NIGERIAN ELECTIONS: EDUCATING THE ELECTORATE NOT TO SELL THEIR VOTES AND CHOOSE GOOD ASPIRANTS
It is evident that politicians for the past four to five decades in Nigeria have not delivered good governance to Nigerians nor managed our resources to improve the well being and welfare of its citizens. It is common knowledge that these politicians in their estimation have perfected the cycle of deceiving the electorate by literally buying the votes of the people and foisting incompetent people on the citizens on the platform of their political parties. Strategies of manipulation also include exploitation of ethnic sentiments and religious dispositions of the electorate to impose these visionless, corrupt and ethically immoral people of them. This current government set us back many years with the level of nepotism that we thought had died in our country and many lives have been lost in what could be considered the archaic and backward policies of cattle herdsmen that has resulted in many deaths.
Change of leadership could not be more compelling than in 2019. This is why the electorate has to be enlightened to no longer be deceived by N1000 or a piece of Ankara to mortgage their quality of life and those of their children to hirelings and charlatans who wear political garbs with no understanding or desire to serve their people. Good governance is about is about service to the people. Valuing with integrity the trust that is reposed on leaders to judiciously and efficiently manage the nation’s resources to the direct benefit of the people of Nigeria. It is not about ethnicity or religion or tribe. It is about being accountable, transparent, committed to meeting the goals that have been set to deliver to the electorate in a timely manner. Let us do all we can, using the social media and other media to disarm money politics in our country that undermines our ability to choose wisely those who will deliver on their campaign promises and stop the rot of incompetent leadership in Nigeria.
The time for change is 2019. Please, do not sit on the fence. Get involved. Join a movement to change Nigeria. I have joined the Red Card Movement. Let us take charge of our destiny and drive change that will deliver good governance and the benefits of a progressive nation for our country. Let us educate the electorate. The time to start is now.
WHICH WAY NIGERIA? EXAMINING THE CONSTITUTION AND ROLES BEING PLAYED BY OUR LEADERS
Query 1:
Examine the critical elements of the Nigerian Constitution and identify aspects of it needing an amendment for a better administration of the country.
Our Response:
The 1999 Constitution lies against itself as it is not a people’s constitution, but rather foisted by the military. Hence it’s anti-developmental applications.
A critical element requiring urgent amendment is in the area of the security apparatus of the country. Our allusion points at the Police, where centralization has limited effectiveness while accounting for crass incompetence.
The police are underpaid, under-trained and overstretched. Consequently, the soldiers who are the last line of defense of any nation are now the first, having been drafted to 32 out of the 36 states doing internal security operations.
The 68 items on the exclusive list must be revisited and be worked on. These in part also have been the cog in the wheels of effective development.
Legislation on resource control must tilt in favor of states, while formula of monthly allocation must be reversed, such that the federal government gets less in the suggestions of LG…40… States …40 and the federal government 20.
Extra-budgetary allocation and honorarium will be made possible to the federal purse for security reason.
Query 2:
Examine the roles of Political, Traditional and Religious Leaders to determine if they have fulfilled their critical roles in nation-building and development of the society.
Our Response:
Of a truth, the majority of these ‘power groups’ should and would have contributed more, but the ethnic clannish and religiosity skew have obliterated expected efficiencies.
Let us x-ray these traditional and religious leaders a bit more closely.
The former, whose task is to both preserve and teach core values, while staying neutral has lost it, partly because our kind of democracy has supplanted their mode of evolution as they have to get approval as well as Staff of Office from the governors, invariably, they are tied to the apron strings of their paymasters.
If we go down even to our recent history, we know that when Sultan of Sokoto Sir Abubakar 111, the father of the current Sultan Saad, was going on his first pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, he left his household in the care of Mr. Dike, an Igbo from the South who went to Sokoto in 1915. Mr. Dike was so trusted that he had access to the Sultan’s bedroom.
Dike’s offsprings are still in Sokoto fully integrated. In doing this, Sultan Sir Abubakar 111 was practicing what his worthy ancestor, Shehu Usman Dan Fodio advised in his book, “Bayan Wujub al_Hijra” where Dan Fodio wrote, “one of the swiftest ways of destroying a state is to give preference to one particular tribe over another, or to show favor to one group of people than another, and draw near those who should be kept away and keep away those who should be drawn near.”
So how come we have missed the way so dastardly?
The religious leaders themselves teach, that their religion is the only channel to God, thereby creating a direct or subtle psychological mindset of religious superiority to others. It further engenders hatred and divisions, while causing jeopardy to harmony.
Political leaders also seem superior to the laws, as they repeatedly violate the constitution and subvert the process of justice in connivance with their lawyers and corrupt judges.
In the Federal Government of Nigeria Constitution of 1999, in Part II, section 10 it states the following:
The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.
The sub-section 1 under section 15 of Part II of the same constitution where it is said that the motto of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be Faith, Unity, Peace and Progress it also stipulates the following:
Accordingly, national integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties shall be prohibited.
The Federal and State governments have complied fully with the provision (i) above but the same affirmation of adherence cannot be said of provision (ii) both at the Federal and State levels. The challenges and negative consequences that this non-compliance has posed in undermining the effective management of resources at both levels of government will be enunciated later in the synopsis.
These constitutional provisions confirm the secularity of the practice of religion within Nigeria and guarantee its citizens freedom so to do if it does not present threats to life and property of others or constitutes itself into a nuisance thereby inconveniencing the peaceful way of life of others or breach their fundamental human rights.
Though these conditions are not explicitly stated in the provisions, they are considered intrinsic in their definition towards living in peace with each other with mutual understanding.
Geographical Religious Diversity
Contemporary statistics indicate the following as the percentages by the population of the major regions in Nigeria:
Muslim – 50%
Christianity – 40%
Others – 10%
All states in the Federation have a mix of all these religions in different ratios and we can state a generalisation that the Southern part of the country comprising the South West, South Central, and South East are more predominantly Christian and the Northern part of the country comprising North West, North Central, and North East are predominantly Muslim.
Before the late 70s and early 80s, the state governments and previously regional administrations were religion agnostic and did not participate in religious activities formally or as governments. The relationship between adherents of these major faith was simple, non-hostile, tolerant, accepting to the extent the Muslims enjoyed Christmas celebrations with Christians and Christians enjoyed Idel Malud and Idel Kabir celebrations with Muslims so much so that gifts and food were exchanged during these times between themselves. There were no incidents of hate speeches between Christians and Muslims and intermarriages did not meet with resistance from either faith as such.
The moral values of followers of both faiths and in general everyone else was founded on age-old cultural dos and don’ts that had stood the test of time and continued so to do. It is a fact also that traditional idol worship namely Ifa, Ogun, Oya, Oshun were mixed with these major faiths as well.
Religion was private, and many adopted or were brought up in these faiths by following what their parents taught them and practiced.
Religion and Governance
Religion in government started late in the 80’s where States in the northern part of the country to help many more Muslims in their states fulfill their religious obligations to go to Mecca started to subsidize the flights and gave logistical support to operationally and effectively manage a fulfilling experience for its adherents. This provided the opportunity for many more Muslims to embark on this journey annually. What used to be a privileged journey for the rich or those that could afford it became commonplace and the proceeds of the oil boom that enhanced the size of the disposable income of many also played a very crucial part.
The equivalent activity of traveling to Jerusalem for Christians was not a religious obligation in their faith and consequently, it lagged when it came to state support. For many Christians, this remained a spiritual desire which they finally were able to influence the state governments to subsidize and support as well. Religious organizations have since been set up formally in some states of the Federation to manage these activities every year to which resources are allocated from the state budgets.
Though religion remains private, the involvement of state governments has given it a different coloration. The backdrop of committing state resources to supporting these activities has in effect empowered State Governors to push the boat of their religious beliefs further into the sea when they are in office thereby endangering the secularity of religion in states. We see this in attempts made by some state governors to compel the wearing of the hijab in some secondary schools in the South Western segment of the country.
The knock-on effect of this state government involvement in religion has led to the establishment of Sharia courts in some states of the Federation particularly in the northern part of the country. This has been a direct impact on the Judiciary in the country leading to a parallel judicial system in some parts of the country.
Religion and Faith
The growth of religious tourism in the country has become an industry in the country to which significant resources are committed yearly. The inherent expectation of these activities would be that adherents of these faiths will be more pious in their behavior reflecting their beliefs in the teachings of these faiths. Sadly, this has not been the case. Religiosity now straddles the country, particularly in the Christian faith where churches number over 25000 across its length and breadth.
Despite this growth of places of worship in the country, there is more corruption in all facets of public and private sectors of the economy. Crime in various forms has also become a commonplace which prior decades ago was not the case. These include kidnappings, ritual killings, large-scale embezzlement of government funds by public officers and criminal conspiracies between banks and government establishments to defraud.
To state that the motivation for the growth of places of worship in the country was more financial than spiritual would not be far from wrong. In the counterproductive message of miraculous and sudden wealth by many churches, the work ethic of the adherents of the Christian Faith has been severely undermined with a consequence that creativity, innovation, and hard work have stunted and become moribund. The deliberate and conscious mis-emphasise of wealth as a message primarily for self-enrichment of Pastors has severely damaged the economic benefits that honesty, integrity, and accountability have afforded our economy and by extension our country.
Religion and Politics
The rather primitive mentality of ‘do or die’ in Nigerian politics and the obsession for political office for self-enrichment as against service has resulted in the use of every deviant device and mechanism to secure a political position. Religion, therefore, has become a victim and a tool exploited by politicians in very manipulative ways to get support and undermine opponents. The mixture of politics and, religion, however, is very toxic and rhetoric by politicians in attempts to secure votes exacerbates religious intolerance and results in conflicts and clashes between different party supporters that sometimes leads to the loss of life.
Exploitation of religious beliefs also blinds the views of the electorate about the capabilities of a potential candidate and constrains their ability to evaluate objectively what such a candidate will deliver if elected. Consequently, incompetent, inexperienced, unprincipled and morally bankrupt people find their way into public office on the back of religious beliefs to the detriment of the people for a minimum of four years.
The loss in the mismanagement of resources, the under-development of the state of the economy, the visionless posture of such people causes irretrievable damage and the consequences last a long time. In some cases, the quality of life of such people fall and standards of behavior are compromised all around. The society is then the victim of religion that has been abused for self-gain.
Points to ponder
That official involvement of state governments in religious tourism should be discontinued as there is no empirical and visible evidence of tangible benefits to these activities
That the non-intervention of state governments in religion will deter the abuse of governors in their offices to arm-twist the electorate to adopt their personal beliefs via the imposition of educational policies that are sympathetic to their own religious disposition
That the non-intervention of the government at all levels in the country will further respect the multi-religious society that we are and strengthen our nation as one that is secular.
