CHILDREN THE KEY TO DEVELOPMENT.

children as we all know are more than “useless” to the society. they tend to be a key trend to every developed nation. there is no doubt about the fact that “children are the future of tomorrow” so before i commence with my write up i will want to plot out a little poem which goes like this:

little wonder, the children play all day

shouting, chanting and screaming all day on top of there voice.

the grass was green, their foot were dirty with so much mold from the soil. the sky was blue and smiling on the children, like a mother sitting right at the corner of the garden watching her children play with much love.

their eyes were blue, looking as thou they see a brighter future ahead of them. the cloud changing as thou it was going to rain. the children still playing not minding if it was going to rain or not.

there came a loud thunder, shouting so loud than a gong can. the thunder was like shout of a father, asking his children to get in and read and stop the playing.

then the children who acknowledge the fact that was going to rain, start shouting on the voice with this popular melody; rain way go away……………

to me they seem as thou they were pleading to their dad, they want to play more and continue their fun in the garden. but the rain started falling and they all ran inside and start reading poems and stories. truly they were really obedient to there parent, they could here the massage passed to them by this beautiful nature. 

 

Back to my write-up, i think it is better for a nation to pave a place in her policy to cater for this children. So i was so astonished when i went through a daily newspaper and i found a page dedicated to the children, to me it a fascinating idea i will employ all government to practice. so before one can think of development in a state or any nation one should pave and create a standardize future for this children. sincerely, if the past generation really train our present generation on how to handle economic problem i am certain this global meltdown we are experiencing now will never come to place because they would have been taught on how to tackle economic recession when it come to place. so i will like to urge every country of the world and all cooperate organization to invest tiredly on this children. it is really an obligation and a responsibility impose on us all from God. with reference to the bible i will like to draw your attention to an incident in the bible due to that lead to the punishment of a reputable priest which name was Eli. his children where not clean in the sight of God, so God decided to punish him and his sons. to avoid the rot of God i guess we need to create time for this children since they are the future of tomorrow.

without this children  i see no existence of a state, because it is because of this children we are happy of tomorrow so why don’t we create a better tomorrow for them? the children surely hold the history. without you there is no history for them to talk about, likewise without them there is no history to pass on. so it is really what we teach them they pass on. presently Nigeria is faced with problem and that is taking control of this present leaders of tomorrow who are taught on how to lute money once they are in power. sorry to say this is what will be passed on if nothing is done to address this issue.

furthermore, i will like to plead on all this war fighting nation to at least clear the air peacefully, so as to save our children from learning “warism”. vividly, this word can’t be found in the advance English dictionary put i bet you it is an ideology that can be used by children who are exposed to it. so employ all developed and developing nation of the world to strive hard and build great children as wonderful leaders of tomorrow……..

So i will like you to always stay on to this blog as the continuation to this drastical article will be completed soon. Thanks for reading.

ME,ME AND ME.

I am glued to the chair and I can’t help myself taking my eyes off the television. I was ‘impressed’ rhetorically to what I see and just heard on this device. It was written boldly as an heading “activities in the varsities is now paralyzed due to ASUU strike”, then a taught stroke me that what is the meaning of all this? I ask myself. Then I increasing fixed my eyes on the television like I was going to get an answer I glanced more, suddenly there was news ‘that government as granted amnesty to the people of Niger delta’. Then I came to realize that the government dually doesn’t care for her citizen, I stood up and made my way to the bedroom to sleep over it having it in mind that I am going to put all in my mind to writing tomorrow morning.
I tiredly woke up and quickly looked at the wall clock seeing that it is past eight I said my morning prayer and made a quick gripe to my towel then made my way to the bathroom where I had my bath and get my tooth brushed. I seem to be prepared for the task ahead of me today.

ASUU STRIKE

ASUU strike, again!

THE yearly arm-wrestling tournament between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government underscores the degree of contempt which the government and ASUU leadership have for each other. ASUU's latest decision to drag its members out of university classrooms and laboratories, as well as the government's nonchalance over the adverse impact of that ASUU decision, show quite clearly that neither ASUU nor the government cares about the consequences of constant disruptions to university education across the country.

In the current dispute, ASUU seems to be holding the moral high ground, if we believe its key argument for declaring an industrial strike effective from this week. At a press conference in Akure on Monday this week, the national president of ASUU, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, exposed the backside of Umaru Yar'Adua's administration when he contended that ASUU was forced "to take the painful decision to declare a total and indefinite strike to compel the government to take the path of honour for once and sign the agreement reached after more than two years of painstaking and scientific negotiations".

It is indeed absurd and utterly unacceptable that a government which proclaims itself as a product of a democratic process has continued to apply underhanded strategies normally associated with authoritarian regimes. When the Federal Government signs an agreement with any organisation, group or agency, it is expected that the government should abide by the terms and conditions of that contract. However, it is a mark of arrogance and small-mindedness for a government to deliberately ignore, dishonour or desecrate the same agreement it endorsed without justifiable reasons.

