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Policy summersaults crippling Nigeria’s education system – Ex-minister Nebo
By Praise Chinecherem
Former Minister of Power and former Vice Chancellor of University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Prof. Chinedu Nebo has described skills and entrepreneurial as key to sustainable development in Nigeria.
He however regretted that policy summersaults in nation’s education system had left the country crippled and almost irredeemable in terms of skills and entrepreneurship.
Delivering Convocation Lecture for the 19th Convocation ceremony of the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State, themed, “Skills/Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development”, Nebo also lamented that Nigeria had killed meritocracy and elevated mediocracy on the platter of federal character principle.
He called on government at all levels to channel their resources to develop skills and entrepreneurial spirits of citizens of the country.
He said, “A situation where some elements in the society are not developing like others is bound to bring about disharmony and class, or even religious and regional clashes, all leading to insecurity.
“An attempt to redress regional developmental gaps by Nigeria’s so called federal character principle has failed woefully because it has killed meritocracy and elevated mediocracy to inglourious hieghts.
“The Nigerian method of bridging gaps is to bring the brightest and best down to the level of the weakest. It’s an insanely convulated ideology, entrenched in ignorance and nepotism.
“What we need in Nigeria is skills not sex or gender. We need skills not paper qualifications, skills not age, skills not your state of origin or religion. It’s skills and entrepreneurship that drive sustainable development.”
Identifying politics as greatest industry in Nigeria, with politicians’ salaries more than that of American President, Nebo, current VC of University on the Niger, Umunya decried that the same nation aspiring greatness parade university lecturers with monthly salaries of less than $500.
“For Nigeria to change there has to be a revolution. This is a country where those who are supposed to be driving the economy with intellects are the poorest.
“Nigeria is greatly in need of skilled and entrepreneurial individuals to build and drive the economy. Such a mindset studies the environment, identifies the problems and challenges and devices ways and means of solving them creatively and profitably.
“It is the desire to create and multiply entrepreneurs that has led some professionals to coin such terms as agropreneurs, electropreneurs, etc, implying that entrepreneurship has no boundaries at all,” he added.
Rector of the institution, Engr Dr Francisca Nwafulugo explained that the Polytechnic mission remained grooming students with capacity of engaging their skills for job creation not only for themselves but for others and thereby contribute to the nations GDP and economic development.
She described the convocation lecture theme as ideal as well as succinctly captured the essence of polytechnic education, saying it offered opportunity for cross pollination of ideas and analyzation of thoughts.
She said, “As a Technical and Vocational Education Training Institution, TVET, it is expected that we will be at the forefront of developing skilled manpower.
“The NBTE has vigorously pursued goals and measures that will strengthen TVET institutions to be well equipped for the development of entrepreneurial and technical skills for self-sustenance and economic viability.
“Here at Federal Polytechnic Oko we are quite intentional and focused in streamlining our academic operations to uphold the essence of TVET. Technical and vocational education and training
“It is in line with this that we have the entrepreneurship and skills development centre to stimulate skills acquisition and enhance entrepreneurial capacity.
“There is no doubt our students are taking advantage of this resource center to prepare for an independent and economically viable life.
“In the same vein we are partnering with National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) to boost capacity and develop the ingenuity of the students.
“This is the way to go as a nation. I have no doubt that our guest lecturer who is an erudite scholar with vast experience will do justice to this topic. I therefore urge us to listen with rapt attention and maximize the benefit of this lecture.”
Earlier, Chairman of the occasion, and former Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Nekede Rev. Canon Engr Dr Michael Arimanwa commended the host Rector and her team for organising the convocation series 14 years after.
He called on government to make deliberate policies that would lay more emphasis on technical education, describing it as surest way to reducing unemployment and crime in the society.