FRANK UKONGA LECTURE
SERIES 4
THE IMPERATIVES OF FREE
AND QUALITATIVE EDUCATION TO THE SUSTENANCE OF NASCENT DEMOCRATIC DISPENSATIONS
IN AFRICA-
-THE NIGERIAN PROJECT-
LECTURE DELIVERED BY PRINCE FRANK ONAIVI UKONGA- GOVERNORSHIP
CANDIDATE OF EDO STATE IN THE 2012 POLLS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN 3 ED ANNUAL
SEMINER LECTURE, HELD @ THE BANQUET HALL – UNIVERSITY OF BENIN ON THE 23 ED OF
MARCH 2012 @ 12 PM
My dearest Compatriots,
I salute everybody present here today and those who have worked
assiduously to making this occasion possible- The 3ed Annual University of
Benin Seminar organized by the Students of the University. I am cognizance of
the high esteem your have accorded my person by inviting me as the Special
Guest of Honor to this great occasion… a status that is usually reserved for
State, and Nation’s chief Executive officers and highly achieving
personalities… I thank you for yoking me among the sages,
Please let us observe a minute silence for all the fallen progressive Heroes
of Nigeria, Africa and the Black Race, most of whom paid the supreme
price in the battle to entrench a just, free and democratic society in Africa
and the world in Generality…In this context we remember the martyrs of
Democracy as the Great Bassorun MKO Abiola, Mrs Kudirat Abiola, Alhaji Aminu
Kano, Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Gani Ifawehinmi, Dr
Tai Solarin and many others in the Nigerian front, while we shall also
cognitize the contributions of Patrice Lumumba, Ramdan Albain, Mengetsu Haily
Marian, Thomas Sankara, Secou Toure, Kwameh Unkrumah , Alfred Olympio, Maumar
Al Gadaffi, Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyata, Samora Mitchel, Anward Sadat, Jafar
el Nimeri, Said Barre, etc in the development of human resource in the African
frontiers.
In Diaspora we acknowledge the
immense contributions of Booker .T. Washington, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther
King Jn, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Cheik Anta Diop, W.E.B Dubois, Franz Fanon,
Antonio Gramsci, Che Guvera, etal to the rapid development of education and
development of the Black Race and advancement of humanity on a global magnitude.
Qualitative education according to Booker .T. Washington is an ordinary
means to an extra- ordinary end.Whence he advocated free , qualitative
education to all human beings of the world as the greatest wealth and legacy of
bequest…and on this premise Marcus Garvey established his great garveyism
philosophy; making free and qualitative education the rational core and policy
thrust for Any African Nation to quickly frog jump into the future promises of
progress and prosperity…Chief Obafemi
Awolowo , a great Social Democrat believed in Free and qualitative
education as the imperative premises gamine to the greatness of Nations… and
this he pursued vigorously as the Premier of
Western Region of Nigeria;-as the first African Region to invest in free
education at all level… this in contemporary times has earned Western Region of Nigeria, a comparative
leadership in the aspects of social, economic and industrial advancement to any
other region of sub-Saharan Africa and the African continent in generality…
Whence free and qualitative education, for all citizen is the most
important aspect for a society seeking rapid social, economic and industrial
prosperity. Knowledge is the singular quality that distinguishes mankind from
other animals, and the limitations of its acquisition are inter alias the
barriers between mankind and the gods…. the more educated we are the more
godlike we become. We become better equipped to conquer and dominate our environment
which opens up avenues to solve the problems of mankind, through Research and
Development, as well as its Siamese twin ship of Research and Innovation…which
consequently impact directly on democratic dispensation.
In the aspects of development of social , cultural and production
relations an educated society is amenable and easier to lead and organize than
one bugged down by illiteracy, mundane backwardness, bedeviled by tribal /
ethnic chauvinism, religious bigotry, and feudal/military irredentism…
It becomes imperative to pursue a vibrant education policy thrust
addressed to entrench genuine democratic exercise and culture in Africa based on our truculent, seething
historical and dialectical materialism for the past 500 years…where Africa was taken
to the knackers and savored as food for beasts and swine’s of a raven epoch..
as in the trilogy of the Anti Bellum trade of slavery, colonization, and
imperialism which subsequently underdeveloped Africa through the bastardization
of our primordial loyalties, wanton larceny of our pride, assets, being and
destiny by the impudence of the white Race in to the schemes of things of the African
civilizations of yore.
Africa was Raped by the white
Race, to build great cities of London, New York, Paris, Bogota and Bones Aries.
