Education
‘Poor Leadership Responsible For Nigeria’s Under-Development’
Nigerians have been told that it is impossible to develope under the conditions of poor quality leadership as well as living over the years with misconceptions of what constitutes development of a nation.
Speaking during the 41st Inaugural Lecture of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, last Thursday, the Inaugural Guest Lecturer, a Professor of Development and Economics, Prof. Good Wilson, while delivering his lecture titled: ‘Nigeria’s Quest For Development: A Journey Without A Roadmap, at the university, maintained that Nigeria instead of progressing alongside countries like Malaysia and Singapore was retrogressing.
Wilson attributed retrogression and underdevelopment of Nigeria to corrupt leadership that has bedeviled the country few years back, noting that this is the reason why the country is where it is today.
He stressed that if Nigerians don’t take a drastic action by choosing quality leaders, who meant well for the economic development and well being of the people, the country and her people will continue to remain poor, underdeveloped and impoverished.
He expressed dissatisfaction towards the conditions affecting the growth and development of Nigeria, adding that to confront the condition that perpetrates hardship and sufferings in Nigeria squarely, requires stronger self determination, the will power and sacrifices by all well meaning individuals to change all the bad leaders and enemies of Nigeria comes the 2023 General Elections.
He added that this was possible if all can muster courage, determination strong will and desire for positive change given the present circumstances that is confronting the country.
He opined that choosing quality leader, will encourage the emergence of a developmental state as well as applying the virtues of a road map that can help to achieve development and improve the living condition of her people.
Prof. Wilson stated further that if asked what he sees about Nigeria attainment of development and improvement in the life of the people years to come, he will say all he sees is a herculean task.
He defined development as the achievement of yearly increases in both the total and per Capita output of goods and services, noting that a country is said to be developing if the country is able to achieve on sustained basis, an annual increase in it’s gross national product (GNP) at a rate of between 5 to 7 percent.
He added that another economic indicator of development that featured prominently in the past was a rising level of industrialization, noting that if the share of industrial output in the total domestic output was rising as well then there was hope development.
Wilson stressed that in a normal setting where things are working development is seen as an economic phenomenon in which the increase in the overall and per-capita GNP would bring about more jobs for the people and a wilder distribution of the economic and social benefits of growth.
“It was believed that growth would lead to improvement in the living conditions of the people which is what development is all about. It was this kind of thinking that informed the United Nations’ declaration of the period 1960-1970 as it’s ‘First Development Decade’, in which it stipulated and advised that all less-developed countries should strive to grow at an annual rate of 5 per cent during the period”, Prof Wilson added. Added.
He emphasised that a Road map is important to every development without which one cannot move to anywhere, saying that: “Development and road map changes can only be sustained on a basis and thus attain development.
“Looking at the various development levels in Nigeria attainment of Development and attendant improvement in the living condition of the people is a herculean task.
“We can achieve development by choosing quality leaders, encouraging the emergence of a development state as well as applying the virtues of a road map”, he added.
The Professor, who is also the Dean, Post Graduate School in the university, cited that Singapore and Malaysia started together with Nigeria, but regretted that today, these two countries have taken over Nigeria, pointing out that Nigeria lacks direction and good leaders, hence the reason why the country is still underdeveloped.
“In Singapore and Malaysia there has been consistency in their political calendar in which their governments were concerned and involved in the growth and development of their countries, but in our own case we are still borrowing, which is not a good practice for a developing country, like ours.
On his part, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku said:, “Just as we have rightly heard from the inaugural lecturer, the only way towards development is choosing a good leader and that will only be possible if we vote wisely in the upcoming 2023 General elections”.
Onuchuku commended the guest Lecturer for the lecture put up as well as his efforts in X-raying Nigeria and the quest for development, adding that one basic solution is that Nigeria should adopt the paradigm of developmental states, where the states will lead the quest for development in the country.
The Vice Chancellor frown at the state of development in Nigeria, attributing it to corruption, which Nigeria leaders now called borrowing, remarking that basically corruption has shifted from oil to borrowing as seen ordinarily that there is nothing wrong with borrowing.
“Originally the essence why someone borrowed is as a result of lack of needed finance to needed to do something significant, but today people and leaders of this country, Nigeria have turned borrowing to stealing and mortgaged the future of Nigerians which will take the country so many years to develop.
“When we borrowed we put the money in our individual pockets instead of using it to address the general issue plaguing the country and it’s people, so it’s high time for our people to open their eyes next year as they choose their leaders during the 2023 General Elections that would ensure the economic of the country grows as well as the welfare of it’s citizens”, Prof. Onuchuku added.
By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana & Adline Humhrey
The Covenant University (CU) has, for the second time, been rated as the best university in Nigeria.
