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25 March 2011 By Adebiyi Jelili
Abudugana Since society is attributively
organic and inorganic in its nature, therefore, one
can seek the understanding of what a society is, from
the prism of people relative a society. Predicated on
this premise, this article sets out to contend that
Jonathan and Dame Patience Goodluck-Jonathan personify
the problems that have rendered Nigeria a failing
state. To begin with, a nation, on a
specific note and a civilization, on the broad range,
is made by the education that grows its people. It is
education that develops, moulds and engrains the minds
of the people constituting a nation with the
developmental traits, which ultimately, transforms
into the physical indexes that are seen and used in
gauging a nation's growth and development. It is
through education that variety of problems, human,
societal, environmental are researched and ideas
articulated on how they can be solved. This is why
education is a nation's problem-solving centre.
However, in the Nigerian case, from being a
problem-solving- centre, our institutions of learning
have sadly been transformed into problem-creating and
corruption breeding grounds, which turn out uneducated
graduates, sophisticatedly incubated crooks, who,
following a sadistic and cyclic trend, unleash their
crookedness on the state and start the process time
and again by replicating their likes through
biological and fraternizing means. From the standpoint
of gross underfunding of our institutions at all
levels, one needs no extraordinary logic to discern
why Nigeria is donning a despicable and ghetto-like
jagajaga appearance. Therefore, since we have
decided to kill the problem-diagnosing and
solving-centre, then, the end result is what Nigeria
is witnessing as a gravely diseased state. Also, the
level of corruption in our country is a reflection of
the corruption that prevails in our education sector.
Moral, academic and financial corruptions have not
only reached alarming proportion in our various places
of learning, also, they have sadly become integral
parts of our learning culture. We have educational
handlers, academic and non-academic, that occupy
places not merited. Our educational centres,
particularly, the public ones, are populated by
bribe-takers, certificate forgers, plagiarists, fund
looters, abusers of oath of service and those who
receive monthly salary for services not rendered. On
our campuses, grades trade for money, sexual-pleasure
and etcetera. Also, students engage in all
sorts of malpractices with parents as aiders and
abetters. Therefore, if Nigeria is to experience a
positive and enduring change, all we need, is to
re-make, retool and give our education, its
traditional role and as a well-facilitated problem
diagnosing and solving centre. The question now is, does Jonathan
Goodluck posses the credentials needed to solve the
Nigerian education crises? If the proverb, "Nemo dat
quod non habet" which means "you can not give what you
don't have" is anything to go by, one may be saying
the obvious that Jonathan Goodluck lacks the aptitude
to either initiate solutions to, or o preside over the
problem-solving attempts in our educational sector.
This is for the simple fact that educationally,
Jonathan is a patient who is dire need of a doctor's
service. Jonathan is by all standards, a good example
of sub-standard doctoral degree holders that the
Nigerian education system has produced. It is sad to
note that, a man who has been awarded a doctoral
degree and worked as an education inspector, lecturer,
and environmental-protection officer, for years, does
not understand the simple rules of grammar. As pointed
out by Farooq A. Kperogi, a Nigerian-born scholar that
is resident in the United States, Dr Jonathan language
is "awful. He doesn't seem to be aware that there is
something called subject-verb agreement, as evidenced
in statements like, "I wish to thank the esteemed
members of the Council on Foreign Relations for its
continued interest in Nigerian affairs," "issues of
corruption bothers us," etc. And "Muslim faithfuls"?
Well, there is no word like "faithfuls" in the English
language, Mr. Acting President.
And by "sectoral crisis between Muslims" did he mean
"sectarian crisis between Muslims"? Hmm." If Jonathan
does not know the difference between "sectoral" and
‘sectarian,' and the elementary rules of subject-verb
agreement, then, one may logically submit that,
Jonathan is educationally unfit to preside over the
solution-finding attempts to mass failure in English
language in our secondary schools. Also if Jonathan, a doctoral degree
holder in zoology would utter un-zoological statements
such as "we are diverse in terms of different human
species," then, one may be saying the obvious that
Jonathan cannot proffer solution to the Nigerian
education problem. If, as
pointed out by Farooq A. Kperogi, "a putative Ph.D. in
zoology (the branch of biology that studies animals,
including humans) doesn't know enough to know that all
humans belong to the same species," then, it may be
illogical to expect such an individual to churn out a
pragmatic and effective roadmap on how we can solve
our education problems at our levels. It is sad to note that like her
husband, Dame Patience Jonathan-Goodluck also posses
questionable and defective educational credentials.