The Federal Government's evasive attitude to complaints about crumbling standards in the universities is evidence of an adult behaving badly. And it is that bad conduct on the part of Yar'Adua's government that has given ASUU the upper hand in its latest fight with the government. ASUU's decision to go on "a total and indefinite strike", despicable as it might appear, should be perceived as the unintended consequence of the Federal Government's obstinacy and flagrant refusal to honour an agreement the government signed with ASUU nearly 24 months ago.

This strike is a public relations disaster for Yar'Adua's government. But, would the Federal Government care? For a government that has developed exclusive rights to sluggishness as a way of doing business, the ASUU strike may not show up in Yar'Adua's consciousness radar as a sensitive issue to be resolved immediately. Going by the lethargic pace with which the government has been approaching issues of national significance, no one should expect Yar'Adua to hurry up to resolve this industrial standoff. In Aso Rock, it could be business as usual, whether or not ASUU holds on to the strike till the next election.

In the past, during the overbearing rule of Olusegun Obasanjo, the nation was led to believe that constant industrial disputes between ASUU and the government was due to Obasanjo's intolerance of alternative viewpoints, not to forget his legendary dislike for university teachers. Now, we know that Yar'Adua, the controversial political offspring of Obasanjo's government, has adopted wholesale the abusive character trait which Obasanjo passed on to him on May 29, 2007.

For failing to honour its agreement with ASUU, Yar'Adua's government has cast itself in the image of a termite that destroys higher education standards across the nation. Yar'Adua seems to have this weird idea that the nation can limp on with or without life in the universities. As a former academic, Yar'Adua must be ashamed that he has not shown goodwill to the ASUU leadership.

Here is how ASUU president Awuzie captured the protracted nature of the rounds of negotiations with the Federal Government, including the cagey strategies adopted by the government. Hear him: "...in March, we were told that the agreement would be signed before the end of April. At the end of April, we were told that it would be signed on May 7. On May 7, we were told the Permanent Secretary, who has no role in signing the papers, was not in the country. On May 10, we got a text message inviting us for the signing on Tuesday, May 12 at the NUC. When we got there, there was no programme. The event turned out to be a classic case of deception. Enough is enough."

Awuzie also told journalists at the press conference in Akure: "... the negotiating teams searched for, and arrived at minimal conditions for reversing the decay in the university system and these include an agreement that if Nigeria is to get to where it ought to be, a minimum of 26 per cent of the yearly budget of the states and the Federal Government should be allocated to education... With this level of funding, we can halt the growing inability of the children of the underprivileged to get education. The teams also agreed that, in line with what the Nigerian Constitution allows, the Federal Government should as appropriate, provide assistance to states in areas of higher education."

Four days since the allegations were made, the government has chosen to keep mum. In the past, I had written articles critical of ASUU's decision to adopt strikes as a major weapon to achieve its goals. My position has not changed but I am miffed by the degree of arrogance that continues to ooze from the government team negotiating with ASUU. To be certain, ASUU is justifiably concerned by the lack of faith and commitment shown by the government toward its complaints about the disintegration of equipment in the universities, including falling standards of teaching, research and community service.

As I argued in an article written on May 2, 2008 when ASUU observed what it described as a "warning strike" designed to force federal education authorities to recall the dismissed 49 academic staff members of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN): "How can scientific research and knowledge be advanced in the universities when basic equipment and infrastructure are unavailable or have since decayed? ASUU has an obligation to ensure that teaching and research at the universities are conducted in an environment that promotes learning." In the current climate, ASUU can't do much without financial and moral support from the government.

I have heard the argument that there is nothing to lose if ASUU pulls down the university education system that lacks quality. Advocates of this view often contend that it is better to incinerate a flawed education system in order to build a stronger and more robust tertiary education system that everyone - students, parents and education administrators - would gladly associate with. It is a reckless argument. If Nigeria's higher education system is faulty, pulling it down is not the best way to rebuild or restructure it.

For a long time, the Nigerian public assumed that the ASUU leadership went on regular strikes because they were terrified by the prospect of the Federal Government introducing radical changes in the university system, particularly changes designed to promote accountability and enhance academic standards, as well as expose the flaws in the system. The issues that underpin this latest ASUU strike show quite clearly that it is the Federal Government that is scared of improving the university system.

Whether this ASUU strike is resolved sooner or later, there will be consequences for the endless interruptions to teaching and research, including community service rendered by academic staff of universities. For every day the strike is sustained, the nation loses in terms of hours of productivity. Not only will universities record a significant decline in the quality of teaching and research, the graduates of Nigerian universities will also lose their appeal and competitiveness among graduates from other overseas countries. In terms of job opportunities, overseas job recruitment officers will avoid rather than rush to Nigeria to recruit our graduates. Who wants to hire graduates of a university system that constantly experiences disruptions to academic schedule?

