YES, IT'S TIME TO BE MORE UNITED

“We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, having firmly and solemnly resolved: To live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God, dedicated to the promotion of inter-African solidarity, world peace, international co-operation and understanding: And to provide for a constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country on the principles of freedom, equity and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people.”

This statement, forms the preamble of the nineteen ninety-nine constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which commits every Nigerian to the pursuit of National Unity, irrespective of religion, ethnic and political affiliations.

It stresses the need for the citizens of this country to realize that irrespective of their place of origin, there is a rope that ties everyone together as Nigerian.

Ideally, people of a particular nation should share a common citizenship, common loyalty to the nation, common rights and common obligation or responsibilities for the stability of peaceful co-existence of the country.

It is also expected that there should not be discrimination of any sort in the application of the law, equitable share of protection and equitable share of amenities and facilities provided by government.

Citizens of a country are also to identify and be identified with some features that are common and unique to the country and the people
In Nigeria for example, all Nigerians are expected to be identified and to identify with the National flag, National Anthem, the National Currency that is Naira and Kobo, National Passport, National Identify Card and the National colour (Green White-Green) among others.

However, there are a number of deterrents to the realization of National Unity in Nigeria a secular State, with about one hundred and fifty million people, more than two hundred and fifty ethnic groups and multi-religious.

Ethnic affliction has been identified as a major impediment to national unity, because many people prefer to identify more with their ethnic groups, state or region than with the country.

Others are Multi-religious, uneven distribution of amenities, differences in language and the oppression of Minority by Majority or Vice Verse due to their access to power.

It is therefore necessary to improve the level of civic education and enlightenment of citizens on the need for peaceful co-existence and tolerance, with a view to curbing the spate of crisis in Jos, Plateau State, Niger Delta and other parts of the country.

Thus, there is the need for even distribution of amenities to all parts of the country, improvement on transport and communication facilities throughout the country to enhance mutual trust and understanding as well as more encouragement of inter-tribal marriages to enable couples to imbibe the spirit of tolerance and understanding of each others culture and custom, to make the country move united.

Traditional rulers, community leaders, political and non-political leaders as well as religious leaders should work vehemently towards promoting tolerance, unity and peaceful co-existence of the country for the realization of a National Unity.

NEED FOR DIVERSIFICATION OF NIGERIA’S ECONOMY

Nigeria, the most populous black nation with over one hundred and fifty million people and over three hundred and fifty-six thousand square miles land mass is blessed with abundant human and natural resources.

Prior to the discovery of oil in commercial quantities sometimes in the sixties/seventies, agriculture was recognized as viable source of revenue to the country and crops like Groundnuts, Cocoa, Beans, Rubber, Gum Arabic, Kola nuts, Cotton, Soya beans, Palm Kernel, Cashew nut and the likes were exported to Europe, America and other continents across the globe.

In the three main regions of Nigeria, that is, the North, South and the East, at least an agricultural product was largely produced and in commercial quantities, which enhanced the standard of living and economic status of the people.

However, for decades now, Nigeria’s economy had been dominated by the petroleum sector. Oil, being Nigeria’s single biggest source of income, is responsible for generating over twenty percent of Nigeria’s GDP and clearly, ninety-five per cent of foreign earning.

Indeed, if the type of adequate attention given to petroleum can be extended to mining, commerce, agriculture, tourism and other sectors of the economy, the socio-economic status of the country will improve.

There is no doubt that Nigeria has tremendous opportunities in mining and mineral extraction. The country has one of the best quality coal deposits in the world, with lowest sulphur content. Others are gypsum, barites, kaolin and tale, which if properly harnessed, will increase the country’s annual revenue.

The country is also blessed with tropical rain forests, savannah grasslands, mangrove swamps the sahel savannah and most especially, natural tourist sites like the Owu Water Fall in Kwara State, the steepest natural waterfall in West Africa and Esie Museum, also in Kwara State.

Others include Asabari Hill in Saki area of Oyo State, the Niger-Benue Confluence in Kogi State, Ikogosi Warm Spring in Ondo State, Argungu Fishing Festival and Yankari Games Reserve and its warm spring among others can be given priority attention to attract vacationers and visitors to generate huge amount of money to the country.

It is against this background that then Acting President and now the President of Nigeria, Doctor Goodluck Jonathan stressed the need for Africa to exploit the potential of its natural endowment to surmount threats of the global economic recession.

Speaking at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the High Level Conference on Development of Agri-business and Agro-industries in Africa held in Abuja, Doctor Jonathan explained that the impact of the financial crises was evident in the crash in prices of Africa’s major export commodities.

