Role of community-based organisations in educational development (1)

Education is regarded in today’s world as a human right, which all governments around the world are agreed should be provided by the state. This expression of intent is however not always possible to match with the reality that exists in each country and this is in­deed true for every nation in the world. The result is that there are many children out of school in most countries especially in developing nations. Another consequence is that, there is a backlog of adults that have missed the opportunity of going to school and are thus illiterate. Education is therefore sorely needed for these two classes of people in every society.

Education means different things to different people and it is important to clarify this point early in this discussion. One of the down-to-earth definitions is that given by Wikipedia that says:

‘Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but may also be autodi­dactic. Any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be con­sidered educational’

The important point is that each society defines its goals because each has knowledge and skills that are peculiar to it which in addition to general and national ones need to be preserved. In our country, we have a National Pol­icy on Education just as we have State Policies on Education. The Omoluabi project for instance, in the State of Ọṣun, is indigenous to the Yoruba and has to be pre­served in addition to whatever makes us Nigerians.

Governments try to carry the burden of educating everyone and in many cases stubbornly cling to that notion as a political tenet, to remain popular. The reality is that there are far too many things like the delivery of healthcare, good transport system, employ­ment etc to provide for the people that the gap noted above widens daily. This is where NGOs (Non- Government Organisations) come in, to bridge the gap especially in their immediate communities.

Where help is needed are in the areas of getting more children to acquire the life-skills required for living quality life and that of af­fording adults who have missed early opportunities, the remedia­tion to pick up and join in produc­tive enterprise of the community and the sacred duty of transmit­ting the mores of the society to future generations.

It is of course one of the pos­sibilities for groups of concerned citizens to assist the efforts of governments by opening and run­ning schools wherever they are needed. This alternative, while noble and possible, is very expen­sive and may not be within the ca­pability of any but the wealthiest groups of people in any society. In any case, as long as those children who ought to be in school are out of it, and with the number rising daily, the cost of establishing and running schools will do much more in terms of societal good if it is diverted to remedial causes some of which have been identi­fied above.

What then can pockets of ordi­nary concerned citizens do to im­prove the condition? Of the three areas identified, that of running normal schools like states do, is not recommended on the grounds that much more can be achieved with what money is available if it is ploughed into the realization of the other two possibilities.

Schooling and the capabilities it confers are necessary for modern living. No one can be happy in the world of today and not feel left behind if he/she is unable to dial a number on his/her phone or is unable to recognize the icons that tell him to switch on or off and go back.

The ability to read, if even it was marginally possible to live without it in the past, is a neces­sity today when you have to trans­act money matters with an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) that is cold and unforgiving if you are unsure, ignorant or just silly. It seizes your card if you exhibit any of these characteristics including fraud, whether it was intentional or not.

There is much work to do there­fore in making adults literate and numerate. The number of those who come under that category is very high and it is decades rather than years that the eradication of illiteracy process is estimated to take. There is no doubt that it is a rich field for do-gooders or se­rious philanthropic groups to ex­plore.

There are many ways to go about this but it is enough to say that setting up a literacy group is all that is needed. What makes this easy is the fact that most of those who know how to read and write can contribute to this scheme and thus reduce the cost if they volunteer to give some of their spare time to the project.

All that is needed additionally is guidance from a competent per­son in the area of Adult Education so that the skills of those who volunteer can be put to optimal use. The time-tabling and hours of study at the Adult Literacy Classes have to be flexible to ac­commodate the convenience of both learners and teachers.

The next issue of skill develop­ment is beneficial to both school dropouts and adults. It is a fact of life that some graduates of our educational institutions at all lev­els lament their decision to have gone to school because they have remained unemployed for so long after completing their courses. It was their expectation, right or wrong, that work opportunities would await them immediately after graduation. This is becom­ing more predominant and some­thing has to be done about it if the dangerous situation is not to be reached where schooling will be rejected by most since it does not seem to aid fulfilling their life ambitions of work, wealth and fame.