Madam Patience, holder of National Certificate of
Education (NCE) in Mathematics/Biology from the Rivers
State College of Arts and Science, and a bachelor's
degree in Biology/Psychology from the University of
Port Harcourt, one may be prompted to conclude,
belongs to the generation of Nigerian students who
obtained their degrees through fraudulent means. As
documented by Farooq A. Kperogi, despite a bachelor's
degree, it is weird and mirthful to hear Madam
Patience, "Our politics is without bitterness, my
husband Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and Sambo is a very good
people, !"; "the president
was once a child and the SENATORS WERE ONCE A
CHILDREN"; "my fellow widows"; "the people sitting
before you here were ONCE A CHILDREN"; "it is not easy
to CARRY SECOND in an international competition like
this one"; "the bombers, who BORN them? WASN'T it not
a woman? They were ONCE A CHILDREN, now A ADULT, now
they are bombing women and children making SOME
CHILDREN A WIDOW"; "my heart feels sorry for these
CHILDREN WHO HAVE BECOME WIDOWS by losing their
parents for one reason or another"; "We should have
love for our fellow Nigerians irrespective of their
NATIONALITY". From the foregoing, it amounts to
saying the evident that Jonathan Goodluck and Dame
Patience Goodluck-Jonathan are mirror images of how
defective is the Nigerian educational system. If a
quote which reads, ""My doctor says that I have a
malformed public duty gland and a natural deficiency
in moral fibre,' he muttered to himself, 'and that I
am therefore excused from saving Universes," (credited
to Douglas Adams, a prominent English writer and
dramatist) is anything to go by, Jonathan would need
to excuse himself from presiding over and on the
discourse on the Nigerian education. Since it is also
rational that Nigerians should borrow a leaf from Erma
Bombeck's counsel that
"Never go to a doctor whose office plants have
died," then, it will be a disservice to wisdom by
allowing a man who is grown by dead education and
whose doctorate degree is dead to preside over our
affairs. At this juncture, attention will
now be focused on the issue of integrity, corruption
and the Nigerian state. While some exponents are of
the opinion that the lack of integrity and not
corruption is the root of the Nigerian problems,
others have either argued the other way round or
considered both factors as the core of our problem.
Based on the concept of cause and effect, I have
informed basis to toe the line of those who consider,
dearth of integrity, the hub of our problem. It is a
known fact all over the world Nigerians are looked
down upon as people who cannot be trusted. There was a
time we were making efforts to convince a company to
invest heavily in portable water projects in different
parts of Nigeria. This company works in collaboration
with one Asian-based Non-Governmental Organization in
undertaking portable water projects based on the
philosophy of Build, Operate and Transfer. While at
the advanced stage of our deliberation, we requested
that the company should allow us submit to the
appropriate Nigerian authority, a detailed proposal on
this project. They declined. Why?, one would want to
know. It was said that if given such document, the
Nigerian government will hijack the idea and sell it
out to another body to execute. On patriotic grounds,
we insisted otherwise, but, in our minds, we knew,
that was the bitter truth. When I shared this
experience with a friend who has been working in
conjunction with some young entrepreneurs in Nigeria,
he confirmed the fears exhibited by the Asian-based
company as the Nigerian reality. He narrated how they
initiated some ideas which gave birth to some projects
which were later proposed to some Nigerian government
officials for implementation. He recounted how
approval issued for the projects' execution was
reneged and given to another company that knows
nothing about these projects. In either of these
narrations, the common denominator is that Nigerians
are seen as people who will never honour agreements.
