Provision of education is said to be the responsibility of government at all levels. Education is the pillar of development and determinant of technological, political and socio-economic growth and development of nation any.
Indeed, wealth of nations is now shaped by their level of investment in education, not their quantum of mineral resources.
‘‘Investment in education is a critical factor in driving innovation, technological advancements and employment opportunities in advanced economies,” President Muhammadu Buhari said this week.
Thus, the president said his administration would provide quality education, invest more resources in the sector and, especially, provide conducive learning environment in the academic sector.
The president poke after he commissioned the Post Graduate Centre of Excellence built by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in Kaduna state.
Graciously, the president said his administration has invested N1.3 trillion in the education sector, excluding funds it spent on overhead and personnel costs.
Though the president said his administration will continue to place premium on education at all levels, he observed that the state of facilities in the country’s universities and other institutions of higher learning is degradable.
Lamentably, today, the state of facilities in the universities and other institutions of higher learning has not kept pace with the requirements of the ever-growing population of students while the country continues to neglect teaching through the use of modern methods.
Equally, like the president observed, the long years of perennial funding suffered by the institutions deserve to worry this administration. And while the president said that this and many other issues will continue to be addressed, these are some of the ways government can address the problems bedeviling the education system.
The government should, ideally, consider granting true autonomy to the university system. Unfortunately, over the years government has interpreted the demand for university autonomy to mean that universities will also be responsible for their own funding.
However, to make the university system operate without bureaucratic bottleneck and administrative curtailment, full autonomy must be granted to ensure that while universities are funded by the government, they have enough independence in the election of their principal management officials and determination of other matters without undue interference from any quarters.
Of course, repair of critical infrastructure is needed at all levels of the education sector. This would mean providing latest facilities for learning based on latest technological advancement. For instance, information technology devices are now being used for primary and post-primary education and a serious programme of revamping education must take into cognisance these advancements.
Regrettably, what has been a recurring crisis in the education sector has been the poor remuneration for teaching and non-teaching staff. In order to retain the best brains and attract new hands into the education sector, a comprehensive policy of improved remuneration for the workers in the sector and a genuine pension scheme should be put in place.
There’s no doubt that the current contributory pension scheme is exploitative and, if truth be said, if politicians and other corrupt government officials who looted the country’s finances enjoy favourable pension scheme, those who work their hands stiff daily to build this society deserve better.
Despite the shortcomings, it is heartwarming to hear the president say that this administration places premium on education at all levels, because it is the bedrock of society’s progress and, indeed, the best and reliable way to overcome the endemic poverty plaguing Nigeria.
In the end, provision of education across board will enable all, especially young and energetic Nigerians, to make meaningful contributions to the nation’s development.
Battling security challenges in Nigeria
Police men and women in Nigeria are known to be inhumane, uncourteous, ill-trained, under-equipped, uncouth and unprofessional. Soon, it appears, the bad impression Nigerians have of the police will give way to favourable, good one.
This week, President Muhammadu Buhari said the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) will be overhauled, repositioned and equipped with modern technological gadgets to meet rising the challenges across the nation.
The president spoke about the police when he received traditional rulers from the North, led by His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the Presidential Villa.
He said that part of the ongoing reform of the police includes recruitment of more hands, cultivation of stronger local intelligence and networking with communities, traditional rulers and adequate training.
To push that agenda at the highest level of governance now comes the re-establishment of the Ministry of Police Affairs. With that, also, comes the renewed energy of the Buhari-led administration to provide security for lives and property of the people.
With all, however, the duties of the police, the world over, remain the same – to enforce the law and maintain civic order. As part of their duties, police officers detect, investigate and foil crime, protect people and property from criminals.
However, with the planned restructuring, Nigerians hope to see their police get to the next level of using specialized and state-of-the-art equipment and coordinating personnel during emergencies.
Of course, to perform their roles effectively, police officers are expected to understand and respect the law. They are also expected to work closely with people in the communities they serve, treat everyone fairly, keep track of the latest trends in policing, and maintain the psychological and physical discipline that effective policing requires.
In many countries, police officers are viewed as role models, and it is not uncommon for officers to be invited to speak in schools and hospitals. Because they may be among the first people to respond to distress calls, police officers are trained in first aid. For us, having our police officers trained to perform such functions would mean taking them to the next level.
It is also important to have the police work in tandem with traditional rulers so that, collectively, they can arrive at solutions to many of the security problems in the country.
But, it should be appreciated that the job of policing the country is not the responsibility of police men and women only. We must, as the president said, all play our part in the nation’s effort to address its security challenges and, instructively, provide information to security agencies to enable them carry out their functions effectively.
Agreed, with the numerous security challenges facing Nigeria, it’s easy to blame the government for its perceived inability to tackle the alarming rate of insecurity in the country and call for the introduction of state police.
In some respects, this solution appears a good one and, if it’s adopted, it could address the nation’s security challenges. After all, community policing is a paradigm shift that seeks to focus on constructive engagement with people who are the end users of the police service and renegotiate the contract between the people and the police thereby making the community co-producers of justice and a quality police service.
No doubt, a community policing perspective differs in a number of ways from a traditional policing perspective. In community policing, the police must share power with residents of a community, and critical decisions need to be made at the neighbourhood level.
To achieve the goals of community policing, therefore, the government is required to successfully establish community partnership and police officers should have resources to solve problems in their communities and there are many in all parts of the country.
