REGISTRATION FOR THE NEW NATIONAL IDENTITY CARD.

Nigeria is a country where the citizenry expect to see a drastic and holistic change in every sector of the economy, but very few believe that change is a process.

Some Nigerians say President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is clueless, visionless, and lacks the wherewithal to lead this nation to her promised land.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) established by the NIMC Act No.23 of 2007, is the umbrella body mandated to establish, own, operate, maintain and manage the National Identity Database in Nigeria.

The body registers Nigerians and assigns a unique National Identification Number (NIN) after which General Multi Purpose Cards are issued only to the registered individuals. The question is 'who is to be registered?'

According to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) Chapter 3 Section 25(1) a-c, on Citizenship By Birth, states that

·        every person born in Nigeria before the date of independence, either of whose parents or any of whose grand-parents belongs or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria

·        every person born in Nigeria after the date of independence either of whose parents or any of whose grand-parents is a citizen of Nigeria

·        every person born outside Nigeria either of whose parents is a citizen of Nigeria.

This means that if you belong to any of the aforementioned groups, you are eligible to be registered.

Another question is ‘is everybody eligible to have an identity card­?’ Only those who have attained 16 years are eligible to have an ID card, while those less than 16 yrs will only be issued a NIN. Although, there is plan to review the age limit in future.

Nigerians are curious about this exercise, and have been asking questions like ‘what happens to the other ID card?’ ‘Do we need to pay for this?’  ‘Is anyone given the franchise to register people?’

The registration and first issuance of the Identity card is FREE, however, there is a cost for any subsequent card replacement in the event of loss, damage etc. Beware of fraudsters posing as NIMC agents or staff as nobody is given the franchise to operate, but there are freelance individuals who help those who cannot access the internet to do the online pre registration.

President Goodluck Jonathan launching the new national ID card

This new Nigerian National I.D card was launched on 28^th August, 2014 by president GEJ, and has features like the holders photograph, name, age and unique I.D no. and the branded logo of the American firm MasterCard.

The importance of this card cannot be overemphasized, as it will provide Nigerians the secured, easy and reliable way of making electronic payments or transactions.

According to president GEJ, “To all Nigerians, I say, remember the National Identification Number (NIN) is your identity. The card is not only a means of certifying your identity, but also, a personal database repository and payment card, all in your pocket!” This means that with it you can withdraw money in any place.

Sample of the new national ID card

However, Nigerians are infuriated over the MasterCard logo, since it is not a Nigerian Identity. They expect the National colours of green & white, as well as the coat of Arms to be part of the features. According to NIMC Director of technical services, Mr. Emmanuel Ogungbe, “the New National I.D card is supposed to assist in tracking criminals as well.”

If you are yet to avail yourself for registration please do so at any of the local government secretariats and other registered centres in your state.

ENROL ONCE AND BE IDENTIFIED FOR LIFE.

                   

         

       

        

STUDENTS’ POOR PERFORMANCE IN THE 2014 MAY/JUNE WAEC

The parlance used in the labour market is that a labourer is worthy of his wage/salary , and this can be borrowed into the academia to show that the student who labours by burning late night candles, will have his/her results different from those who have their beds as best friends.

The height that great men reached did not come by sudden flight, but they, while their mates slept, toiled through the night.

The results of our candidates in the West African Examination Council, WAEC, have not been encouraging in the last five years.

With this year’s appalling results, only a few students would be able to secure admission into the nation’s institutions of higher learning, since every candidate is expected to have at least 5credit passes including Mathematics and English Language in WASSCE or NECO.

The released May/June 2014 WAEC Results show massive failure in Mathematics and English Language.

According to Charles Eguridu, the Head of National Office, WAEC, out of 1,692,435 candidates sat for the examination, 982,472 candidates, representing 58.05% were able to obtain 5 credits and above, while 529,425 candidates representing 31.28% obtained 5 credits and above including Mathematics and English Language.

The results for this year were very poor, following students’ performance in 2012 and 2013 in which 38.81% and 36.57% respectively representing those who had 5 credits and above including Mathematics and English Language.

145,795 candidates representing 8.61% had their results withheld following examination malpractices.

In 2011, 1, 540,250 candidates sat for the examination in which 789,288 candidates representing 51.71% had 5 credits and above, but 472, 906 candidates representing 30. 70% got 5 credits including Mathematics and English Language. 81,573 candidates representing 5.29% had their results withheld for examination malpractices.

The 2010 WAEC Examination results were such that only 677,007 candidates representing 42% out of 1,351,557 candidates that sat for the examination obtained 5 credits and above, of which 534,841 candidates representing 39.57% obtained 6 credits and above.