NGOs have the unique op­portunity of knowing best what grassroots needs are.

The creation of skill develop­ment centers is a cost-effective way of promoting a better quality of life for the people in a com­munity. Simple but badly needed skills like dress-making, hair dressing, food preparation, good housekeeping, external and inter­nal decoration, events manage­ment, baby care, catering, and many more, can be taught prop­erly to provide employment for the few and needed services for the many.

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Where are our girls?

This is the most famous question in our country today. Unfortu­nately, it is a question no one has found any answer. No one can tell us categorically when the girls will return to the warm embrace of their parents.

202 days after, the news from the Boko Haram goons remains frightening: The girls have been forcefully married off after forceful conversion to a religion they never professed before their abduction. These are indeed frightening times. Amidst all these, our politicians are carrying on, as if all is well, pursuing their blind ambition for power as if the girls, or other Nigerians don’t matter.

Only recently, I did a piece, imploring the Boko Haram to free our girls. It was an appeal to the conscience of a group that hasn’t shown conscience in their war of at­trition against their country.

Please, go ahead and read the piece en­titled: Letter to Boko Haram…

Dear Boko Haram,

I should have started this letter by greet­ing you: Asalam Alekun, meaning: Peace be unto you. But how can anyone wish or offer you what you have precisely denied others, in the almost four years of your bloody reign? How can we ask the peace of the Lord or God’s or Allah’s blessings to be upon you, when all you have brought your compatriots are blood, war, tears and fear? How can we wish you good, when you wish us bad? How can we ever think well of you, when you display the worst form of cruelty towards your people, our people?

So, I will simply begin by saying: Wher­ever you are and whatever you are doing right now, I hope you find time out of your tight and deadly and deathly schedule to read this letter. It is a letter from a worried Nigerian; one who, like other citizens, is deeply disturbed and distraught at your ac­tivities. It is a letter to you, hoping some­one who knows someone in your organisa­tion will deliver it straight to you or bring it to your attention. I know you will get this letter because as we have heard over and over again, many of your operatives, even though they say ‘no to Western edu­cation’ are well-educated and quite literate. So, while you read secretly, kindly digest the contents with an open mind. Kindly read with a Godly mind, even though, you will agree, you can’t be said to have been Godly in your actions. God would never sanction the mindless killings of innocent citizens for whatever reasons or griev­ances. God is a God of life, a life-giver, not life-taker. God does not approve of the shed­ding of blood, especially innocent blood, by anyone or group under any guise. I digress too soon.



So, while you read, read without anger; read without bias. Read with the fear of God. Read with conscience. Read like human be­ings, with human feelings. I can hear some people, turning their nostrils up and won­dering if I am not asking for the impossible: Boko Haram, having fear of God and con­science? Boko Haram, having human feel­ings? You can’t blame anyone for feeling this way or being cynical about you: Yours have truly been unedifying tales of terror and bloodletting; a macabre dance of blood; harvest of tragedies. You have engaged in horrendous activities that have left the citi­zens terrified and horrified. You have struck everywhere, that no one knows where and when next you will strike.

You have struck at motor parks (Nyanya), at schools (Buni Yadi, Chibok, among others), at government of­fices and private residences; shopping malls and just anywhere, leaving sorrow, tears and blood in your trail. In your war without boundaries, you must have wasted over 2000 lives, and that is a conservative estimate, just as many of your members have been killed in the crackdown on your members by security agencies! Add that to the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls still in your custody, and you get a frightening portrait of your deadly exploits. Are the Chibok girls alive or dead? When will they regain freedom? No one knows.

Everyone is praying for the safe return of our girls, our sisters and our daughters. Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili and the other campaigners are asking the same questions without an­swer. Even President Jonathan can’t tell us when the girls will return. We all seem to be at your mercy but you remain merciless. Why? Why?

Now, Nigerians are asking: What does the Boko Haram want? When will enough be enough? That is precisely the reason for this letter to you. What do you want? When will enough be enough?

