Respite For UNIABUJA & Lessons For University Education In Nigeria -By Tayo Demola

The University of Abuja, established on January 1^st, 1988 and enviably located in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria has been bedevilled with crisis for some time now owing to the inability of the school to obtain accreditation for some of its courses. There have been several protests by the students on this issue some of whom have unfortunately spent seven years for a course that is ordinarily supposed to last for four years!

It is the duty of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to accredit courses, regulate and maintain high standard and ensure that adequate facilities are in place for the running of various courses in our universities. This duty it has discharged creditably well by denying accreditation to these courses lacking the necessary facilities including Medicine and Engineering and by ensuring that these departments in the University of Abuja meet the required national standard for course accreditation.

For several years, professional bodies in Nigeria such as the Dental and Medical Council of Nigeria as well as the Council for the regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) have denied recognition for products of Uniabuja as a result of this anomaly. The multiplier effects of this are innumerable. The world has undeniably become a global village and whatever happens in the home front reverberates to the outside world and the international community and that accounts for why many Nigerian graduates who seek employment opportunities and greener pastures abroad have been denied placement due to the belief that these Nigerian products possess “untrusted” degrees.

The situation at the University of Abuja has been of immense concern to stakeholders in recent times and it is surprising that a Federal University of that status could make its students go through such harrowing experience of having to spend several painful and unnecessary extra years before graduating from their chosen courses in the university. However, news reaching my desk last week indicates that the NUC has finally accredited some of these contentious courses at Uniabuja. I think it calls for celebration for those students and their parents who have fought tooth and nail all these years for these courses to be accredited and here we are as they have finally been approved by the NUC. But let me advise you on this: Don’t ever celebrate until you eventually graduate from that course! The reason is not far-fetched. With the erratic and unpredictable nature of university and tertiary education in Nigeria plagued by perennial neglect by government, incessant strikes and unstable academic calendar, the fact that your course has been duty accredited by the relevant body does not guarantee that you will graduate at the right time from the university.

Students in Nigerian tertiary institutions would have to unfortunately contend with a whole lot of unpalatable experiences including constant lecturers’ strikes and denial of accreditation to the courses for which they have been validly admitted to study. Strikes have a crippling effect on the education sector and no wonder Nigerian graduates are regarded as half-baked by certain employers of labour who feel that these graduates do not have the necessary skills and wherewithal to be entrusted with certain positions of responsibility. We have heard of some Nigerian graduates who went abroad in order to obtain a second degree but were either denied such opportunity due  to Nigeria’s poor educational standard or asked to undergo some years of study and scrutiny to ascertain their suitability before admitting them into those programs.

When we remember the Uniabuja crisis, it brings feelings of neglect, incompetence and lack of accountability and foresight on the part of our university administrators. There is a clear-cut difference between teaching well in the classroom and being a good administrator. The two do not necessarily require the same skill and not many people can effectively combine the two skills. A university is not a laboratory or experimental specimen which you hand over to an inexperienced hand to determine the possibility of the outcome because you will be toying with the lives and future of thousands of people who would later on graduate to become future leaders and important decision makers. The prolonged situation in Uniabuja over course accreditation as well as similar situations in several other Nigerian universities calls for concern of stakeholders because the future of our students is at stake and this is part of the lingering crisis in the education sector that is threatening to cripple the education system in the country.

When students are admitted into various courses in our universities and other tertiary institutions, the school authorities have a constitutional and moral responsibility to ensure that nothing within their power hinders these students from graduating at the appropriate time from such programs. Why did it take so long for the management of the University of Abuja, a Federal university for that matter, to put in place the necessary facilities required for the accreditation of these courses? Did the school not receive its own share of Federal allocation over the years or was it just a case of neglect and lack of accountability by people entrusted with the affairs of the university? These questions are pertinent because the issue here is peculiar to countless other Nigerian universities which are internally sick and need special financial surgical operations to bail them out of a monumental mismanagement of resources threatening to cripple their existence. Aside the lectures’ strike resulting from the failure of government to holistically address funding issues, what of the issue of accountability, integrity and prudence on the part of our university administrators?

