: “…but when I said go and die, that one was said in a fit of anger. And I am really sorry.” Not only did the governor realise his mistake on time, he tread the path of honour by employing the widow to enforce that same law she flouted.
As Aristotle puts it: “Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”
Anger is a normal emotional response to a perceived provocation but never should we allow it to cloud our sensibility. It was the same hubristic anger that led to the downfall of Odewale in Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not to Blame. Beyond fatalism, anger has led to the downfall of great men. Such is the case of the rage of Achilles.
The ironic twist of event was the governor’s strength of character, as explicated in Aristotle’s poetic expression. Oshiomhole discovered his weakness before it was exploited by the opposition in a fit of mischief. For the widow, it was a reversal of fate. The governor’s regret was her fortune but, nevertheless, it was an act of divine providence.
•Taiwo has just finished Nationl Youth Service in Oyo State
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Oshiomhole warns parents against child labour
EDO State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has frowned at the prevalence of child labour in the state, warning parents to desist from the act or face the wrath of the law. The governor gave the warning yesterday when he hosted Amarachi Uchendu, a Senior Secondary School 2 student of New Era College, and her parents at the Government House. It will be recalled that Amarachi had spilled the beans on the poor attitude of some teachers to work, prompting an audit of public school teachers by the state government. The audit revealed the poor attitude of some of the teachers to work, and the qualifications of many public school teachers in the state. Oshiomhole, who expressed sadness at seeing Amarachi hawking plantain chips during one of his inspections of ongoing projects in the state, told her parents during the visit that, “first, it is a violation of the law and child labour is prohibited worldwide. I am shocked that you put her on the road selling fried plantain and all sorts of things on the road. All these are violation of the child labour and child right law. For a young girl like her, all she needs is support for her to go to school. “If she has health challenges, the more reason, she should not be exposed to all sorts of health hazards. Parents in the state should give their children the enabling environment to study. I know you are going to tell me you are poor, but you become poorer if you fail to give your children the best education they deserve.