NOW that election marketing campaign guarantees, shenanigans, and peccadillos are over, it’s a time to have interaction the Governor and Governor-elect of Ondo State on managing distractions from the so-called godfathers who would usually search jobs for his or her individuals who ‘helped’ to safe victory the opposite day.
In all modesty, I do know our nation sufficient to understand how the greed of the elite has crippled probably the most populous black nation on earth, Nigeria. This is probably not a time to speak about how the greed of the elite has additionally crippled the nationwide electrical energy grid that’s imagined to set off industrial improvement. However it’s a time to get our leaders in any respect ranges to notice that sufficient is sufficient of the frivolities and mediocrity they rejoice on dwell tv for self-glorification each day. And so let me attraction to the newly employed Governor of Ondo State to not permit members of his ‘kitchen cupboard’ to impute motives for answer articles presently. The rationale for this seemingly pointless attraction isn’t far-fetched: a number of the media aides of political leaders have all the time had a number of drafts of the way to lambast commentators who even advise their principals on the way to set off legacy tasks, not to mention those that level out what they aren’t doing nicely. Among the aides we’ve watched over time in any respect ranges have all the time concocted conspiracy theories about why sure writers and even tv anchors ought to be ignored by their principals. They don’t examine the messages; they go for the jugular of the messengers for his or her “unhealthy verses”. Most occasions, the perverted public relations officers hold evil information of even the issues they trigger and search methods of benefitting from crises by discrediting anchors and commentators. Political leaders ought to concentrate on these disaster retailers and mediocrities of their public relations area.
And so, the Governor-elect of Ondo state ought to take note of some inconvenient truths and deliverables right here in order that he could make some distinction in Ondo state presently. He ought to consider the message for the general public good of the individuals who have additionally simply employed him for the following 4 years. These things is simply a reality file that may help the Governor in strategic planning for the revival of establishments of governance of Ondo state that has suffered some reverses as a consequence of slipshod governance the state has been experiencing for some years. Mr. Governor, this isn’t an appraisal of your tenure because you took over out of your principal who was referred to as dwelling on 27 December, 2023. This new mandate ought to be a distinction maker of some type with out noise making. And so it ought to start with strategic considering and planning that can remarkably have an effect on the well being of the state. And right here is the factor, let the brand new mandate reinforce your significance moderately than your prominence. How do I imply that? A cleric and an iconic author I’ve quoted a number of occasions right here, Rick Warren argues in his basic, ‘The Objective Pushed Life’ that there are some folks on this life who’re distinguished however they is probably not important. He says on the similar time, there are some important individuals who is probably not distinguished in any case. He reinforces this level by pointing to the truth that God, the Almighty, is searching for important, not distinguished, folks to form His Kingdom on earth – for the general public items sport that leaders play. In all places, you see most of our even under-achieving leaders spending some huge cash to advertise their prominence on the entrance pages of our information journals and prime-time tv programmes with none important tasks that may improve humanity. You see vainness upon vainness as most leaders rejoice on dwell tv, the constructing of overhead bridges, and the availability of classroom desks and tables for lecturers in dilapidated primary colleges to showcase their prominence.
Mr. Governor, the election is over: it’s a time to freeze politics and vengeance. It’s a time for critical governance. It’s a time to headhunt competent professionals and students who perceive the technicality of rebuilding the damaged partitions throughout Ondo state. It’s a time so that you can be a Nehemiah who is not going to care a hoot concerning the distractions of the discouragers – Tobiah and Sambalat, who don’t like common-good tasks. It’s a time to shun partisan politics and go to some states on this similar nation the place some progress has been made with out noise within the media. For those who do extraordinary issues, citizen journalists within the space will publish them to the general public area totally free presently. Behold, go to states akin to Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Ebonyi, Borno, and Enugu, the place you can see some exemplary spectacles. Don’t take into consideration occasion affiliations presently. It could not have been distinguished within the media, however once you get to Akwa Ibom state, which has used the mannequin of public, personal partnership (PPP) to run a flourishing airline, you will notice the ability of how state governments can also reform and run the enterprise as they do in Asia and most components of the Center East. I imply, on the time, our Federal Authorities, which solely oversees the Aviation business and ministry, may solely unveil the faux airline (Nigeria Air) they promised for eight years on their final day in workplace, Could 29, 2023, Akwa Ibom state floated Ibom Air inside a four-year tenure of a governor. Ibom Air remains to be operating fruitfully to the current, whereas the Federal Authorities’s faux airline has change into a butt of jokes on doubtful public sector enterprises. The state-supported Ibom Air is among the most popular native airways in Nigeria regardless of the inclement enterprise local weather within the aviation business in the present day. Go to Akwa Ibom, the place you will notice the continuing building of a 10-lane street to the airport they’d constructed earlier than they established the airline.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, go quietly to the aforementioned states and see the distinction between significance and prominence that outline lega- cy and infamy, improvement, and underdevelopment. Go to Oyo and see what the State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has executed concerning the revival of the Impartial Energy Venture the regional authorities of Obafemi Awolowo left, however all former Governors deserted inside Ibadan.