Does the case of Uniabuja not show to any right thinking person that there is more to it than meets the eye? It is surprising that some state universities in Nigeria are ranked higher in performance index in certain courses than some Federal universities who as a result of the lack of adequate facilities required to run such courses only end up admitting students whom their facilities cannot cater for and these students end up wasting away their future with the hope that someday they will graduate from these schools all to no avail. Recall that in December 2012, a Special Presidential Visitation Panel to the University of Abuja had recommended the sacking of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sunday Adelabu and his management team due to the magnitude of systemic rot in the university and their failure to properly manage the university. The Panel thereby recommended the appointment of a reputable Professor from outside the university, with strong character, integrity and sound experience in university management as Vice-Chancellor of the university. I believe that if Uniabuja had had the right kind of leadership and management over the years, the current situation would not have been the case.

The lesson here is that when square pegs are put in round holes, the result you get is better imagined than experienced. We must stop playing politics with every issue in this country if we truly desire any meaningful development. If we must play politics, issues concerning education should be totally excused from such games because they should never be toyed with by any serious nation. To avert students’ protests and agitations such as the ones witnessed in Uniabuja, school authorities should endeavour to utilize the resources available at their disposal to ensure that adequate facilities are in place for the smooth running of courses for which they admitted students or else they should scrap these programs to avoid misleading admission seekers into seeking admission into them.

The government should ensure that only people who are morally and intellectually fit  to  manage  our universities are eventually appointed to head these institutions. A university is the world's highest citadel of learning and an Ivory Tower which produces manpower for several sectors of the economy and should not be entrusted to people who have little or no managerial acumen. Governments at all levels, both Federal, state and local level, should realize that education inevitably holds the key to Nigeria’s development and should ensure that the education sector is given utmost priority in the scheme of things.

By Tayo Demola

E-mail: tayodemola@gmail.com

Rivers Crisis & Political Expediency -By Tayo Demola

 

The political atmosphere in Nigeria has always been dramatic and full of intrigues. In several instances, political actors throw caution to the wind and exhibit a most unpleasant, shocking and condemnable behaviour which could have a disastrous effect on the Nigerian polity. At such times one wonders the type of people these overzealous political actors are and if they are truly fit to occupy public office. It beats one's imagination that a blessed nation like Nigeria can throw up some clowns who call themselves legislators and whose behaviour only but bring untold embarrassment to the image of Nigeria.

The nation and the world got a rude shocker on Tuesday July 9, 2013 when the crisis at the state's chapter of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) precipitated a commotion at the House of Assembly Chambers. The video clips of the fracas which we saw on TV and online were not only disturbing to an average mind, but showed how desperate some people could go in order to vent their anger. Members of the state House of Assembly which should ordinarily comprise of honourable men of timber and calibre and men of integrity were seen openly attacking each other with dangerous objects which left some of them injured in the process and later hospitalised. We are aware that five of the legislators are opposed to Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi but in democracy there must definitely be opposition and different shades of opinions in politics but must we allow our political ideology or differences to propel us into acts of hooliganism in the name of politics?

The five legislators opposing the governor had surprisingly made an announcement purportedly to have impeached the Speaker Hon Otelemabala Amachree and therefore presented Hon Evans Bipi as the new Speaker. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria made express and unambiguous provisions on this issue. For the impeachment of any elected official to be constitutional and valid, there must be a two-thirds majority vote of the members of such House. Specifically, by virtue of Section 92 Subsection (2)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, a Speaker of a state House of Assembly can only be removed from office by a resolution of not less than two-third majority of the members of the House. In the case of the Rivers House, this mandatory constitutional provision was breached and therefore a valid impeachment cannot be said to have taken place.

