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Tag: WASSCE

  • Alumni to check poor WASSCE results

    Alumni to check poor WASSCE results

    Old students of Baptist Boys High School (BBHS), Abeokuta, where former President Olusegun Obasanjo had his secondary education, are not happy about the state of their alma mater.

    They are worried about the poor performance of pupils of the 92-year old college in public examinations, particularly the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

    The past administration of Ogun State returned schools to the missions about five years ago. However, a section of BBHS is being run by the government, while the other is managed by the Baptist mission, the owner-church.

    Today, the total population of the school, whether under public or mission, is 2,254 pupils, comprising 1,334 juniors and 920 seniors.

    The old boys regret that the BBHS, which takes pride in its motto, Nulli Secondus (second to none) and which has also given Nigeria a president, governor and some of the best professionals in medicine, engineering, science and education, has degenerated so much as evidenced in its examination records.

    Principal, Senior School, Mr Folabi Lampejo, said only 38 percent of the 272 candidates who wrote the May/June 2014 WASSCE made credits in at least five subjects, including Mathematics and English, the minimum benchmark.

    He said the result was a significant improvement compared to 2013, where about 28 percent passed and earlier years.

    When they gathered in the school for the 92nd Founder’s Day-cum annual congress last Saturday, the old boys argued that though the national average in the WASSCE is not up to 30 per cent, pupils of BBHS ought to stand out.

    They said measures should be taken not only to reverse the poor performance but also sustain the school’s tradition of excellence.

    The immediate past National President of the BBHS Old Boys Association, Ven. Sola Ladipo-Ajayi, in identifying the causative factors, said the school’s environment had completely changed from what they were familiar with many decades ago.  He said with the present situation, it would be difficult, if not impossible for the teachers and pupils to give their best.

    Ladipo-Ajayi noted that though the government claims to provide free education, for about two years, textbooks and other writing materials were not supplied to BBHS and other schools.  He wondered how a school could be run without books.

    However, efforts by the old boys to rescue the school are already yielding results.  One of them, the Dr Olatunde Olusesi Scheme, has been credited for the improved performance in the 2014 WASSCE.

    The scheme named after its initiator, Olatunde Olusesi,  president of the USA/Canada chapter of the association, was adopted after an online debate involving over 1,000 old boys.

    Olulesi recommended that teachers in core subjects (English language and mathematics) be employed to prepare the SS3 pupils for WASSCE and NECO SSCE at the expense of the association – with the pupils being fed during the tutorials.

    The Principal said the 38 per cent passed recorded by the school in 2014 WASSCE was still better than the national average.

    He added that performance in the 2014 NECO SSCE was even far better – all thanks to the scheme.

    “In the same period, the school presented 22 students for NECO examinations and all of them passed and can enter any tertiary institutions with their results,” he said.

    In addition to the scheme, the old boys have introduced a one-on-one mentoring scheme called the Global Mentoring Program.  It involves each pupil being paired with an old boy.

    Olusesi, who is a lecturer at the New York University, said the BBHS mentoring programme would provide guidance and support to current pupils, promote discipline, culture of excellence, and increase the pupils’ motivation to succeed as well as create opportunities for the old boys to give back to their alma mater.

    “The mentors are expected to serve as positive role models for their assigned students; develop enduring relationships with them; instil hope and confidence in the assigned boys; provide academic and career guide; as well as voluntary financial assistance to them in furtherance of their career growth,” he said.

    Olusesi explained that the intervention became necessary as some of the pupils live in the host communities – Sage, Kugba, Adatan, among others in Abeokuta North Local government, where their parents are petty traders, taxi  drivers and artisans who rarely care whether their children do well in school or not.

    Other old students seeking support for the school include the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Michael Adedotun and Muiz Olalekan Mudaishiru (Lagos chapter).

    Prof. Ajao Adelekan emerged the new National Predident of the association during the event; while Otunba Yomi Ajayi-Smith, Managing Director of Ijebu-Ode based Rolak hotel and Suites, was one of the recipients of the association’s distinguished merit awards.

     

  • Up and down

    Up and down

    • WASSCE candidates continue to fail English Language and Mathematics

    The recent announcement of the November/December 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) contained no real surprises, given the usual mix of large-scale failure, miniscule improvement and significant malpractice.