 According to the former HNO, Dr. Uyi Uwadiae, 337,071 candidates representing 24.94% obtained credits in Mathematics, English Language and at least three other subjects.

77,168 candidates had their results withheld due to examination malpractice.

Without mincing words, this year’s WAEC results are very disgraceful as not only the students are to blame, but also, parents teachers and the government.

Most people in the teaching profession are in there by chance, not because they have passion for it, but simply to make ends meet. The qualified teachers are poorly remunerated and as such they look out for other sources of income at the expense of their students.

Parents leave their children/wards at the mercy of the teachers, and would hardly find out the performance of their children at school. They are ready to provide the financial resources to aid the performance of their children even when they their academic capabilities are very low.

School proprietors/proprietresses should stand in defiance of parents who want answers supplied to their children/wards. They should debunk the notion that schools with good results will always have high patronage, and allow their students to write the examination by themselves.

The Vice-chancellor of Caleb University, Prof Ayodeji Olukoju complained of the decline in our reading culture and poor attitude of teachers to work.

Our students love to be on social media platforms 24/7 and can tell you about celebrities around the world, but have little knowledge in Mathematics, Science, Arts and Commercial subjects. The use of mobile phones should be completely banned in our schools. From the results released, about 70% of candidates failed this year’s examination. This is a national disgrace and we must all rise to revamp the educational sector.

Table of Values

Year % pass in 5 subjects and above 2010 24.94 2011 30.70 2012 38.81 2013 36.57 2014 31.28

 

SAFE SCHOOL INITIATIVE: Safeguarding Our Children

Children going to school

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, a school is an organization that provides instruction. Simply put it: it is a place for the teaching of children.

The Safe School Initiative was launched at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Nigeria, by Nigerian business leaders working with the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Mr. Gordon Brown.

The initiative came up as a result of the growing number of attacks on schools, and the abduction of over 200 girls in a government school, in Chibok, Borno state, north-east, Nigeria.

In the course of the Forum (which was held in May) President Goodluck Jonathan in a closed door meeting with Mr. Gordon Brown, pledged the sum of $10 million to the Safe School Initiative Fund created by the latter.

Earlier, Mr. Gordon Brown, alongside a coalition of Nigerian business leaders, launched the sum of $10 million to the Initiative, as part of the campaign towards the safe release of the abducted Chibok school girls, and promoting safety in schools, thus, providing the right environment for learning.

According to Mr. Brown, “we want to assure every girl that goes to school, and every teacher that teaches that their schools will be safer as a result of this action. And we want to support the Nigerian government in all their efforts.”

Parents of the abducted Chibok girls wait patiently for the safe release of their children. As parents, we must put all measures in place to forestall kidnapping at schools.

• ·   Children should know their full name and home address as well as the mobile number of at least one of       the parents.
• ·    Apart from the parents, children should have a trusted person to call in case of any emergency.
• ·   Children’s names should not be visibly imprinted on their clothing, so that they would not be at risk     to potential abductors.
• ·   Children should learn to spot dangerous action. for instance, if someone in a car drives close to you     and tries to get you come to the car or possibly give you a lift, know it is a dangerous action.

·        Most importantly, parents should build a cordial relationship with their children so that they can confide in them regarding anybody pestering them in schools(may be an unknown person through phone calls)

Kid going to school

Teachers must be safety conscious, as safety is everybody’s business, and they are accountable for whatever happens to the children under their stewardship. Possibly, school administrators should employ teachers with experience in safety techniques.                                                                                                                   

As schools begin a new academic session, parents, teachers, school administrators, security personnel should brace themselves for any of such occurrence.

LET’S SAFEGUARD OUR CHILDREN.

BOKO HARAM:  This Trend Must Stop.

Nigeria is a great country, blessed with natural and human resources to be among the best twenty economies of the world by the year 2020, but with the spate of events occurring in recent times, the sun, which is supposed to smile at us, now weeps for the future of our children.

The northern region of Nigeria is gradually becoming a war-torn area, following the recent attacks and bombings in the region.

Chibok community members

The Nigeria I knew yesteryears, is not the same today. It has never happened in the history of our great nation that more than two hundred girls would be abducted for 110 days now, who were supposed to have been planning their future in the right direction, towards contributing meaningfully to the development of the society and the world at large.

Contrarily, the Nigerian child is used to perpetrate evils in our dear country. Terrorists use female suicide bombers to carry out their dastardly acts, because women generally would raise fewer suspicions.

In most security operations involving stop and search, male security operatives are not in any way allowed to search females. This was why General Buhari’s bomber (a young man in his early 20s) could disguise himself as a woman, having a brassiere affixed to his chest.

A 20 year old suicide bomber disguised as a woman
inset- when he was stripped.