Can five members validly constitute two-third of 32 members in law? Is this not simple arithmetic which requires that 22 members is the valid two-third required of 32 members? The grievous assault perpetrated on some members of the House which we all saw is not only barbaric in these modern times but also condemnable and if this crisis is not properly handled, it could snowball into a national tragedy that could leave a sour taste in its trail. Nigerian politics has been characterized by theatre of the absurd and we have not forgotten the 2003 kidnap saga of Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra state by the powers that be for their own parochial and selfish political gains. Similar political machinations are gradually being covertly deployed in Rivers politics and I dare say that we should by now be more politically matured to learn from history and realize that this type of antics can never do us any good. If this type of political shamelessness and rascality by our legislators is not immediately halted, it will only show to the outside world that we are still politically immature thereby making us an object of caricature in the comity of nations.

It is worrisome that many politicians in Nigeria still believe in and practise the culture of impunity. Why would a legislator who is supposed to be a shining example to the upcoming generation of youths be seen on national television exchanging blows with a fellow lawmaker? Are these people really law makers or law breakers? In saner climes, these clowns should have been put behind bars or recalled from office for such national embarrassment. Why would a sensible person hold a big stick of that nature and forcefully and violently assault his fellow law maker in the name of political disagreement? Are there not better ways to resolve whatever impasse there are or grudges they have against each other?

The role played by the police is not clear since despite their presence, the crisis persisted and it is uncertain if they came to douse the crisis or to add to an already aggravated situation. We are all aware of the political issues in Rivers state for some time now and even the Governor himself had raised an alarm on security issues and safety but what have the security agencies done to forestall any breakdown of law and order? The role played by the police on that day is not only questionable but leaves much to be desired and this should be investigated by the Senate and any police officer found culpable should be made to face the law. The members of the House who took part in such show of shame by assaulting their colleagues should likewise be investigated and properly sanctioned.

The culture of impunity must stop in Nigeria and people who break the law must be made to face the law and be punished for their offences if found culpable. This is very vital if Nigeria must move forward. We cannot continue dancing round the same circle all the time without learning from our history. The only way to stop impunity is to punish offenders without minding whose ox is gored and it will be impossible to do this without the cooperation of everyone concerned.

      

      By Tayo Demola

      tayodemola@gmail.com

   

  
                 

Editors, The Media And Nation Building -By Tayo Demola

      

The art of editing a book involves a whole lot of things depending on the editor. To edit a book, an editor is required to edit all the errors and make the book generally acceptable and appealing to the reading public. It could be a tasking job but when properly edited, a book that people would ordinarily disregard after reading can end up selling millions of copies in the market. That is what editing can do to any book and it is the job of the editor to remove or add anything that will affect the quality of the book as the case may be.

In editing, an editor  will come across several styles of writing and presentation by authors and it is the duty of the editor to polish these writings to a certain level of  maturity and acceptability such that the reading public will appreciate the works of such authors and yearn for more of their books. Editing requires a lot of hardwork and in the process of editing a book, an editor may be required to re-write the book and remove all the jargon therein.

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Editing ​and proofreading are not the same​ because you can only proofread a book after editing it. Proofreading should be the last stage before finally going to ​press to publish a book. In proofreading, a proofreader majorly concerns himself with the spelling and punctuation errors but editing involves quite more than that. Editing requires a higher level of language use, grammar, proficiency, talent, thinking and imagination on the part of the editor who will read a book several times over and know what to do in order to make that book a masterpiece through editing. Therefore, it can be said that an editor is an excellent writer who is not only skilled and talented in writing but also in editing. A good editor must be a good writer because it not possible for a person to edit books without being a writer himself. Is it possible for somebody to be a football coach without having been a footballer himself? If he coaches a football team, with what skill will he deploy in coaching them when he does not even know the nitty-gritty of playing football? The only way he can have an indepth knowledge of football as an aspect of sports is for him to have been a footballer and not just being a footballer for the sake of it but a good one at that!

Is it possible for a person to teach others without having the rudimentary knowledge of whatever he is to impart? Whoever embarks on such ignoble journey has not only opened a gateway of embarrassment and scorn unto himself but would have ended up belittling himself before the very people he is to teach. You cannot give what you don't have, so if you cannot write or even spot the slightest errors in any write-up, then it will be impossible for you to edit any book or claim you are an editor. A good writer can develop into an editor with talent, skill, training and practice. A good editor must be a voracious reader in order to devour several styles of writing to enhance his editing skills.