That the non-intervention of government in religion and religious affairs will further disarm politicians from its exploitation and better empower the electorate to make informed decisions about candidates to ensure people of good standing and right competencies are elected into office. That the non-involvement of government in religious affairs will help to deter the religious extremists among us from exploiting the ignorant and poor youngsters from becoming terrorists and focus their attention in the delivery of good service to all Nigerians
That the non-involvement of government in religious affairs will help the peaceful co-existence of people of different faiths better live in harmony across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
That the resources currently used in funding the subsidies to religious locations be better utilized in meeting the developmental goals of medical, educational, social infrastructure in the country.
It is evident that politicians for the past four to five decades in Nigeria have not delivered good governance to Nigerians nor managed our resources to improve the well being and welfare of its citizens. It is common knowledge that these politicians in their estimation have perfected the cycle of deceiving the electorate by literally buying the votes of the people and foisting incompetent people on the citizens on the platform of their political parties. Strategies of manipulation also include exploitation of ethnic sentiments and religious dispositions of the electorate to impose these visionless, corrupt and ethically immoral people of them. This current government set us back many years with the level of nepotism that we thought had died in our country and many lives have been lost in what could be considered the archaic and backward policies of cattle herdsmen that has resulted in many deaths.
Change of leadership could not be more compelling than in 2019. This is why the electorate has to be enlightened to no longer be deceived by N1000 or a piece of Ankara to mortgage their quality of life and those of their children to hirelings and charlatans who wear political garbs with no understanding or desire to serve their people. Good governance is about is about service to the people. Valuing with integrity the trust that is reposed on leaders to judiciously and efficiently manage the nation’s resources to the direct benefit of the people of Nigeria. It is not about ethnicity or religion or tribe. It is about being accountable, transparent, committed to meeting the goals that have been set to deliver to the electorate in a timely manner. Let us do all we can, using the social media and other media to disarm money politics in our country that undermines our ability to choose wisely those who will deliver on their campaign promises and stop the rot of incompetent leadership in Nigeria.
The time for change is 2019. Please, do not sit on the fence. Get involved. Join a movement to change Nigeria. I have joined the Red Card Movement. Let us take charge of our destiny and drive change that will deliver good governance and the benefits of a progressive nation for our country. Let us educate the electorate. The time to start is now.
WHICH WAY NIGERIA: A REVIEW OF THE SUBSISTING LEADERSHIP SELECTION AND ELECTORAL PROCESSES
LEADERSHIP SELECTION PROCESS/PARTY POLITICS AND CHOICE OF LEADERS
PARTY STRUCTURAL RELATIONSHIPS
Nigeria’s form of government looks familiar to the American style as the president has a four-year term and has a possibility of a second term. The national assembly is bicameral, with a senate and a house of representatives distributed among the states by population. There is also the apex judiciary court known as the Supreme Court.
Political parties are expected to be a core group of institutions in any functioning democratic system. However, the activities of Nigerian political parties over the years have been to subvert and not promote democracy and good governance. Here are the major actors in the choice of leaders for the country
THE CABAL…Nigerian political parties have been hijacked by a few cabals whose mindsets are those of “do-or-die” politicians. They generally tend to believe that political power through elections has to be “captured”. These highly placed Nigerians include retired society’s elites, top military officers, policemen, paramilitary agencies and government contractors who operate as political godfathers. Because of their enormous wealth and influence, they personalize political power which ordinarily should belong to the people and ought to be institutionalized. With the assistance of state institutions like the police, army, and the electoral body, they turn their different parties or states into personal estates. They determine nearly everything that happens in the parties or states. They are the ‘king’s makers’. These godfathers arrogate to themselves powers to decide for the people thereby threatening the democratic process in the country and equally denying the people the right to take part in politics. Generally –speaking these kingmakers themselves are power drunk, self-seeking, ideologically barren. The pervasive ‘godfather challenge’ also exists in almost all parts of the country, and is not necessarily limited to any one state or geopolitical zone in particular
Among these cabals are members of the States and National Houses of Assembly in Nigeria who themselves are products of corrupt and undemocratic rules and processes
INEC included among the list of amendments to the legal framework it submitted to the National Assembly as far back as late 2012 or thereabouts, the need for the introduction of Independent Candidacy in our electoral laws. The idea behind that is for the purpose allowing (an) independent candidate(s) – i.e. any eligible person(s) who happen(s) to meet a very strict set of specified qualification criteria for such – to be able to avoid the influence of godfathers in deciding who gets to be on the ballot as a party candidate. Perhaps, not totally unexpectedly, that amendment did not sail through in the end.
UNEMPLOYED YOUTH…Unemployment is high resulting in youth restiveness and its concomitant general insecurity and high crime rate in the country. These include militant activities in the Niger Delta area, kidnapping cases in the south-east, the activities of ‘area boys’ and robbery cases in the southwest and Boko Haram menace in the north. All these are clear reactions of unemployed Nigerian youths to bad governance in the country.
THE POOR MASSES….Nigerian citizens are grossly unequal in wealth and the poor who are invariably the most, are dependent on the wealthy. Most of our largely uneducated pool of electorate, on their part, do not still understand or appreciate the fact that they can, indeed, vote for the candidate of a different party other than the main party they support, depending on the quality of the candidate presented by each party. In other words, the concept they seem to generally accept and entirely go by, more often than not, is one which tends to imply that once they massively support a particular political party or candidate in a state or an area, it then automatically follows that they just have to vote and return any and all candidates presented by that party across all the conceivable election types conducted by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) – i.e. Presidential, Governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly elections – and possibly, even local government council elections conducted by the various State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), regardless of whether other more qualified or better-suited candidates may be running for the same place on another party platform. The resulting dangerous phenomenon during elections, which is largely fuelled by such mindset, has appropriately been dubbed and has since come to be known and regarded as the “bandwagon effect” in local electoral parlance. Their membership of parties are not based on genuine manifestoes but linked availability of cash gifts, incessant religious crisis, the persistent ethnic and sectional conflicts, separatist movements etc. They are generally not averse to maiming, killing, burning, and unimaginable destruction of lives and property either.
OTHERS…To some extent, the Nigerian Judiciary and most of the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), cannot be absolved of blame about what these parties are doing. The roles of the judiciary and that of the SIECs as the last hopes of the average person have been undermined by different godfathers either through inducement, cajoling, and intimidation. In essence, “the judiciary and most of the SIECs, to a large extent are subject to the whims and caprices of these do or die, politicians.
PARTY STRUCTURAL DEFECTS
A poor political culture has emerged from the interactions of the various actors above leading to
Machine politics which “involves the parceling out of parts of the State including territories to people, usually under the leadership of one or two notables
Those who have somehow appropriated and cornered for themselves the rights to pick out or select from among the long list of aspiring politicians on our behalf appear uncomfortable with pushing forward and implementing the kinds of reforms that will make sure only people who meet the relevant criteria of qualification, knowledge, experience, vision, skills, wisdom and courage, among others, are put forward for such positions. This is, perhaps, because such people may not be amenable to being teleguided or pushed around in a way that their benefactors have come to expect over the years. We, therefore, have a “garbage – in, garbage – out” syndrome on our hands
Political parties look more like social clubs and not groups of people held together by well-thought-out manifestoes. Usually, party primaries are conducted in grossly undemocratic fashion. In many cases, the results were said to have gone to the highest bidder and usually well-known in advance before an election
Political Powerlessness – which is an individual’s feeling that he cannot influence the actions of a party because of the crude use of money to buy votes. Or the heightened use of thugs to influence results. Massive rigging of buying of votes during internal party election is a norm and not an exception
Political Meaninglessness – which implies the person who finds himself in this situation is unable to make choices without directions from the cabal
Political Lawlessness– here the individuals’ perception that norms or rules of political relations are not observed, or that there is no adherence to the rule of law according to party constitutions. There is the perception of a high level of deviating behavior generally among political actors
Political Isolation of people who decide not to play ball
Political Estrangement – this is a feeling of withdrawal that an individual has arisen from the deplorable conditions of public life even as he plays his roles in the political process. Increasing discontent with current government policy and performance undoubtedly contributes to political cynicism.
Reckless mobilization of ethnic, language or religious differences within party members
Violence and assassination of political aspirants and kidnap of their families
Very high financial wherewithal for the campaign, take care of the cabal and the social norms of the clubs otherwise called political parties.
Even where party members feel aggrieved or where an electorate has a change of mind the legally permissible recall of elected officials is a rather tedious process, which probably explains why none has succeeded thus far in our recent history.
ELECTORAL PROCESS/CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS
THE SHORTCOMINGS OF INEC AS A DEMOCRATIC UMPIRE
The average Nigerian has been so profoundly frustrated, disappointed and devastated by the crude manifestations of the mechanics of Nigerian electoral politics, so much so that they have become either apathetic and indifferent, or exceedingly cynical or The civic duty of going out to vote in elections had become very dangerous, exposing voters to risks of being assaulted or injured or killed by armed thugs doing the bidding of some politician, or by some deranged militants and terrorists. If they succeeded in casting their votes unscathed, they watch helplessly as the votes were stolen, or the election results purchased from cooked election and security officials, such that for all practical purposes, their votes don’t count. In the circumstances, many citizens have withdrawn from the electoral process and/or have become extremely skeptical about the value and utility of elections.
As a developing third world country, Nigeria is bedeviled by institutional weaknesses and systemic challenges, which all impact negatively upon the preparations and conduct of elections. For example, INEC was inherited by Prof. Jega as a weak institution, with a very negative public image to boot. Some of the characteristics of a week institution include inefficient and personality-driven business process; lack of good record-keeping and institutional memory; and susceptibility to pettiness conflicts by primordial vested interests and cleavages. It is very challenging to routinize work and achieve efficiency and effectiveness in such as organization because it requires a change of attitudes through serious efforts at change management says Prof Jega.
There is also the complicated matter of the impact/influence of other weak institutions, on an institution being reformed!
General systemic challenges and peculiarities also impose constraints on electoral reforms. For example, Nigeria has a very serious systemic security challenge. There is an upsurge in criminality, committed with impunity and unrestrained by the remarkable weakness of the police as an institution; political thuggery, kidnapping, armed robbery, assassinations, militancy and insurgency, all joined to make the political and electoral terrain very unstable and insecure. There is not much an EMB like INEC can do in the face of such systemic challenges; except forge closer collaboration and working relationship with all security agencies, in the hope that working together, there could be a more effective strategy in minimizing the challenges.
