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Saturday, July 27, 2013
THE ENDS JUSTIFIES THE MEANS: EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES IN NIGERIA
The issue I am about to bring forward to you at this point in time is not a new one, as you might have stumbled upon it in any way, manner or time, either by way of discussion, debate or argument. Examination malpractice has become pervasive in Nigeria, the information that there is examination issue of examination malpractices is generally a stale news in Nigeria as the “syndrome” as eaten deep into the educational sector of Nigeria. This syndrome of examination malpractice has no other effect on the country’s educational sector than making it epileptic and crippled, the development of our intellectual capacity are derail. A number of factors are responsible for this taste and hunger for examination. These agents include; parents, teachers, student and government (they are primarily focusing on the end result of our education which is certificate)
The parents in Nigeria have been a major stakeholder in promoting the sin of environmental malpractice; one might wonder what do parents stand to gain in promoting exam malpractice to their child or children? Parent who finds out that a child is not as brilliant as to be able to pass an exam will in all way and manner want the child to pass that exam without preparation. In a bid to make sure a child does not repeat a class and in a bid to save them from paying school fees twice for the same class a parent might go all the way to bribe out the way of a child into being promoted to the next class and in a bid to make sure a child end up collecting the certificate that other child collect. This act can be tagged an act of selfishness and mistrust.
Other agents responsible for examination malpractices in our country are the teachers, the teacher play numerous and major roles in leading the students into the act of examination malpractice, this is done by not teaching the student what they should know. Most times teachers fail to complete the syllabus which student are meant to cover to move to the next class. In most cases also, teachers or lectures find it real hard to give a student follow up, for instance in the university, the lecturers don’t care if the students in his or her class understands a course or not. The issue at hand as lead to student creating options for themselves to pass an examination, diligent students take the attitude of the lecturer as a challenge and read so wide so as to be able to tackle any question the lecturer might want to ask in the exam, but some student will still be left with the option of exam malpractice as the last option of resort.
The government as contributed little or nothing to improve academic excellence in the educational sector as the education system of 6-3-3-4 adopted by Nigeria as not being maintained well, The management of the system is low compare to other country who adopt this system. For instance country like the US which Nigeria borrow the system from have been doing well in their education sector. Aside this, the government has failed to provide funds to the educational sector and even if they did all have ran into corrupt hands.
Our plea as student is that various agents responsible for this eccentric menace to in all way recoil from the act as it as lead to the detrimental of the image of those of us student who willing to travel abroad to show what we are made of. Also examination malpractice as left the good ones who are brilliant to fighting against the wall, as the bad ones have been seen to excel excellently well in an exam than those who sat to do the exam with their hard labour of studying. I will end my article with a story about a friend of mine who was so brilliant while we were in secondary school, he got no admission into the university despite is hard work. He was made a laughing stock for not getting admission into the university while his mates were. He remained diligent in his work and got admission into the university after many tries. But now he is doing well irrespective of any odds.
-RICHARD OLUSEYE
(roluseye.blogspot.com)
Friday, July 26, 2013
NOT A PENNY MORE, NOT A PENNY LESS
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A Nigeria of Tomorrow
Once upon a time, one dollar equalled one naira. Our schools were flourished, so much that students were eager to enrol in Nigerian universities. Our agricultural sector boomed. As a result, our textile industry ran smoothly, because we produced cotton in abundance. I remember watching a documentary about the groundnut pyramids in Kano that brought about foreign trade for the nation. We must not forget about the palm oil trade between Nigeria and the British, back then. Some of our parents witnessed this era of prosperity in this beloved nation. But ask yourself: Why are we experiencing something totally different now? It is only logical that, as time goes by, things have to get better.
The most populous nation in the whole of Africa is widely considered to be a burden. But not to me. If used properly, the sheer amount of manpower we have should reflect positively on the country. Why are we neglecting our agricultural sector? It brought us wealth and prosperity before, why can’t it bring same tomorrow?
Nigeria has abundant fertile land, most of which are not used. We end up importing foodstuff at relatively high costs and only the rich can lay their hands on the good things of life. My geography teacher once said that, “we have abundant land to grow rice in Abakiliki for the whole nation”. If we do, why don’t we grow it then? We may grow it, but the over-dependence on foreign goods and services will not permit cottage and home-grown industries to compete favourably.
Come to think of it, how many companies do we have that can produce top quality goods and services? Not so many. The ones that we have are mostly monopolies: they have no competitors in the market, and they control prices to benefit them. A lot of these successful companies are fortunate to reach where they are.