Back in my school days in Kaduna, female students who wore ‘hijabs’ were highly revered and modest in their dressing, of which, a young woman was always advised to wear it when going out.

Some days ago, a suicide bomber blew herself up in the midst of students in Kano State Polytechnic, who were checking their names for the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

A 10year old girl was arrested with explosives strapped to her chest, also in a bid to blow up herself. This is an appalling situation and we must tackle it immediately.

Going away from the anachronistic way when women’s education ended in the kitchen, parents, teachers, caregivers and religious leaders must take the responsibility of educating the girl child because they are easily deceived to accommodate any indoctrination.

Based on this, the Federal government is poised to providing qualitative education to all young Nigerians who desire to improve themselves.

Female security operatives should work hand in hand with their male counterpart to checking other female in critical situations so as to forestall subsequent bomb attacks.

The military and other security agencies should not relent in their efforts to countering acts of terrorism.

The fight against terrorism requires concerted efforts, and we must join hands to fighting it so as to restore the dignity of our nation.

This ugly trend must STOP!

OUR READING CULTURE: Going Back To The Basics.

Some books to read

It is popularly known that a man who is not informed would be deformed. Information can be acquired by reading; and reading is the means by which we gain access to information offloaded by either ourselves or someone else. It is a source of recreation, ideas and teaching.

Interestingly, everywhere one goes there is something to read: from daily newspapers, internet, television screens, etc.

In the past, people loved reading but the reverse is what we have today. The likes of Nelson Mandela, Chinua Achebe, Albert Einstein, etc were known for their intellectual prowess, because they sacrificed play for their studies, hence, they are renowned for their contributions to humanity.

In September 2013, the Liberian government in partnership with the U.S government launched a National Campaign to raise awareness on the importance of reading by students and pupils in Liberian schools, as well as the entire citizenry.

Today, Japan is one of the world’s leading economies due to their innovative spirits, brought about by their high level of reading and research. They are always deeply immersed in their reading, thus, building milestones for themselves.

Coming back home, our reading culture is so low, such that an average Nigerian only knows very little about our history as a nation.

How can we grow from being referred to as a developing nation to a developed one, when we don’t imbibe reading culture at all levels, irrespective of ethnicity, religion and age? Readers are leaders!

Our poor reading culture has really affected us in a number of ways:

• ·        Poor academic performance in examinations.
• ·        Poor communication and writing skills.
• ·        Increased level of examination malpractices.
• ·        Increased level of illiteracy.
• ·        Increased level of corruption, and many others.

Youths today are not encouraged to read due to

• ·        Poor research and development by teachers and educators in learning environments.
• ·        Poor funding to provide reading rooms or libraries.
• ·        Inadequate study materials
• ·        Changes in government policies.

Should we then with the aforementioned challenges allow illiteracy to prevent us from passing meaningful information to our posterity? No!

Imbibing the culture of reading stimulates the imaginative power of the mind and widens one’s horizons. With it, one can handle complex issues and proffer solutions.

It expands one’s life-long potentials to become empowered and productive for the society.

It helps students to be at par with their contemporaries around the world, as it is the key to education and national development.

We need concerted efforts both in public and private schools, to ensure that the libraries are well equipped with relevant books.

Teachers should encourage their learners to read daily newspapers in prints or electronically.

We are a great people, and great people are great thinkers; great thinkers are great readers. Build your archive!

THE WORK ENVIRONMENT

 

Every human-being has a unique personality which makes each of us to thrive in our habitat, but certain people may get offended by your style of relationship in a working environment.

Some of us have resilient spirits while others are phobic even in the slightest challenge, and as such, they tend to fall out with people, but a good understanding of the working environment will enable us to make it a home from home.

The work environment is simply a place where tasks are being executed; and it encompasses the nature of the environment (whether it is hot, cool, noisy, or remote), relationship with colleagues and employer(s), as well as the benefits which may be accrued to you as an employee.

In every work environment, there exists hierarchy, which shows the roles and limitations of each person in the organization. It is divided into departments and sections, having supervisors overseeing them, with a view to achieving company goals.

Many policies abound in all organizations, and employees are to make sure that they comply with it so as to avoid any brush with the management.

Employees encounter problems at work places due to their inability to conform to organizational policies. Basically, organizational policy refers to the guiding principles and procedures with which an organization will operate. It is usually drafted by the management officials, and binding on every employee.

The performance of the employees at all levels of the organization is subject to compliance with the policy, which in effect determines employees’ promotion. An employee will be queried for non-compliance with the policy. For instance, if you are supposed to be in the office at 7:30am, but you arrive often at 8:30am, giving flimsy excuses which are not tenable to your boss, you’ll be queried, and if you cannot comply, you'll be asked to resign, which may likely jeopardize your chances of securing a similar or better job than the previous.

