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Edo and the Nigerian state

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By Michael Egbejumi-David

Six years or so ago, when I wrote that Imo State has the highest literacy level in Nigeria, an Edo lady from the Nigerian Village Square disagreed heatedly – even in the face of incontrovertible statistics. She was trying to push the line that that distinction belongs to Edo state. So it gives me no particular pleasure (wink!) when a video turned up showing a school teacher in Edo State who is unable to read. The video went viral about a week ago. I am sure most of us have seen the video: The Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole had made an unscheduled visit to a Staff Training Centre that was being used for the verification of certificates of primary school teachers in the State. Unfortunately for one Mrs Augusta Odemwinge, a teacher at Asologun Primary School, Ikpoba, this was the precise moment she too turned up at the Centre with her certificates and a sworn affidavit. The governor asked MrsOdemwinge to read out her affidavit and that was when all hell broke loose. The teacher could not read! She was unable to read over half the words on the paper, and her pronunciation was atrocious. When the governor asked her to go write on the board, she demurred and asked to take the paper with her.
Everyone present was taken aback; they were greatly shocked. Embarrassment was etched on the face of the governor. A kindergarten pupil would have done better. Watching that video for me was painful and quite disheartening. Watching the teacher struggle and bumble along recalls another one time teacher. This was someone’s mother being put through the griller in public. And in a cruel twist of irony, sitting directly behind poor Mrs. Odemwinge was the Chief of Staff to the governor. The one and only Igodomigodo, Patrick Obahiagbon, a man partial to turbulent and concussive grammatical bombast. The one man in whose very presence you want to watch your spoken English.
When a teacher cannot not read; when a teacher cannot pronounce words such as, ‘judiciary,’ ‘residing,’ ‘hereby,’ ‘registered,’ ‘declaration,’ ‘provisions,’ ‘solemn,’ ‘affidavit,’ ‘virtue,’ what hpe is there? What has happened to education in Nigeria? Back in December 2011, in the same Edo State, all the secondary school students that sat the National Examinations Council (NECO) exams failed. ALL of them! The great Ogbemudia must be crying in his drink. When I also wrote that in the late 1970s and early 1980s, students were being taken out of some secondary schools in Kaduna as early as Form 3 and were being enrolled in Ahmadu Bello University’s pre-law programme, some folks locked horns with me in disagreement. But look at the shape and the state of the Nigerian judiciary today.
Here in the UK, not too long ago, the General Medical Council (GMC) was forced to bar graduates of nine Nigerian Universities from practicing in the UK. Medical graduates from Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma; University of Benin; University of Jos; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; University of Port Harcourt; Ebonyi State University; Igbinedion University College of Health Sciences; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology; and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka were not allowed to practice in the UK because, in the view of the GMC, the schools did not meet prescribed minimum standards. Also here in the UK, there are very many Law graduates of Nigerian universities. But quite a few of them cannot put two coherent sentences together to save their lives. They are unable to pass the UK Bar exam. In frustration, about half of them have become Pentecostal pastors.
What has become of Nigeria’s educational system? There is a visible and a very loud generational divide in our educational quality and erudition. It is beginning to look like quite a few people that graduated from our tertiary institutions post the 1980s were not quite fully cooked. We used to export professionals – especially Jurists and Professors – to other developing countries to help develop their systems. Our military officers used to train and used to lead international military organisations and peace corps. Our schools and universities used to boast of renowned indigenous and expatriate professors and teachers. But not any more. We now turn out teachers who cannot read!
Some point the accusing finger in Babangida’s direction. The man probably accelerated the downward spiral but I suspect the problem predates the evil genius. I think Ali-Must-Go started it all. Then came IBB. Incessant ASUU strikes. Then hunger. Emphasis shifted from learning to merely passing exams. Some lecturers became corrupt. They became more interested in food, money and sex. These they traded for passing grades. Affirmative action and federal character destroyed the rest.
Things were particularly bad during IBB’s time. Government deliberately starved educational institutions (and the Police Force) of funds and support. They were crippled and made near worthless. As a result, disparate and chicken-shed private schools sprang up everywhere. I still don’t quite know the rationale behind that policy. And so today, we have a teacher who cannot read her own credentials. Please think about that for a moment: A primary school teacher who is unable to read! That means the future of the young wards under her tutelage is being severely compromised right at the very foundation. To make a bad situation worse, now, there is ‘text’ or ‘texting’ language and writing, and some of our graduates can’t tell the difference anymore.
Michael Egbejumi-David via [email protected]

The post Edo and the Nigerian state appeared first on Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria.

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Tribune

Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110

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Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]

Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online

Sourced From: Tribune Online

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This Day

Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack

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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly

Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.

The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.

Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.

The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.

But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.

THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.

More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.

Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”

It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.

“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.

National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.

The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.

Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.

Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.

PDP Demands State of Emergency

In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.

He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.

Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.

“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.

“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.

Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.

The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.

Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.

He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.

The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.

Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram

The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.

“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.

The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.

Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.

State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari

Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.

Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE

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The Nation

UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal

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Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.

The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.

According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.

This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.

Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.

Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics

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Premium Times

Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings

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The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.

The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.

Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria

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