Nigeria is a land blessed with raw materials; iron ore, crude oil, natural gas, columbite, gold, tin ore and so much more. Japan is the largest producer of steel in the world, but one amazing fact is that they do not have iron ore in the nation. Japan has limited land, some of which wasa reclaimed from the sea. An example is the Kansai International Airport, which is built on reclaimed land. Forty years after the Second World War, Japan’s economy was back on track: This is in spite of all the devastation and chaos brought about by the war. Forty years was all it took for them to get back on track. Compare: How many years has it been since the Nigerian Civil War? What have we achieved? Are we progressing?
Like so many people, I have hope in this nation. We have a lot of young people with immense potentials among us. We also have a lot of great men and women who share the same dreams as us; great men and women in power who want to make things better. But they cannot. A few cannot bring light to this nation; we have to work together. But where do we start? Security issues? Corruption problems? Economic issues? Infrastructural deficiencies?
It is a long-shot, but there are aspects which past and present leaders have factored out, but fail(ed) to implement:
Industrialisation. This simply means the building of industries in a country. We were blinded by greed, by the allure of wealth brought about by crude oil. But we simply made the biggest mistake any nation can make: We failed to establish heavy industries, choosing only to concentrate on short-term policies and forgetting to look to the future. True, we do have refineries, but they are nothing to write home about. Our leaders then should’ve drawn up plans to create, at least, five refineries across the nation to tackle the problem which they should have foreseen. We sell crude oil to nations like the USA, only to buy back petroleum products from them at a higher rate. It wouldn’t have been an easy task, but if this had been kick-started, things might have been different now.
Agriculture. Ever heard of bio-ethanol? It is a by-product of maize. Besides that, it is used to fuel cars in countries like Brazil. Agriculture doesn’t mean planting food to eat alone. Palm oil is used in the cosmetic industry to manufacture soaps. Cocoa beans come in handy for making beverages. So many benefits can be derived from agriculture, but why can’t it be made to flourish? The government offers no help to farmers, nor does it push policies which allow for farmers to obtain loans from banks. Government can grant them subsidies and incentives to boost their production. Eventually, we will come to regret overlooking this area for generations.
If we can harness the inherent potentials of both industrialisation and agriculture, we can bring about a new economic environment, favourable balance of trade, and higher exports. These will, in turn, bring about foreign exchange, better investment climate, job opportunities for Nigerians and a lot more.
We can succeed. But a few cannot lead this nation to glory. We can only get there together. I pray for a better Nigeria. Pray for the Nigeria of tomorrow.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
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Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Excerpt from Punch, what do you think?
What do I think of the latest huff and puff by some folk of the Niger Delta region threatening that “there will be no peace” in Nigeria if Goodluck Jonathan does not get a second term in 2015?
It is easy and tempting to dismiss the voices, of the Dokubo-Asaris or Kingsley Kukus, as the ranting of inconsequential ants and mere rabble-rousers. But that would be wrong. I think there is need to look beyond the messengers and re-examine the message for its real origin and any group mentality or sentimentality.
If we say Dokubo-Asari is a flip-flopper with no abiding loyalty to anyone or any principle other than money, what does one say of Kuku, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and chairman of the presidential amnesty programme, who said in the United States that there would be “dire consequences in the Niger Delta if President Jonathan is not re-elected?” Or what do we say of Chief Edwin Clark who has been reported to express similar sentiments in the past?
The truth is these are errand deliverers of group sentimentality whose origin lies in a perverse sense of entitlement to the booty from oil resources of the region induced by an equally perverse political structure of the country.
But what more do these Niger Delta agent provocateurs want? Has the country not paid enough to the Niger Delta militants and their sponsors through the amnesty programme granted them, the huge “protectionism” contracts the president has given them, and the bunkering that still goes on with the connivance of some “ogas at the top” of security apparatuses?
That is precisely the point; in the face of greed there can never be enough. The so-called amnesty granted the militants ab initio was itself laughable. It was a case of throwing money at the festering sore of the region in the belief that that’s all that’s needed. This is not a country based on any sound or deep thinking. And so many actions of government take off from the country – surface and quick fix. There can never be enough. The “protectionism” being paid by the government, once started, must continue. And anything that threatens it or is capable of threatening it will be met with a resistance fiercer than that that originally forced the amnesty. That protectionism has enjoyed astronomic proportions in the hands of Jonathan – a son of the soil. The gravy train must not stop, now or in the future.
