The Nation Newspaper

Tag: problem

  • The problem with certificates

    Why do we love certificates so much in Nigeria? Is it because without it one cannot be gainfully employed? Is it because with a “good” one you can climb to the apex of your chosen career? Or is it simply a thing of pride to line up a number of acronyms after your name? Simply put, we are obsessed with certificates. Does that then mean that certificates in themselves are bad? Absolutely not; they’re as relevant as they’ll always be. The missing link – I believe – is the correlation between certificates and knowledge.

    We have no fewer than 250 varsities in the country, yet we struggle to even have one in the first 2,000 universities in world rankings. This speaks volume. A lot of students that apply for admission to our varsities do not have the end result of their quest in mind because there are no rigorous regime structures in place to effectively test their capabilities.

    In addition to our admission policies, why can’t we put a system in place where potential undergraduates are made to provide detailed resumes, statement of objective of study and their understanding of our society and its complex nature? If we do this – I believe – we may start grooming a new generation of graduates who would turn out to be innovators, world changers, entrepreneurs, billionaires, and solvers of complex issues, among a host of benefits.

    As the world shrinks due to globalisation, it’s a known fact that new and complex challenges are emerging rapidly; these challenges need newer and sometimes radical tools to help address them. Most people agree that education, especially at the tertiary level, plays a fundamental part in addressing complex present day challenges. For us to address a critical challenge like the shrinking labour market and the rapid production of graduates annually, we have to explore ways of adding knowledge to the quest for certificates.

    For those who have been opportune to sit in job interview panels, one recurring decimal is the gulf between certificates presented and applicants. How, for instance, do you reconcile a first class or second class upper degree certificate with an individual that can hardly express himself, either written or orally? Our tertiary education system – more than ever – has an onerous task of looking beyond the mere award of certificates to ensuring it benefits individuals and the larger society.

    I find it strange that some undergraduates go through higher education for four, five and sometimes six years without having inkling about where the degree they are acquiring will lead them after school other than the porous hope that they will get some job and start a career somewhere.

    Without doubt, education is one of the major arbiters of socialisation but when it is reduced to mere ability to obtain a certificate by fair or foul means; it becomes a tool for underdevelopment and retrogradation, sometimes on scales hardly imagined. Our leadership crises are a pointer to this.

    For qualitative education to be achieved and sustained, critical value must be placed on it so that those who receive it can see beyond its “putting food on the table” and refocus on the imperative to apply its gains to the needs of society. In other words, education – especially at the university level – needs to be properly valued and repositioned.

    A look at some of the curricula in our tertiary education system seem to suggest that we are gradually being left behind as some courses have not been reviewed to fall in line with current realities. It is sad to note that some of our lecturers are still relying on researches conducted years ago; some of these no longer fit current challenges. On a positive note, some varsities now have entrepreneurial centres. But the type of skills taught are a different ballgame; mainly theoretical and lacking in practical applications.

    Education is supposed to prepare young people for the challenges of facing the future and making the best of it. It is supposed to help students to discover themselves, nurture their innate abilities and give vent to their God-given talents. Education is not supposed to only “put food in the hands of a hungry lad.” It is supposed to help him create value out of his acquisitions which can be exchanged for a store of further value which eventually translate to wealth creation.

    Education can therefore not be about passing examinations and getting promoted into the next grade. It cannot be about acquiring certificates that do not empower the holder to add value to society in real terms. I see it as a journey in self-discovery (which is why it never ends), a journey that leads a man to the place of his assignment, the duty post that enables him to contribute not only to the enrichment and betterment of society but also towards empowering him to attaining self-actualisation.

    It would appear – in some quarters that – the one thing our educational system has not failed to do is to subtly glamorise riches and make it the ultimate in human pursuit. In spite of the hollowness of the type of scholarship that is delivered across the educational chain in Nigeria, young people are not left without the now common desire and vaulting ambition to get rich as quickly and effortlessly as possible.

    A side effect of this is that ‘success literatures’ have taken over the book stands and libraries as a testament to the widespread subordination of hard work and diligence to riches at any cost. It is therefore not surprising that success-teaching entrepreneurs have created a burgeoning industry out of the lacuna that has been created by formal education, especially in the critical area of research.

    Where did we derail? From the beginning of the quest for certificates, our prospective undergraduate is engaged in a rat race of passing his UTME exams to scaling the extra road block of Post-UTME screening. While in this race, most of them may not have been properly mentored to know what they are up against, except to acquire a certificate.

    The journey of higher education in Nigeria places unduly strong emphasis on students passing examinations and acquiring certificates. Serious attempt to link or lead the students and eventual graduates to discovering their calling and how the education being acquired will empower them to be masters of their destinies in the very near future are most times discounted.

    What’s my take on this? I believe the time to rethink our entire tertiary educational system is now. Education must be structured to unleash the potentials in every learner, leading them to acquire the much needed skills to become a source of value addition to life and the nation.

    Much of the ignorance that encircles contemporary Nigeria today certainly stems from the education industry. It is easy to point to government’s lackluster attitude as the major problem of the educational sector. But that cannot be the whole truth. The education sector is also an adversary unto itself. Beyond turn-coat Ministers of Education, who even as academics helped to under-develop education, teachers and students have not lived up to expectation. In the lower levels (especially in the public schools), there are quack teachers who cannot read or write good English, and yet English remains the language of instruction.

