JAMB

I have had cause to observe through my experience as Pro Chancellor of the University of Lagos that some unscrupulous parents colluded with JAMB officials to inflate score for their children. This makes things difficult for otherwise brilliant students whose scores may not be as high but are genuine. Such brilliant students also become disadvantaged.

I have advocated that tests be conducted by individual universities to weed out those who obtained high marks through fraudulent means. Some people have supported this idea while some others do not. But I believe that this measure is very necessary in order to maintain a quality standard of education.

In as much as JAMB may be retained, individual universities should be allowed to have an input into the selection of candidates for their institutions.

The Youth Service Corps

The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, programme as it is now practised should be revisited. Youth Service system was imported into the country by the military without due consideration for state of development, transportation, poor supply of water, prevention of health hazard, etc., the number of students who die annually on roads due to poor transportation, disease contacted in remote villages where modern facilities, including water, is worrisome. The parents and students have to subsidise the money paid to the students. If, however, the system must be retained, it is vitally necessary to revert the conditions of service which should include the following: The period of one year should be reduced to half. Students should serve in a state other than their state but in their geographical zone. The emoluments should be increased. Possibly doubled.

Currency and Inflation

Before 1960 and 1965, our Naira exchanged for one British Pound. Today due to bad management of the economy, a Pound exchanges for about N2,000. This means that the earning capacity of a Nigerian compared to that of his counterpart in England is in the ratio of 1 to 2000.

This downward trend has caused and is still causing brain drain.

In addition, it has affected production adversely. Over 90 per cent of our foreign earnings come from oil. My understanding is that payment is made in US Dollar. Apart from empty national pride, I do not see why our currency should not be denoted in Nigerian Dollar.

Unemployment

It is a notorious fact that out of every 30 graduates from our universities, not more than one secures employment in a year. This is a very dangerous development not only for the graduates, but for the parents and the government. A hungry man is an angry man.

The rich are playing with fire when they are surrounded by unemployed people. It is therefore no surprises that some of these graduates are found among armed robbers, kidnappers and bandits.

The discovery of oil has done severe damage to the economy, the people and the mentality of the people.

Prior to the discovery of oil, the average Nigerian believed in what he earned from his sweat. In the past people wanted to be sure of your source of income. For instance, if a person bought a car and people were not sure of his source, not only him, but the whole of his family will be looked at with disdain.

But today, nobody cares about how one comes about his wealth. He would be hailed and conferred with honours when he comes with a brand new car.

The average Nigerian before the discovery of oil was gainfully employed. There was a job around in the village. But no sooner was oil discovered, everybody ran to the city. The sources of our income then like cocoa, and other agricultural products were ignored. Now over 80 per cent of Nigeria’s income is derived from oil.

In Nigeria today, the society is divided broadly into two, namely: the rich and the poor; whereas, before oil was discovered, and indeed in all other civilized countries, the society is divided into the poor, the middle and the rich class.

It is the middle class that provides employment for most people and not the government or the civil service. It is the middle class that provides small, medium or even large scale industries.

With the wiping out of the middle class, unemployment becomes inevitable. In England most students are employed before they leave the university through numerous advertisement pasted on the notice boards by companies and industries belonging to the middle class.

Now, it is imperative for us if we must avoid the wrath of the unemployed, the middle class must be revived.

Agriculture should be taught in primary and secondary schools; priority should be given to universities of agriculture, arrangements should be made to upgrade polytechnics into university level both academically and otherwise as it was done in England.

Cooperative farming should be encouraged. Loans should be made available to small scale industries at low interest rates. Cooperative movements should be encouraged at all sectors of the economy. Women societies or unions should be encouraged to participate in industries.

Electioneering

Winning elections in Nigeria is an expensive venture and it is moreso when your constituency is large. The larger your constituency, the more the candidate spends.

So in a presidential system where the constituency of a candidate may be the whole of Nigeria which has 36 states, 774 local governments and 120,018 wards and so many units, one can imagine how much money will be involved. Very few Nigerians can contest for the post of presidency in Nigeria. This is one of the reasons why  the parliamentary system is preferable because whoever is the leader of the party automatically becomes the prime minister.

Today, very few Nigerians in paid employment, including professors, lecturers and professionals, can afford the money which will see them through in an election into ordinary local government or state house of assembly.

Therefore, it is imperative that something drastic has to be done to ensure that people are elected on merit instead of election being based on how much money you can afford.

It is suggested, therefore, that one of the qualifications for elections to most of the elective offices should include:

*A candidate, must be gainfully employed;

*He must have a permanent source of income.

In other words, we should prevent those who are unemployed from contesting elections into elective posts.

Unemployed people should not be allowed to use elective posts as sources of income.

Today, elected people see themselves as leaders whereas they should really be servants of the people who elected them. They fix outrageous salaries and emoluments, including pensions, for themselves. This must stop. Salaries and emoluments should be fixed by the Constitution.

We must evolve the policy of making as a pre-condition for qualification to contest for public offices the ascertainment of sustainable sources of income of the contestants. Salaries and emoluments of elected officials must be fixed by the Constitution. Our legislators should live in their personal apartments rather than government apartments and they should be made to ride their own vehicles as means of transportation. There should not be any pre-determined allowance for these legislators as each legislator should be paid what is called “sitting allowance”, which would be based on the number of sittings. The sitting periods for the law-makers should be on part-time basis which could be for about one month and legislators or councillors should be able to practise their profession or trade while holding elective offices.

In the case of local government, elections should be on zero party basis. This will enable the community to elect people of outstanding ability who have good record of service to the community. They should not earn salaries rather they should be paid sitting allowances.

Only the chairman and the supervisory councillors should be on reasonable salary.

•Please send your comments to president@abuad.edu.ng