Some have said your actions are directed at the government of President Jonathan? If that is so, you are targeting the wrong group: The poor and the hapless. What has bombing bus stops and malls got to do with this? How will bombing bus stops and malls patronised by the common people help your cause?

It is difficult to comprehend how kidnap­ping innocent schoolgirls will help your fight against government. You can only succeed in uniting the people, as you have done, against what is seen as your deadly activities. As Prof. Wole Soyinka says, such action can only bring general resentment and collective angst against your group. So, you will have to stop your bloody activities. Your bloody outing is a war against the people, especially the common people of Nigeria, who have done you no wrong. So, why lay siege on the people?

If your purpose is religious supremacy or fundamentalism, credible Islamic pun­dits have dismissed your activities, as con­tradicting the tenets of Islam. Islam, they say, is a religion of peace and peaceful coexistence. So, what then is fueling the insurgency?

If your war against your people is for­eign-induced, you are embarking on the wrong kind of war, fighting a war against your people, for whatever reasons. If you destroy your land and people or succeed in maiming everybody, are you then going to live in a foreign country among foreign­ers? What medal would you have won, as destroyers of your country or as agents of foreign destroyers?

What I am saying is simple: If politics is your driving factor, it is politics taken too far. Hundreds of our people, poor, hap­less people, who know no politics or the power game, playing out have been caught in the crossfire: Bloodied and buried in the rubble of the atrocious battle.

If it is about religion, it just doesn’t add up: Christians and Muslims are being slaughtered in the bombing spree, going on. Bombs don’t discriminate on the basis of tribe or religion. Bombs bomb and kill. So, these killings must stop.

Dear Boko Haram, what I have been try­ing to do is to see if we can appeal to your sense of reasoning, to see how you can halt the tension and fear in our country today, by stopping the spectre of blood. Nigerians are weeping. Nigerians are dying. Nigeri­ans are living in fear. Because of you!

In Abuja and other major cities, every­one is looking over his or shoulders, scared that a bomb could go off any moment. The gardens and recreational centres are almost becoming empty because people are scared of being caught in explosions. If your aim is to terrify the citizenry, you have, we must sadly admit, largely suc­ceeded. If killing was your motive, you have killed enough. No further point is made in your continuous bombings and killings. It’s time to pause and ponder. It’s time to stop the killings. Please, stop. Enough is enough!

Last line: May God console those who have lost their dear and loved ones in the Boko Haram war against their country. To the dead, may they find peace and rest in the bossom of the Lord. May God Al­mighty bring peace to our beleaguered na­tion in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

We need to focus on issues rather than personalities in our politics –Alkali

Special Adviser to the Presi­dent on Political Affairs, Prof. Rufai Alkali, has described as utter falsehood allegations that his principal, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan masterminded the impeachment of Adamawa governor and the botched at­tempt to sack that of Nasarawa. He said they were mere smear campaign against the president who he said described as democracy torchbearer. He speaks on the chances of of the Peoples Demo­cratic Party, PDP, 2015 polls and other issues. Excerpt:










There is this issue of some of the Pro-Jonathan campaign organisers throw­ing funds about. They have already exceeded the campaign limit set by INEC and people are wondering where the funds are coming from. What do you have to say?

I do not really call them campaign groups. What we have are support groups. These are groups that are formed by individuals freely on their own volition; they have found President Goodluck Jonathan a leader they can trust; a leader they can follow; a leader they want to support. Therefore, they are exercising their right of association under the Nigeria Constitution and their right to support or sponsor any group or individual. Cer­tainly, supporting the president is a plus because it is obviously a clear evidence that both the people inside and outside the party in this country have seen that the president is recognised as doing very well. So, for this reason obviously, there is nothing to envy about our opponents. Now you see them running around trying to garner support unlike the PDP, which is very organised.

But who is funding these people?

As far as I’m concerned, these are support groups who mobilise themselves, mobilise their funds, as they are more or less voluntary associations. Therefore, I do not think there should be any contro­versy at all.