Thus, Nigeria tapped and untapped resources in all the nooks and crannies of the country should be given adequate attention by way of diversifying the nation’s economy. This is with a view to reducing the country’s dependence on imported goods, improve industrialization, reduce unemployment and enhance the standard of living.

EMERGENCE OF TELEVISION IN AFRICA

Historically, the idea of matching radio signals with pictures to be transmitted on the air and received at home, began shortly after success was recorded in radio communication.

The efforts of a number of scientists and investors from Germany , USSR , United States of America , Britain and France finally led to the emergence of telecasting in the early nineteen hundred but the experiments had started in the eighteen hundred, when still and moving pictures were sent by wire and this led to development of the wire photo service.

In nineteen thirty , more than forty Engineers and Television inventors were brought together in Canden , New Jersey to merge their television research programmes together. The team tackled and solved all the outstanding problems relating to television system.

In Britain , the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) began a regular television service from New Alexander Palace station in nineteen thirty-six . Japan , too, was busy with its research, but this was halted by Second World War between nineteen thirty-nine and nineteen forty-five .

Nigeria joined the World of television in nineteen fifty-nine , when the Western region television broadcasting was born. The television started with the initiative of the first Western Region Premier, Chief Obafemi Awolowo who on the thirty-first, October, nineteen fifty-nine launched television broadcasting in Ibadan , the headquarters of the region. During this period, Chief Anthony Enahoro was the Minister in charge of Information.

In nineteen fifty-three following a walkout of the House of Assembly by the Awolowo-led Action Group over calls for a repeal of the Macpherson constitution of nineteen fifty-one-Governor Macpherson’s Colonial Government derided the walkout as immature on television and Chief Awolowo then asked for a right of reply. It is on record up till today that Politics and education were two developments accelerated the reality.

Speaking during the launching of the WNTV at Agodi, Ibadan , which incidentally was the first in Africa, the Late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo said the medium was meant to serve as teacher entertainer, and a stimulus to all to transform Nigeria into a modern and prosperous nation.

Though, the project was a regional one, it was designed to serve a pan-Nigeria goal. Indeed, Chief Awolowo went further to emphasize the informational and educational motive behind the founding of the WNTV by saying that his government intended to bring into people’s homes information about Nigeria and the outside world to enable Nigerians gain more knowledge about their society and the world at large.

On October first, nineteen sixty, the former Eastern Region started its own television broadcasting system. The motive for its establishment was also the need for formal and informal education while the Northern Region Government contracted with the overseas firms of Pye Limited and Granada TV Limited to build its own television service known as Radio Television Kaduna which was on air in nineteen sixty-two.

In nineteen seventy-eight, Western Nigeria Television transformed into what we now know as the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA). The then Military authorities took over the regional televisions and made them an authentic voice of the Nigerian government.

Also, in nineteen nineties, NTA’s monopoly on the Nigerian airspace was broken with the establishment of privately owned television stations and networks under General Ibrahim Babangida.

In due course, the television box became a popularly household item across Nigeria , with regional and state governments setting up their own television stations. Having set the pace, other African countries followed suit.

The advent of television transformed the Nigerian way of life, it expanded the scope of human expression and freedom and has served as tool not just for education and entertainment, but also the documentation of significant social and political history.

It is pertinent to note however that despite the increasing televisions across the length and breadth of Nigeria , the desired quality production and programming cannot be said to have been achieved when compared to other television stations across the globe.

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) should also ensure that its directive of seventy percent local content broadcasting is complied with to promote a broad range of positive objectives in the society.

Government should also create an enabling environment in terms of infrastructure and legislation for all parties involved to meet this particular goal as well as social objective envisioned by Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo fifty years ago.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOLS

For long, many Africa Nations have made giant strides in expanding their educational systems. Some of then have expanded their systems especially at the Primary level in response to the 1961 Addis Ababa Conference that set for the continent the target of achieving free and compulsory universal primary education by the year 1980.

Others apart from this, see the achievement of universal primary education as a measure of international prestige and a symbol of emancipation. A good number of these nations have also expanded the facilities at the secondary and tertiary levels of education in the strong belief that such investments will yield high returns.

No doubt, the issue of quality is not however, peculiar to the educational systems of the developing world, even, some advanced countries have often expressed concern about the quality of their own educational system.

Some Nigerian communities have been playing a pivotal role towards developing schools in their environment, thereby enhancing educational quality and interactions between the community and the schools.