    Any nation’s educational system is a pastiche of the society. This is especially true of the universities which should be centres of excellence but which unfortunately has become a pitiable extension of the problematic political system in Nigeria. If the universities – indeed the entire educational system – must be the vanguard of excellence and development, they have to operate at a level higher than the ugly realities that define contemporary Nigeria.

    More than anything else, I strongly believe we need the return of a vibrant intelligentsia that can bring back the era of all round research that addresses societal needs. This vibrant intelligentsia not only acquired certificates, but added knowledge to it, which is what is lacking in Nigeria.

  • Power: The problem with coal

    SIR: Coal is a combustible black or dark brown sedimentary rock usually occurring in layers called coal beds. In Nigeria, it was first discovered in 1909 at a place called Udi Ridge in Enugu. In 1916, coal mining became fully operational at Ogbete Mines, Enugu and by 1917 a second coal mine was opened in Iva Valley, Enugu. Maiganga mine in Gombe was also one of the coal mines that sprang up in Nigeria during the colonial era. In 2011, Okobo coal mine field in Kogi State became operational.

    Coal can be used to provide energy to drive economic growth. However, coal to power generation has huge challenges because coal has the highest carbon content among all fossil fuels. Coal mining and combustion causes a massive emission of greenhouse gases. When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury compounds are released into the atmosphere. Sadly, all these are gases that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is working very hard to reduce their emissions. The coal mining technique usually adopted in coal mines in Nigeria is the surface mining method also called strip or open cast mining. This method is notorious for releasing toxic amounts of minerals and heavy metals into soils and water bodies that host communities usually patronize. This method of mining is also notorious for destroying landscapes, forest, wild life habitats and biodiversity in general. It also predisposes the community to erosion since plants, trees and topsoil are usually uprooted from around the mine sites. As rain falls, the loose topsoil contaminated with carbon sediments is washed into water bodies. This is very destructive to fishes and other aquatic life forms. It may also distort the flow channels of streams and rivers leading to flooding in some areas and water scarcity in other areas. Water sheds are also destroyed when disfigured lands loses the water it once held.

    Another challenge with coal to power is that coal mining generates a lot of noise and air  pollution. The excavation and transportation of mined coal within host communities usually causes massive amounts of coal dust to circulate in the air. This puts community    dwellers who inhale this dust over long periods of time at risk of developing varying degrees of respiratory ailments including black lung disease, bronchitis and asthma. This dust also has the capacity to complicate the health of children and may even cause them to have stunted physical and mental growth. The roads in such communities are usually untarred and when trucks move around in the dry season, large quantities of dust are usually raised into the surrounding. This dust is not healthy for inhalation. To make matters worse, most coal mining communities do not have a decent health facility and the community dwellers are usually very indigent people who cannot afford to travel far and wide for first grade medical services. This condemns them to live and die with whatever health challenge coal mining has brought on them. Also, coal mining produces very loud and disruptive noise in the host community. Heavy equipment excavating coal usually causes massive vibrations that have the capacity to cause cracks and collapses of buildings.

    Just recently, China announced the cancellation of one hundred and three coal power plants, some of which were operational and some under construction. The government admitted that a lot of resources had being put into the projects but there was need to move away from one of the dirtiest source of generating electricity. Some other western nations have started curtailing investment in coal to power. The fact that you are blessed with a resource is not a compulsion that you must use it especially considering the fact that side effect exists. There is therefore need for Nigeria to review its decision to make budgetary appropriations for coal to power if it really wants to cut carbon emission

     

    • Martins Eke,

     Centre for Social Justice, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.

     

  • Buhari, not Nigeria’s problem

    SIR: Just like Nigeria is witnessing now, the Asian Tigers weathered a storming and devastating financial crisis in 1997, with South Korea as the worst-hit. Its foreign debt hit the roof-top by about 50 per cent. The economies of Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan recoded heavy losses owing to the financial crisis. A similar bitter experience befell the Asian Tigers at another time but, they quickly overcame.

    I think that one unique feature of the citizens of those countries is their profound decision and commitment to self-reliance, inward-looking and unparalleled spirit of nationalism. Rather than allow their countries to be made the dumping ground for imported goods that they have the capacity, potential and skill to produce, the Asian tigers doggedly chose to consume locally produced items towards conserving foreign exchange, shoring up local industrial base and technology no matter how crude they might be. Today, they are better for it.

    There was a time we had Peugeot Automobile Assembly Plant, Kaduna; Volkswagen Automobile Assembly Plant in Lagos; Leyland Plant in Ibadan; Dunlop Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Airways, Nigerian National Shipping Line; Steel Rolling Mills, Berec Battery, Michellin tyres, Kingsway, AG Leventis, Arewa textile,  Leyland Nigeria Limited, to name a few. There burgeoning commercial and business interest with vast outlets across the country and employing millions of skilled and unskilled Nigerians. Where are they today?

    Statistics and indices about corruption in Nigeria are frightening; Figures on unemployment are terrifying. Rate of criminality is no less disgusting and scary. Neither is the degree of arrogant display of arrogance, avarice and self-construct among the business and political elite irritatingly provocative and inciting. Access to public tilt is meant to steal. Public offices are opportunities to pilfer and be celebrated. Looters are heroes and heroines. Arraignment of corrupt individuals in court of competent jurisdiction is episodic and a medley of theatrics.