    Out of the 246,853 candidates who sat the examinations, only 75,522 or 29.37 per cent obtained the standard pass of credits in five subjects including English Language and Mathematics;  75,313 (30 per cent) obtained credit passes in any six subjects while 110,346 (44.7 per cent) obtained credit passes in any seven subjects. The results of 28,817 candidates, or 11.67 per cent of the total, were withheld, while the results of 5,691 candidates are still being processed due to registration errors.

    The 2014 results represent a marginal improvement over those of 2013: the five-credit standard pass rate was better (26.97 per cent), as was the fall in the percentage of those involved in examination malpractices (12.88 per cent). However, the most worrying statistic – the inability of two-thirds of candidates to obtain standard five-credit passes – is a recurring decimal that has continued to appear, regardless of minor improvements.

    The causes of this educational calamity are well-known: decrepit schools and inadequate infrastructure; insufficient numbers of well-trained, properly-remunerated and competent teachers; the widespread absence of parental and societal engagement; consistently low levels of funding at federal, state and local government levels; declining levels of commitment on the part of the students themselves.

    Public examinations like the WASSCE are a critical indicator of the progress or otherwise of Nigeria’s educational system. As the standard qualification signifying success at the senior secondary school level, it is crucial to students seeking to acquire tertiary education and professional certification. It is an affirmation of the basic literacy, numeracy and critical-thinking skills that were to have been acquired at the primary level and refined at the junior secondary school level. The inability of two-thirds of candidates to obtain standard passes is therefore nothing less than a disaster.

    Several states are taking steps to reverse the situation. Edo and Ekiti have introduced teacher-competency tests designed to ensure that teaching skills are raised and kept high. Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Delta, Kano, Lagos, Osun and Rivers have all embarked on ambitious school-rehabilitation programmes aimed at providing standard educational infrastructure. More efforts are being made to assimilate information technology into the educational process.

    These measures must become more widespread if they are to result in appreciable success. The opposition of teachers’ unions to the competency tests cannot continue; it is strange that they would oppose measures aimed at enhancing the professionalism of their own members. If teaching ceases to be a dead-end profession for all comers, it will be to the benefit of the unions and the nation. The investment in infrastructure and technology must be further integrated into all education-improvement measures. Succeeding administrations should continue with the educational policies of their predecessors instead of ignoring them.

    The paucity of funding has been arguably the major obstacle in the face of the educational improvements that are vital to improving overall WASSCE performance. Apart from the obvious problem of inadequate funds, there is the surprisingly consistent inability of states to provide counterpart funding for critically important interventions like the Universal Basic Education Programme.

    In January 2014, the Federal Government claimed that states were not accessing the N44.9 billion available in counterpart funding for the UBE, with the biggest offenders being Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Plateau and Benue. Inadequate investment in primary school results in poorly-equipped secondary school students.

    Parents and guardians must also develop a greater interest in the educational pursuits of their children and wards. Too many of them are too involved in the rat-race to show interest in school work. This is replicated at the societal level, where educational attainment lacks the social prestige of sporting or musical accomplishments.

  • 29 per cent pass recorded in Nov/Dec WASSCE

    29 per cent pass recorded in Nov/Dec WASSCE

    TWENTY-nine per cent of the 246,853 candidates made credits in five subjects, including English and Mathematics, in the November/December 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates.

    The Head of National Office (HNO) of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Dr Charles Eguridu, said this yesterday while announcing the result at the WAEC Headquarters in Yaba, Lagos.

    The percentage, according to Eguridu, represents an improvement in performance, compared to 2013 edition of the examination when only 26.97 per cent of candidates met the benchmark used for admission into tertiary institutions.

    But in 2012, 34.84 per cent made the benchmark.

    In the examination, 75,313 candidates (30.50 per cent) made six credits and above, and 110,346 candidates (44.70 per cent) had five credits and above.

    He explained that the results of 5,691 candidates are pending due to technical errors, mostly attributed to the candidates in the course of registration or writing.

    Eguridu added that the results of 28,817 candidates (11.57 per cent) have been withheld for involvement in examination malpractice.

    He, however, warned that performance in the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) should not be determined by the number of credit passes in Mathematics and English.

    Eguridu explained that as an examination that private candidates write mostly to make up for deficiencies in particular subjects, it would be an “abuse of statistics” to lump those who did not write the two subjects (because they don’t need them), with those that did not make credits in the subjects when attempting to assess performance in the examination.