The cost of running INEC is also rather too astronomical for our economy. Revenue that could be used to provide the infrastructure needed by business is used for funding elections. The total budget for the 2011 elections released by INEC was put at N89billion ($659million). In the federal budget for 2011, another N46.4 billion was allocated to the same elections. Indeed, the total budgetary allocation for elections was about N133 billion naira. It is important to state that INECs budget for 2011 dwarfed the budget of most states of the federation. Osun state had a budget of N88.1 billion, Kwara state N68.6 billion and Edo had a budget of N106 billion. When compared to other developing countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Ghana, the cost on per head basis in Nigeria was more than double. For 2015 elections INEC’s N74 billion on voters register amounts to N1, 138 per head for 65 million registered voters. Ghana conducted its 2008 elections at the cost of $40 million which amounted to $3 per capita.
Commencement reviews of the electoral legal framework do not usually start early and do not usually comply with the international Protocols to which Nigeria is a signatory. This need to be completed at least six months before a general election.
INEC recognized, quite early, the need to increasingly use technology to improve the conduct of elections in Nigeria. One key challenge is associated with the virtual absence of Original Equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Virtually everything has to be sourced from vendors, and imported from abroad, who impose extortionate conditions, arbitrarily review upwards licensing fees on account of ‘proprietor’ rights. As most technology relies on electricity, the inadequacy of power supply requires added expenses on batteries, spare parts, and redundancies. INEC tried to right technology, albeit through vendors, but with an effort to curtail their total control, by signing on to contracts with detailed specifications and use of Open Source Software. But doing this also has its own challenges!
There are also other associated challenges. For example, meeting the production deadlines in the production o permanent voter card (PVC) f PVCs was seriously affected by power failures, which damaged equipment, which the vendor could not quickly replace. The use of smart card readers (SCRs) was constrained by the fact that some polling units are located in areas where there was no Internet coverage! Or in schools, which were used as Super Registration Area Centres (RACs) with no electricity to charge batteries and SCRs!
THE 2015 ELECTIONS
Several factors accounted for the voter participation in the elections. These included
Voter Education
Mobilization of Human and Material Resources
Security for Electoral materials
The credibility of the candidates,
The desire to change the party in power due to poor performance,
The use of the Smart card readers and fairness of the zoning arrangement.
A large number of voters were also encouraged by INEC‟s assurances of credible polls.
Party image was reported to have played the least impact on voters‟ decision to vote.
Voting behavior in the election was generally in conformity with INEC‟s electoral guidelines. Voters were orderly during accreditation, voting, sorting, counting, and declaration of results. Voters also largely accepted the outcome of the election without resorting to post-election violence.
In spite of all these, the election was characterized by low voter turnout (see table below showing Number of Registered voters versus Total Votes cast) This is no surprise with the anticipation of rigging, insecurity, dissatisfaction with the performance of elected representatives, general lack of interest in the election, and people‟s valuation of the rewards of other activities on the election day, as reasons for poor outing for the elections.
Summary of 2015 Presidential Election Results in Benue State
S/n
Name
of
No.
of
No. of
Votes Received by Parties
No. of
No. of
Total
LGA
Regd.
Accred,
Valid
Rejected
Votes
Voters
Voters
Votes
Votes
Cast
APC PDP
OTHERS
1
Ado
59,888
10,946
2,328
7,382
273
9,983
559
10,542
2
Agatu
47,895
15,284
3,627
9,555
120
13,294
658
13,952
3
Apa
46,934
13,418
4,526
6,450
203
11,179
778
11,957
4
Buruku
92,862
42,564
23,397
15,407
478
39,084
639
39,723
5
Gboko
191,036
83,180
54,065
22,971
489
77,521
1,570
79,091
The Commission’s performance in provision of electoral security was largely below the mark and this accounted for some pockets of electoral violence in some areas.
All is not bad news, however. If in the not so distant past, apathy, skepticism, and hopelessness pervaded the Nigerian landscape, there are now some positive vibes emitting from the relative success of the 2015 general elections.There seems to be a growing perception that things like the PVCs and the SCRs, combined with our active and take part in the electoral process can indeed, make our votes count!
Moral/Religious Values
SEE NEXT POST
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
PARTY POLITICS AND CHOICE OF LEADERS
Government much more than ever before needs to evolve credible strategies to improve the resource base of the State to address the socio-economic requirements of the people as postulated by Johari (2012). This is the essence of recruiting leadership at elections and this is the basis for which leadership is able to garner legitimacy and acceptability.
Self-appointed ‘kingmakers’, also known locally as “godfathers”, who perennially go about oozing their familiar overbearing attitude on the rest of the population either change their ways, or we somehow collectively find a way to dislodge them from their current vise-like grip on our political leadership selection process, with a view to liberalising and democratizing it, to make it a more open one eventually.
We wish to agree with the recommendation of some writers for the exclusion of certain categories of people (i.e. the cabals identified earlier in this paper) from participating in the democratic process and governance in Nigeria. The ignoble role played by these cabals in Nigerian politics is a threat to the sovereign existence of Nigeria
The problem of our leadership selection process is well within our powers and wherewithal to work and improve upon, but we somehow always fail to do those vital little things that are required to make a marked difference
The release of the party structures from the vise-like grip of godfathers and other money bags, to make way for a more open and democratic system of selecting candidates,
Voters should be free to choose the preferred candidates of their choice, regardless of party affiliation, and there are, perhaps, several instances one can possibly cite where that has, indeed, been the case.
Amendment of the electoral law in Nigeria to further curb the widespread election rigging in the country.
Political parties should be encouraged to improve on their public images through the entrenchment of internal democracy and good governance when elected into power. Many registered voters did not turn out in the elections due to the fact that, they were not satisfied with government performance by the party in power. As major institutions in the democratic process, political parties can enhance political participation when they deliver on their mandates through good governance
Political parties should develop internal rules for candidate selection that are transparent and democratic, and exclude those who use intimidation, violence or bribery to gain nomination or office. Nigerian women and youth should be more encouraged to take part more actively and to seek public office
FOR ELECTORAL PROCESS /CONDUCT OF ELECTION
FROM THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Improve the transparency and credibility of the conduct of elections, and cut persistent fraudulent activities, which are perpetrated with impunity in Nigerian elections.
Review and amend the Electoral Act 2006 and the 1999 Constitution to substantially improve the electoral legal framework
Polling stations should be at institutional buildings such as schools, community centers, etc, which are centrally located.
Where these are not available, INEC should set up temporary polling stations at permanent locations; and each polling station should consist of not more than 500 voters.
Voters’ Registration should be a continuous exercise as provided for in the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), such that every eligible voter would be given the opportunity to register at designated INEC offices ;
There should be an interconnectedness between the National Identity Card and voters’ registration data to ensure the credibility and integrity of the Voters Register; and
There should also be continuous voters’ registration, education, and sensitization.
FROM OTHER SOURCES
There is, the absolute need for a deliberate, purposeful and focused continuation of the reform of the Nigerian electoral process leading to the next general elections in 2019, to tackle subsisting challenges, clean up, sanitize or cleanse the political terrain, stabilize the polity and create a solid foundation for consolidating and deepening democracy in Nigeria, as well catalyze economic growth and socioeconomic development.
INEC also should be given more powers to prevent it being manipulated by the government. Once a new electoral law is enacted, the National Assembly and Nigerian civil society organizations and professional associations such as the Nigerian Bar Association should exercise oversight functions over its implementation and the actions of INEC
There is also the increased need for more foreign observers to train and sensitize INEC officials and to watch elections.
A permanent Electoral Reform Committee, with the mandate to make wide-ranging recommendations for electoral reform in Nigeria is a necessity The modest effort at electoral reform after the submission of the report of the Justice Muhammadu Uwais Electoral Reform Committee (ERC), as represented by the introduction of new legal and administrative reform measures, and the inauguration of a new Chairman and Commissioners, paved the way for remarkable improvements in the 2011 and especially the 2015 general elections. But many of the important recommendations were left out.The major ones notably Nos 1-4 were either partially accepted and addressed or simply ignored. For example, while INEC was placed on First Charge and thus gained some relative financial autonomy, the mode of appointment of Chairman, National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners remained the same, and this continued to nurture a deep-seated perception of the Commission as only doing the bidding of the incumbent who nominated them; under the notion that “he who pays the piper dictates the tune”! In any case, it can be said that there is still unfinished business with regards to the recommendations of the ERC, which other efforts at electoral reforms would need to seriously address
Strengthen and protect the autonomy of INEC from political interference. This is to be done first, by giving the National Judicial Council (NJC) a major role in the appointment of Chairman and National Commissioners of INEC, instead of the current role of the president in nominating these officers; and second, by placing INEC on First Line Charge and granting it relative financial autonomy.
Unbundle’ INEC. That is, create other agencies to handle responsibilities being undertaken by INEC, which have overburdened it, such as constituency delimitation; registration and regulation of political parties; and prosecution of electoral offenders; and thus allow INEC to focus on its core mandate of organizing and managing elections.
Introduce some form of proportional representation, to promote inclusiveness, especially in National and State legislatures, and improve the representation of women, persons with disabilities and the youths
The Independent National Electoral Commission needs to improve in the area of electoral security. The electorates, election officials, and sensitive election materials must have adequate security during elections. This will make sure the confidence of the electorate in terms of their safety is guaranteed.
Civil society organizations to continue and expand their broad civic education efforts to include monitoring and reporting on the adjudication process and to promote non-violence acts throughout the election process.
There are many challenges of elections irregularities, corruption, and impunity that political leaders and government must address. Unless alleged perpetrators of electoral fraud ,violence and associated violations of the Electoral Act and the Nigerian criminal Law are urged to quickly brought to justice ,irrespective of their official positions or political associations ,the specter of corruption and impunity that has marred Nigeria’s electoral process in the past and now ,will continue to threaten and undermine Nigerians confidence in the country’s political institutions.
Where results declared by INEC are set aside by the decisions of election tribunals, INEC should conduct internal investigations and take the necessary steps to sanction those members of its staff and/or poll workers found culpable of electoral malpractices, and start criminal prosecution where and applicable.
The Independent National Electoral Commission can also urge increased political participation by improving on its use of the election technology of Smart Card Readers in future elections to decrease the delays that were witnessed during elections due to technical hitches. In addition, the Commission should in conjunction with the National Orientation Agency, the Media, Non-governmental Organizations and Community Associations improve on voter education with particular focus on vote casting to cut the number of rejected ballots in next elections. A situation where a total of 19,867 rejected votes, constituting (28.3%) of total votes cast for the presidential election in Benue state is not healthy for the electoral system in Nigeria.
Finally, we advocate for the introduction of civic and political education in Nigeria’s School Curriculum from primary to the tertiary level. This will improve the political awareness of Nigerian masses to demand their rights as well as demand accountability from their representatives when necessary.