    Buhari’s not Nigeria’s problem. Those that constitute enmity to the country include the National Assembly, which sees itself as a parallel government, milking the country dry, yet still behaves like an Oliver Twist. Buhari is not the problem of our country by those that looted the treasury and stashed their stolen wealth abroad. Their children attend some of the best schools in advanced countries, while public schools suffer reckless abandon and criminal neglect. Yet, a few individuals play God by wishing Buhari dead.

    It is totally unhuman to wish a fellow man dead, since only whom God pleases He makes to attain political power. In fact, it is an abomination for anyone or group to arrogate to themselves any form of divine power.

     

    • Osibote O’odua,

    Lagos.

  • Kudos to PMB on the Gambian problem

    When our late Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who doubled as our foreign minister for a while said in October 1960 at the United Nations General Assembly plenary session that our country will protect the interest of the black man wherever he may be, people felt that this was an unrealistic ambition. Sir Abubakar, as we all know, was not given to making statements without having ruminated seriously upon it. He came to this conclusion because of the pain most African leaders felt about the humiliation of the black man in the hands of largely racist colonial governments in Africa at that time. This was also the onset of the Civil Rights movement in the USA when dogs were unleashed on blacks justly demanding to be treated as human beings. The most galling of these indignities was in Southern Africa stretching from the then Belgian Congo to the Afrikaner controlled Republic of South Africa where blacks were herded into the so-called Bantustans created to emphasize the division of black South Africans along tribal lines in an attempt to weaken the wind of change which the British Prime Minister had said was blowing through the whole of Africa which the colonial regimes must take note of so that they are not caught unprepared when the wind  would become an hurricane.

    It was in the light of this political ferment that Sir Abubakar committed Nigeria to supporting all black men struggling justly to be free. This speech from a conservative leader of the most populous Black Country whose friendship was highly valued in the Cold War years of the struggle for world supremacy between communism and capitalism must have shocked policy makers in the West.   From that time onwards till today, the foreign policy of Nigeria has not deviated from protecting the interests of the black man. Nigeria may be careful about meddling in the affairs of the historic black diaspora in north and South America and their struggle for equality. This is because our leverage on the powerful countries of the United States and Brazil is rather inconsequential. But in the Caribbean islands, Nigeria has played significant roles there particularly in its high profile diplomatic and cultural presence in such countries as Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago. The point I am making is that Nigeria has been consistent in batting for the black man as much as its economy will permit. Nigeria bore almost 35 percent of the budget of the liberation committee of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) resident in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This was apart from direct financial and military assistance to national liberation movements of various countries from those of Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. One of the first international roles of independent Nigeria was participating in UN peace-keeping in the Congo in 1961. We must not forget the burden which Nigeria happily bore in the cause of African liberation and which it continues to bear in its disproportionate budgetary support for the African Union even today.

    In recent years, there have been attempts to refocus Nigeria’s foreign policy away from political consideration to economic issues now that the continent is largely free from overt political domination. But one thing that has remained is our country’s role in the lives of black people particularly in West Africa and the continent as a whole.

    Defence of democratic regimes is now part of Nigeria’s foreign policy goals. Even during military regimes, Nigeria continued with this policy while critics said Nigeria was defending a system of government denied to its people. This embarrassing situation must have hastened the reluctant exit of the military from the seat of power in 1999.

    When “civilian” government headed by Obasanjo came to power in 1999, it was natural for it to continue to embrace the new doctrine of supporting democratic regimes in addition to defending the interests of the Blackman worldwide. This informed President Olusegun Obasanjo’s intervention in Togo, São Tomé and Principe, Guinea–Bissau, Liberia and to a certain extent in Côte d’Ivoire, Niger and Sierra Leone just to ensure through preventive diplomacy, that the region did not dissolve into avoidable fratricidal conflict as before. What informed Nigeria’s policy was trying to put out the fire in the house of your neighbours before being consumed in the conflagration when the fire spread to one’s house. In other words, the policy is not simply based on altruism but enlightened self-interest. This preventive diplomacy will continue to operate no matter who is in power in Nigeria. Of course this assumption is based on peace in Nigeria as well as a strong economy to back its foreign policy. The populace would also need to be carried along so that nobody grumbles about domestic problems being left unattended to while the country is busy pacifying other countries that may be distressed in the region.

    When the situation in The Gambia with a population of about one and a half million  people and combined armed and police force of about 2400 deteriorated following the refusal of its sit-tight President Yahya Jammeh to vacate his position, Nigeria had to step in. President Yahya Jammeh has ruled the small country sandwiched within Senegal for 22 years after overthrowing its president, Sir Dauda Jawara in a coup  d’état. A presidential election supervised by his government was lost and a new man Adama Barrow won the election. Yahyah jammeh admitted defeat for some days and later began to find excuses to remain in power. The ECOWAS leaders met in Abuja and issued an ultimatum to Jammeh to step down. Two countries were critical to this decision. These were Nigeria and Senegal. Once Buhari showed leadership in spite of the problems at home, Senegal showed resolve and the others followed. To ensure global support, Nigeria led others to secure UN Security Council support. President Buhari after three trips to negotiate with the recalcitrant Jammeh sent first a naval frigate to cruise around the coast of the country as a precursor of proposed combined military operations involving also the army and the Air Force; then he sent a detachment of Nigeria Air Force. A Hercules C130 moved about 800 troops to Senegal while Nigerian planes put pressure on the recalcitrant Jammeh by buzzing the capital of Banjul to show resolve and determination. What followed was expected. The Chief of Staff of the Gambian army, General Ousman Badjie issued a statement that his troops will not fight his West African brothers and subsequently pledged his loyalty to the new President Adama Barrow who had earlier on been sworn in in the Gambian embassy in Dakar, Senegal. By this time, the troops ready to strike had been bolstered by a token company of Malian troops. The fate of Jammeh was in the balance. He was offered asylum in Nigeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Guinea. He apparently chose finally to go to Equatorial Guinea where he shares sit-tight political consanguinity with the Equatorial Guinean President Tewedoro Macias Nguema who has been in power in the oil-rich country for decades. Buhari must ensure Jammeh signs a guarantee of non-interference in the affairs of The Gambia and Senegalese and Nigerian troops should remain in the country to ensure peace and security while removing from command positions all Jammeh’s appointees.