    “This is a private candidate examination. Those candidates who had issues with perhaps only Biology, and they registered to write only Biology in this examination, they form part of the overall entry. And if they did not write Mathematics and English, and you use their population to calculate the percentage of success of those who had credits in Mathematics and English, that could be an abuse of statistics.

    “Judging success in our examination based on those who had credit in Mathematics and English is not good and is not right. It is an abuse of statistics,” he said.

    The HNO explained that success in Mathematics in particular, is not necessary in all areas of academic endeavour.

    Eguridu said: “Judging it using the criteria of those who obtained credit in Mathematics and English, is it fair? My answer is ‘No’. Because as a student of Theatre Arts, I have no business learning quadratic equation in order to perform well. If the university system demands it, it is because they don’t have the carrying capacity and they have to set certain benchmarks in order to select their candidates.”

  • Lagos to screen SS3 pupils before WASSCE

    Senior Secondary School Three (SSS3) pupils attending public schools in Lagos State must henceforth pass a new screening test before they can sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

    The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, said at the Stakeholder Forum of Education District I for principals, SS3 pupils, their teachers and parents held at the Government College, Agege, last Wednesday, said the test would precede the MOCK examination usually written in the second term.

    She said the screening test is part of measures to improve performance in the examination.  Lagos State recorded 45 per cent pass in the 2014 WASSCE, while the national average was 31.28 per cent.

    In addition to scoring at least 50 per cent in the screening, Mrs Oladunjoye said pupils must attain 90 per cent attendance, while their parents must attend Parents’ Forum meetings 50 per cent of the time.  She said the implication of not meeting these criteria is that defaulting pupils would not be registered for the 2015 WASSCE.

    She counselled the pupils to be focused on their studies and shun examination malpractice.

    “We want to ensure that you are prepared.  Don’t let anyone influence you negatively.  Some people are brilliant and read once and pass; some others are strugglers and have to read hard before they pass.  Read hard; do not cheat.  If you cheat and pass, it will catch up with you at the university.  If you have anything bothering you, let me know – even if it is that your parents are sending you on too many errands that do not allow you to study,” she said.

    Addressing parents, Oladunjoye urged them to complement government’s efforts by taking responsibility for their wards’ performance as well.

    “Let me stress that the education of our pupils is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders. All the measures government has put in place becomes imperative in order to allow those who are ready and fully prepared to write the final examination and by this, we will have improved performance in our students’ WASE results,” she said.

    The presence of Mr Oluranti Awobola, a member of staff of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) at the venue was a plus for the pupils.  Though he was at the school to coordinate marking of WASSCE script, he honoured the commissioner’s invitation to address the pupils.

    Awobola told the pupils that that WAEC’s new rule is to cancel a candidate’s entire result once he/she is caught cheating with mobile phones in one subject.

    “If any candidate is caught with handset in the hall, the whole result will be cancelled. This means all subjects he has written and those he is yet to write will be cancelled,” he said.

    Awobola also counselled the pupils to take care to write their examination and centre numbers properly during the examination to avoid impersonation.

    The forum provided a platform for parents, teachers and the pupils to ask questions and bring issues affecting their schools before the commissioner.

    Issues raised included insecurity in schools, poor infrastructure, inadequate classrooms, indiscipline, etc, which Oladunjoye promised would be attended to.

    In an interview, the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary (TGPS), Education District I, Mrs Florence Ogunfidodo, expressed satisfaction with the attendance of parents at the meeting, saying partnership with them is crucial to improved performance in the examination.

    “So many parents are here to represent the schools and their children.  It is just a way to collaborate with them so we can record a better result in 2015 WASSCE,” she said.

     

  • WASSCE: Society seeks policy against ‘special centres’

    The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit has expressed dissatisfaction with the decline in performance recorded at the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.

    President of the students-based society, Alhaji Kaamil Kalejaiye, noted that the decline was an indication that the nation is losing its pride of place in education.

    Kalejaiye said the Head of National Office, WAEC, Mr Charles Eguridu, as saying only 529,425 candidates representing 31.28 per cent, obtained credit passes in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

    He reasoned that when compared to the 2012 and 2013 May/June WASSCE results; there was marginal decline in the performance of candidates, saying 38.81 per cent was recorded in 2012 and 36.57 per cent last year.