Talking about controversy, various groups are calling on President Jonathan to come out and contest, promoting and projecting his 2015 presidential aspira­tion. Is this not a violation of the electoral law?

What is violation? In what way?

Indirect campaign because INEC has not declared the campaigns open. INEC does not have any sectoral law against any group coming together to drum up support for an individual of their choice. Even in marriages, even at birthday ceremonies, etc there is politics. So, INEC does not go about prescribing laws against coming together of groups.

Do you think President Jonathan has performed enough to deserve a second tenure?

Nigerians are the people to pass the verdict. I believe you’re not a foreigner in this country. He has done well in transforming this country. It’s not a one-day affair, it’s a continuous affair. The principle, the objectives of transformation are what matters. Some of the things we take for granted now did not exist in the past. Even, you are a major beneficiary of this. Only a few years ago in the media, there was clamour for the passage of the information bill. You may have forgotten that it was this government that for­malised and signed it into law. That credit should go to him. And on the election platform, things are improving by the day. Only recently, our party, the PDP, won decisively in Ekiti State. Our opponent could not proffer a tangible reason for losing the election except to complain that the president mobilised the military to frighten the electorate. I think what the president has done so far shows the fundamentals of democracy.

Even former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said the President is not fit for re-election. Well, I don’t know who else is fit for election. I don’t know from what part he’s talking about. I don’t know his feelings because I have not dealt with that angle as yet. But I do I know that he himself is not very much in gov­ernment now but was once in government and he knows what is right and not right in government. Well, what do you expect from someone who is after your office?

Looking at the state of insecurity, do you think the 2015 elections would hold? There was a dinner in the villa during the last days of Ramadan and Mr. President took his time to address the dignitaries who attended the dinner. Incidentally, most of them were ambas­sadors from various parts of the world. And he told them categorically that there was going to be elections in 2015, which is going to be free and fair, and devoid of violence. So unless someone is agitat­ing for violence or planning for it, there would be no reason for violence.

In one of the recent dailies, the gov­ernor of Kano State called the President an ethnic bigot. As a northerner do you see Mr. President as someone who will support ethnicity in any form? I think this is one of the troubling aspects of Nigerian politics. I have been constrained to engage people on what words to use because we have really reached the stage where we should address issues rather than personalities. I have always used ev­ery opportunity when addressing the press to harp on the need for us to respect our leaders. As much as possible, we should be able to separate issues of leadership and issues of politics. After all, one day we would be looking for people to sup­port us in one way or the other.

Chief Bisi Akande, immediate past national chairman of APC called Mr. President a dictator, what is your take on this?

I really responded to this when it was brought to my attention and I said that I was terribly disappointed. One, because he has served this country over the years in various capacities. I also said that at his age Nigerians expect from him to be a beacon of hope and a fountain of knowl­edge. He should not have used certain language in communicating his ideas. It is expected that someone of his age, our father who has served this country would be mindful of what he says about the lead­ership of this country. Like I said earlier, everybody is expected to play a role in the management of the affairs of this country, because there must be a country and there must be workers before you start ruling the country.

There is this allegation that the President spearheaded the impeach­ment of the Adamawa State governor in order for the PDP to take back the state through the backdoor. Is the President a member of the Adamawa State House of Assembly?

What were the charges against the former governor of Adamawa State? However, the charges against him were not new. Let’s not underrate the intel­ligence of most members of Adamawa State House of Assembly because all of them came from different constituencies. And for all of them to come and say they don’t appreciate or do not believe in what the governor was doing is enough, it is not helpful for anybody to heap allega­tions on the President.

Some people also are equally of the opinion that Jonathan was behind the recent impeachment moves in Nasara­wa State?

We can’t be going in circles. What applies to Adamawa also applies to Nasarawa. We should give them their due, impeachment is not a simple thing. So for an impeachment to take place or for some people to embark on impeachment moves, it means that somehow something must have gone wrong in the system. So people should leave the President alone; let them face their problems.

They say that there is no smoke with­out fire. If the President is the gentle­man you have described him to be, why are all these people pointing fingers at him?