    Buhari has resoundingly won his first foreign policy challenge and he deserves our congratulations. I was disappointed that some members of our Senate did not rise to the occasion. The criticism of Buhari by senators Ike Ekweremadu and Chukwuka Utazi for sending troops to The Gambia without Senate approval is totally unpatriotic and uncalled for. The intent of the constitution they quoted is not to tie the hands of the president in foreign policy emergencies but to ensure that Nigeria does not declare wars without Senate approval. No war broke out in this case and the AMERICAN example which some of these people always quote permits the president to seek approval post troops’ deployment in case of crisis necessitating quick action. It is not in the interest of Nigeria to belittle the effort of the President and to deride him when celebrations are called for.

  • Lagos to fix Badagry hinterlands power problem

    The 16 years power problem some hinterlands in Badagry West Local Council Development Area of Lagos State will be over soon, Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources Mr. Wale Oluwo has said.

    He said the inability to connect the areas to the national grid arose from some hitches.

    Oluwo spoke at the weekend during an interactive session with community leaders, youths and stakeholders of the Gbaji-Seme community electrification project, at Suntan Beach, Badagry.

    The government, he said, was determined to ensure that the affected communities got better supply than Badagry town.

    The Commissioner said none of the 30 communities identified for the electrification would be left out, adding that efforts would be made to include any other community not already captured in the exercise.

    “This electrification project including the erection of poles, installation of transformers, among others, that are within the control of the government would be completed in two weeks after which we would prevail on the Federal Government to complete the process of connecting the entire Badagry town to a more reliable power source through the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) in Agbara,” he said.

    Lagos State Electricity Board General Manager Mrs Ibilola Kasunmu pleaded for understanding from the affected communities, promising that the government would facilitate the project’s completion.

    “We acknowledge the patience already exercised by all the stakeholders in this project but I just want to encourage you to be more patient because restoring what has been bad in 16 years within a very short while could be more onerous than one could ever imagine,” she said.

    Alapa of Apa Kingdom Oba Oyekan Ajose acknowledged the government’s intervention in the project, which, he claimed, should have be handled by the Federal Government.

    Olologbade of Kweme Kingdom Oba Sejiro Olalekan James said the interactive session showed that Akinwunmi Ambode is a listen governor.

  • Corrupt value system is Nigeria’s greatest problem, says Bakare

    Corrupt value system is Nigeria’s greatest problem, says Bakare

    Latter Rain Assembly Presiding Pastor Dr. Tunde Bakare at the weekend said the crisis confronting Nigeria will linger, if leaders and stakeholders fail to change their corrupt value system.

    Expressing sadness at the country’s level of corruption, Bakare said leaders must be held accountable no matter the situation.

    He said no one needed to be told something was wrong with most of the country’s  leaders.

    The fiery cleric added that the situation has become so bad that even clerics, who should teach morals, are involved in graft.

    Bakare, who was Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), spoke while delivering a lecture at the 14th anniversary of Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, Abuja with the theme: “The church and economic recession”.

    Worried by the dwindling fortunes of the average citizen, the Convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG) called for a complete overhaul of the Nigerian system and structure.

    He frowned at the political situation, where about 27 states in the federation are broke and unable to pay salaries.

    The cleric said such a system of dependent and non-viable federating units was unsustainable.

    His words: “We do not need anyone to say something is wrong with our leaders. Something is actually wrong. But I defer when it comes to just blaming leadership. I have heard it so often said that Nigeria’s problem is leadership problem.

    “The leaders come from the same society. Our greatest problem in Nigeria is corrupt value system. And that is what is producing the type of leaders we have.”

    The Senior Pastor of Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, Babajide Olowodola, stated that what the church had been doing was to make sure “we are not part of the problem, but working hard to ensure that we bring solutions to the country’s economic problems”.

  • When visual trouble is no problem-The story of a successful visually-impaired principal

    When visual trouble is no problem-The story of a successful visually-impaired principal

    Being visually-impaired for more than 50 years and a principal of a secondary school may sound outlandish to some people. Ms Deborah Mojisola Balogun has suffered visual-impairment for this long but her handicap has not dampened her spirits. MOJISOLA CLEMENT-OMOBOWALE writes that her determination not to succumb to the vagaries of life which would have derailed her vision translated a somewhat dismal situation into success. 

    Not even a five decades visual impairment would keep her down.

    Ms Deborah Mojisola Balogun did not allow what would have been a terminal handicap to dampen her spirits. Her determination not to consent to the vicissitudes of life which would have derailed her vision translated a somewhat dismal situation into success.

    She kept her hope aglow despite all odds by proving that there is ability in disability. Hers became an inspiring story to those whose state of helplessness would have ruined their future. Her optimistic stance on life invalidated her disability.