    He suggested that adequate infrastructure, proper remuneration and teachers’ training, review of curriculum and promotion of academic activities among others as means of reducing failure in the examination.

    He said: “If only 31.28 of the 1,692,435 candidates that sat for the examination are those that passed with necessary subjects (Mathematics and English), we should know that if care is not taken, we will completely lose our pride of place in education among the West African countries.

    “It is also not encouraging that 86,822 candidates representing 5.13 per cent have a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors.

    “We have come to a point where government at all levels must realise that without quality education, the nation will hardly grow except with the help of God”.

    The government, Kalejaiye said, must not only invest in education, but ensure proper implementation and usage of the funds.

    “It is only in this part of the world that we spend much and still have poor output. Government should begin to place its appointment in the education sector based on merit. Good budgeting and policies require good and dedicated manager for efficiency,” he said.

    The group challenged government and stakeholders in the educational sector to initiate a rewarding system that would surpass that of athletes and entertainers for outstanding students.

    “It is worrisome to us, Kalejaiye said, “that students are not doing well in mathematics and English Language, which are the core subjects. What this means is that the left brain that is responsible for analytical thoughts, logic, language reasoning, written and number skills has not been properly trained. This is to show that the recorded decline in performance must be attended to with utmost urgency; it must be treated as an emergence situation for the benefit of the country’s development.

    “We must also say that social activities promoted by government and private individuals/organisations also contribute to the challenges being faced in primary education. It still remain a wonder to us why top government officials including President Goodluck Jonathan and states governors give grand welcoming and host parties for athletes/celebrities who emerge victorious and sometimes defeated while outstanding students are less celebrated. I am not saying we should not celebrate outstanding performances but importance and priority should be placed on education.

    “We challenge and await the day a governor or the president will announce millions of naira for students who emerge top in different states.”

    To reduce failure in WASSCE, the youth leader said the Lagos State chapter of MSSN usually organise a pre-WAEC/GCE examination for students to measure their level of preparedness.

    He urged parents and guardians to monitor the activities of their children, warning them not to engage in illicit acts or bribery.

    He said: “As an organisation with the mission of building young generations to be outstanding, we usually hold a preparatory examination for candidates and prospective candidate of WASSCE, which helps to prepare and monitor their level of performance. Our experience in the last preparatory exam shows that more attention needs to be put in tutoring students in Mathematics and English Language”.

    “But instead of taking corrective measures by tutoring, what we see today is that parents and schools go as far as bribing examinations officials. In some instances, they patronise the so called ‘special centers’. Government should initiate a policy to battle and stop illegal activities during WAEC. This will help to encourage students to read and get better result,” he added.”

  • Reps probe mass failure in WASSCE

    Reps probe mass failure in WASSCE

    Members of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Education will today begin investigation into the mass failure in this year’s May/June West African Examination Council (WAEC) results.

    They described the mass failure “unacceptable”.

    For the fourth consecutive year, candidates who wrote the WAEC May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) recorded mass failure.

    Only 529,425, (31. 28 per cent) obtained five credits, including English and Mathematics.

    This put the total failure percentage at 31.

    Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Education, Aminu Fagge, addressed reporters yesterday during the committee’s oversight function at the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

    He said the committee would hold the government responsible, if it is found culpabale in the mass failure.

    The visit to WAEC office, he said, was to enable the committee have first-hand information on the mass failure.

    Fagge said: “It is unfortunate. Incidentally, we will visit WAEC tomorrow (today) and it will form part of our engagement with WAEC. But I want to believe that WAEC will not be held sorely responsible for this sad development. It is the responsibility of parents, teachers and schools where those students were tutored. We want to interact with WAEC and, here from them, we want to know what is actually responsible for this alarming rate of failure, which was put at about 38 per cent in a percentage of 100.

    “This is unacceptable… I believe the government has done the best it could. But if there are areas of improvement from the government, we will hold it accountable. We will try to encourage the government to do the proper thing and follow those responsible for this. If it means sanitising the entire community to help the Ministry of Education and the government, we will do so in the interest of Nigerians.”

    NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okoje, told the lawmakers that inadequate budgetary allocation to the commission hindered its development.

    Many activities, he said, were not adequately prosecuted due to paucity of fund.

    Represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary in charge of Administration, Dr. Akinbode Agbaoye, the NUC chief said the commission would not rest on its oars to achieve its objectives.