According to Times Higher Education‘s 2024 rating, Covenant Unirersity, as a growing, dynamic vision-driven university, founded on a Christian mission ethos and committed to pioneering excellence at the cutting edge of learning, is among the top 1,000 universities in the world.
The 2024 ranking includes 1,906 universities across 108 countries and regions. The Ranking Website indicates that the grading was compiled based on their new World University Ranking (WUR) 3.0 methodology which includes 18 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook.
Analysis of the latest ranking on Thursday showed that the university based in Ota, Ogun State, is following on the ranking by the University of Ibadan (UI) as the second-best in the country, with the Federal University of Technology, Akure clinching the third position.
Currently ranked 801st university in the world, CU first gained prominence in 2018 after it emerged as the best university in Nigeria and the sixth-best university overall.
The ranking webpage explained that the site is trusted worldwide by students, teachers, governments, and industry experts, adding that the 2024 league table reveals how the global higher education landscape is shifting.
It stated thus; “This year’s ranking analysed more than 134 million citations across 16.5 million research publications and included survey responses from 68,402 scholars globally. Overall, we collected 411,789 data points from more than 2,673 institutions that submitted data”.
Meanwhile, also captured on the list of universities with the top rating in Nigeria are the University of Ilorin, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Afe Babalola University, and the University of Benin.
Others include the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Lagos State University, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University, and the University of Port Harcourt.
Available statistics showed that of the 15 top universities in the country, nine are located in the South West region, two in the South-South region, two in the South East region, one in the North Central zone, and one in the North West zone. Interestingly, the North-East zone was conspicuously missing from the list.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have raised an alarm over fake sites for the ongoing printing of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) Notification Slip which contains vital information such as the date, venue, and time of candidates’ examinations.
In a joint briefing by the NPF and JAMB recently in Abuja, candidates are enjoined to patronise only the approved sites by the JAMB, so as not be defrauded.
The Force Spokesman, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who signed a press release on behalf of the two Government agencies said: “The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) hereby bring to the attention of the public the ongoing printing of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) Notification Slip which contains vital information such as the date, venue, and time of candidates’ examinations.
“Unfortunately, the emergence of several fake websites created by unscrupulous individuals with the intention of misleading candidates has been observed necessitating this joint press briefing.
“These fake sites are designed to deceive innocent candidates into providing personal details such as registration numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers. These details are then exploited for malicious purposes.
“Both JAMB and the Nigeria Police Force condemn these fraudulent activities and hereby reiterate the readiness to safeguard the interests of candidates and maintain the integrity of the examination process.
“We urge parents, guardians, and all stakeholders to ensure that candidates print their UTME Notification Slips only from the Board’s approved website: www.jamb.gov.ng. Candidates can print their slips from the comfort of their homes or visit any of the over 700 accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.
“It is important to note that we are familiar with the tactics employed by these fraudsters, especially during the annual assessment and admission exercises. We are actively sensitizing candidates and the public about these deceptive practices.
“Any candidate who visits these fake sites will definitely have unreliable information and thereby miss out in the forthcoming exams.’’
“Candidates are advised to print their UTME Notification Slips before Friday, 19th April, 2024, to access vital information about their examinations. Any website other than www.jamb.gov.ng offering UTME slip printing services is fake and designed to defraud candidates. Candidates should also beware of sites offering ‘live’ questions and answers, as they are false and deceptive, and accessing such materials is prohibited.
“The 2024 UTME is scheduled to commence on Friday, 19th April, and end on Monday, 29th April, 2024. We call on parents, guardians, and the general public to join hands in fostering a culture of integrity and compliance with established guidelines. Together, we can nurture a generation of upright and law-abiding leaders by discouraging fraudulent practices and desperation.
“Furthermore, JAMB is partnering with the Nigeria Police Force National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC) to address online scam-related issues seamlessly. We assure candidates and the public of our firm dedication to ensuring a fair and transparent examination process.
“In addition, the Inspector General of Police has ordered the NPF-NCCC to go after scammers and fraudsters who engage in cyber related crimes and create phishing sites/portals, and cause them to face the full wrath of the law”.
The authorities of the Rivers State University (RSU),Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt says it will commence the First semester examinations.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Acting Registrar of the university, Mrs. I. B. S. Harry and made available to Dean’s and Heads of Departments, adding that the the examinations were earlier shifted to begin today from its initial date of last Monday to enable students who were yet to complete their registration and pay the necessary approved fees and give all students equal opportunity to participate in the examinations.
The statement reads “This is to inform all staff and students of the Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, that the First Semester Examination for the 2023/2024 academic session earlier scheduled to commence on Monday, 8th April, 2024, has been shifted to Monday, 15th April, 2024.”
“The change in date of the Examination is to enable students who are yet to pay stipulated fees/ charges and complete their course registration for the First Semester, to do so.”
All students in this category are advised to utilise the period to make necessary fee payments as well as course registration.”
By: Akujobi Amadi
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