Failure to honour agreement will often create mistrust
and mistrust will create atmosphere of suspicion which
in turn will give birth to the feelings of animosity
and hence, instability. If Nigeria and Nigerians are now
synonymous with distrust, then, the refusal of
Jonathan Goodluck to honour his party's constitution
on zoning (PDP Constitution,Section 7.2.c), clearly
suggests that Jonathan is what distrust is to Nigeria
and what Nigeria is to distrust. Section Section 7 (2)
(c) of the PDP constitution which backs zoning reads
"…in pursuant of the principle of equity, justice and
fairness, we adhere to the policy of rotation and
zoning of party and elective offices at all levels."
Jonathan, a man who, according to records, not only
witnessed the PDP's deliberation on zoning but also
voted in favour of zoning, later made a U-turn and 360
degree turnaround by distrustfully stating that,
"Either by virtue of the PDP Constitution,… the
presidency of Nigeria has never been zoned to any part
of the country. There is the concept of zoning and
rotation in the PDP constitution to encourage power to
move from one part to the other and it is not limited
to the Office of the President". If the number one in Nigeria, the
supposed father of the nation will distrustfully deny
the obvious, it has only shown that he is living the
much held view that Nigeria and Nigerians are now
synonymous with distrust. Little wonder, Shehu
Abdulqadr wisely submits, "The state itself is nothing
but its leadership and a leader is a reflection of the
society that produces him." If being a Nigerian is
what Reuben Abati describes thus, "you must learn the
lesson that nothing is ever fair, and that indeed
anything is possible," then, by denying zoning,
Jonathan deserves to be elevated to Grade A Emeritus
of a truly Nigerian. Therefore, if Nigerians consider
distrust a national disaster that should be fought at
all fronts, Jonathan is therefore not a reliable hand
that can be looked up to spearhead such must-win
battle because his action inspires Nigerians more to
distrust than to honouring pledges. If as stated
Vincet Lombardi, there must be truth in the purpose
and will power in the character for a leadership to be
based on truth and character, therefore, Jonathan, a
man who contemptibly disregarded an agreement to which
he was a party and called the bluff of his party's
constituent, lacks the wherewithal that is required to
lead based on truth and character. Since corruption is what I consider
the effect of distrust, therefore, focus would now be
on how Jonathan and his wife are mirror images of the
Nigerian dilemma. One of the reasons why Nigerians are
looking for alternative to the ruling PDP is because
it has earned itself the infamous appellation as party
of looters. Corruption is in truth not just a PDP
problem; it is in reality, a problem that is affecting
most Nigerians. Corruption is so pervasive in Nigeria
that if a Yoruba man accuses an Igbo man of being
corrupt, the latter would as a defence; mention the
names of the Yorubas who have looted the country to
stupor. Jonathan, the man who is a truly
Nigerian, has on a number of occasions exhibited this
trait. Virtually all aspirants have alleged Jonathan
to be ruling and heading a government of corrupt
persons. Although these aspirants are merely saying
what prevails in the minds of most Nigerians, the PDP
is saddened that Buhari, a leading Presidential
aspirant in the ongoing democratic dispensation is
favoured by the electorates because he is seen as an
incorruptible person. Realizing this as his strength,
Buhari has focused his campaign on anti-corruption
crusade. Overwhelmed by the effects of this on his
electoral worth, Jonathan, a typical Nigerian, warned
Buhari in particular that, he and Ribadu are no
apostles of anti-corruption and that he will expose
them as members of the corrupt empire. To argue his
case, Jonathan cited the case of the controversial 52
cases which was allegedly smuggled into the country in
1984 during Buhari's regin as the Head of State. This
was in reaction to a case of $13.5 million Dollars
(US) and another N104 million money laundering case
involving Jonathan and his loving wife, Aunty Patience
which Buhari's campaign team has been making issue of.
Therefore if Nigerians are interesting in overcoming
the crisis of corruption, one direction not to direct
our gaze at is that of Goodluck because it reminds us
why our resources are not used in providing for our
daily needs. On a concluding note, since it has
been established that Jonathan Goodluck and his wife,
Aunty Dame are mirror images of the Nigerian quandary,
then, if we desire a better future, it is only logical
that Nigerians should seek change and a better future
in other individuals who are aspiring to lead Nigeria. Adebiyi Jelili Abudugana, a former Unilag
student union leader can be reached through
abudugana2000@yahoo.com |
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