WHAT NEXT FOR OUR GROUP?
Educate the electorate on the importance and advantages of good governance and their right to demand nothing less from political leaders.
Liaise, coöperate and exchange ideas with other Groups or Organizations’ with similar mandates working towards the actualization of a better Nigeria.
HOW?
1.Here is my suggestion to someone on Nairaland recently…. …”Easy for u to stay here and abuse everybody…u better get out and join the struggle to defeat them….after your voters card get together a group in your area to form the nucleus of the effort to push them out…meet to set goals and plan on what to do in your area …get out now to emancipate Nigerians…the task will not be easy but mere abuse on social media won’t achieve much either”….
2.Those you form the association with should also form their own groups and so on and so forth till u have something like the MMM.
3.Decide the way to go but the overall aim should be to quietly or loudly destabilize the cabal by joining a party or standing alone. But either way, it can be a deadly assignment.
4 The alternative, of course, is the third force but we can not suggest anything till we know them…
NOTES/REFERENCES
Leadership Selection In Contemporary Nigerian Politics: Challenges and Prospects
Electoral reforms in Nigeria: challenges and prospects by Professor Attahiru M Jega, OFR
Political participation and voting behavior in Nigeria: A study of the 2015 general elections in Benue State.by Dr. Member Euginia George-Genyi
Democratization and electoral process in Nigeria: A historical analysis by Ezekiel Oladele Adeoti
A GREAT PHOTOGRAPH IS A FULL EXPRESSION OF WHAT ONE FEELS ABOUT WHAT IS BEING PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE DEEPEST SENSE, AND IS, THEREBY, A TRUE EXPRESSION OF WHAT ONE FEELS ABOUT LIFE IN ITS ENTIRETY. ~ANSEL ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHY RECORDS THE … Continue reading →
WHILE THERE IS PERHAPS A PROVINCE IN WHICH THE PHOTOGRAPH CAN TELL US NOTHING MORE THAN WHAT WE SEE WITH OUR OWN EYES, THERE IS ANOTHER IN WHICH IT PROVES TO US HOW LITTLE OUR EYES PERMIT US TO SEE. … Continue reading →
“THE WHOLE POINT OF TAKING PICTURES IS SO THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN THINGS WITH WORDS.”— ELLIOTT ERWITT “A GOOD PHOTOGRAPH IS ONE THAT COMMUNICATES A FACT, TOUCHES THE HEART AND LEAVES THE VIEWER A CHANGED PERSON FOR HAVING … Continue reading →
Cheating involves real, intended, or attempted deception and/or dishonest action in relation to any academic work in an institution. It can also be called academic dishonesty.Examination malpractices have consistently remained a bane of Nigerian educational system. Most foreigners say that the academic certificates being issued to graduates in Nigeria are no more valuable than the pieces of paper on which they are printed.
So what is examination malpractice? Examination malpractice is an illegal behavior by a candidate before, during or after the examination so that he/she can attain success easily and cheaply. Hence, the worth of the examination is violated.
The major causes of examination malpractices are:
i. Laziness of students: Seriousness is thrown to the wind by many students. Most of them have little time for their studies. They spend their time attending parties and forming gangs who engage in untoward behaviour.
ii. Second is large population of students in many schools. The few who do very well may be promoted or admitted into higher institutions. Students cheat therefore to excel over their mates.
iii. Many students are desperate; thinking that passing the examination is a do or die affair; They want to excel by all means. Some want promises from parents fulfilled Others want to be on TV or Newspaper as the best in one form of examination or the other (though cheats hardly excel).
iv. Syllabuses in many subjects such as Physics, Chemistry etc. are wide and difficult for teachers to cover. The school period is shortened by holidays, shift system and late resumption by students.
v. Another cause of examination malpractice is inadequate preparation for exams. In a number of schools the teachers are few and specialized ones are fewer so students are not adequately prepared for the examinations.
vi. Corrupt invigilators and supervisors: the students know that if they offer bribe to the invigilators. they will be allowed to cheat in the examination hall.
vii. Lastly, there is a general trend in our society towards cheating and this is encouraged by almost all members of the society.The evil effects of examination malpractices cannot be overemphasize. Creativity and resourcefulness are hampered. It wreaks great havoc on the social, religious, economic and political lives of Nigerians.
Some Possible Solutions to Examination Malpractices are:
i. Teachers should he trained properly in their fields.
ii. Holidays may be more in number but reduced in length as students are reluctant to resume from long holidays.
iii. Guidance Counselors should be employed in all schools to guide the students on study habits, career prospects and needs for various careers.
iv. Continuous assessment should be practiced correctly. It will cut examination malpractices as 40% of marks are accumulated from various assessment techniques such as projects and assignments before actual examinations.
v. The number of invigilators and supervisors should be increased in the exam halls. Exam officers, Vice Principals and Principals should occasionally pay visits to exam halls to see what is going on.
vi. The students should be thoroughly searched before entering the hall. Apart from photographs, finger prints on certificates should he used for identification.
In conclusion, solutions are only possible where there are Examination Halls, large classrooms, adequate seats and adequate number of teachers in a school. The government can play a very big role in curbing this menace by providing enough classrooms, desks and employing qualified teachers. And also, during an examination, the school should make sure that each student gets his/her own question paper and provide enough invigilators. The Federal government has established an Exam Ethics Committee, all State Government and Local Government Councils should do the same thing.
“Whoever you are, there is some younger person who thinks you are perfect.
There is some work that will never be done if you don’t do it.
There is someone who would miss you if you were gone.
There is a place that you alone can fill.”…Jacob M. Braude
I got visited a few months ago by one of my old students. It was a visit made almost after 21 yrs because he passed out of PASS TUTORIAL COLLEGE in 1995. Since then he attended Yaba Tech, Unilag and did his Masters in England. Today he runs his own oil and gas company based around the Ikeja-Berger axis.
So what was special about the visit? He said since he came back from England he had intended to look for me to say thank you for the way his life was changed at the Tutorial School. He said before he came to the school his father had lost hope on him because of his careless attitude towards education.
He said they were living at Olodi – Apapa and that it was a friend of his father who told him about PASS in Festac. He said despite that his old man was not interested but that it was his mother who brought him to PASS and that he remembered me from the first day he was registered.
He said that even when he changed the father still suspected him of pretense till the day of his graduation from Unilag. He said it was at the end of the ceremony after the father saw his name on the list of graduating students that he stretched out his hands to shake him and told him that he should read further.
He said when he got to England was when he saw the practical demonstration of similar methods used by teachers for them as was done in PASS. He said Unilag lecturers acted like demi-gods but he experienced life coaching again in England the way PASS TUTORIAL COLLEGE did it for them in those days.
So he decided that one day he would leave his workers behind in the office and tell them he was going to look for one Mr. Odumosu in Festac Town. He did not get the address in full but he knew it was somewhere on 5th Avenue so he decided to check me up by going into each close on the avenue asking residents if they knew my close! He was lucky someone in the second close he entered told him my exact address and he came directly.
When we met I could not really recognize him. You can imagine the changes after 21 yrs that would have come upon a boy who was 16 or 17 years old. He was well-dressed, with nicely cut hair and trimmed beard. Nice car too. He told me the methods used for them at PASS were completely different from what was used for them throughout his six years in his secondary school.
And me? I marveled at the strength of the bond a teacher can create with students if he is truly interested in their lives. Many tutors do not seem to know the existence or power of this bond. It was the same bond that made me call my secondary school Mason College almost 27 yrs after I met Revered Donald Mason at Christ’s School Ado-Ekiti. It is the same bond that makes me still posting articles till tomorrow about Reverend Ogunlade (Otura) who took over from Rev Mason after his retirement.
I thanked him for his decision to seek me out and the sacrifice to leave his work and workers behind just to pay me a visit. I also thanked God for what PASS did in his life. As usual my remark was that nothing could have been achieved by me or the school if God had not put the ability in him to “come to himself”through his DNA.
I also told him as I wish to remind any teacher reading this today that we teachers are specially anointed gardeners in God’s garden. No pastor or reverend or shepherd can keep students in the same place from 8 am to 3 pm daily,Monday to Friday. It is only a school and its group of teachers who can.
As a teacher you would have completely missed the road if you think your only concern is to teach subjects allocated to you through the school’s time table. In most schools there are many interfaces for interaction with students outside boxes called classrooms. No matter how short a time you spend with students in any school make sure they can remember your work in their lives 21 years later. My visitor spent only 9 months in PASS from October 94 to June 95 but he came looking for the “Director” in 2016!
This is another experience of mine as as a life coach. Please look closely at yourselves now and what you think you can do for those children who are with you today before it’s too late.All the so-called small children with me in those days have grown up to be papas and mamas too.Those small eyes in your classrooms today,sometimes excited and sometimes afraid, will remember u someday and will decide whether u are worth remembering at all not to talk about leaving their work behind to plod through Lagos traffic just to greet you.
But in the case i just narrated was it greetings with an ordinary handshake?…Lets leave that one out for now….hahaha!
This is my 4th story of the series meant to encourage teachers.The other 3 are on my FB wall.Please have a nice day and thanks for reading
I am strongly in support of this…i know most of you arent. But to make this post simple to understand i’ll number all my points
1. The scrapping of the post utme favours those that scored high marks in jamb and dosent favoured those that had technical problems
2. This would strongly reduce the ‘egunje’ in many universities. Meaning buying admission. As the scores that will be used to produce your cut off will come from your utme
3. It will save students a lot of stress for travelling all the way to a place just to write another exam and prevent extortion of money from parents by the university (******* university charge 6500 for their p utme)
4. There are many concerns about most people not gaining admission into their preferred institutions. Yes, this may be bad. But it would be a good thing in the long run. As it would let the enrollment into all institutions balanced. Everyone wants to go to unilag. Ui. Oau or whatsoever…..they should encourage people to try other universities
5. It doesnt make sense to write 2 exams for the same purpose. And if the university organises its exams. Like I said before….there would be ojoro
6. Jamb is going to shuffle canditates across different tertiary institutions
Terry68
As far as am concerned, scrapping post utme is the best.
Modified: imagine thousands of student spending another money to obtain post utme forms, after expenses on jamb forms including logistics. And expect you to spend another money to travel down for one inconsequential post-utme exams. Is it a job interview? And the annoying thing, most of them end up becoming preys to predators such in area of accommodation. after many stress in passing through jamb. The funny thing; these schools don’t care about their welfare. All they care about is getting their forms bought when you’re not even sure of the admission. Surprising thing, someone you wrote the test with, will have same or low score and will gain admission while you are left to wonder in your fate. To some point they tell you ‘go follow do runz’ to secure admission when you knew the high score in jamb is enough to neatly secure your admission without stress. Post utme is fraud. It only gives those with connection, an opportunity to be what they want. If I had my chance I’ll destroy the world and allow and wish for a restart. The oppressing is too much too bear. Common bricklayer job in Nigeria needs connection. Same thing in the so called post utme. Abeg where the button make I press for Nigeria restart.