I think that accusation is the simplest thing to do in this country. Everybody can accuse anybody at any time. In fact, it’s a very popular thing, especially amongst politicians. If for instance, someone jumps into a swimming pool, he may turn round and accuse his opponent of pushing him into the swimming pool.

What did you come into this office with?

First of all, I assist Mr. President; I as­sist our party and so long as Mr. President invited me, the best I can do is to work for him diligently and ensure that he suc­ceeds.

What is your greatest headache?

None. None that I know of. Mr. Presi­dent is doing his best to tackle them all. That’s why nothing is giving me head­ache.

RESIGN NOW, FALANA TELLS POLICE I.G.

Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has accused Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Suleiman Abba of partisan politics, subversion of the Constitution, the Police Act and the Electoral Act.

He also accused the police chief of persecution of House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Falana advised the police chief to resign, if he cannot work without fear or favour.

He threatened to file a suit before a Federal High Court to determine the competence and suitability of Abba “to superintend and manage the Nigeria Police Force in the public interest, if the trend of subverting the Constitution, the Police Act and the Electoral Act by your good self and other top police officers continues unabated”.

Falana wrote a letter yesterday to the acting IGP,titled “Illegal Policing of the Republic”.

The erudite lawyer noted that since Abba was “appointed the Acting Inspector-General of Police by the President of the Republic on July 31, 2014, the Nigeria Police Force has been involved in partisan politics to the detriment of law and order in the country”.

To buttress his position on the matter, Falana accused the acting IGP of causing the withdrawal of Tambuwal’s security detail.

“As if that was not enough, you decided to usurp the judicial powers of the federation which are exclusively vested in the courts by Section Six of the Constitution when you claimed that the Speaker had lost his office and seat as a federal legislator having contravened section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution. By your illegal pronouncement you disregarded section section 50 (2) (c) thereof which stipulates that the Speaker of the House of Representatives can only be removed by a resolution passed by votes on not less that two thirds majority of the members of the House”, he stated.

The legal luminary also drew the attention of the acting IGP to two other cases of political bias recently displayed by the Police under his leadership.

He said: “Firstly, the Osun State governorship election which took place on August 9, 2014 was almost marred by the Police and other security forces which arrested and detained over 700 leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Indeed, some electoral officers who were assumed to be members of the APC were also railroaded into police custody.

But for the personal intervention of Professor Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the said electoral officers would not have been released.

“Thus, the election would have been disrupted by the police and other security forces whose duty it was to maintain law and order during the democratic exercise. However, the detained APC leaders who were released after the election have not been charged to court for breaching the provisions of the Electoral Act or any other law whatsoever.

“Secondly, Mr. Joseph Mbu, the controversial Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7 of the Nigeria Police Force announced a ban on any rally demanding for #bringbackourgirls within the federal capital territory.

“The ban was designed to assuage the feelings of some officials of the Federal Government who are embarrassed by being reminded of their constitutional duty of rescuing the over 200 Chibok girls who were abducted six months ago by the nihilist Boko Haram sect.

“In a judgment delivered last week, the Federal Capital Territory High Court declared the ban illegal, null and void on the grounds that it constituted an infringement of the fundamental rights of the patriotic campaigners to freedom of assembly and expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

“In spite of the judicial indictment, you have not deemed it fit to call Mr. Mbu to order for the reckless abuse of police powers.

“Thirdly, you caused the security detail of Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, the Speaker of the House of Representatives to be withdrawn last week on the grounds that he had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

As if that was not enough, you decided to usurp the judicial powers of the federation which are exclusively vested in the courts by Section 6 of the Constitution when you claimed that the Speaker had lost his office and seat as a federal legislator, having contravened Section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution. By your illegal pronouncement, you disregarded Section 50 (2) (c) thereof which stipulates that the Speaker of the House of Representatives can only be removed by a resolution passed by votes of not less than two thirds majority of the members of the House.”

He stressed that the actions and utterances of the IGP in the circumstance have exposed the police to unwarranted ridicule.

