Issues
Sustaining Amaechi’s Initiatives In Education (2)
Amaechi
Efforts must be intensified to upgrade the college to a university status. Since its inception in 1971 as the Advance Teacher Training College, the Rivers State College of Education has endeavoured to provide economic, social and educational support services to the region. It has offered diverse education programmes to many students of various backgrounds. The college has evolved from its once small upgrading programme of the Grade II Teacher’s certificates upon completion of a five-year post primary course – the minimum qualification for teaching in the primary school, to the Nigerian Certificate in Education-NCE certificate upon completion of a three-year post secondary course. At one time the NCE was planned to be the minimum qualification for teaching in the country. The college also offered a part-time one-year Associate Certificate in Education (ACE) course, in collaboration with the University of Ibadan. Today the College of Education has surpassed its goals by offering accredited post-secondary courses, awards of certificates, diplomas and degrees in such disciplines as: English Language, Biology, Physics, Integrated Science, Chemistry, Educational Psychology, Physical Education, Business Education, Counselling, Early Child Education, Adult Education, Home Science/Management, Political Science, Social Sciences, Social Studies, Public Administration, Economics, Geography and in many other areas. These are content and subject areas that will play important roles in the governor’s initiatives in education. The State College of Education operates satellite campuses at St. John’s College and Ndele, and presently educates over 10,000 students per year and employs over one thousand faculty and other staff. Niger Delta in particular and Nigeria in general need more people with degrees and more skilled workers with higher technical and associate professional qualifications in the years ahead. Over the next ten years most of the new jobs will need people who have the skills and education that higher education offers. In the sixties, only one in twenty post primary school leavers went to university, today it can be estimated that one in three attend university as more adults are taking a degree in their twenties. Getting a higher education degree will not only boost education and skills of a person, but it also improves the ability of the individual to earn a good living. When upgraded to a University status, the State College of Education will become a specialized university in the field of education. It will prepare dynamic leaders and practitioners in teaching, research and management having content excellence, pedagogical competence, commitment and integrity that would ensure quality and sustainable development at all tiers and sectors of education. It will offer nationally and internationally accepted academic programs to produce: (a) classroom teachers to the need of public and private schools of various levels – primary, secondary and higher secondary. (b) educationists/Researchers/Curriculum Developers, etc. (c) It will make the University a thriving hub of educational research and knowledge creation. (d) It will make the teaching profession attractive to the youth by providing quality programmes that is the hallmark of university education. (e) It will create an enabling environment to upgrading our human capital and enhance our competitiveness in a knowledge-based economy. Achieving University status for the State College of Education would be a great achievement towards the governor’s education initiatives of making Rivers State the nation’s premier education reformer, provider and a leader in teaching, research and development. One goal of this new initiative will be to eliminate examination leakages ”expo.” Expo exists because students are not confident of taking and passing their exams, so they resort to the cheapest means of just getting a certificate. The governor’s effort should include an examination of the curriculum. It stands to reason that if what is taught is not closely aligned with what is assessed, students will not have been adequately prepared to enter an examination hall with confidence. A perfectly aligned instructional system would include a curriculum that addresses the syllabi standards, instruction that is based on the curriculum, and assessments that identify opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and can do on the state standards. This will create accountability where our teachers must be held responsible for moving their students to proficient – passing levels on their end of year examinations. Consequently, teachers must re-examine their instructional programme to ensure that classroom tasks and assignments are aligned to the syllabus they are expected to teach and that are assessed in JSS or SSS examinations. Through the Office of Educational Leadership in the State Ministry of Education, a number of strategies can be adopted and employed to ensure the taught curriculum is aligned with the state academic syllabus. The state should set an academic standard-a process of deciding what all students should learn from primary through secondary. The state should then develop tests that measure whether schools are teaching students what the state expects students to know. Standard and assessments that are aligned with those standards are the foundations of equity in education. Such standards ensure that schools are evaluated against a common benchmark, because our children deserve an education that helps them succeed in today’s technologically rich, global economy. If the governor’s initiatives will be sustained, then it is imperative to recognize that review of the curriculum and assessment tools are essential to the state’s education reform efforts. Teachers suffer from lack of appreciation for the hard work they render. Times were in the past when teachers were owed their monthly salaries and benefits that resulted to low motivation among them. Motivation is anything done to make teachers happy, satisfied, dedicated and committed in such a way that they bring out their best in their places of work so that students, parents and the society will greatly benefit from their services. Researches have pointed out, and educators are aware that reformers of education may establish new schools, effect changes in structure and curriculum, recommend and prescribe teaching methods and provide resources, ‘in the end, the teacher will be solely responsible for applying them to yield expected results. Teachers find it difficult to give their best in a situation where their efforts are not recognized or appreciated. This apathy has made it difficult for even the educational sector to attract and retain such top-quality personnel that are required to function in the school system, especially at the primary and secondary school levels. After all teachers are great role models, what they say and do, directly affect and influence students. An Education Transformation Trust Fund should be created to assist government’s efforts in education reforms. An Education Trust solicits for donations that will help in promoting high academic achievement for all students at all levels. While it is well acknowledged that our system could better serve their students, too often schools in the rural areas are left behind in the area of school supplies and good teachers, the education trust can focus on these schools and provide extra incentives for teachers that serve in the rural areas. The Education Trust Fund will work alongside policymakers, parents, business leaders, education professionals within the state trying to transform schools that genuinely serve all students. Learning will be enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a lone man’s race (only for the government). Sharing one’s own ideas and responding to other’s reactions sharpen thinking and deepen understanding of the mission at hand – building skills that build the future. As an independent agency, the education trust can track and compile information on schools and institutions, thereby build much needed data for policy makers and planners. They can identify smart and gifted children and recommend them for special scholarships so they can demonstrate their special skills and aptitudes. The prospect of the education sector remains bright with governor’s vision and efforts in reforming and increasing opportunities for education. At the end it will empower our students and learners with education and training relevant to regional and national industry needs so that they can contribute positively to the global community. Guided by the governor’s vision on education, we would arrive at the understanding of what it takes to build a sustainable educational system where our students will learn and build an awareness of the choices they make and determine whether or not their choices will support their future. They will develop the skills needed to engage successfully in a sustainable society. The essence of sustainable educational development the governor is initiating will be tested in sincere harmony of a sound, viable, responsible governance and social integration that will ensure that the success of the initiatives will be a lifeenhancing process on the people of Rivers State. When sound policies are put in place, we will be building a lasting legacy in the development and improvement of education in the State that have eluded even the federal government. Dr. Wolugbom is a former school administrator in Rivers State and currently a staff of the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