This selfish pecuniary interest interlocks with the political. The very thought, the very idea, that some groups whose political leadership has ruled (and ruined, though not any worse than others) this country for a disproportionate long time are now up at arms against the country, and demanding that the country be run on their own terms riles. What the BokoHaram are doing in their part of the country but with serious ramification on the rest of the country is unfathomable and provocative to say the least. Consequently, the grandstanding of the Niger Delta agent provocateurs is as a counterforce, an indication of balance of violence, pre-emptive of 2015.
All told, what all these means is that we are in a big mess in this country and things are only likely to get from bad to worse.
But what with President Jonathan recanting on the issue of amnesty for the BokoHaram, why hasn’t that been embraced? What do the Boko Haramites want?
Although BokoHaram may have had its origin in the hands of a few political lords in the North as a force to arm-twist the political process for power and selfish ends, it does appear as if, like the Niger Delta militants too, the group has been hijacked by forces stronger than those initial politicians and perhaps by international nihilists with no agenda other than destabilisation and destruction of countries in which they gain a foothold.
So the simple answer is that the Boko Haram wants nothing, the least of which is your so-called amnesty. Amnesty in Nigeria is not “forgiveness,” amnesty in Nigeria is bribery: “Here’s money, stop the killing.” But it is not a once and for all thing; can never be. The money has to keep flowing, and increase with demand, lest the killing resumes with even greater ferocity and “ingenuity.”
So where does this lead Nigeria?
I am despondent. At no time in the history of this country did we have a chaotic, anarchical, multilateral hacking at the fabric of the country as we do now.
Into the cauldron of ethno-political mess one former House of Represetatives member, Farouk Adamu Aliyu, threw his own warning that “It is either a northerner as president in 2015 or there will be no more Nigeria,” while MASSOB’s Uwazurike continues to insist on the actualisation of a Sovereign State of Biafra.
Yes, the sanctity of the Nigerian state has been challenged in the past, no doubt, but it is unprecedented to have more than one section of the country tear at the country at once and the same time as we have now.
It all boils down to the nature of the country, a country without a soul. We have no nation. The cry of restructuring of ages still blows in the wind. It would take a great statesman to forgo his personal interest and hold the bull by the horn to bring us all to the drawing board of redrawing and re-determining a workable Nigeria – lest the end is nigh!
Food for thought....
Granted, we have seen more than our fair share of nonsense in Nigeria. There are too many things that happen, too many entities that exist which simply shouldn't. We have gotten tired of it all and inevitably, complaints have become the order of the day. But it should not be so. We can pull ourselves unscathed out of the carnage that is Nigeria through optimistic visualization. Already, this optimism is getting us somewhere; you only need to look at the flourishing creative arts industry in Nigeria to understand this. We just have to keep visualizing how outside looks and keep thinking of a way out.
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A post by Chidumaga Orji
I do realize this is my first post of the new year and so to all readers of this blog I heartily wish a fulfilling 2012. Fulfilling in the sense that we choose to not worry about our nation’s tearsome mound of problems (which at this point seems worthy of mountain status) , but focus on the good and visualize -and therefore work for- the better.
In this spirit, I overlook any form of subsidy.
Instead, I’m going to focus on arguably the most dynamic aspect of human endeavour in Nigeria today- the internet. Without doubt, we have come a looooong way in positively stamping our country on the world wide web, as opposed to those strictly yahoo-yahoo notions of yesteryears. We thank God.
If you’re in doubt, I can give you a few referrals to re-convince you. You only need to look at the amazing, afro-modernist lifestyle website Bella Naija, or the number one Nigerian music hub, Not Just Okay, or Nairaland, or any one of the far-ranging amazing blogs too many to mention (but of which a list is available atnigerianblogawards.com ) or the online publications of Nigeria’s most reputable (and otherwise) pro-development print media nerve-centres to tell you that creative Nigeria is taking a step further and putting itself on the world map. This screams change to me, this is indicative of progress.
The best part of it all? We aren’t just registering ourselves in the online world, we’re doing it with a .com.ng domain. What this means is that we are carving out a formidable niche for ourselves in cyberspace. Very impressive in my opinion. What’s even more impressive however is that it’s so easy now for Nigerians to get themselves, their causes, and most especially their businesses online with this contextualized domain.The Get Nigerian Businesses Online initiative aided by Google has made it easy and wallet-relieving to register your Nigerian businesses on the internet.www.gnbo.com.ng
It’s always a good thing to see this country making giant strides in newer innovation and even trailblazing research herself. All that healthcare and road stuff that we handle so traditionally, those are meant to be problems of years we’ve long put behind us. I think the .com.ng movement is one any Nigerian should be proud of any day. But no matter how pride-eliciting this may be, it doesn’t just end here. I definitely see a bright future ahead for online Nigeria and the development of designed in Nigeria but global networking sites is definitely not of the charts.