  • Endangered future

    Endangered future

    WASSCE overall result shows there is much to be done to improve education standards in the country

    Without a solid and qualitative educational system, no country can progress or achieve any meaningful development. That is why the most advanced countries are those that have invested in a functional, efficient and effective educational system that equips the youth with the knowledge, skills and character to contribute positively to the transformation of the society as well as exercise their role of future leadership.

    Thus, a country that leaves its education sector to decay is endangering its own future and jeopardising the chances of unborn generations. In their speeches, our leaders at all levels demonstrate a realisation of these truths. They ceaselessly pledge their commitment to enhancing the quality of education in the country. Yet, the reality is that the sector continues to decline steadily with negative consequences for the attainment of national objectives, especially the ambitious but increasingly unrealistic target of making Nigeria one of the top 20 economies in the world by 2020.

    The gloomy reality of the abysmal decline of academic standards in Nigeria has, once again, been forcefully brought to the fore by the dismal performance of students in the May/June 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE. The results just released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), showed mass failure of candidates, particularly in the two critical subjects – English Language and Mathematics. Of the 1, 692, 435 candidates that sat for the examination, a mere 31.28 per cent or 529,425 obtained credits in five subjects and above, inclusive of English Language and Mathematics. While 1,293, 389 candidates (76.42%) obtained credits and above in three subjects, 1, 148, 262 candidates achieved credits and above in four subjects. It is noteworthy that this result marked a decline in the performance recorded by candidates in the 2012 and 2013 May/June WASCE results when 38.81% and 36.57%, respectively, of candidates obtained the requisite credits in five subjects, including English and Mathematics. This paints the picture of a sector that continues its steady slide.

    As has been repeatedly pointed out, inadequate funding is a key factor responsible for the pathetic state of education in Nigeria. On the surface, the budgetary allocation to education has been impressive at the federal level. The allocation to education in the national budget for instance, rose from N396.2 billion in 2011 to N400.15 billion in 2012, N426.5 billion in 2013 but fell to N424.3 billion this year. Even though education has been one of the highest funded sectors in these years, the amount allocated to the sector is still negligible compared to the gargantuan challenges requiring urgent and sustained attention. Neither the federal nor any level of government has been able to meet the 23% of total budgetary allocation set the by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as the requisite funding benchmark for education.

    The paucity of resources for the sector is compounded by the fact that even the available funds are not judiciously, efficiently and transparently utilised. Not unexpectedly, the education sector is not exempted from the phenomenal corruption that is the bane of development in Nigeria. Again, the money that should go directly into equipping schools at all levels as well as adequately compensating and motivating teachers is gulped by unproductive multiple bureaucracies and the attendant award of inflated and frivolous contracts. The consequence is the gross deterioration of facilities in public schools at all levels – primary, secondary and tertiary. Laboratories, libraries and vital learning and teaching aids are either non-existent or substandard. In most cases, the necessary environment does not exist for meaningful importation of knowledge. Disenchanted and poorly motivated teachers are frequently on strike across the educational system. For instance, public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education have only recently resumed from prolonged strikes. Frequent disruptions of the academic calendar take its toll on both teachers and students, with negative implications for the quality of education.

    What we thus have in the education sector is a debilitating vicious cycle. Most of those produced by tertiary institutions to teach in primary and secondary schools are themselves poorly equipped academically to effectively play this role. Yet, many teachers are reluctant to take competency tests to determine their suitability for the job. In turn, those who successfully pass through public primary and secondary schools and enter tertiary institutions do not have the proper foundation necessary for that level. Matters are not helped by students who are now distracted by things that have no bearing to their studies. It is, therefore, mostly a question of garbage in, garbage out.

    What we have on our hands is a broken education system in need of drastic overhaul. A tiny wealthy minority is of course, able to send its children to expensive private schools at home or abroad. But the vast majority of Nigerians who are too poor to do so are forced to make do with the public schools. This situation is clearly unhealthy and the whole educational system may simply implode if things continue this way. We are aware that a number of states have made commendable efforts to raise the quality of public schools. It is either the sector has degenerated too badly or it is too early for such token efforts to make the desired impact. Nigeria must confront the crisis in education as a national emergency that requires revolutionary remedial measures.