    Being visually-impaired for 50 years and a principal of a secondary school may sound outlandish to some. But it is real. Here is reality staring us on the face.

    Although her visual-impairment is protracted, the conduct and mien of this dark-complexioned, eloquent woman would always stir doubt in people concerning her sight challenges.

    But one gets convinced that she has sight challenges when she gives out pieces of advice to her students who may have one form of challenge or the other. She would urge them to be focused and not consider their disabilities as impediments to achieving their dreams. She would advise them to be committed to whatever they do and should not allow anything weigh them down. These pieces of advice are based on her experience.

    For 30 years, she has been in teaching and is the Principal of Community Junior Secondary School, Bayeku Ikorodu with a population of over 850 students.

    A native of Ikorodu, Lagos  State Ms Balogun told Southwest Report she would be 60 years old soon and the eldest of six children. She added that she had loving parents who ensured that their children had the best they could afford.

    Any wonder she is in love with the teaching profession! Her father was a head teacher during his working days while her mother had to resign from the Ikorodu Trading Company to look after her when she lost her sight. However, she said her mother later ventured into sales of farm produce such as eggs, pigs, food crops and cassava processing. Ms. Balogun speaks English, French and Yoruba fluently.

    The vision that turned her life around

    Narrating how the incident that turned her life around began, Ms Balogun said she had a dream one day which she relayed to her father.

    She said: “In the dream, I was wearing a white garment; carrying a bell and moving round the town, calling people to Christ. I was not wearing any shoes. My father went in search of a church that could fit into that description. Eventually, he found something similar at Makoko, a suburb of Yaba, Lagos Mainland. It was a Celestial Church and I moved in to stay with them.

    “I began a new life of learning to pray every three hours. The Lord just wanted me to dwell in His house for some time. I was left in the church until the Lord was ready to do something. I was there for a year with the likes of Pa Oshoffa, Pa Bada and Pa Ajanlekoko whose wives looked after me. Upon leaving the church, I enrolled at Pacelli School for the Blind at Surulere.”

     Educational background

    At the age of five, Ms. Balogun had begun her education at the Salvation Army School, Onishigida Sabo Junction in Ikorodu.  She had no problem with her sight then. It was at the end of her primary two when she moved to the Pacelli School for the Blind, Surulere because her sight had gone bad. Six years later, she enrolled into Queen’s College, Yaba, where she obtained her Higher School Certificate.

    After then, she attended the University of Wales in the United Kingdom (UK) where she obtained a Second-class Honours degree in Education and History. She also had a Post-graduate certificate in the Teaching of History and English as Second Language. She also obtained a Diploma certificate in Biblical Studies. She came back to Nigeria, after which she obtained a Master’s degree in Education Foundation from the Department of Counselling of the University of Lagos, Akoka, and another Master’s degree in Education in Learning Disabilities from the Special Education Department of the University of Ibadan.

     How she became visually-impaired

    On how she became visually-impaired, Ms. Balogun stated that it was a sudden occurrence.

    She said: “My sight went overnight. Then measles was widespread. There was an epidemic of small pox as well. When I was examined by specialists at an eye clinic in London, they confirmed that my eye problem was not as a result of either of the two ailments.

    “But I had stopped worrying about the situation. Rather, I was adjusting and trying to adapt to my current situation. After visiting some medical facilities such as the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Lagos and University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, I decided to live with the situation.”

    Career

    On her career, she revealed that she worked for roughly one-and-a-half years as a typist at Ikorodu High School under the late Pa Akinwunmi and Rev Odejide. That was after her Higher School Certificate examination. She noted that she has been a Principal for the past three years. But before the appointment, she was a Vice-Principal at Ipakodo Senior Grammar School and a teacher at Odogunyan Grammar School. In all, she has about 31 years’ experience in teaching, administration and counselling. At various times, she had taught English Language, Literature in English, History, Christian Religious Studies and occasionally French in the junior schools.

     Why in the teaching profession?

    But why did she choose to be a teacher? She explained that “I didn’t really set out to be a teacher. There was nothing like counselling when we were in primary school and even in early secondary school. So, professions were chosen especially by the Prophets. My being a teacher came as a result of prophesies from more than four people and that was from the age of seven. My parents were told that their child was going to be a teacher; that the Lord is going to use her to set students free from their helpless situations.”

    How I teach

    As visually-impaired teacher, what methods does she adopt while teaching? The Principal told our correspondent that she, at first, engaged the services of a brilliant non-teaching member of staff who would first read what she had written. If she is convinced he or she read it completely, she will then type with the old typewriter.

    So, after typing, she will pass it on to the non-teaching member of staff who will read it again. When she is sure it is somewhat error-free, the member of staff will write on the chalk board for her with the permission of the Principal. As the non-teaching member of staff writes, the students will get up and read each paragraph. That way, she was able to know students who were very good in reading.

    My first day of teaching

    “My first day of teaching at Odogunyan Grammar School, Ikorodu was quite easy. The Principal, Pa P.O. Adebayo who is now retired, studied in Manchester, England. He knew what it entails to be visually-impaired. Secondly, I met teachers some of who lived in my area. They knew me and were helping me out, particularly in terms of mobility.  All that helped. The issue of discipline was taken seriously. So, it was easy for me to fit into the system,” she said.