When you read some very powerful and captivating books, you will think the author is so excellently gifted in writing but alas that may not be the case because it is possible that the author just wrote down his ideas in a boring and uninspiring style but when the editor picked up the book, he deployed his editing skills to polish it to make it a masterpiece bestseller. A good editing work must generally start from the title to the last word of the book and anything that will hinder the message of the book from being properly understood by the reader must be removed by the editor. A good editor must look at the content, message, style, tone, presentation, logical sequence of events and chronology of ideas as well as a whole lot of other elements which will make the book irresistible to the reader.

In editing articles, journals, magazines and newspapers, the editing skill needed is similar to that needed to edit books but not entirely the same. This is because a newspaper or magazine is somewhat transient but a book is more permanent in nature and books are more likely to stand the test of time than newspapers and magazines. In editing newspapers and magazines, the editor must preoccupy himself with editing several aspects of the articles, stories and features submitted by various writers and contributors which include the title, content, message, style, tone, presentation as so on. It is critical to note that a magazine or newspaper editor is usually subjected and restricted to the economic and socio-political philosophy or ideology of the publisher and such editor must ensure that all articles and write-ups are tailored to fit into a certain editorial style as directed by the publisher.

A good editor must be versatile and adaptable. He must read wide on various issues and be willing to learn new styles of writing which keep evolving everyday as more authors emerge. Editors must be open-minded and dynamic in their editing style and should not necessarily expect all writers or authors to conform to a certain dogmatic style of writing. Every writer should be allowed to express himself in his own style of writing while the reading public can appreciate a writer based on the quality of his work.

In Nigeria, editors will do better if they realize that they have a high stake in nation building and should not relegate their prestigious duties to the background. Nigerian editors and publishers should consistently and properly censure whatever material they are to bring out to the public and ensure that only the best material is eventually published. The Nigerian media is awash with too much sensationalized news reporting and little or no investigative journalism which should be the selling point of any credible media outfit. Virtually every news item is politicized or blown out of proportion by the media which should not be the case because the media is so crucial to national development that any modern nation cannot develop without the media. It amazes me the type of material, information and pictures which some media outfit publish which at times should not have been published in the first place. This calls for proper regulation of our media laws and sanction for those who violate the required standard in publishing. Morality has been thrown to the dustbin by many newspapers and magazines in Nigeria that publish pornographic and half nude pictures of women and young girls just to sell their paper. The media should also refrain from publishing materials that are defamatory and outright falsehood calculated towards character assassination of a person which is presumably the hallmark of Nigerian politics. Every Nigerian has the right not to be defamed in any way and it is the duty of editors to ensure that materials brought before them are properly scrutinized and authenticated before going to press. 

Therefore, editors, publishers and the media generally have a great and indispensable role to play in national development and it is their duty to ensure that their responsibility is not compromised for the sake of posterity. 

             By Tayo Demola

          

             E-mail: tayodemola@gmail.com

              

       

 

Justice & Military Brutality In Nigeria -By Tayo Demola

      

                           
The military of any nation is a beacon of hope and pride at any point in time. Their duty is to protect the territorial integrity of the nation, maintain peaceful co-existence and protect the citizens in all ramifications. The issue of human rights abuses and brutality by some overzealous military men should be condemned by all and sundry. There have been several incidents of military men openly assaulting citizens with impunity and this act is totally uncalled for and should be condemned by well meaning Nigerians. 

A tragic case in point will illustrate this issue. In 2005, a certain trigger-happy and overzealous naval officer, Mr Felix Olanrewaju Odunlami was driving along the Allen roundabout in Ikeja, Lagos when a commercial motorcyclist popularly known as okada, Peter Edeh accidentally hit the naval officer's car from behind with his motorcycle and upon the realization of his offence, he knelt down and begged the naval officer for forgiveness but the officer refused to be appeased. Instead, in anger, he reached out for his gun in his car, asked Peter to open his mouth and he shot him directly in his mouth resulting in his instant death. He killed him just because he mistakenly hit the naval officer's car with his motorcycle. What justification can there ever be for this type of brutality, excessive anger and man's inhumanity to man? Has a car now become more precious than human life? If the car is damaged, can't another one be bought? Can human life be bought in the market? Why waste a precious soul you cannot create just because you want to protect a car?