In these countries black children are likely to end up in jail than go to
college. And in Nigeria/Africa we currently have a large army of uneducated
youth called Almanjiris whose population is swelling daily…Our former Head of
State H.E. Gen Abdusalami Abubakar in his candid speech delivered to Northern
Leaders recently, on the need for qualitative education and service delivery to
the electorate noticed that the Almanjiris now numbers above 10 million kids
roaming the streets of Nigeria without education nor hope of getting one…
Generally all Social Democratic Parties the world over and all genuine
social Democrats which is the philosophy of centre left, believes in the
imperatives of free and qualitative education as germane to rapid social,
cultural and economic advancement of the society. Based on this philosophy, Social Democrats
place as priority number one, the adamantine inalienable rights of all citizens
of the geo- polity access to free and qualitative education at all levels… and
this is what we offer Edo People and Nigerians in Generality at our great
party- Social Democratic Mega Party…
Free and qualitative education can also help to bridge the gap between
the rich and the poor in the societies of Africa, as well as solve the question
of abject poverty, penury, misery and scavenging of the average African family
that lives below poverty line in the context of international standard
practice..
Like wise an educated society translates to a healthier society which
will have quick preventive response to disease, cancers and curb the AID/HIV
pandemic that has become acute and threatening to wipe out more than half of
the productive work force of the African continent within the next two decades…
in some African countries close to 30% of the productive work force are HIV
positive…with positive education this could be avoided..This phenomenon will
affect the economic, and moral glories of the African peoples in not too
portable distance of history yonder which will impact negatively on the
democratic experience..
The recent affrontations of climatic/ ecological changes afflicting
mankind through force majore, of disasters, flooding, drought, erosion and
environmental degradation can be better solved when a society is well educated
and abreast with pro active panacea to these emerging global threat that is
threatening to annihilate a large population of mankind if something drastic is
not done to arrest the situation on a global comprehensive initiative. This
will impact negatively to the development of democratic institutions of
Nigeria/Africa and the world in generality.
The issue of restive youth due to voluntary and involuntary
redundancies of joblessness, and declining opportunities of mankind caused by
corporate greed and abrasive imperialism with its backlash of looting ,
corruption and mismanagement of private and public treasuries in Africa and on
a global basis could be arrested by positive education; training and retraining
as in the aspects of human resource development and empowerment of the peoples
of Africa and the world in generality. This problem has taken an obtuse
dimension in the first quartile of the 21st century and if a
comprehensive solution is not forged out by stakeholders in emerging
democracies of the African continent will threaten to suffocate the growth and
development of democratic institutions to maturity.
Poverty, penury and misery are spreading at an alarming rate and the
gap between the rich and the poor is widening at a steep margin. Some people
virtually own the entire world while some cannot afford to eat one meal a day.
The expectations of democracy and its subsequent reason de entre as a preferred
system of governance the world over is its peoples oriented milieu, which is
fast evaporating and replaced by carnality and bestiality, as in its primordial
imperatives in necessity and sufficiency premises in ushering dividends of
democracy to the majority of people has vanished. What we have now is a
democracy at the beehive and at the service of the rich and mighty while the
poor continue to wallow in abject poverty, want, hunger, malnutrition, poor
health delivery system, misery and all the ills of post industrial mankind.
This emerging crass capitalism if not addressed will impact negatively on the
progress and development of democracy in Africa and by the theories of
historical and dialectical materialism will be the albatross and causality of
its demise, as in the classic Marxist maxim: “that those who make peaceful
transformation impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”. This can be
addressed through positive education.
The issue of nationwide infrastructural decay, homelessness,
frustrations, and public apparty will also impact negatively on the development
of democratic institutions in the African continent and on a global magnitude.
This is caused by visionless leadership who lack the necessary education in
management, in diversifying the mono cultured resilient African economies based
largely on receipts from exports of primordial raw materials to feed the
industries of the developed Northern and Western hemispheres. The indiscretions
and paupacity of pragmatic developmental agenda to diversify the earnings from
monoculture product export will begin to rear another big crisis as African Nations
enter into the 2 ed quartile of the 21 century. Certainly this will impact
negatively on the development of democratic institutions in Nigeria and Africa
which can be quickly solved by positive education, and training of quality
manpower to man the planning and economies of emerging African democracies.
The issues of electricity generation and distribution, agriculture,
industries and manufacturing are factors that are important to the
sustainability of a vibrant modern society, But in Nigeria and Africa the
development of these aforementioned departments are in epileptic developmental
stages due to lack of developmental finance, and lack of will of the leadership
to addressed the problems of these areas focused to have a positive impact on
the development of the society at large. Recently the manufacturer’s
association of Nigeria announced that more than 8000 manufacturers have closed
shops in the past few years due to the lack of enabling environment for
industry and enterprise to thrive. This certainly will impact negatively on the
overall productivity of the Nation as well as on the democratic institutions
but with a purposeful education, planning and focus; some of these problems can
be solved.
Conclusively I concur with all the dignitaries and students here today
that the greatest legacy we can banquet ourselves and the future generation of
mankind is free and qualitative education, germane to the evolution of a
democratic society, better equipped to tackle the challenges of post industrial
mankind in the context of cultural and economic globalism in the making. And
this is our top priority at Social Democratic Mega Party.
ALUTA CONTNUA….VICRTORIA ASATA…
Thanks and God bless
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