Time to prioritise training:
Mr. Governor, don’t get it twisted, it’s good to prioritise training high quality in Ondo State. The state of public colleges in any respect ranges is sort of unconscionable and that has resulted within the state’s poor outcomes from nationwide examinations our bodies. A part of this tragic scenario in primary and secondary colleges was captured the opposite day by Otunba Sola Olatunji who wrote a chunk on this debacle earlier than the election campaigns. It isn’t past redemption. Mr. Governor, reviving training services in Ondo State requires a multi-faceted method. Right here’s a complete plan on your staff to think about:
Infrastructure improvement
Conduct a radical evaluation of all training services within the state to establish areas of want. Develop a phased plan to renovate and reconstruct colleges, specializing in probably the most crucial ones first. Put money into trendy academic infrastructure, together with sensible lecture rooms, libraries, and laboratories, because the Enugu state authorities is doing with training administration consultants within the state. Moreover, be certain that all colleges have entry to primary facilities like electrical energy, water, and sanitation services.
Instructor coaching and improvement
Present common coaching and capacity-building programmes for lecturers to reinforce their abilities and data. A lot of the lecturers had been drafted to the lecture rooms from even the Native Authorities Council Service Fee, and so forth way back. There’s a must collaborate with respected establishments to supply certification programmes in trendy instructing strategies for lecturers.
Moreover, the state’s training authorities must encourage lecturers to pursue larger training and supply incentives for many who do.
That’s one other manner of fostering a tradition of steady studying {and professional} improvement amongst lecturers. You may recruit first-class graduates as lecturers and prepare people who didn’t have instructing certificates. To retrain them, pay them as consultants and specialists.
Curriculum evaluation and improvement
That is the twenty first century the place revolutionary applied sciences drive improvement. It ought to start with an training curriculum evaluation. The state ought to conduct a complete evaluation of the present curriculum to make sure it’s related and aligned with trendy academic requirements.
You don’t want to attend for Abuja to develop a brand new curriculum that comes with STEM training, vocational coaching, and life abilities. Make sure that the curriculum is inclusive and caters to the wants of scholars with disabilities.
The state ought to sing a brand new music within the training funding mechanism by offering assets and assist for lecturers to successfully implement the brand new curriculum.
Expertise IntegrationFor the event objectives to be sustainable in training, there ought to be an funding in digital infrastructure, together with computer systems, tablets, and web connectivity, to facilitate e-learning. That’s the solely manner we are able to face tomorrow as residents, lest we change into a part of the large inhabitants of the illiterate of the twenty first century who can’t study, unlearn, and relearn, as Alvin Toffler warns.
In the primary, the colleges ought to be funded to develop on-line platforms and assets to assist instructing and studying. There must also be provision for coaching for lecturers to successfully combine know-how into their instructing practices. The Training system ought to encourage the usage of academic software program and apps to reinforce pupil studying. That is the place the authorities ought to be intentional in using laptop and knowledge science graduates and pay them nicely to retain them in order that they will combine know-how into studying.
Neighborhood engagement and partnerships
There ought to be a skillset of improvement consultants within the system to foster partnerships with native communities, companies, and organisations to assist training initiatives. In the identical vein, the training authorities ought to set up a mentorship programme that pairs college students with professionals and entrepreneurs. There ought to be constructive engagements to develop a tradition of volunteerism and neighborhood service amongst college students and lecturers.
Funding and useful resource mobilisationTo make the specified distinction Mr. Governor ought to allocate a good portion of the state price range to training. Politicians don’t need to do that as a result of they really feel it’s intangible in contrast to overhead bridges and water boreholes. There will also be an exploration of other funding sources, akin to public-private partnerships and worldwide grants. The state authorities can set up an training endowment fund to assist scholarships, analysis, and infrastructure improvement. Fashionable governments in a ‘world’ context encourage philanthropic donations and company social duty initiatives to assist training.
Do we’d like three universities in Ondo?There ought to all the time be a wants evaluation to find out whether or not the state can address three universities which have clearly been underfunded in Akungba, Okitipupa, and Ondo Metropolis, on this regard. I used to be in Akungba by this time final yr the place I delivered the Convocation lecture of the oldest college. The premier college I noticed there nonetheless wants sturdy funding for bodily buildings and gear they should dwell as much as its billing as an ivory tower. The College of Science and Expertise in Okitipupa and the College of Medical Sciences in Ondo require strategic funding to revive the ‘universe’ that they could have misplaced to under-funding. It’s time to revisit the feasibility experiences on the three universities earlier than it’s too late. Do we’d like extra or higher universities? Over to you Governor Aiyedatiwa at the same time as we are saying, congratulations!
