AN ENCOUNTER TO REMEMBER.

It is true that all 140 million Nigerians think we know all of Nigeria’s problems and all the possible solutions to all the problems, all the time. There is no other explanation as to why we argue and analyze with so much fervor and conviction. Our values determine the tenor of our arguments, and that unfortunately, is where we have a serious problem.


Yesterday, I had to embark - once again - on a 5hour journey from Port Harcourt to Benin by road. Not the most delightful experience to look forward to. As usual, I carried along a book. I reckoned that if I was going to be stuck in a bus for that long, I might as well make it productive. It wasn’t to be, thanks to Jaja - the very loquacious fresh graduate who sat next to me in the bus. Immediately we set off, he engaged the driver in a ceaseless discourse on the state of the states from Edo to Delta to Rivers. I recognized that trying to read under those conditions was foolish, so instead, I listened with sealed lips as their discussions progressed. What broke my stoic silence was a point Jaja made with so much passion. I felt right away that it was my duty to correct - or at least attempt to correct - such a flawed (in my opinion) value placement.


According to him, the best way to empower youths was to send them abroad to universities and colleges on scholarships, so they could gain the “much needed exposure”. “Why not invest in your own schools?” I asked, “That way, you empower as many, as against a few that could be sent abroad”. His ‘brilliant’ response was that Nigeria still has a long way to go and so instead of intervening in universities, we should develop other sectors of the economy and then, foreigners will come here and set up befitting universities. I cringed in disbelief. He was supposed to be a graduate. How many can be sent abroad? 100? 1000? 10000? What is that against so many? I pointed out to him that no great nation on the face of the earth became what it is today without having first placed a priority on education. He wasn’t convinced. I brought to his notice a statement made by the mayor of Newyork, Michael Bloomberg in an article he sent to Newsweek magazine which appeared in the November 3rd 2008 edition. He said, “America became an economic superpower because we have always welcomed the best and the brightest and because our top quality schools have always produced the best and the brightest”. These developed nations will do all in their power to retain the smartest among those we send, to power their own economies. Jaja remained adamant and even posited that exposure was the reason companies like Shell still spent millions yearly in re-training graduates abroad. Not even the words of the CBN governor - that over 60% of Nigerian graduates are unemployable and so need to be retrained if they manage to find a job - could persuade him otherwise. He is a Nigerian-we all think we know all the solutions to all the problems, all the time. I rested my case.


Don’t get it wrong. I have no problems with the government sending young, smart Nigerian students abroad on scholarships for the exposure and experience. I even have friends that have benefitted and remain grateful. Also, well established tertiary institutions all around the world do exchange programs, while not ignoring their own development. These are all win-win situations. However, the way I see it, in the absence of a win-win situation for all parties, a choice between a few and the many is no choice at all. Because when it comes to developmental issues, government is obliged to align its policies to the yearnings of the greater majority. The fact that nations like Ghana, Botswana and South Africa allocate amounts to their education sectors that as a percentage of their total budget, is more than double what Nigeria allocates, is worrisome enough. As a nation, our attitude towards education must change if we would stand a chance in the world system presently shaping up. Education is not an abstract phenomenon to be considered after every other thing. It is priority. But then, this is my view and I am one of the140 million Nigerians who think we know all of Nigeria’s problems and all the possible solutions to all the problems, all the time. So, what do you think?