Your work environment may be a realistic, investigative, social, enterprising, artistic or the conventional type, but whether you are in the wrong environment or not, the truth is, you must maximize your time to ensuring productivity, which is what every employer looks out for.

There is a high degree of politicking in the work environment, where people network with other colleagues in an organization, so as to benefit themselves. In some cases, office politicking hampers the achievement of an organization, since some employees may do things in their favour.

For instance, a work environment like the school is typical of an all-encompassing environment; meaning it is social, realistic, investigative, artistic and conventional in nature, and being a social environment, people network easily and gain the favour of the management staff.

Preferences may be granted to them because of their established networks, while those not in the networks, may feel biased, thus, resulting in a feud among employees. This does not rule out the fact that politics in the work environment does bring about work efficiency.

If you are experiencing this already, I would say don’t worry yourself. The most important thing you need to do is to stay focused on your job, because with patience, a problem resolves itself overtime. The world belongs to the patient man.

Ensure you maintain a reputation for honesty. Don’t even engage in a feud with your colleagues.

In any work environment you find yourself, be happy; try as much as you can to be civil to all, sociable to many, familiar with a few and friendly to a handful.

The work environment is a place for self development. Do your best at all times.

NIGERIA EDUCATION:  The  Task  Before  The  New  Minister  of  Education.

Ibrahim Shekarau

Education is a tool which cannot be compromised for anything, as it is fundamental to the development and growth of any nation. The Federal Ministry of Education in Nigeria is saddled with the responsibilities of

1.     Formulating a national policy on education

2.     Collecting and collating data for appropriate planning and financing

3.     Maintaining uniform standards of education throughout the country

4.     Controlling the quality of education in the country through the supervisory role of the Inspectorate Services Department

5.     Developing the curricula and syllabuses at the national level, in conjunction with other stakeholders.

Since its inception, some individuals have shown their capabilities to head the affairs of the ministry, starting from Aja Nwachukwu who held the position between 1958 and 1965 to Professor Ruqayyatu Rufai, who was there between April 2010 and September 2013.

The first Nigerian to receive a doctoral degree in Education was the late Prof. Babatunde Fafunwa, who was the minister of education between 1990 and 1992. He started the first tutorial college in Nigeria, Foucos Tutorial College (formerly on Ogunlana Drive, Surulere, Lagos.) in 1982.

He brought about the emergence of the Nigerian Certificate of Education, which is the minimum entry requirement for the teaching profession. He incorporated the learning of indigenous languages in Nigerian schools with English as a second language.

He also introduced the 6-3-3-4 system of education for six years of Primary education, three years of Junior Secondary, another three years of either Technical education or three years of Senior Secondary and the last four years for Tertiary education respectively.

Dr Oby Ezekwesili, a chartered Accountant, came on board as the minister of education between June 2006 and April 2007 during Obasanjo’s second term in office. She had served as the minister of Solid Minerals.

While in office, she observed that the structure of the ministry had limitation to develop the human capital needed for the progress in the sector. These necessitated the reforms that took place in the sector.

Dr Sam Egwu was the minister of education between December 2008 and March 2010 during President Umaru Musa Yar'adua. His tenure was characterized by the strike actions embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Based on these, he was succeeded by Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai.

Prof. Ruqayyatu was in office between April 2010 and September 2013, and banned the use of mobile phones in secondary schools. The ministry under her watch was to conduct a nationwide school census. ASUU strike also lingered during her time.

After the sack of Ruqqayatu, Barrister Nyesom Wike was appointed as the supervisory minister of education on 11^th September, 2013.

On July 9, 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan announced the emergence of former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, as the minister of education. He (alongside three others) was brought in at a critical time of the nation’s development.

The task before the new minister is highly demanding as he must design a frame work alongside other stakeholders to resolving the ongoing strike in the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. He must ensure that the disparity between holders of HND and B. Sc. is completely eradicated.

Polytechnic graduates have roles to play in the labour market just as their counterparts in the universities; hence, they should not in any way be discriminated, otherwise, all Polytechnics in the country should be scrapped off.

The technical and vocational sub sector is suffering because of low manpower needed for industrial development. Today, students from technical schools seek admission into universities, which negates the establishment of the Polytechnic education. They see Polytechnic education as a second option on failure to secure university admission.

The volume of academic space for admission into tertiary institution is low, and it behooves the new minister to do something.

Formulating policies is not the problem; rather, implementation and sustainability are key to ensuring development of the sector. Teachers’ quality and number must also be looked into in terms of their remuneration, so as to encourage people into the teaching profession.