Considering the challenges facing quality education delivery in the country, it is evident that there is a compelling need for all stakeholders in the sector to make genuine and concerted commitment towards pooling together resources, intellectual, ability and capabilities towards ensuring that basic educational delivery does not become an overbearing task borne by an entity called “Government”.

Involvement of communities in the affairs or management of schools would no doubt afford teachers the opportunity to know more about the people and the life of the community. It will also afford them the opportunity to know the history, culture, norms, values, problems and needs, its resources in the form of men, things and places, its folklore, the interest groups in the Community and so forth, thereby enabling teachers to relate lessons to the environment of the school.

Thus, if Universal Basic Education Programme must succeed, it must truly be seen and implemented as the peoples programme and community participation will therefore serve as proof of the fact that ‘Education for All” is truly the responsibility of all and a means of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria by the year 2015.

It is also on record that the NCE meeting of December, 2005 held in Ibadan , the Oyo State Capital, approved the Policy for he establishment of School Based Management Committees in all Universal Basic Education Schools in the Country. The initiative will enable community members the opportunity of playing distinctive roles in actualising interest and capabilities towards the improvement of Basic Education system and administration.

Although, establishment of School Management Committee (SMCs) in Nigeria dates back to the era of the introduction of missionary schools they were then established to manage and raise funds for the missionary schools. Until early nineteen eighties when government took over the schools and dissolved the SMCs, they were functional and coordinated.

Today, the involvement of parents in school matters in most of the communities is usually through the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). With a few exceptions, the traditional role of the PTAs has been that of making financial contributions to schools. These contributions being discouraged by some state governments in the country for some reasons are usually used for proving some needed facilities and procuring some materials and equipment that may be lacking in the schools.

The involvement of the community in the life of their schools has recently gone beyond mere financial contributions by PTAs, as educational development in some parts of the country are truly through communal efforts.

It is therefore imperative for the States Chapters of the Parent Teacher Association to co-opt other stakeholders in the Education Sector in enlightening, and sensitizing the public on the need not to sit on the fence but to stand up and contribute their positive quota to the improvement of quality teaching and learning in the State.

Undoubtedly, Girls education which tends to the promotion of gender equality in education is vital to development, and policies and actions that do not address gender disparities miss critical development opportunities.

According to the United Nations Educationally Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in two thousand and five, thirty years ago, girls represented thirty eight percent of primary enrollments in low-income counties and boys, sixty-two percent. Today the gender gap has narrowed with girls representing forty-eight percent and boys fifty-two per cent of primary enrollments.

Yet, the level of enrollment of girls are very low compared to their boys counterpart and if development could be achieved in all spheres of life, enlightenments on the enrollment of girls education must be intensified.

Indeed, gender differential access to school is usually caused by poverty, adverse cultural practices, schooling quality and distance to schools.

However, there are some emerging challenges that reduce girls’ enrollment in primary, secondary and tertiary education.

These challenges include HIV/AIDS, conflicts, emergencies and other fragile situations, gender-based violence and information technology gender gap.

Recalling the Millennium Development Goals of gender parity in primary and secondary education by 2005, no doubt, the goal failed abysmally in most regions.

Hence, there is substantial cause for optimism as most developing countries are no cause for closing gender gap in primary enrollment by 2015 if they continue at present rates of progress in enrollment and attendance rates.

It must be noted that Girls education yield some of the highest returns of all development investment, yielding both private and social benefits that accrue to individuals, families and society at large.

To this end, the popular wise saying of “when you education a man, you educate an individual but when you educate a woman, you educate a nation” should not be undermined to ensure positive result.

With this assertion, no doubt, an educated woman will impact positively on the family. Because, her education will greatly assist in reducing maternal and infant mortality, fight poverty and raise her children to become responsible members of the society, while responsible children coming from such responsible families will ensure a socially responsible society.

Statistically, a publication by a Non-Governmental Organization, Global Campaign for Education, States that girl make up about fifty-six per cent of the seventy-seven million children not in school in Nigeria .

Speaking recently in Bauchi at the commencement of the Nigerian Girl-Child Education Initiative, the Nigerian First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua appealed to Emirs and Chiefs in the nineteen Northern States to sensitize their subjects on the importance of the girl-child education.

Hajia Yar’Adua said the traditional rulers had a strategic role to play in encouraging parents to sent their wards to schools and promote growth, adding that educating the girl-child would enhance the socio-economic status of women in the Country.

It is therefore pertinent to step up efforts at educating the public on girl-child education with a view to attracting more parents to enroll their children after seeing the success of other girls while government alone should not be left along to empower women and reduce fundamental problems facing womenfolk.