EXTRACTED FROM NAIRALAND
JAMB REGISTRAR HAD WARNED SINCE LAST YEAR THAT POST UTME WILL BE SCRAPPED!
Post UTME Will Soon Be Scrapped – Prof. Dibu Ojerinde…05/07/2015
The Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, said that the post-UTME exams conducted by Tertiary Higher Institution will soon be scrapped off due to the introduction of Computer-Based Test, (CBT) Mode in Jamb-UTME.While speaking with newsmen, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde mentioned that following the introduction of the Computer Based Test Mode examination, malpractice will be completely wiped out with time.
Post-UTME test was introduced because of the level of malpractice that swept through the UTME examinations in the past.
However, the JAMB registrar is of the opinion that when examination malpractice in UTME is completely eradicated with the introduction of CBT there will definitely be no need for post-UTME in higher institutions.
Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, further stressed that the Computer-Based Test, CBT Mode was also introduced to prepare candidates to face the academic challenges in higher institutions.
FOR the second year running, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has demonstrated an apparent lack of capacity in conducting the computer-based test for the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. The hitches recorded and candidates’ lamentations will compel any discernible person to query its adoption when the infrastructure for its success is grossly inadequate.
Reports of internet failure, computer glitches, power outages, incompatible questions and answers, difficulty in down-loading question papers, computers without mouse or with keyboard problems, posting of candidates outside the state they registered for the examination were rampant; as was the case in 2015. But most unusual were the 40 marks awarded to some candidates extremely handicapped by these difficulties, and the double results JAMB issued in some cases. That marks were arbitrarily awarded was an admission of grave error, and it raises integrity questions on this year’s exam.
The exam, which began on February 27 in 521 centres across the country, ended on March 19. The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who was at one of the centres in Abuja on an inspection visit, expressed concern about the plight of candidates who had not been accustomed to using a computer. He said, “I have sympathy for candidates who are not computer-literate and there are many of them. I think we should combine CBT with paper examination for sometime but definitely, the future is for computer.” Absolutely!
Many candidates and their parents share the minister’s concern, too. A distraught mother to a candidate – Tobiloba, who sat the exam at MTI College, Surulere, Lagos – is seeking another test for her daughter because she believed that her daughter is brilliant, and could easily have passed the examination, but for the challenges she did not create that day. Her computer tripped off repeatedly during the test. She logged in and saw mathematics, chemistry and physics papers complete. But when the computer tripped off again, a second log-in showed as follows: mathematics 46, chemistry 25 and physics 25 questions, instead of 50 each.
Desmond Peters, another parent, posits, “It is obvious that we are not ripe for this technology yet.” The JAMB Registrar, Dibu Ojerinde, will be hard put to dispute this assertion. Although the CBT mode was fully introduced last year to address the challenges posed by the paper-pencil method, its release of results within 24 hours and serving as an effective bulwark against cheating are not sufficient grounds for the board to overlook the inherent mounting obstacles or complaints thereto. This is why the House of Representatives on Thursday advised the Federal Ministry of Education to direct JAMB to return to the old system or alternatively, make it optional. Earlier, some candidates had protested in Lagos, demanding the cancellation of this year’s test, following the lapses that attended it.
Apart from a few elite schools, the majority of which are privately owned, computer education in secondary schools in the country is a non-starter. This was attested to last year by one of the teachers who participated in the national competition for the Teacher of the Year Award. He told the interview panel chaired by Pat Utomi, “In my school, we teach computer on chalkboard.” Such schools are aplenty; even more are colleges where students have neither theoretical nor practical knowledge of computer. Yet, these schools present candidates for the CBT.
It is this category of UTME candidates that rush to learn how to fiddle with computer keyboards at cybercafés just to sit the examination. They leave the exam halls with forlorn faces, terribly upset and conscious of the fact that they did not perform well, not because they are not intelligent, but because the system failed them. This has gone on for two years, denying admissions to otherwise brilliant youths, whose future is jeopardised in the process. This cannot continue.
The minister should, therefore, demonstrate that his sympathy for this group of candidates is real by ensuring that CBT is made optional in the 2017 edition. It will reduce the degree of failure orchestrated by hitches; and narrow the chances of a candidate from Lagos being given a centre in Warri, or candidate, like Juwon Medaiyese, from Ilorin going to Minna to sit the test. A level playing field has to be created for all the candidates, otherwise, JAMB will largely be seen as fleecing the candidates and their parents annually.
It should be acknowledged, however, that the board meant well by introducing the CBT, as it aligns with modernity and advances the frontiers of Information Communication Technology education. But the bitter truth is that there is a mismatch between the present level of our education and the computer literacy culture being imposed on it.
What’s more; Nigeria is ravaged by infrastructure deficits like gross inadequacy in electricity supply, broadband penetration and alternative source of power. As the UTME lasted, power supply nationwide dipped to 3,449.53 megawatts for a country of about 170 million people, according to statistics from the Ministry of Power. Progress will remain a mirage with the UTME’s CBT if the country does not get these indices right.
Many universities, which had for long passed a vote-of-no-confidence in JAMB’s UTME with their conduct of post-UTME tests to select their students, will be reinforced by this year’s CBT short-comings to deepen the process. Globally, any university worth its name admits its own students; we believe it is the right way to go. It will guarantee quality and autonomy badly needed in our universities.
Whiteplains British School is an exclusively unique school that intends to provide an international, inclusive collaborative learning community that merges the academic rigour of the British National Curriculum with the inquiry based approach of teaching and learning as expounded by Edexcel and Cambridge accreditation. It costs about N3.6 million per annum to cater for the tuition and boarding of a child. On entering the school premises, one could certainly be able to guess what having a child there would mean.
6. Day Waterman College, Abeokuta – N3.7 million
Address: Abeokuta – Sagamu Expressway, Asu Village Road, Abeokuta – Ogun State Website: dwc.org.ng
Just as I said earlier, the 3 popular cities in Nigeria are not absolutely in monopoly of these expensive schools. With the look of things, and the high quest for quality education, these kind of schools will soon be scattered all over the country. Day Waterman College is located along Abeokuta – Sagamu Expressway, Asu Village Road, Abeokuta – Ogun State, Nigeria. It is a modern co-educational boarding school designed to provide an exciting learning environment for secondary school children. The environment offers world-class facilities, a natural, peaceful and focused setting. One of the things that make the school not yet known to so many people is definitely the cost. You should never forget the fact that training a child in school does not mean providing the tuition only. There are so many other things that have to be taken care of for the general welfare of the child which may as well cost as good as the tuition. Well, it’ll take just a few millions to meet up with the demands of Day Waterman college.
5. Lekki British International High School, Lagos – N4 million
Address: Victoria Arobieke Street, off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. Website: lekkibritishschool.org
Lekki British School is the original British School in Nigeria which was established in the year 2000. The school supplies the needs of each student. They provide everything that is of international standard as well as creating a conducive environment to encourage a balanced pursuit of study and recreation. Lekki British Senior boasts some of the finest educational facilities in West Africa. All classrooms and laboratories are fully air-conditioned. The hostels have excellent facilities including fully air-conditioned dormitories and a well equipped common room with cable television video and other recreational facilities. The tuition really equals with the facilities. They pay as much as $19,500 + N200,000 development fee. In naira, a student pays N4,000,300 per session including feeding, school uniforms, hostel, Sunday wears and textbooks.
4. American International School, Abuja – N4.3 Million
The American International School, located at Drumi area in the Federal capital Territory of Nigeria is an American-accredited international school that has been open since 1993. It is truly an international school with over 30 nationalities represented in the students’ population. The tuition fee per annum is $20,970.00. Other fees such as Application fee, Capital building fee, Annual development fee, etc, sum up to the grand total above. Only the very rich could afford education in this school, and that clearly explains why they currently have just about 500 students from Pre-School to Grade 12.
3. British International School, Lagos – N4.48 million
Address: Muri Okunola Street, Landbridge Avenue, Oniru Private Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos. Website: bisnigeria.org
The British International School is a multinational co-educational English medium school established in September 2001. It boasts of excellent facilities which include a multi-purpose hall, music suites, theatre, computer suites, science suites, tutorial rooms, swimming pool and many more. Parents pay their children’s tuition fees in dollars but going by Nigerian currency, each student pays N4,480,000 annually. This also includes their feeding, uniforms, textbooks, etc. The subject policies contain the National Curriculum for England requirements with slight modifications to reflect the international setting. Support teachers are also available to help those pupils whose level of English is below average. This school is majorly patronized by foreigners, but of course there are still a good number of Nigerian students there.
The Grange Secondary School was established with the aim of providing qualitative British education in a happy, caring and supportive environment. It provides a learning environment where children feel valued and are treated with dignity. The school is one of only three in Nigeria to be accredited by the Uk’s Independent Association of Preparatory Schools. (IAPS). I need not tell long stories here because this is the 2nd most expensive secondary school in Nigeria. If you are interested in the school, I think the best thing to do is to go and see for your self how sophisticated education could be made to be.
1. American International School, Lagos – N5.5 Million
Address: Behind 1004 Federal Estate Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. Website: http://www.aislagos.org
The American International School of Lagos (AISL) is a private, coeducational school, which offers an American educational program for students of all nationalities in preschool through 12th grade. The curriculum at AISL is based on US national standards. AISL is fully accredited through the Council of International Schools and the Middle States Association. AISL is an International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) World School. I am glad to inform you that the fees here are paid only in the US Dollars. This is a breakdown of the core annual school fees of this world class school for the 2014/2015 Session:
This is an independent co-educational boarding and day school in the heart of Regency Town, Lekki, Lagos. It offers a broad and balanced education within a friendly, caring and happy environment. Dowen College is located in Lekki, Lagos and comprises boarding and day houses. In order to make learning worthwhile, the school provides a well equipped library, computer centre, internet connectivity, cultural facilities, football pitch, swimming pool and many more. The fees are about two million naira (N2,000,000) per annum for a boarding student and one million, two hundred and fifty-thousand naira (N1,250,000), for day students. The tuition fees include feeding, school uniform, house wear, and textbooks. I think this is nice, or what do you think?