This case was greeted with wide condemnation then and I can remember vividly that I was personally appalled by the news of the incident and totally disappointed at the conduct of the naval officer. After investigations, he was arraigned on January 27, 2006 before a General Court Martial on a three-count charge of manslaughter, loss of service item and conduct prejudicial to service discipline. He was subsequently found guilty and convicted of all the offences and was dismissed from the Nigerian Navy and sentenced to life imprisonment. But he appealed the judgment and the case had dragged on for long in court. The matter later went to the Supreme Court and at this juncture we must commend the Nigerian judiciary for a job well done on this matter. The Supreme Court in a lead judgment by Justice Rhodes-Vivour on Friday June 7, 2013 finally affirmed his dismissal from the Nigerian Navy and sentenced to life imprisonment as earlier decided by both the General Court Martial and the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal. This eventually ended the 8-year legal battle.

This case illustrates that there is still hope for the common man in the society no matter how the rich, powerful and influential people may try to suppress or delay the course of justice. Justice has not only been done but is seen to have been done on this matter and I believe that wherever Peter Edeh is now, he will be happy in death! His family has been appeased now that at last justice has been done although we painfully know that this cannot bring the deceased back to life. This is justice for the society despite the 8-year delay. The Nigerian judiciary should be commended for a wonderful job. In the dark days of the military, this case might never see the light of the day but we thank God for the advent of democracy which has enabled more recognition for people's rights, freedom of speech and the entrenchment of constitutional government. Although we still have a long way to go in Nigeria with respect to civility and according respect to people's rights by our security agencies. The military, police and other security agencies should realize that we are no longer in the military era where all sorts of atrocities were committed with flagrant impunity by security men and they went scot free. 

This time around, it is no more business as usual and security agencies and the military should realize this and treat people with civility because it is their duty to protect the citizens and not to maim them. A situation where security agents brutalize Nigerians at the slightest provocation can no longer be tolerated by the people. Any security agent who violates people's rights should realize he will definitely be brought to justice no matter how long it takes. Nobody has a right to unduly provoke security men but it is the duty of these military and paramilitary agencies to relate with civilians with a measure of decorum and civility as obtainable in civilized societies. The issue of uncontrolled and excessive anger by security men over minor and insignificant issues of disagreement with civilians is totally uncalled for and should be highly discouraged.

In Nigeria, we have lost count of the number of hapless civilians who have been maimed, brutalized or killed by the police especially and other security agents over very minor issues that can be ignored if they properly controlled their anger at that particular point in time. It is really disheartening that Nigeria who claims to be the giant of Africa is plagued by so much human rights abuses and brutality of its citizens by our own security forces who are paid with taxpayer's money to protect the citizens. It is an irony for example that the Nigerian police which is supposed to be the people's friend is regarded by many Nigerians with contempt and disdain due to the flagrant abuses the people are subjected to in the hands of the police. I personally think that there has to be a lot of training and retraining of our security men to align their mentality to modern, civil and democratic norms and standards. There is the need for continuous orientation for these men for the good of all.

As for the police, we need serious reforms of the force to bring it in line with modern realities of policing. Why would the image of the Nigerian police be so battered that people now see police men as synonymous with corruption and impunity? We need to urgently check the quality of men being recruited into the police and this should be a major step towards sanitizing the force. We can start by making the minimum entry qualification into the police force to be the Ordinary National Diploma (OND) or its equivalent. This will go a long way to ensure that people who are schooled to an extent are recruited into the police force and not just a school certificate as minimum entry qualification.