    About marriage and children

    “I have brought up a lot of children in and outside the family, particularly those with learning difficulties. They stay with me from JSS1 and leave after their SS3 examinations. Getting married as visually-impaired woman then was on trial-and-error basis.

    “Most families did not accept it. It was much later that people began to truly accept it. So, I never got married. But personally, I have nothing to regret at all. To be candid, it is better to remain single than to be married to a wrong man because it could pose some challenges which could jeopardise one’s future,” Ms. Balogun said.

    My typical day

    For her, the day begins at 5:30 in the morning every day. Though she lives very close to the school, she wakes up that early to begin preparation for the day’s business. She ensures that her home is organised by getting everywhere neat.

    By 7:15 a.m., she is out of the house and in the next 15 minutes, she is already in school. By 8:00 a.m., she will go round to check on the teachers in order to know how they feel. She does this because she understands that teachers’ feelings are also important. If any of her teachers is not happy, she would want to know why and proffer some solution. By 5:00 p.m., she goes home.

  • INEC: we don’t envisage any problem

    INEC: we don’t envisage any problem

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it was not envisaging any problem that could lead to an inconclusive election.

    The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, said reports from all quarters have been encouraging, despite the allegations by both parties.

    Oyekanmi also based the confidence of the commission on the assurances from the security agencies that Edo election will be historic.

    He said: “By the special grace of God there shall be no incident that will lead to inconclusive election. We have assurances from security agencies. The Nigerian police has promised to deplore 25000 men and they also have other agencies that are also co tributing men for the purpose of the election and I believe in the new commissioner of  police in Edo, who gave assurances yesterday that they will decisively deal with anybody that tries to engage in any act that is capable of derailing the election in all the 18 local government areas of the state.

    “So far we have not seen any intention of from the political gladiators to cause mayhem. There has been exchanges here and there, allegations and also of that, but we hope that this will not degenerate.

     

  • ‘Land Use Act has no problem, but…’

    ‘Land Use Act has no problem, but…’

    Is there anything wrong with the 39-year-old Land Use Act? No, says the Nigerian Institute of Surveyors (NIS) President Akinloye Oyegbola, who argued that the problem with the law enacted in 1977 lies with its operators and not the legislation. He is worried that the country does not check structures for flaws, leading to  building  collapse. He advocates more use of surveyors, insisting that over 60 per cent of the country’s roads require  their contributions. Oyegbola speaks on these and other issues with MUYIWA LUCAS. 

    The Land Use Act has remained contentious among stakeholders.  What is your take on the Act?

    More often than not, when something is controversial, a lot can be derived from it. It is not going to be easy for a land owner to embrace the Land Use Act in its entirety, whereas it is expedient for the government and the people to have it so that it can engender proper development of the land. So, you can be sure that we will always have those divergent views; but then one would always have the upper hand and which will be more beneficial to the people. So, it is not the Land Use Act itself that has problems, it is those who are operating it. This is because the Act has made it in such a way that to a very reasonable extent, the land owners would have been satisfied to an extent (it cannot be in its entirety because something is being taken away from them), because the Act made it in such a way that there are conditions for which a land can be taken by the government. The problem is that have those conditions been met on the part of the owners? If not, then they become areas where people can come in and probe. But the Act has tried as much as possible to bring in palliatives to a reasonable extent, which if executed to the letter, would make the land owner feel better. But what we have now on ground is the abuse of the Act, which is causing the problem.

    The Lagos State Government recently announced plans to jail land grabbers. Do you think this will solve the Omo Onile problem?

    Incidentally, land grabbers are not Omo Onile. The Omo Onile is the land owner; and we own land by history because land is not manufactured. So, ownership of land is by history and so some people will always say they own it because their fore fathers may have dwelt there several centuries ago. The land grabbers are either their agents or speculators, who believe they know too much about land in a particular area and they are now using the inadequacies in the process to their own advantage. Land grabbing starts as an attempt. That is not to say we do not have people, who genuinely stand as agents between the seller and buyer. Their activity is just like any other offence. So, if their activities is on the wrong side of the law then they must be punished.

    How can a surveyor help in the economics of land, especially in areas where there is acute shortage of land?

    Basically, by the time a surveyor does the cadastral work properly, he has helped a lot, economically. This is because when he demarcates land properly, there is very minimal level of litigation. A surveyor also helps to cut cost in terms of compensation payment to property owners whose property may be demolished for road or railway construction because the surveyor would have been able to properly mapped out the land areas long before construction started. Generally with Lagos, from time to time you can only enhance the economics of land by the way you manage it; how you zone it for the respective needs of the people. More often than not, because Lagos is a coastal town, you see a lot of sandfilling and dredging. But before you even dredge, there would have been a kind of hydrographic surveying to know the sea bed. While doing the dredging, you also need a surveyor to tell you how far you can go. We believe that with a proper deployment of the surveyor, so much can be saved in terms of cost.

    The Federal Government plans to produce a million units of housing yearly to tackle the housing deficit. What should be the role of surveyors in this initiative?

    The role of the surveyor starts from the concept itself because whatever has to be done about housing is on land. For instance if Lagos State says its wants to do something on land, it has to know what it has before it can use certain part for certain projects. A surveyor will tell you what you have before you determine what you want to use for what. A surveyor is involved from the conceptualisation, to development.

    Building collapse is of great concern now.  How can surveyors help to stem the tide?