Falana said: “Nigerians are not unaware of the fact that when the Ondo State legislators elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) defected to the PDP last month, your office did not declare their seats vacant.

“In particular, you did not withdraw the security detail of Honourable Jumoke Akindele, the Speaker, who led her colleagues to dump the LP for the PDP.

In the same vein, Honourable Ahmadu Fintiri, the Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly and his colleagues who defected from the PDP to the APC and have since returned to PDP. You did not have cause to declare their seats vacant. Neither have you withdrawn the security detail of Honourable Fintiri.

“Thus, by subjecting Honourable Aminu Tambuwal to selective persecution on grounds that he defected from the ruling party, you violated his fundamental right to freedom from discrimination.

Falana described the actions of the IGP as a breach of Section 42 (1) of the Constitution and Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to subject any citizen of Nigeria of a political opinion to disabilities, deprivation and restrictions to which other citizens who hold alternative views or opinions are not made subject.”

He pointed out that since the security aides of other Speakers who defected from the APC and LP to the PDP have not been withdrawn, those of Tambuwal were illegally withdrawn. In the light of this, the activist lawyer called for immediate restoration of Tambuwal’s security aides.

“They ought to be restored without any further delay. From the information at my disposal, your harassment of the Speaker was instigated by the Presidency. But having regard to section 215 (3) of the Constitution which enjoins you to carry out the ‘lawful directive’ of the President of the Republic with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order the actions taken on the Speaker are illegal and unconstitutional in every material particular.

“Therefore, you should withdraw your pronouncement on the office and seat of Honourable Aminu Tambuwal and advise the ruling party to seek redress in the Federal High Court on the constitutional implications of the defection.

Furthermore, unless he is removed by his colleagues in the House of Representatives or by a competent court in the land, Honourable Tambuwal remains the Speaker of the House.

“Neither the police nor any other agency of the Federal Government can be allowed to resort to self help on the matter. As law and order in the country cannot be maintained by a compromised police institution, you may want to resign your appointment if you are not prepared to discharge your onerous constitutional responsibilities without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.

“Before making up your mind, may I remind you of the eternal injunction of the Supreme Court in the case of Attorney-General of the Federation v Atiku Abubakar (2007) 10 NWLR (pt 1041) 1 at 183. As the undisguised bias of both the INEC and the police could not be justified over the illegal removal of the Vice-President for defecting from the ruling party to one of the opposition political parties the apex court held inter alia:”Having regard to the nature of the function which the Nigeria Police Force also performs, that body must also insulate itself such that impartiality and fairness may at all times be ascribed to it.

“A situation where both of them ( the Inspector-General of Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC) appeal in the instant case is very much in bad taste. They have both thrown the quality of impartiality and fairness which they must possess to the winds.

Their acts are capable of eroding the public confidence in them. Unknown to them, they may be said, by the public, to be biased and therefore not worthy to be regarded as impartial umpires. This trend must not repeat itself for the good of the nation”, Falana said.

USE THAT BRAIN! BY FOLA OJO

You may have attempted some academic adventuralism and failed in the process; you may have tried certain crafts in life and wobbled along the way. There are men and women among us who are tempted to believe that their brains were created empty because of many bumps they ran into in life.

Some even think same about others. Your brain has been designed to do some things; you just have to find out what it is.

All parts of the human brain are designed by God to do certain things.

No brain was created empty. Any brain considered as such may have not been exercised the right route in that season of life when things weren’t working well enough.

You can activate your brain or have other people help you exercise it with appropriate activities.

Activating your brain means putting it to work; and you have to determine what God has designed yours specifically to work for. Don’t try to use it for Medicine if it was wired for Geology, don’t try to use it for Aviation if it was configured for World History.

The big, brawny body-builder you know does not have more muscles than you; he just did what you have not done. He exercised them the appropriate way.

Human brains, my friend, work the same way. When you use it appropriately, it gets sharper and accomplishing with time.

Use it now, so you don’t lose it later!