Chrisland High School, Ikeja is a vibrant, modem and unique school concerned with the diversity of learners as people in their totality. It is located at Ladipo Oluwole Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. Chrisland School is a vibrant modern and unique school.Their facilities include spacious fully air-conditioned classrooms, modern laboratories, music and drama studio, wireless internet access, stocked library, swimming pool, well laid out air-conditioned cafeteria, basketball court and many more. Fees are paid annually or per term but on or before the first day of school. These include registration, tuition deposit, accommodation and feeding. Student pay as high as N2,000,000. With all these, it is expected that learners in the future will be able to compete nationally and internationally with their peers in a very competitive world. May be I’m yet to get to your taste, but I think this will do…
Atlantic Hall is a private coeducational secondary school in Epe which holds about 600 students and located about 70 kilometres from Lagos in Nigeria. The school has chosen to maintain its present population of approximately 600 students from ages 10 to 17; with a staff student ratio of 1 : 10, this is to avail every child the opportunity to be known. At Atlantic Hall, the student is committed to academic excellence and a well-rounded education. The school has a well equipped medical centre, sporting facilities, well equipped laboratories, swimming pool, etc. Weekends in school is filled with a wide range of social activities including concerts, talent shows, dances and film shows. The school charges as much as two million, two hundred and seventy thousand naira (N2,270,000) for a student per annum. And mind you, this is only tuition, there are some other additional fees such as uniforms, books, etc.
12. Corona Secondary School, Agbara – N2.55 million
Corona Secondary School is a residential, co-educational school with the aim to create well-rounded students who are proudly Nigerian, able to express themselves and their culture in any environment either locally or internationally. The unique curriculum allows all students to study for local (NECO), regional (WAEC) and international (IGCSE) qualifications which equips them not just with the knowledge they will need in the future but also the skills that will allow them to be life-long learners. The focus of the Corona Schools’ Trust Council is the development of world-class schools. World class in all facets of operations – curriculum, teaching methodologies, staff quality, libraries, technology, buildings, resources, facilities, management and so on. The fee in this school is over N2 million!
Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt seem to be taking the greater chunk of these expensive schools, but here we come with one of them located in the Northern part of the country, Jos. Hillcrest School is a private, co-educational day school situated in the city of Jos in Nigeria which is a K-12th grade International Christian School with an American curriculum. A significant number of her students come from Nigeria, but a good number come from other countries. The school is owned and operated by eight missions/church organizations. Annually almost all graduates are admitted into North American universities. That’s why it is no doubt patronized by only the elite and rich.
Loyola Jesuit College opened with JS 1 in 1996. It is a full co-educational private boarding school, with teaching and supervision from members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and specially trained and dedicated lay teachers. The school is located in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, situated on a 28.5-hectare site in the village of Gidan Mangoro. The school provides an atmosphere conducive to focused learning. They charge as much as N2,800,000 per student. Loyola Jesuit College is one of the most sought-after secondary schools in Nigeria. The school is very selective when it comes to admitting new students, making it difficult for many people to school there. For LJC, I’ll say, it’s not only about the cost, but the much cherished quality education is also certain.
Mrs. Kehinde Nwani founded the Meadow Hall Educational Group in 2002. Meadow Hall Group seeks to provide through its subsidiaries opportunities for the children to develop in all areas thus being able to fully give expression to their unique talents and intelligence and reach their highest potential. Meadow hall School is focused on grooming life-long learners and building a learning organisation conversant with the use of 21st Century methodologies and strategies. But don’t lose focus on the saying that high quality comes with higher price- Meadow Hall fee is as “low” as N3 million.
We are gradually getting down to the “bigger heads”! Greensprings School is a member of the International Schools Curriculum Project (ISCP), Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) and Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE). In addition to being recognized locally with the necessary approval and accreditation to run as an educational establishment in Nigeria by the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Greensprings School is accredited by The Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA), an agency involved in improving standards in schools across the world through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in the USA. The fees which is left at a considerable prize of N3 million plus annually for a boarding student and N1,925,200 annually for day student, include a registration which is once, tuition, textbooks, school and house uniforms, PTA levy, caution fee, etc.
The Regent School is a high quality British-based Education School in Maitama. The school fees vary but presently pegged at N1.35 million per annum for Senior Secondary.
22. Bloombreed High School N1.5 million
Address: Boskel Road, Off Port Harcourt/Aba Expressway, After Eleme Junction, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Website: bloombreed.com
Bloombreed High School is the brainchild of Mrs Olufunke Sunmonu, (fondly called Big Auntie), a seasoned educationist and a mother with a strong passion for qualitative education and the desire to inculcate the fear of God in children, which inevitably transforms them into exemplary leaders, equipped to thrive in their life’s journey and make a positive impact on society both nationally and globally. Located at Boskel Road, off Port Harcourt/Aba Expressway in Rivers State, this school is certainly not meant for average income earners. The school which comprises of a Day-care, Nursery, Primary and Secondary section goes for as high as 1,500,000 Naira per year for its pupils/students. Very spacious, conducive learning environment, highly equipped library Science, ICT, language, technical drawing and musical laboratories highly qualified and resourceful teachers Sports and recreational facilities, A medical bay run by a reputable Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Uninterrupted power supply, etc. Although the amount paid by the students in this school might seem outrageous,but considering the available learning facilties, I’ll say that it is relatively modest.
21. Lead British International School, Abuja – N1.5 Million
Lead British International School is one of the Secondary schools in Nigeria that offers quality education to students aged 11 – 17 delivered in a state of the art learning environment designed to ensure their academic success for entry to a Nigerian or Foreign higher institution. The School offers the best facilities for students in the Section: ICT provision in the Laboratories for Physics, Chemistry and ICT; comfortable boarding facilities; a well equipped Music Room, a Multipurpose Hall for all students as well as a Cafeteria for meals and snacks. LBIS has taken huge strides to provide students and staffs with the latest technology in terms of hardware and software to enable them meet the demands of the extensive curriculum on offer. I highly recommend this school for your kids but…never mind if you are not well loaded.
20.Norwegian International School, Port Harcourt – N1.8 million
Address: 11 Rotimi Amaechi Road GRA Phase III, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Website: http://www.nisng.com
Norwegian International School has an enviable reputation within Nigeria. It makes use of the English National Curriculum, together with the curricular standards of the Cambridge International Primary Programme (CIPP) and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). This world-class school is really a wonderful place for you, your kids, wards or siblings to be as the case may be. But before you become too excited, pay close attention to this: A breakdown of their fees for new intakes shows that #250,000 is enrollment fee, #250,000 for development fee, 1,843,750 for tuition, an extra £600 and #20,000 for PTA—putting these together gives you a total of 2,547,647 million Naira. Now you can go ahead and give it a thought if you’ve got the cash!
19. Nigerian Turkish International College, Abuja – N1.6 Million
Address: Plot 152, Ahmadu Bello Way By Kashim Ibrahim Way, Wuse 2, Abuja, Abia, Nigeria Website: http://www.nticnigeria.com
Nigerian Turkish International College was established in 1998 with the aim of intensifying the existing relationship between the Republic of Turkey and Federal Republic of Nigeria especially in the area of education. Operating a Turkish based curriculum for the Nigerian environment the NTIC is a world-class school in Abuja situated on Monrovia Street in Wuse 2. For your money’s worth this school offers excellent academic and extra-curricular activities. Nigerian Turkish International College has produced several excellent students who have made their country and school proud both in international competitions and national competitions in the academic field. Hope I haven’t wasted my time because this will only be making sense to people who’s got the wherewithal!
18. Greenoak International School, Port Harcourt – N1.9 Million
Address: St. Michael’s Crescent,Off Tombia Road Extension, GRA Phase Three, Port Harcourt. Website: greenoakinternational.org
GIS is currently one of the best secondary schools in Nigeria. Being a member of the Association of International Schools in Africa, the school operates a hybrid curriculum consisting of the innovative International Primary Curriculum (IPC), British/American Curricula and the Nigerian curriculum. Giving any child the opportunity to be exposed to the kind of facilities present at Greenoak International School comes at a price; have a look: for new students, it’s a prodigious sum of 2,800,000 million Naira per year, while subsequent yearly fees fall to 1,900,000 million Naira for boarding and 1,500,000 for day. 2,800,000 million Naira is no small amount, but on this list, Greenoak could only afford to make 18th place, so the journey is still very far. Ride on…
17. International Community School, Abuja – N1.9 Million
Address: 711 Agadez Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. Website: http://www.icsabuja.com
Abuja’ school for the international community better known by its acronym ICS is one of the most expensive school in Abuja. The school offers quality international education for both the expatriate and Nigerian community. Despite the high cost of education here, the school still boasts of over 500 students from approximately 38 countries. Who knows how many Nigerians make up this 500? Well, it may not turn out to be what you think.
16. Charles Dale Memorial International School, Port Harcourt – N2 million
Charles Dale Memorial International School is a secondary boarding school located in the city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria and affiliated with Bereton Montessori School. At present it holds 400 students and little over 45 teaching staff. It is located at no. 12 Army Range Road, Igwuruta-Eneka. This is one school whose name has become a household name. Not because every household can afford to have a child there, but more like because the fees leave us amazed. Charles Dale Memorial International School can boast of one of the best facilities in Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole. Owned and managed by the wife of a former Governor of Rivers State, King Alfred Diete Spiff, one wouldn’t have expected something less. As a strictly boarding school equipped with 24 hours surveillance and a school curriculum that is essentially an integration of the Nigerian and British National curricula, the fees for new students is put at 2,951,156 million Naira per year and drops to about 2,040,000 million Naira from the next year. It is currently the 16th most expensive secondary school in Nigeria.
It will soon be January again, some parents may be thinking of changing the schools of their wards, this post may prove useful to those category of parents who believe spending lavishly on education brings out the best in their child. It is important that you peruse this post and see the “best” schools in Nigeria. I call them the best because they have the facilities, the staff and the standards due to their high income!
For some years now, private educators are really doing a lot to provide standard and quality education for Nigerians. But the challenge here is, the better the school, the more expensive it will be. Looking at the poor and below-standard conditions of our public schools today, these private schools are getting much more patronage than one may ever imagine not minding the poor economic condition in the country. Once parents are able to afford any of the ones available, they do not hesitate to withdraw their kids from the public schools and instead enroll them in private schools.
But the major thing I want to point out in this article is that there are grades of private schools. While some parents are struggling to provide a few thousands to settle their children’s school fees, others are busy, splashing millions on theirs. It may not have crossed your widest imagination that there are secondary schools in Nigeria where tuition fees run in millions of Naira and thousands of US Dollars. These schools are exclusively meant for the rich, who are of course the only ones who can afford them.