Whenever ASUU coughs in its campaign to entrench high standards in teaching and research at the universities, it is the university students and graduates who will be in the frontline of the victims of ASUU's cold and flu - in a metaphoric sense. ASUU strike, whatever its objectives might be, is a double whammy that undermines the academic progress of current students and job prospects of graduates. When ASUU goes on strike and the nation gasps "ASUU strike, again!" it is necessary to understand the underlying reasons for the strike, even if we do not agree with the use of strikes as an instrument to resolve
industrial disputes.







UPDATED AT 18.15GMT
Senate panel to meet Egwu, ASUU over strike
The Senate Committee on Education will on Tuesday meet with the Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which has been on an industrial strike since last week. According to a statement by secretary to the committee, Mr. Felix Orumwense, the meeting would allow both parties to exchange views on how best to put an end to the strike. Chairman of the Committee, Senator Joy Emodi had suggested that the Education Trust Fund (ETF) be made to devote its resources to the funding of tertiary institutions in the country.

No swine flu in Nigeria, govt assures
Minister for Health, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin has assured Nigerians that there was no case of Swine Flu in the country, noting that the disease was "now a close call to home." Addressing reporters on Monday in Abuja, he said surveillance had been beefed up at all major entry points into the country to forestall any possible outbreak, alerting state commissioners of health and training epidemiologists to identify the disease. The assurance is coming as the epidemic fears hit the Wimbledon tennis championships on Monday with WHO figures on the disease showing increase, leaping past 70,000 while Australian researchers said a vaccine could be ready in months. Osotimehin said it was management of the disease that mattered but its prevention, noting that Nigeria was one of the first countries in Africa to have accredited laboratories for the diagnosis and treatment of pandemic. The minister reiterated that Africa has recorded 10 cases in four countries.

ASUU, UI management disagree
The striking teachers of the University of Ibadan (UI) and the management are now on war path over the institution's directive to staff and students to proceed on a two-week compulsory leave. The teachers, under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), said since they were already on strike, the decision was illegal and an attempt to infiltrate their ranks. ASUU, in a statement made available to reporters and signed by the chapter president, Dr. Ademola Aremu, said the vacation was meant for workers on service and not after the strike had been pronounced by the union. "The purported emergency Senate Meeting attended by 26 out of not less than over 500 men is a violation of the strike which is total and indefinite," ASUU said. Aremu maintained that the imposition of a two-week leave on staff by the institution's management was dictatorial and a betrayal of the ongoing strike. "Leave is meant for workers on service and not for workers, who are already on strike, the directive feigns ignorance of national strike which has been communicated to the management, such pretence is tantamount to a denial of the right of our members on strike. Furthermore, the purported Senate decision that teaching and non teaching staff should proceed on involuntary leave is nothing but a negation of one of the affirmation of the Governing Council that workers have a right to embark on strike," Aremu noted.

AC accuses PDP of undermining democracy
The Action Congress (AC) has accused President Umaru Yar'Adua and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of undermining the country's democracy and the rule of law by aligning with elected officials who are cross- carpeting. In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party criticised the President for personally witnessing Bauchi Governor Isa Yuguda's crossover from the ANPP to the PDP, even when the people of the state who voted him into office on the platform of the ANPP did not approve of the move. "Carpet-crossing is undermining democracy. Therefore, openly aligning with those engaged in it undermines the nation's democracy. It is worse when the President, who is an apostle of rule of law, is the one encouraging such illegality,'' AC said. The party warned that it would head to court to seek judicial interpretation over the decision of an AC Senator in Plateau State, Satty Gogwim, who is decamping to the PDP.

Madoff bags 150 years prison term
Convicted swindler Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison on Monday for fraud so extensive that the judge said he needed to send a symbolic message to those who might imitate his fraud and to victims who need relief. Applause broke out in the crowded Manhattan courtroom after U.S. District Judge Denny Chin issued the maximum sentence on the 71-year-old defendant, who said he sought no forgiveness and knew he must live "with this pain, this torment, for the rest of my life." Chin rejected a request by Madoff's lawyer for leniency and said he disagreed that victims of the fraud were seeking mob vengeance. "Here the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of manipulation of the system is not just a bloodless crime that takes place on paper, but one instead that takes a staggering toll," Chin said. The Judge said the estimate that Madoff has cost his victims more than $13 billion was conservative because it did not include money from feeder funds. "Objectively speaking, the fraud here was staggering," the judge said. Before Chin announced the sentence, Madoff, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and a tie, sat and listened as emotional witnesses described how he spoiled their security.