    For anything that has to do with height, there is a need for surveyors’ involvement. Even after a structure has been put up, especially if it is massive or a high rise, there is a need to monitor deformation. We have not been monitoring structures for deformation. We monitor dams for deformation, but we have not been monitoring structures. There is a need to monitor for deformation of structures, especially if you have to stockpile to construct a building. Look at our bridges for instance, how often are they monitored for deformation? It doesn’t need to be visible before you see deformation if you monitor well because if it becomes visible then it becomes more dangerous and expensive to repair. Collapse of a structure doesn’t happen overnight; if structures are properly monitored then there won’t be collapse.

    To a lay man, surveying is simply measuring of land.  How do you regulate the practice of surveying in Nigeria?

    Surveying is one profession that has a very old professional body; it is among the oldest professional bodies in the country. It dates back to 1934, with the renowned nationalist, Herbert Macauley as its leader. Its name then was “Licenced Surveyors’ Association” (LSA); in 1960, the name was changed to Land Surveyors Association of Nigeria, with late Surveyor C.T. Olumide as its chairman. It was in 1966 at a surveyors’ conference in Enugu that the name Nigeria Institution of Surveyors (NIS) was adopted.

    By virtue of the age of the profession and its practice, it has gone through thick and thin. What we have on ground now is a regulatory body, which is called “Surveyors Council of Nigeria” (SURCON), which took off in 1989 under Cap 425. Before then we had the licensing board as the regulatory body. SURCON has been involved in the regulation of the practice and the certification of surveyors. But that is not to say that the professional body does not do anything about regulation. Under our constitution, the body has its ethics rule guiding members. So, an erring member could be punished under the constitution of the association, but when it comes to the issue of serious misdemeanour that may even involve the withdrawal of practicing certificate, because the association did not issue you the practicing certificate, then it cannot withdraw it. The association will only report to the regulatory body. When such gets to the regulatory body, it would first go through the surveyors investigative panel (SIP), who investigates and refers to the disciplinary committee. At the disciplinary committee stage, the surveyor has a right to appear with his lawyer so that there is proper hearing. We expect that anybody, who has anything untowards perpetrated by a surveyor could either report to the association or to the regulatory body. None of these two bodies will pamper a surveyor for not adhering to the practice of the profession as appropriate disciplinary action would be taken after due investigation of the case.

    Is there any acceptable standard for land measurement or gauge?

    Basically, for the surveyor and as a practitioner, there is no standard measurement. A parcel of land is a parcel of land. But by talking of gauge, it depends on the kind of development you want to have on the land. We have different types of development for different areas, which is the exclusive preserve of the Town Planners- they do the zone and others and they determine what should be where. We, as surveyors, also assist in this because we would have provided so much information about the land to be developed. But basically, the Town Planners determine what can be put on a parcel of land at a particular time.

    What are the challenges of surveying?

    Like I said, the underdevelopment is a major challenge for fulfilment for practitioners. Although that is general, that is just surveying. But in surveying, the cost of what I had just talked about earlier that the practice itself does not advertise itself. One major challenge we have is that it’s every now and then we need to continue to let people know what the surveyor can do. Interestingly, people have limited the input of the work of the surveyor in the development of the country to a very streamlined section and it is just out of ignorance and that’s why we have to go out and let them know that there is still a lot even in the face of the gross underutilisation that we are talking about, there is still a lot that is being left out that the surveyor can still do. And you will now find out that more often than not even the professionals, who know that they are supposed to put in surveyors on those things because they know they can’t do it but the people, who assign them or commissioned them to do it, may not know that they needed a surveyor. And because that one doesn’t know, he won’t specify the kind of surveyor that should do the job.  So, he goes out to look for a less qualified hand to do the job for him because he doesn’t want to pay well and that was why one of the recommendations I made then when I appeared before the House Committee on Works during the debate on the road maintenance agency bill in 2001, was that when turnkey projects are been given out, it is good for the agency or government giving it out to specify who does what and with what experience and what is he going to be paid. When that is specified and there is no adherence to it, then you could easily identify what the problem is.

    There seems to be deafening silence from the NIS in terms of making contributions to national issues. How do you react to this?

    For one to be able to solve a problem, then there is a need to really understand the problem. I had thought over and over again about this impression you have just observed and one thing I have found out is that every profession has its own peculiarity in terms of their practice. What I have found out is that the profession of surveying is not self-advertisng. For instance, when you see a good structure, what comes to mind is that an architect has done a fantastic job on it, even before the engineer that saw to the structure being where it is for people to see. Those are professions that people can see what they can do. For instance, whatever might have gone into that same structure, in terms of the survey will not be obvious at that particular time. I have made up my mind that if the profession does not advertise itself then our own drive should be far more than those in the allied profession. So, it means we have to redouble our efforts in terms of publicity and enlightenment that would enhance the image of the profession and that is exactly what I am up to.

    Surveying cuts across a lot of human endeavours, but just like any other profession in Nigeria, there is gross under utilisation of the profession generally and surveying cannot be an exception. What the surveyor is known for is just cadastral surveying- which is a negligible fraction of what the surveyor can do. For instance, nobody thinks the surveyor is involved in road construction, railway construction, and anything that has to do with movement from one place to another. In any construction, the surveyor has to be on site, whereas an engineer may not necessarily be there, but just come in from time to time to ensure compliance to specification. But then, that sticking to the specification is ascertained by the presence of a surveyor. So, a surveyor has to be on a construction site all the time to be able to say that a predetermined level for every stage of the job is being adhered to. For instance, in road construction, in terms of level and alignment, it is not just alignment, it is the different levels that you want to maintain so that you have a road that has the required exploitational value. For instance, if you see a road that has flexible pavement (it tar) and there is coagulation of water on it then it means the levels where not well taken care of when it was being constructed. That is why the surveyor has to be on site always. Let it be noted that 60 per cent of roads constructed in the country has the input of a surveyor.