The justice system in Nigeria may be slow but that does not mean the security operatives should latch on that to perpetrate heinous crimes against harmless civilians as has been the case in several instances. Several innocent lives like that of Peter Edeh have been wasted for too long in this country and the people should henceforth refuse to be unjustly brutalized in any way by security men. It is certain that if security men know that they will be punished any time they brutalize citizens, they would think twice before venturing into such ignoble act. The culture of impunity must stop in Nigeria and any security agent found culpable in this regard should be punished without any reservations whatsoever to serve as deterrent to others. The likes of Felix Olanrewaju Odunlami rightly belong to the gaol where he is; they do not qualify to mingle with sane people because they have by their attitude exhibited the highest unpardonable crime against humanity. May the soul of Peter Edeh, a poor okada man who was only trying to eke a living with his okada business, rest in peace. Amen.

     

      By Tayo Demola 
 

      tayodemola@gmail.com

    

Why Talent Is Not Enough -By Tayo Demola

                        

One of the ways to succeed in life is to be talented. If you are talented, it will open doors of opportunities before you thereby making you succeed faster. But you will agree with me that to succeed in life, you need more than talent. If talent is all you need then why have all the talented people not succeeded?  We have talented and educated derelicts who have not been able to use their talent and education to better their lot. We have so many talented people roaming the streets and who have not been able to achieve anything for themselves. 

Can a talented person who is not passionate about his talent achieve anything with such talent? Have you ever seen a lazy talented person succeed just because he is talented without working hard to accomplish such talent? Success is achieved not merely through talent but through a dint of hardwork. If you've got talent without hardwork then you've got nothing. If you've got talent without an optimistic mindset and perseverance, then you've got nothing. The fact is that you need a combination of all these to succeed in life and not just talent.

Then comes the big one: courage! With courage you can do anything to accomplish your dreams. With courage you will achieve success faster than you can ever imagine. A courageous man can move a mountain with his courage! It is not for the feeble-minded but for those who have the heart to dare and to dream big. All great men you hear their names today have at one time exhibited acts of courage that helped them accomplish their dreams.

Born on July 18,1918, Nelson Mandela grew up to behold the segregationist Apartheid regime in South Africa where the white rulers held sway against the blacks who were not only perpetually politically oppressed but were also haunted, brutalized  and relegated into second class-citizens in their own country. The political landscape in South Africa was tense for decades and it seemed as if nobody could successfully challenge these white oppressive rulers to their game until the advent of various Black Activist Movements one of which was spearheaded by Nelson Mandela. Having lost his father at a tender age of 9, he was entrusted unto a distant relative who ensured he got the right leadership training which he harnessed in later years. He was so courageous and fearless in everything he did because he knew from the onset that talent alone could not see him through.

Having read Law and qualified as a Legal Practitioner, he floated South Africa's known Black Law firm in 1952 through which he fought the cause of several oppressed Black South Africans at relatively cheaper rates. His political activism became well known to the government and having initially started out with peaceful activism, he later had to deploy armed struggle and guerrilla warfare having realized that peaceful activism did not work in achieving his goals.  He fought the South African government to a standstill and in 1963, he was arrested alongside other activists and charged for treason. Despite having been tried and initially jailed for five years, he was later retried and sentenced to life imprisonment.

While in prison he did not give up. He enrolled for and obtained a degree by correspondence while in prison. In the 80s, several overtures were made to him by the government that he would be released from prison on the condition that he renounced armed struggle but he blatantly refused and stuck to his guns. That is courage! If not courage, how could a man who had spent close to 20 years in prison as at then refuse to renounce his activism and belief in the struggle for the emancipation of his people? In a twist of fate, he was later released from prison on February 11, 1990 after having spent 27 years behind bars!

In 1993, he won the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1994 at the age of 76, he became the first black President of South Africa being the first time in over 300 years a black man rose to power in South Africa. If this feat is merely achieved by being talented then every talented person out there would have achieved it. No matter how talented you are, don't rely too much on your talent and ignore other vital elements that can enable the talent materialize such as passion, courage, hardwork and perseverance. Talent alone cannot do the magic. You must harness all other elements to drive the talent in order to achieve your dreams. God bless you.

               By Tayo Demola

               tayodemola@gmail.com