  • WASSCE: 31.28% meet minimum benchmark

    WASSCE: 31.28% meet minimum benchmark

    Only 31.28 per cent of the 1,692,435 candidates who sat for this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) made the minimum benchmark of five credits, including Mathematics and English.

    The Head of National Office (HNO) of West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Mr Charles Eguridu, announced yesterday the results of the examination.

    He said the result was a slight decline from the 36.57 per cent recorded last year and the 38.81 per cent in 2012.

    But Eguridu said Nigerian candidates still performed better than other countries in the West African sub-region, expressing confidence in the education system.

    He said: “Nigerians performed very well comparatively to candidates, especially in Mathematics.”

    Rather than blame the government and schools for the poor performance, Eguridu said parents should be held responsible for not monitoring their wards’ education.

    “We are quick to place the blame on the doorsteps of schools or the government. In those days, parents found time to supervise students and check their school work. Today, parents are busy looking for money. Children spend all day playing video games or watching movies,” he said.

    The HNO said WAEC had extended the date for the registration for this year’s November/December WASSCE to Sunday, August 17, to allow candidates whose results are not favourable to register.

    Also, the examination body has provided a digital device that can check malpractices during its examinations.

    Called the Candidates Identity Verification, Attendance, Malpractice and Post Examinations Management System (CIVAMPEMS), the HNO said the device would be distributed to all supervisors who can use it to report malpractices.

    Eguridu said: “With effect from May/June 2014 WASSCE, the council introduced a device known as CIVAMPEMS. This ICT-driven device enables supervisors and staff of the council on duty to address and record the processes in real time on the day of the examination. “These include identity verification, capturing and recording occurrences as they happen, such as candidates’ attendance and examination malpractice and transmit same to our database. With this, the council is able to generate valid examination report for each examination centre.”

    The council has also developed a mathematical set/calculator which would be used by candidates in the next examination.

     

  • ‘WASSCE on-going in Abuja’

    ‘WASSCE on-going in Abuja’

    Pupils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) writing the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will not be affected by the closure of public offices and schools.

    The Federal Government ordered the closure because of the World Economic Forum, which begins today and ends on Friday.

    The Secretary for Education, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Kabir Usman, said: “Like those on essential services, the pupils are free to move unhindered to their examination centres.

    “They are however advised to wear their uniforms and carry their identity cards at all times.

    “Public and private schools are also advised to convey their pupils from designated points to the examination centres.”

    The statement advised parents and pupils to contact the head teachers for further details.

  • Romancing terrorism (1)

    Romancing terrorism (1)

    The dust raised by last week’s early morning bombing of the bustling Nyayan motor park located on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital city and seat of government, is yet to settle down. Surprisingly, as if to really demonstrate that they are actually in charge, after the blast in Abuja, the terrorist moved to Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State and swooped on the students writing the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE. There, they abducted about 129 girls. According to reports, the operation lasted for more than six hours – from 9pm till about 3am – without any challenge coming from the security agencies. The whereabouts of majority of the girls is still shrouded in mystery.

    With the recent developments, it is pertinent to reappraise the whole campaign against terror in Nigeria. The Boko Haram episode may have escalated in 2009 but the truth is that the whole thing was planned by Nigerians for a long time before the bloody skirmishes that eventually unfolded in 2009. Many of the foot soldiers and their commanders had received extensive training in some West African countries as well as some Middle East countries before that bloody encounter.

    Some years ago, the Chief of Defence Staff of Niger Republic had intimated the Defence Headquaters in Nigeria that they arrested about 600 Nigerians who were in their custody in Niger Republic. They were allegedly sniffed out of their training camps in Niger Republic. Regrettably, the Nigerian authorities did not follow up this piece of information, and when Niamey could no longer cope, she merely allowed the people to go their own way. At about the same time, in the wake of the overthrow of Muamar Gaddafi, the Chief of Defence Staff of Mali also inundated the Defence Headquarters in Nigeria that a whole brigade of Libyan fighters had taken over Northern Mali and cried out for help from Nigeria to confront them and chase them away. Again, the Nigerian authorities, as usual, turned a deaf ear.