1. American International School, Lagos – N5.5 Million
2. Grange High School, Lagos – N4.5 million
3. British International School, Lagos – N4.48 million
4. American International School, Abuja – N4.3 Million
5. Lekki British International high School, Lagos – N4 million
6. Day Waterman College, Abeokuta – N3.7 million
7. Whiteplains British School, Abuja – N3.6 million
8. Greensprings School, Lagos – N3.185 million
9. Meadow Hall, Lagos – N3 million
10. Loyola Jesuit, Abuja – N2.8 million
11. Hillcrest School, Jos – N2.65 million
12. Corona Secondary School, Agbara – N2.55 million
13. Atlantic Hall, Epe, Lagos – N2.27 million
14. Chrisland College, Ikeja – N2 million
15. Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos – N2 million
16. Charles Dale Memorial International School, Port Harcourt – N2 million
17. International Community School, Abuja – N1.9 Million
18. Greenoak International School, Port Harcourt – N1.9 Million
19. Nigerian Turkish International College, Abuja – N1.6 Million
20.Norwegian International School, Port Harcourt – N1.8 million
21. Lead British International School, Abuja – N1.5 Million
22. Bloombreed High School N1.5 million
23. Regent School Maitama Abuja– N1.35 million
What do you think about spending so much for a child’s education, especially in our country, considering the wide gap between the rich and the poor, and some other factors? Is it right after all or do you think it is sheer extravagance?
I’ve always liked this Somerset Maugham quote: “I do not believe myself to be a vindictive man; but when the immortal gods take a hand in the matter it is pardonable to view the results with complacency.”
My father once said: “I’ve never wished for any man’s death, but there have been a few wakes that left me light-hearted enough!”
“Gloating is good” when the greedy get their just desserts.
If you search the internet, one is most likely to come across topics such as “Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people?” This question is similar to its opposite: “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?”
It is rare to come across my title here “Why does God allow bad things to happen to bad people?” This is because it rarely seems to happen, but when it does, once in a while, we may not even think about it that way. This is again because; our bad people (our leaders in Nigeria, in this instance) do seem to get away with all the good things in life till they die.
I don’t gloat about their “misfortune” but I surely don’t feel bad about it, either. In my article “Of Death, Rumours, Curses And Superstitions” I asked “But should we want Yar ‘Adua (and many of our leaders) dead? Should we wish death on fellow human being, for whatever reason? No! While these people had been short-changing and oppressing us for decades, I would rather have them behind bars serving long prison sentences with very hard labour and all their assets seized”.
It is a bit humorous to read or hear the curses rained down on our errant and insensitive leaders. Yes, maybe indeed they do deserve to be cussed and superstitious people that we are, we believe the curses will work, and that is why, for example, Maryam Babangida had ovarian cancer; or it was our curses, or prayers to God, that eventually dispatched Sanni Abacha; or made former Akwa Ibom Governor and now Senator Godswill Akpabio to be involved in a nasty accident such that he had to be flown abroad to be treated, while ironically, he had boasted of building a “world-class hospital” in his state; or that made former minister of petroleum and allegedly one of the most corrupt people in ex-President Jonathan’s cabinet, Diezani Allison-Madueke to have cancer, while she was still in office but refused to resign and treat herself until her government was voted out of power; or that made former Bayelsa Governor and confirmed rogue and absconder, DSP Alamieyeseigha to collapse and died recently, probably of fright at being seized and extradited to the UK?
Well, what do I know? Maybe; maybe not.
Almost all of us have confronted some equally sad and painful situation in our lives. We ask, “How can a just and all-powerful God allow so many terrible things to befall so many decent good people, while these apparently corrupt, sinful, selfish and greedy, uncaring leaders live the life? But do they?”
According to the Book of Genesis, the people of the world then are not innocent victims trapped in a natural disaster, that is, the Great Flood. The Bible explains that the entire civilization was corrupt and violent. Only Noah and his family were decent people. We are not told the exact nature of the crimes of this society, but God’s moral instruction to Noah after the flood perhaps gives some clues. God tells Noah not to eat animals while they are still alive and not to murder (Genesis 9:4-6). I am willing to accept that this was a really evil culture, an entire nation of sadistic murderers.
What is the ethical human response to the defeat of evil? Is it not right to feel joy, or at least relief, that those who commit atrocities are punished? In Judaism, there is a familiar Midrash that explains that when the Red Sea closed around the Egyptians and drowned them, the angels in heaven cheered. God rebuked them, saying, “How can you cheer when my creatures are dying?” (Tractate Sanhedrin 39b). But God does not reprove the Hebrews who are dancing and singing with exuberance at their deliverance. After all, people are not angels.
The unjust suffering of the innocent still evokes moral outrage and pain in most of us. We wish and hope that the good are rewarded. But we have become uncomfortable with the reverse. We know that human evil is complex, sometimes as much a sickness as a sin. We are often unwilling to grapple with human cruelty and wrongdoing, to expect justice against those who harm others, because that justice is often very difficult to define. Even God’s justice, as in the mighty flood, makes us nervous.
Will it not be better if all of these senseless rulers of our states and federation come together to establish one hospital in Nigeria, even if it is for the ruling class? Equip the place, bring in the best of the best of medical personnel around the world, bar non-ruling class from accessing the place by an act of NASS, pay the personnel in hard currency, not our toilet Naira, and make all the necessary medical equipment available with the appropriate professionals and maintenance. If this is done, they would not need to travel any time they need medical check-up or when fatality beckons on them, they will not waste our money in flying abroad and their medical histories will be readily available.
It was said that Mr Yar ‘Adua could not get the needed medical help we paid for and eventually died because it was difficult to get him treated because there was no personal medical history of his that could really be a kind of guide as to how his ailment could be treated.
While not gloating over the latest disaster that befell Mrs Allison-Madueke, it must however be mentioned that this is another glaring case of he (in this case, she) who the gods wants to destroy. The gods have struck our rulers with acute madness, blindness & deafness, so they can neither reason, see nor hear no matter how long their people cry for help. If not, how could they steal billions of money they do not really need, without a thought for the millions of needy people they were appointed or elected to serve and make life better for, leaving impoverishment, poverty, diseases, depression and misery to roam the land?
We have seen a few results here, and people shouldn’t complain, fortunately, their pilots once in a while forget themselves riding on the abandoned pothole riddled roads on top speed, thinking they are still in their space shuttle. If things like this don’t happen once in a while, how do you think they would come to their senses and fix some roads? Their Medicare related issues are more often than not contracted long before they enter into political races so don’t ever think that they will fix the ill equipped common general hospitals which are for the common man. Levels has changed and the only way they would command the respect of the ever stupid electorates is to let them know that they must fly somewhere to the Caribbean to relax after a hard day’s job. If you don’t like the status quo, then go contest as a governor in your state.
I have this hunch that the real roadmap for the country’s recovery from dilapidated infrastructure, inordinate ambition, embedded corruption and selfishness is playing out at jet speed. Guess what? With two or more cancers or fatal comas and/or loss of a limb or two and/or the vertebra column of some of our tormentors-in-chief, others will take a cue, doing the needful. This is sure good news and must excite the prayers warriors in our midst!
“Nigeria is 36 miles away from Heaven” If you don’t die of road accident or an illness which is ordinarily not fatal, you might be likely be killed by armed robbers or die of poverty and curable diseases. Don’t blame anybody; blame the puerile multiculturalism system being practised in the country. Multiculturalism is the JUNGLE system where people get away with wanton murder, deliberate contravention of the law and arrogated atrocities against the community. And Nigeria and Nigerians will not know peace and progress until something is done that will overhaul the whole system.
We will soon have Governors and Senators dropping out of the skies, literally, and since they ‘forgot’ to repair the roads because it was left to the poor man/woman to travel on, they should now be having car accidents too! And if they refuse to travel by road, then maybe cancers and comas and heart attacks should be their lot.
Keep your house in order and you will be a beneficiary. If University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital was well equipped and well-staffed, DSP Alamieyeseigha would have received good medical care and probably would still be alive. And why wasn’t he flown to nearby “world-class hospital” built in Akwa Ibom by ex-governor, now Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr Godswill Akpabio? Hopefully, this is a lesson to the other baboons that strip their country of their resources and keep them in foreign accounts in foreign countries, and the wicked Nigerians that helped him to loot the treasury, there’s no sympathy for the devil and for all those who stole monies meant to develop our country so that children can go to school and have good quality education, mothers can go to hospitals to deliver safely and comfortably, deaths on our roads reduced, affordable housing for everybody, etc., it is our prayers that they may never get away with it in our times. This is a lesson for all! Every individual that has made the masses/nation’s wealth theirs personally will not have peace.
On a daily basis, we all continue to experience the brutalities that ordinary, harmless, defenceless citizens experience from our rulers and their so-called security aides. Many innocent lives have been lost, directly or indirectly, due to the insensitivity and uncaring attitude, corruption, greed and selfishness of most of our leaders, their aides and advisers, civil servants and security aides and escorts. What goes around will surely come around.
Learn from history and take it to heart. When you die, you don’t take anything with you to wherever you are going, and your children never really enjoy the massive loot you behind either. We are all doomed to die, but how you die and what you leave behind is what matters. Like Marcus Antonio said at the funeral of Julius Caesar, “The evil that men do, lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones”.
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that he would name his ministers this month. This is good news, especially for those who think the President’s pace is slow because he doesn’t have a cabinet in place. But in appointing a minister of education, the President should be painstaking. He should adopt a business approach because education is real business; and we can’t go forward as a nation until we treat it as such.
If the President is able to fix education, Nigeria is likely to move forward at a faster pace than what obtains now. Education is central to our overall growth.
No doubt, the President has enormous powers to appoint whoever he likes (including his friends) as a minister, but choosing a minister of education should not be based on sentiments at all. What Nigeria needs today is a minister of education that understands the dynamics of globalisation of education, someone with a good grasp of the problem areas and enough capacity both in terms of intellect and political will to ensure quick fixes and positive changes.
So, for this particular position, President Buhari may have to look beyond his loyal friends, old acquaintances, party members or the people he thinks gave him 97 per cent of the votes. He should bear in mind that whatever he does now can either make or break the education sector.
Thankfully, a prominent member of the President’s All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has also warned of the peril of ignoring education. Emphasising the importance of education to national growth at the maiden convocation of Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, last Saturday, Tinubu said that Nigeria would remain a poor country without quality education.
Everyone seems to know the role of education in ameliorating poverty, building strong democracy, encouraging economic growth and achieving a world-class standard of living. But, what most people seem not to know is that there is a difference between talking and doing. Quality education is a product of serious planning and commitment.
If talking about our declining educational standard is the key to finding a solution to the problem, Nigeria would have gone far beyond where it is today. Unfortunately, despite our many years of hand-wringing, we are yet to formulate pragmatic policies that could move us forward. We are still producing graduates with little problem-solving skills and slow analytical minds.