    In this context, who is a surveyor?

    In the past, before the advent of the incursion of the computer into all professions, when it was still very analogue, we would say the surveyor is a person trained in the science and art of taking measurement on the surface of the earth, in the water and also in the space. Such measurement are well taken and they depict the position of land and man-made and natural features on it so that when it is to be used for whatever purpose, you will have so much information on it for proper utilisation when the need arises. But now, with the advancement of technology, we have found surveyors being involved in not just the acquisition and the presentation of information on the land, surveyors are now involved in the management of even the information-that is, in the area of geo-informatics. This is called geographical information system (GIS).

  • Akinsuyi: Ondo has leadership problem

    Akinsuyi: Ondo has leadership problem

    Hon. Niran Sule-Akinsuyi is a former Commissioner for Special Duties in Ondo State. He is among the over 40 governorship aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with LEKE AKEREDOLU, he speaks about his chances at the shadow poll.

    What are the chances of the APC in the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State?

    The APC is at the centre of the game in Ondo state, in terms of strength, in terms of content. We are populated by strategic personalities in Ondo state. People who are concerned, people who believed that we can do more than what we are doing presently.  To a large extent, we represent the collections of the feelings and aspiration of the people of Ondo state today. Election is all about numbers and politics is about people.

    Looking at the number of aspirants, will the race not be rowely?

    It depends on your interpretation of it. Yoruba will say you don’t compete for something that is bad. If something is good and it is of benefit to the society, you find it difficult at times to limit the numbers of ideas that you will get or numbers of people showing interest, but I think the party will use its own internal mechanism to look into that. We are not disadvantaged as a result of the large number of people showing interest in the governorship.

    Will the challenges facing the country, in terms of security and high cost of food items not affect the chances of your party during the election?

    The lesson of history is very important in our quest to serve the interest of our people. The issue of subsidy removal and the fraud associated with it have been on the table for a long time. The decay in the economy and in our financial system; the level of corruption in the system will also be on the table as well. What is coming out now is that past governments have treated these vital issues with kid gloves. So, this is the very first time that we are having a leader with that courage to do the right thing, courage to take decision and stand by it. The rot in the oil and gas sector, the rot in the management of the resources of this country; these are stories that have been coming up more than 20 years. Fela musically described all these problems in many ways and it is time for us to begin to take steps by providing answers to some of the problems facing us as a nation and the issue of oil subsidy is one. Happily, majority of Nigerians are beginning to show understanding.  Initially, the opposition tried to fight back to distract the present administration. At a time, they were talking about frequent foreign trips. But, everybody have come to the realisation that the President should not live in Nigeria, he needs to go out there because half of our resources are stacked away in foreign lands. He needs to take the battle to those countries because today we are faced with many challenges, including the non- payment of workers’ salaries and the challenges of foreign exchange to activate the economy. We have also been informed that six Nigerians out of many Nigerians that too our money abroad can bail the country out of its present predicaments. Every nation is taking step to reduce the incident of corruption because the World Bank and most international agencies have underscored the point that corruption is the root of poverty, especially in Africa and third world countries.  I believe that any system that can stop corruption should be supported by the people.

    What are your chances of clinching the APC ticket?

    We are relying on what we are bringing into the system. We are going to establish an enduring political structure under which a lot of our people can maximise their opportunities and potentials.  We are going  to empower talents and solve the problem militating against the economic growth of Ondo State, which is capital flight. Ninety percent of our earnings never stay with us. As soon as they are received, they develop wings and disappeared. So, we are coming up with policies that will stop capital flight and ensure that there is fair and equitable distribution of resources in the state. In days to come, we are going to unfold our programmes, our policies and the reasons why we are coming into government. We have been able to identify that part of the problems, why the economy of our state has not been opened to the outside world, which is the problem of leadership.

    What do you think is the problem of leadership in Ondo State?

    The major problem is greed and avarice and that is what is responsible for the failure of structure that has now put us at a very disadvantage position; politically and economically.  Let me give you the example of leadership in Lagos and the benefits of enduring political structure since 1999 in that state, compared with Ondo State where none exists till date. We have been having an epileptic political structure in Ondo State. We took off from 1999, with the Afenifere structure, which the Alliance for Democracy (AD) used to ascend to various offices. Unfortunately, that structure was unknowingly relinquished by the leadership when they engaged in the Obasanjo’s second term project, which gave the PDP an opportunity to start all over again. So, the structure that was put in place by the PDP under that arrangement when they took over in 2003 was also troubled and dismantled through a popular movement by the people and the Labour Party (LP), which came to power.  We are all living witnesses to what happened to the LP as it was abandoned for a return into the PDP. So, the problem is that people who are supposed to be standing on these structures, leaders who are supposed to acquire training through the system and move up on the ladder like their counterpart in other states especially Lagos have been relegated because the system is not enduring. I am talking about Lagos state because you can feel and touch the benefit of enduring political system in Lagos state. On the economy side, you see the continuation of policies and programmes. You can point today to more than five successful Public Private Partnership (PPP) models in Lagos state.