    It was at this point that the French government was contacted and subsequently, French troops stepped in and rained bombs on them in the hills of northern Mali. By the time they were dislodged from Mali, they left Mali and settled in Sambissa Forest, from where they recruited a good number of fighters in the northeast of the country to wage war on Nigeria. Though they are using Nigerians as foot soldiers, most of their commanders are not Nigerians. Majority of them are Libyans, which account for the speculation in military circles that some of the dead bodies found at Sambissa forest after each military encounter, were more like bodies of people of Arab descent and other non-Nigerians. Besides, the Libyans and others of Arab descent now pillaging the country, many Nigerians have also visited such countries as Iran, South Yemen, Iraq and others for terrorists’ training. They usually go there under the pretence that they were going to study.

    Unfortunately, our intelligence network in this country is at best comatose. The Department of State Security that has statutory responsibility of carrying out internal surveillance and intelligence gathering seems not to be doing much. Instead, its lean manpower resources are being dissipated as VIP escorts for politicians rather than concentrating on their primary duties. It is sad to note that up till date, no single person has been fingered as one of the sponsors of these terrorists’ acts in the country. You only see the security agencies running after the inconsequential foot soldiers while the big guns are moving freely. I believe that the reason for this lackadaisical attitude is that somebody or some people somewhere don’t want to offend anybody and, therefore, are more inclined to cover up rather than expose those behind these devilish perpetrations.

    The other day during the Anambra State election, I saw SSS operatives with buses marked DSS and uniforms. I challenged anybody to tell me that he or she has ever seen any bus or operatives of the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, going about in buses marked CIA or in uniform with CIA boldly written on the shirt or T-shirt. Today in Nigeria, every Tom, Dick and Harry, particularly politicians and even fraudsters have SSS escorts assigned to them. At the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA, the story is worse. That agency is as dead as dodo.

    At the onset of the Boko Haram insurgency, the SSS members who were sent to spy on the sect members soon became more Boko Haram than the sect members they were detailed to spy on. Today, you have virtually all members of the security agencies – Military, Police, SSS, Customs, Immigration, Prison officers and others – who are active members of Boko Haram. That is why the ongoing war may be difficult to win. At present, the army is seriously overstretched in maintaining internal security. It has less than 88,000 men, the navy 12,000, the Air force about 11,000 while the police has 350,000 men or thereabout in its nominal roll. Since the incumbent Inspector General of Police withdrew policemen from checkpoints, what have they been doing to fight crime and criminality?

    The only way out of the present quagmire is to go back to the drawing board and like this column has always advocated, let us close our borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroun. These terrorists are domiciled in Northern Cameroun, which is far from Douala, the capital. That is why the Camerounian authorities are less perturbed. All these countries mentioned have fallen to the intimidation of these terrorists who may have simply told them: “If you don’t allow us to operate in your territory, we would turn our guns against you.” That is why all these countries that share boarders with us are not raising a finger against the terrorists. They are comfortable as far as the heat is not on them.

    I believe the best way to regain total control of Nigeria’s territory is for the military to embark on a grand assault of the hills and forests in the North-east. They could do what the United States did to Osama Bin Laden at Tora Bora in Afghanistan. They should engage in indiscriminate bombing of the hills and forests even if it means dropping napalm bombs ceaselessly for about a week. That was what the US did in Afghanistan and Bin Laden was forced to take to his heels when the caves where he had taken cover came crashing under the crushing weight of the devastating bombs. He fled to neighbouring Pakistan and finally pitched his tent at Abbotabad where the US Marines finally dealt him a deadly blow. So, the Nigeria Air Force must take up that role. If the terrorists are hiding inside the caves in the hills, they will collapse in the face of intense carpet bombing.

    Above all, there must be a joint information room for all the services so as to be able to properly coordinate this anti-terror campaign. The situation where the security agencies do not share information is bad enough. Even where, may be, the military gives information to the SSS, the service goes and takes the credit. As for the police, they are not known for sharing information with any sister agency no matter what.

    The other day, Alex Badeh, the new Chief of Defence Staff, said the role of the military is to confront the terrorists while the civilian authorities will do the politically-needful. He is right. Now, what is the role of emirs, politicians and elders in this fight? A closer look at the tactics of these Boko Haram terrorists shows clearly that they rely more on people drawn from the lowest cadre of the social ladder to fight their war. These are shoe shiners, mairuwa (water vendors), and other artisans. Remember that they used a firewood truck in the bombing in Maiduguri sometimes ago. The fact remains that the security agencies have as much information as possible at their disposal, what is left is the ability to piece them together and do the needful. May God help us; help Nigeria!

    • To be continued