So, moving forward, we need a minister of education that will focus attention on two major problem areas that have remained with us for ages. One is the need to make learning at primary and secondary schools more exciting via adequate provision of learning aids. And, two, is to address the problem of poor quality of teachers by making teaching both attractive and lucrative.
Is it not strange that, as a people, we easily understand the importance of building a house on a solid foundation and feign ignorance when it comes to building solid tertiary education on a strong primary and secondary school system? The truth is quality education will be a mirage in Nigeria if we continue to ignore the importance of well-trained and highly-paid teachers.
Many times we blame students for not doing well, forgetting that learning is a function of many variables. It is not by accident that countries that are doing well today are those that place great emphasis on recruiting the best of brains to train their children.
It is instructive that students in the highest-performing school systems in the world are found in Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland, Taiwan and South Korea. These are countries where teaching is very financially lucrative and attractive.
Three of the top-performing school systems in the world — those in Finland, Singapore and South Korea — recruit 100 per cent of their teachers from the top three best students of each graduating set. They tap their best for the job. No wonder companies like Nokia covet teachers who leave the classroom in Finland.
But what do we have here? Most of our teachers are accidental teachers. Admission requirement is lowered for applicants aspiring to go for teaching courses. The teaching profession is for those who can’t do anything better. Unfortunately, this poor image has affected genuine bright people who would have loved to choose teaching as a profession. How can we expect people that are below average to nurture our children to excellence?
If we want to be sincere, how many primary and secondary school teachers in Nigeria today can we vouch for as being really good at mathematics, science or technology? Yet, we claim to aim at technological advancement. We should be thinking of putting the teacher at the centre of our policy if we want to improve the quality of our education.
We need a minister that will draw people back into the teaching profession. We need teachers and classrooms that are technology savvy. The teaching profession should be competitive, rewarding and purposeful.
Teaching is still one of the most attractive professions in the United Kingdom. A recent research on the most attractive professions in the country found teaching to be number three on a list of top 10 professions.
To make teaching a good career option in the UK, the government at a time introduced, among others, training bursaries and tax-free scholarships worth £25,000 in mathematics, chemistry, physics and computing.
Not only that, its Department for Education developed a policy paper aimed at raising the status of the teaching profession and making it more attractive to top graduates. These are pragmatic steps taken by serious nations that desire true growth and development.
In Singapore, for instance, teaching talent is identified and nurtured. Teaching is also a competitive career. About eight candidates apply for every opening. Little wonder, Singapore is the highest performing country in Mathematics and Science, according to the PISA 2012 international tests.
The story of neglect of teachers is the same in almost all African countries today. They are not getting their priorities right. That is probably why the continent is lagging behind the developed countries in the area of development and technological advancement.
Since Nigeria is the giant of Africa, I think it should take the lead in providing practical education that can drive technological development for its citizens. It should start this process focusing on its teachers and by making the teaching profession more attractive.
Unilorin post utme form 2015 is out. The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) invites all candidates who have applied for admission into the University as First Choice either through UTME or Direct Entry to register for the post-UTME screening exercise.
ELIGIBILITY i) Candidates must have: Scored a minimum of 180 marks in the 2015 UTME for all courses except those for which higher cut off marks have been specified as follows; see all departmental cut off marks here >>Unilorin Departmental Cut-off Points 2015<< ii) Candidates must have chosen the University of Ilorin as their first choice either at UTME or Direct Entry (DE). iii) Obtained Five (5) Credits in relevant ‘O ’ Level subjects, at not more than two sittings except in MBBS where only one sitting is acceptable.
METHOD OF APPLICATION On the home page of the University of Ilorin website http://www.unilorin.edu.ng click on “2015/2016 Pre-Admission Screening Procedure” then click on “Pre-Admission Screening Instructions” and carefully read the Registration Instructions. Go to http://www.uilugportal.unilorin.edu.ng/putme_registration.php and type in your JAMB Registration Number and SURNAME in the boxes provided. UTME candidates should click on the Get Details button on the campus portal to get your JAMB information; while DE candidates should click OK button on the dialog box displayed and enter your names; and Click on “Make Payment” link to go to WEBPAY page. Candidates who are qualified for the courses originally chosen can proceed to make payment of N1,000 (One thousand naira) only for the CBT exercise and N2,000 (Two thousand naira) for the University processing fee by supplying the required information. Make Payment: Select your ATM card type (e.g Verve or Master Card). Enter your Card Number. Enter Card Expiry Date and the card CVV2 (the 3 digits on the reverse side of the card and lastly enter your card pin; and then click on Pay. Please note: (Do not Refresh your browser while the process is going on to avoid multiple deductions from your account. If nothing is displayed after 10 minutes, close the browser and restart again). After payment, visit http://www.uilugportal.unilorin.edu.ng/putme_login.php to Login and click on Continue Registration Link on the main menu. Fill in your other bio-data and necessary details truthfully on the webpage. All candidates should upload their Passports by clicking on Browse button and select your picture. Your Passport must not be more than 20KB. All candidates for Unilorin post utme (UTME and DE) are required to supply their O’ level (O/L) details. All Awaiting Results (O’Level and A’ Level) must be uploaded on or before Saturday, 15th of August, 2015. All candidates must select a screening centre from the drop-down menu. Note an alert will be immediately sent to your e-mail and phone number provided in your bio-data. Click Print Tab to print out the following: i) Pre-Admission Screening Registration form; ii) Scheduling Slip; and iii) Payment Receipt.
SCREENING DATE & DETAILS The Pre-admission Screening Exercise for UTME, DE and Remedial candidates is scheduled to take place from Monday, 17th to Monday 24th, August, 2015 using Computer Based Test (CBT) platform at Ilorin and Lagos Centres. NB: All Remedial students whose Pre-admission Screening was earlier scheduled for 10th August, 2015 have now been re-scheduled for 17th August, 2015. Note: 1) Candidates for the pre-admission screening exercise are advised to be decently dressed. Candidates with indecent dressing will not be allowed into the screening premises. 2) Phones and all other forms of mobile communication, electronic devices, bags and luggage are not allowed within the screening premises. 3) Only registered candidates for the screening exercise will be allowed into the screening premises. 4) All candidates are expected to be at the screening centre an hour before their scheduled time and with the above printouts.
CLOSING DATE Registration for the Pre-admission screening will end on Sunday, 16th August, 2015
The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps, Brig. Gen. Johnson Olawumi, has said the NYSC did not ban pregnant women and nursing women from its orientation camps.
The director-general stated that because of the challenges pregnant women and nursing mothers face, they were only advised to take good care of themselves and come to the camps after being fit to withstand the rigours involved in camping activities.
Olawumi said, “We did not ban pregnant women and nursing mothers from orientation camps. In the past, we have had cases where pregnant women and nursing mothers came to camps to participant in the NYSC activities. These are people who should come for service but rather we see ourselves managing them. So, what we are saying is that ‘if you are pregnant, why don’t you go and deliver, then when you are okay, you can come for the national service. It is in their interest and also to give effectiveness to what we are doing in the scheme.”
He also urged state governors to continue to support the activities of the NYSC in their respective states.
According to him, there is a reduction in the subventions and support from some governors while others still support activities of the national service scheme.
Olawumi added that some governors had continued to show enthusiasm towards the programmes and activities of the corps.
He, however, noted that lack of funds and other state obligations could be responsible for the low subventions and support from some of the governors.
The DG also said NYSC had not banned pregnant women and nursing mothers from its orientation camps.
He added that the NYSC would continue to unite the corps members to boost inter-personal relationship across the country.
L-R…Mr Odumosu,Mrs Mbonu,Principal,Prof. Yerokun,member Board of Governors
Before moving forward let us do a review of some of the proposals submitted so far.
61. Although this is an attempt at listing various steps which can be taken to improve education in Nigeria we cannot vouch that each step is completely exclusive. This means that some steps might look a bit like others.
62. Some of the steps might also appear contradictory to others. But each attempts to find different wrongs in the system.
63. There are 5 main human – based groups or associations under which these steps could have been listed. These are:- a) Government/Educational Administrations – FMOE, State MOEs LGAs and all parastatal under them linked to Education b) Examination Boards which are mainly WAEC, NECO AND JAMB. Though other examination bodies do exist we have limited ourselves to influence exerted by these three main bodies to simulate better focus on situations and problems to be solved. c) Schools – Both Public and Private. d) Tutors – In both Public and Private secondary schools. e) Parents, Students and Home Environment. However we have adopted a laissez – faire listing method more likely to grab the attention of our readers and not a “study-based” approach. That is, our approach is more journalistic than scientific.
64. We were also tempted to list these steps using a few chapters in the National Policy on Education (2004) but later decided against that because of our many criticisms of the same respectable but faulty document. The relevant chapters are:- a) Philosophy and Goals of Education in Nigeria b) Secondary Education c) Science, Technical and Vocational Education d) Educational Services e) Planning, Administration and Supervision of Education f) Financing of Education
65. Another way we could have prepared our list was to have focused on the different departments and sections in the Federal Ministry of Education. Thereafter, we could have attached the listed steps to each of them wherever applicable. But there are many steps in the list which may be found attributable to or executable by more than one department or section in the Ministry hence our decision to do it the laissez-faire way. Departments under the FMOE are as follows. a) Information and Communications Technology b) Basic and Secondary Education c) Human Resource Management d) Finance and Accounts e) Planning, Policy and Management Research f) Tertiary Education e) Federal Inspectorate Service g) Scholarship h) Technology and Science Education
66. There is a possibility, however that we might put a book together for the same purpose in future and this may be more “study-based” as indicated under 63 above.
67. We should also note that we are aware that a one-size-fit-all approach does not work in solving educational problems. There is no one approach that works in every situation.
68. With reference to our suggestion of an Education Advisory Board and INEP under paragraphs 6 and 54 the real need is to have a permanent centre for Educational Reforms. The two bodies do not need exist together. Just one will be enough. But the centre must have a very efficient department for gathering data and checking up innovations in Education round the world. Our policy makers should henceforth envision education as a total life experience of the Nigerian child and not what is dished out to him/her in classrooms.
69. The idea that only government can be responsible for improving education in Nigeria is false hope and never intended in our write-up. School administrators and parents also have a lot of work to do. Principals and their management team must be accountable for real learning imparted and results achieved in public examinations. They must be also be accountable for unsolved problems and be ready to accept our thanks for creative solutions provided by them for our children. Unfortunately, the bane of many schools if one must say, do come from non-application of education acquired by management and supporting staff in public and private schools. It is not always because such schools lack public toilets, water, paved lawns etc.
70. Parents can also bring changes to schools if they want. But they are always too busy to know that there are so many processes at play in the schools of their children.
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