"IF ONLY GOVERNOR CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI WAS AS WISE AS I THOUGHT"
I have remained a salient follower, observer and commentator on the current political crisis rocking the PDP in Rivers state and the issues of the continuous deepening rift between the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and the Governor of Rivers State Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and have always maintained that this is an issue of QUID PRO QUO. In Nigeria, we always know that one thing or something lead to another and anyone that denies the fact that there has always been rift between the duos of Jonathan and Amaechi from day one is lying to himself. In politics there is always an antecedent, maybe I will need to do a brief recap on this matter.
President Jonathan, then Vice President came from Bayelsa state, South South of Nigeria while Governor Amaechi came from Rivers State, same South South, Governor Amaechi should in the real sense be close, Loyal and supportive to the Vice President as his brother but this never happened, instead he was neglected by his closest Brothers in the Governors league, Amaechi and Timipre Sylva. Our brothers the Governors respected late President Yar’Adua, never for one day challenged nor confronted his policies even when we all saw development at its slowest in the history of Nigeria. How and why are we very vocal to President Jonathan all of sudden?
Every Nigerian saw and witnessed the roles of the likes of Governors Amaechi and Timipre Sylva during the Late President Yar’Adua last days, while Governor Sylva openly addressed Nigerians that there was nothing wrong in the late President Yar’Adua ruling Nigeria from his Sick bed in Saudi Arabia hence there was no need to make his brother the Acting President, Amaechi played a very silent role and never for one day condemned the poor treatment of Jonathan by the people called the Yar’Adua and Turai cabal, even when press asked about his opinion, he said no comments, am sure all of you watched him say that severally on NTA news. Throughout that Stalemate, our brothers and Governors played Anti Jonathan, some openly and others in secret and we expected Jonathan to trust these guys when at last, by the efforts of the likes Senator Bala Mohammed, Prof Dora Akunyili etc, he was Pronounced the Acting President and finally the President.
During the Last PDP Presidential Primary, the likes of Our Governors Amaechi and Sylva was afraid of been paid back in their own coins, therefore forced and bent Jonathan who actually needed them to agree to unconditionally return all of them before they can support him which he did. Governor Amaechi been clever, withdrew himself from the case of tenure extension, knowing too well that he will not have Jonathan’s support in the event of his Re election while Jonathan is incharge, this trick gave him a temporary reprieve, to contest for re election even when his tenure was still subsisting, this is an issue presently awaiting Ruling by Supreme Court any moment from now. Former Gov Sylva was very greedy for more time in Office, forgot the roles he played not long ago and under-rated President Jonathan and the power of vengeance in Politics, lo and behold, he got his pay, QUID PRO QUO.
Now to Nigerian Governors forum, During the time of former President Obasanjo, NGF existed but never was there to challenge, frustrate and truncate every policy of the President. Same during the time of late President Yar’Adua, but when it came to President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure, the NGF under the leadership of our brother and Governor, became a strong Trade Union, a Pressure Group and the Fourth arm of Government, NGF turned a torn in the flesh of the President, always ready and about to swallow the President and the whole country, this is condemnable and despicable, someone should be incharge and responsible, either the President of the NGF Chairman. Today, many of us are complaining of the slow pace of development in Nigeria, the President takes the blames and not the NGF and its Chairman that is impeding some of the President’s Policies. One of the selfish achievements of the NGF was to frustrate the Bill for the Autonomy of the Local Government Councils, so that the Governors manage both the state and LGA allocations, and dish out what they want to their stooges called LGA Chairmen. To Decide how and when the Excess crude Account is shared, etc.
When it was time to elect the National Chairman of PDP, normally the President must be interested in who becomes the Chairman, and surprisingly Governor Amaechi wants to produce the National Chairman, it became a case of President’s candidate, Bamanga Tukur vs Governor Amaechi candidate, using NGF as a tool to actualize this, it ended up, that Jonathan Produced the Chairman Dr Bamanga Tukur and Governor Amaechi producing the Vice Chairman Dr Sam Sam Jaja, to checkmate the President’s candidate, this is absurd. My question on this is, if Amaechi wants to deny Jonathan the control of the National PDP, why does he want to control, or expect Jonathans support to control Rivers State PDP, this is an issue of Kama, law of retributive justice, My Governor and brother , Amaechi is going to equity with soiled hands.
