By Daniel Idonor
ABUJA — STAKE-HOLDERS in the Nigerian education sector will this morning join President Goodluck Jonathan in a two-day special emergency summit in Abuja convened to address the poor standard of education in the country.

The President has also assured that there would be frequent interaction and brain storming session with the business community henceforth to ensure Nigeria gets out of the woods of economic backwardness.

According to him, he feels concerned “each time he hears Nigeria being compared with countries that were on the same level with the country in October 1, 1960, but today are approaching the first world while we are still in the third world. This generation must change Nigeria, we must create wealth”.

“You cannot be rich while those around you are poor, to me, there is no value for that your wealth. Nigerians need leadership that will help them succeed and I am willing to drive the process”, he said.

Jonathan, who spoke at a dinner in commemoration of 50th anniversary celebration, held at the State House annexe, in Marina, Lagos, described as alarming the recent massive failure rate at NECO, SSCE and JAMB.

He told his audience comprising state governors, members of the National Assembly, state Houses of Assembly, cabinet ministers, captains of industry and entertainment industry at the gathering that those expected at the summit include all state governors, traditional rulers, leaders and all stakeholders in the education sector, adding that it was crisis awaiting to happen if nothing was done to halt the ugly trend now.

The President said the brainstorming session was to provide solutions to the problems of massfailures being recorded in secondary education examinations and the poor quality of products of tertiary institutions.

“We have a situation where our educational sector no longer produces the kind of people we expect. “When you talk of NECO, SSCE and JAMB results, the rate of failure is so alarming and we need to ask what is happening. Some of us attended schools that you hardly see a graduate teacher but still people read and passed their examinations with alphas.

“The failure today is so poor that the people who passed into secondary schools are not materials to enter into the schools and that is the beginning of the crisis.

“They will still stay in secondary school for six years and same set will move to university and the only thing they can do is to become cultists,” he lamented.

The President noted that without qualitative education a nation cannot make progress hence the need for the summit to bring about change in the Sector.
Earlier, Jonathan had explained why the dinner was fixed for Lagos saying it was to afford Lagos where the story all began be part of the celebration;

The second reason, he observed is to afford all State Governors and States functionaries who had celebrated the October 1st in their respective states converge wine and dine with the government at the center as well as discuss issues of national interest.

Thirdly, he said the dinner was also to with the business community mainly Lagos the economic capital of the country.

Some of the notable dignitaries were, the Senate President, David Mark, Speaker House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and the Secretary to the Goverment of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, Deputy Governor of Lagos State and representative the Governor, Sarah Sosan.