Issues
State Of Emergency In Education Sector Revisited
About three years ago, I wrote an article entitled “The State of Emergency in Education”. In the article, I ex-rayed the problems in education in Nigeria and proffered some possible solutions that were in consonance with the spirit and letter of words powerfully spoken by Kevin Rudd when he said, “Education is both a tool of social justice as well as a fundamental driver of economic development.”
I parsimoniously stated that education is one of the most important factors that not only sustain the culture, including the democratic principles, but also it empower an individual and determine his/her worth in a competitive economy. I alluded that the essence of a qualitative education in a burgeoning democracy is imperative particularly in a global economy. I added that education system in Nigeria is in a state of crisis.
In Nigeria, it is understood that the basic right of all children is basic education. And the tenets of Universal Basic Education (UBE) program of the Federal Government hold that all Nigerian children of school age should acquire, at least, basic education. The country’s constitution capaciously requires that primary education be compulsory and free. The question is: has the government dropped the ball by not fulfilling its obligations? There seems to be a gamut of empirical evidence that Nigeria has an increasing number of dropouts at both primary and secondary school levels and low adult literacy continues to be a perennial problem to various administrations.
Sadly, many problems in Nigeria’s education system have not been addressed by those in charge. The fundamental problems that have been widely overlooked which gave rise to this phenomenon are our collective failure to teach students how and the reason to learn, including our failure to provide the students with an educational environment enriched with meaningful and challenging curriculum. The country has failed our students in many ways, especially in our inability to upgrade our system to the world standard. Equally critical is our collective attitude—the society’s emphasis on accumulating wealth, which has trumped the value of education. Unfortunately, the Nigerian society has directly or indirectly taught our children to value accumulation of money more than the acquisition of knowledge, cognitive, and problem-solving skills.
The consequences of the phenomenon are daunting. The seemingly lack of adequate knowledgebase and high-order thinking skills to propel the national economy produces perennial cycle of poverty. In addition, our youth are preoccupied with an elusive chase for wealth which prompts them to engage in unbecoming actions. Though benighted Nigerian administrations have the capacity and resources to readily erect a world class education system that would be the envy of many countries, yet they continue to fail our children and the nation. Even when they tout the benefits of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme, yet they continued to be pertinacious in stifling the entire education system. What a perversity! Obviously, it is assumed that those who are at the corridors of power, particularly those who occupied the position of “Minister of Education”, do not realize that educational attainment and economic achievement are intertwined and a sound policy is required in the area. Indeed, it is frightening!
Sad still, our attitude toward education coupled with lack of government’s sustainable education policy has led the education system in shambles. Unfortunately, the staggering reality is education system in Nigeria has been increasingly decaying over the years without any substantive intervention by the policymakers who should have been perspicacious and honest in discerning and implementing programmatic remedies. Nigeria’s failed education policy has resulted in certificates and transcripts from Nigerian universities being looked at with utmost disdain by other countries. And now the current administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has the daunting task of correcting years of neglect and anomaly in Nigerian education system. I strongly hope that President Jonathan will address the problems urgently.
Well, in the face of the problems, I did recommend an urgent top-down review of educational structure, including revamping educational curriculum at primary, secondary, and university levels with total infusion of moral education in an effort to massively overhaul the system for optimum standards. There should be more emphasis in funding increase of education and quality of teachers with equally strict accountability. The government should spend more on programs coupled with a decent salary for teachers. In the same token, teachers would be made to be more accountable in order to keep their job.
Teachers should receive necessary training to perform their job and the training should be continuous. Also, teachers should be evaluated based on student performance at primary and secondary levels. At the university level, they should be evaluated based on their teaching, research, and publication abilities. The education system should not have any room for mediocre teachers at all levels. Quality teachers should be rewarded and retained while ineffective teachers should leave the profession.
In Nigeria’s education system, there should be more local control of primary and secondary education with strict accountability parameters enforced by the state and federal governments. Each local education system must come up with meaningful accountable and measurable plans to address the problems of dropout and adult literacy. Compulsory education would be better enforced at the local level than at the state or federal level. Local control would seem to reduce the large bureaucracy that clogs the wheel of efficiency and effective implementation of programmes. The state and Federal Governments should have palatable incentives for the most achieving local education systems.
Nigeria should pay rigorous attention to science and technology, research and development, and liberal arts meshed in high standards and rigorous curriculum to overcome years of low educational quality in the country. To promote equal opportunity and rid the country of poverty, quality education would be at the heart of such effort. Perhaps more indicative of the economic value of education is in the high productivity and earning power of workers with quality education.
I believe that the appalling state of education in Nigeria could be ameliorated if consistent and sustainable corrective measures are taken with long-term planning and monitoring immediately. The problem has reached a critical mass and it is believed that President Goodluck Jonathan will deal with the issue aggressively. Similarly, in Imo State, there are some laudable measures being taken by the Ohakim administration to address the problems in the education sector.
In his address at the Imo State Stakeholders Forum early this year, Gov Ikedi Ohakim alarmed, “One of the worrying issues for this state is the general decay in the educational system. Not only have infrastructure collapsed, standard has fallen abysmally. Indiscipline is rife, cultism is the norm, sorting is the culture. Government is determined to tackle the rot in our educational system. Government is living up to its responsibilities of ensuring the delivery of accessible, qualitative and functional education, because the 21st century will be knowledge-driven.
The Michael Okpara College of Agriculture Umuagwo was upgraded to the status of a Polytechnic. Government released the sum of N45 million for accreditation of 10 programmes of the institution. Government also recruited 91 academic and 38 non-academic staff to enable the institution to get full accreditation. The State, during the period under review, completed the handover of Alvan Ikoku College of Education to the Federal Government.”
“There was also a reduction of school fees from N8,000 to N3,700. Those quoting some totally wrong figures should desist from causing confusion. To further boost education and rehabilitate all educational infrastructures in the state, the first phase of the Education Endowment Fund was launched in the 27 local governments in the state on 28 December 2009. We intend to raise over N52 billion… In 2010, the State Government will embark on the policy of disarticulation and re-articulation of Junior and Senior Secondary Schools in the State in order to reduce cost and make teachers available for teaching functions.”
Gov Ohakim continued, “This year also we will commence the handover of schools to their missionaries owners. It is important to understand why we are implementing this policy. There is urgent need to rebuild the character of youths through moral education. We want to challenge the Church leadership to re-invent the strict discipline that was the hallmark of education on the part of teachers and students. The policy will also allow government enough elbow room to play its traditional role of regulating education and enforcing standards. This will ensure that we produce graduates who are worthy in character and learning. Government will, however, be responsible for the payment of teachers’ salaries for the first two years in the schools handed over to missionaries. Government also guarantees the payment of the retirement benefits of teachers involved in the handover process during the period of transition.”
“The missionaries will be responsible for day-to-day management of their schools, but Government, through the Ministry of Education, will ensure standards and protect the welfare of staff and students. Government expects the cooperation of all concerned in implementing these policies, especially the disarticulation and re-articulation of schools,” Gov Ohakim added.
Again, I accede to James A. Garfield’s powerful avowal when he said, “Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be maintained.”
Dr. Orabuchi, Ph.D., is an Opinion Writer and Adjunct Professor in Dallas, Texas, USA
Acho Orabuchi
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