In 2007, we all hailed the supreme court ruling that forced the removal of an Elected Governor, Sir Celestine Omehia and installed a Governor who did not contest the Election, ruling was based on who was the rightful PDP candidate, and Supreme court stated it clearly that it was not the candidate that won the election rather the Political Party. Amaechi hailed the Judiciary, today a court ruled that Chief GU Ake was not duly elected and installed Chief Felix Obuah, the same man condemned the Judiciary, must things always go our way? Instead of playing the role of Leader and a wise one indeed, by accepting the ruling and bringing both sides together, he further polarized the situation by ordering the Assembly to suspend an elected Chairman, his Vice and 17 councillors (suspected of been loyal to his former right hand man, Chief Nyesom Wike) without any invitation to appear to defend themselves and not even following the due process as stipulated by law. Barely a month after this, the same Kama has visited Again, PDP suspending the Governor for Anti party activities and he cries been treated unfairly and not given the time to defend himself.
After the election of President Jonathan, I had expected oppositions to come from the North and Northern Governors, to my greatest surprise, they found a willing partner in the person of the Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and he is actually doing their bidding and these clever northern Governors and elites are strongly behind him and are seriously fuelling the crisis. At the end of the day, the NORTH will say, we never opposed him, his brother did. For 2 years, Rivers State has not seen any development, all we hear and read about is NGF say, Amaechi say, Jonathan say, this is disgusting, how can Rivers State attract meaningful federal projects when Governor Amaechi can not sit with his Brother President Jonathan and talk one on one, and if Rivers people can say the truth, this NGF and it’s chairmanship has underdeveloped us.
I will not want to comment on the grey area of Governor Amaechi Presidential or Vice Presidential ambition, one thing is very clear, betrayal in Politics is not easily overlooked nor forgiven. I am sure that all the people of Niger Delta will prefer a President that we have now than the vice we are not sure of. Have we thought of a situation where we are used to destroy our own and ended up been denied the promised vice? Then we will never forgive ourselves. Maybe someone needs to hear the story of NWA EBULU AKO, an Igbo folktale.
On the areas and chances of making peace with the President, Governor Amaechi had all the opportunities to mend fences with the President, his Brother and Leader but ego, pride and support from people reaping from the crises has hindered this. At this juncture that he has been suspended by the same party and vehicle that brought him to fame and power, as the wise ad clever man I know he is, what is stopping him from going for reconciliation, when father and son disagrees and quarrel, the son goes to his uncles and kinsmen and seek peace with his father and not vice versa. Today, my Governor is Lining up a Team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs to challenge his suspension thereby aggravation a worsening situation. Let me ask, how many of these SANs that will be paid hundreds of millions if not Billions of Naira comes from Rivers State? As usual, they will come from the West and North that are reaping from the Jonathan and Amaechi faceoff.
At this point, I can’t say more, than to advice my Dear Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to drop ego and pride and seek the path of peace with the President, it is the younger that goes for peace with the older. Going to court will be counterproductive and waste of state funds. It is never too late to make peace.
And to the President, he should also remember the TV play, SOME MOTHERS DO HAVE THEM, even the Biblical Prodigal son was welcomed and forgiven by his father, remember that in our culture, we beat the child with right hand and bring him back with the left hand, please Mr President, do not throw away the baby with the wash water.
I stand for peace and Rivers State and indeed the people of Niger Delta will benefit immensely from a reconciled Amaechi and Jonathan.
God Bless Rivers State and Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I remain very yours in the truth.
Chris Amechi
It's not too late... the angel said.
Even though the world's a mess... Even though you're not that young... Even though you've made mistakes and have been afraid It's not too late... And then I saw the world through the angel's eyes... I saw the colors I could paint The bridges I could build The lives that I could touch The dreams that could still come true And it became very clear to me... That it's not too late.
Ron Atchinson
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"Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and everyday. Either he will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings."
- Henry Lazare
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TOMORROW
Hello readers, my name is Oluwatimilehin Fasehun. I go to Epsom College, Surrey. I decided to start this blog, for two reasons; Unity and to make Nigeria a better place. You might have heard that phrase "to make Nigeria a better place" too many times to be moved, but this would definitely make a difference. I know it might be very hard seeing as I am only one person trying to move 140 million plus people; that's why I need your support and your help and I promise you that we can make our country a better place. Gone are the days that we just stay and watch our "leaders of today" attempt to try to make Nigeria a better place. I do not know know about you, but for me it is not working out as planned. I think it is time that we actually stand up and do something about this. Please I really need your support with this project, and as weeks go by I will become a better writer/blogger. #TNTB
Thank you and God bless.
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