Justice for Victor?

The Nigeria Police said three policemen have been arrested and are now being charged for the murder of 20-year old Emmanuel Victor. The police had conducted an orderly-room trial which indicted the policemen for the murder of the youngster. However, there appears to be some discontent with the way the matter is being handled. The grieving mother of the slain boy is crying foul that the police authorities have refused to make public the names of the indicted officers. She is expressing serious fears that the wrong persons might be brought forward as the murderers and the culprits left off the hook. She is seeking full justice on behalf of Victor.

It is not unusual to express fears that indicted policemen can be left off the hook in serious crimes like this one. There are several known and unknown cases of policemen getting away with murder. It is our fervent hope that this case will not go the way of others before it. Victor must not die in vain. His blood cries out for justice and the blood thirsty policemen must be made to bear the full weight of the law for this heinous crime.

What is the policeman selling?

"Leave am, leave am, him don pay, leave am!" That was a policeman telling his colleague to leave an 'okada' operator alone.

I wondered aloud to my friend seated in the passenger's seat, "What is the policeman selling?" To which my friend laughed until he almost fell off the vehicle. But it was a rhetorical question because I was aware of what was actually happening. It was at a makeshift road block mounted by two fully armed policemen in uniform. From the way they were transacting their business with the 'okada' men it was obvious that these men in uniform were completely oblivious of their surroundings and  on-lookers, which sometimes might include their bosses who prefer to turn a blind eye to the shameful act of policemen extorting bribes from hapless 'okada' men. But why was a police man telling another to leave the bike rider alone because "him don pay?" I have been reliably informed that policemen have in the manner of mafia operation, carved out certain territories to themselves and have made themselves familiar with commercial motor drivers plying their 'captured' routes. These drivers are given tally numbers in some cases or given a particular coded number which serves as a password whenever they arrive the road block. We understand the policemen make a killing at the end of every day. This money (I hear again) is shared between themselves and their bosses who never fail to pat them on their backs for a good job well done!

So effectively, the police at most check points sell free and unhindered passage to commercial drivers and motor cyclists. But why are these motorists paying up? It is because they (drivers and cyclists) are guilty of lack of common sense. It is a huge penny-wise, pound-foolish situation. These are people who prefer to 'settle' policemen every day instead of putting their papers in order. What does it cost to take out a third party insurance? How much does a vehicle licence cost? How about the almighty Hackney permit? And for the cyclist, how much does a learners' permit cost? Instead of getting these papers and be free from the oppressive blackmail of unscrupulous policemen, these people prefer to pay their way through the myriads of police check points and road blocks. As for the police, the plum at the check points and road blocks has diverted their attention from their constitutional responsibilities which is a shame. There is an unprecedented rise in crime even with police checkpoints a few metres away.

Someone told me this rather funny story of a policeman who after witnessing a gruesome robbery operation on the road, took off his uniform and ran away into the bush, saying to the hearing of all that he did not want to die young and leave his family without a bread (read bribe) winner and that somebody should call (wait for this) the police to chase the robbers! He will yet emerge from the bush to mount a road block to continue extorting money from hapless road users.

A Tribute to Dr. John O. Oduh

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live."

– Norman Cousins, American political journalist, author, professor, and world peace advocate (1915 -1990).

Dear Doc,

As we spoke, chatted, laughed and discussed as we normally do and even touched those "serious" issues you talked about, I never knew, never had an inkling, never suspected that that discussion at the Clinic would be the last, the very last time I would be seeing you this side of eternity! You asked me to wait for you in the house and I waited, and waited until you called to say you were still busy doing what you loved best - taking care of your patients. I hear that in your final hours on earth, you insisted that they carry you hand and foot to the clinic to attend to an accident victim. You were stitching with shaky hands until even the patient pleaded with you to go home and rest! You were a committed physician with a large heart. You gave your all to friends and foes in your immediate Surulere community. It was the best gift they could ever have or wished for: a caring doctor ready at all times to attend to their health. You practiced your medicine in a loving and caring manner. For you financial reward was not the incentive. Your clinic was the most affordable around your area and for the poorest of the poor you treated for free. You had soothing words for every patient. Your engaging smile, that smile, spoke volumes of love and compassion for all who were privileged to come in contact with you. Now, that smile is frozen in death. Oh death how cruel? How dare you take away our very beloved? How dare you silence the vocal advocate for the poor and down trodden? Dockie, you were never found wanting anywhere injustice, cruelty, wickedness reared its ugly head. You disarmed evil men with your smile, you knocked off presumptuous persons with an unparalleled force of logic too powerful for them to resist. You were magnanimous in victory and in most cases displayed a no-victor no-vanquished posture. Such was your essence, such was your character, and such was your disposition. We shall miss you dearly. Not only us, even Vanguard Newspapers has lost in you one of its most ardent and prodigious Crossword Puzzle solvers. You were a genius in solving crosswords in mere minutes. Such talent!

My family and I remain eternally grateful for all you did for us. On more than one occasion you saved my life - remember the "few trophozoids" that plagued my life? You treated us free of charge for more than seven years. We never knew what medical bills were. You refused our several offers to pay for your services. You knew the value of family. You craved the presence of our family so much it became a ritual for us to come over to your place every weekend. And we had fun. I remember with nostalgia how we crowded your house to the extent we were practically sleeping on top of each other! We ate together, chatted till very late into the night, discussing everything under the sun; woke up late the following day and had those feasts we called breakfast! Memories!

And now silence. You just left. Suddenly. Gone to the bosom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Remember our several discussions on the mysteries of life and death? You remember what we said? I know the Lord has received you. That is my consolation, that is my joy. And until we meet again to part no more, adieu my doc, my friend, my brother.

Of Satellite Campuses and 'Satellite' Graduates

There is an evil that has defied every logical reasoning when you consider university education in Nigeria. It is the evil called satellite education, taught in Satellite campuses of certain universities. The way and manner this brand of 'university' education is being peddled lends weight to the allegation that it is all a money making venture with very little academic output (in terms of quality) to show for it. It is a great shame that the authorities would allow this to go on for so long. What is more worrisome is that this evil is gaining ground at a time graduates from the main campuses supposedly with the benefit of full university facilities like libraries, infrastructure and full-fledged academic staff are churning out half-baked graduates who are masters of 'sorting' more than masters of their disciplines. It's a huge joke, a charade of gargantuan proportions.

While the reasons for the establishment of these appendage institutions appear plausible, it does not warrant the bastardization of our educational system just to capture a segment of the population who otherwise do not stand the chance to gain admission into regular university programmes. The premise itself is faulty to suppose everybody must have university education. Some students in these institutions would benefit more from vocational education. Take the case of my driver friend for instance. He just completed his 'bachelor' programme in one of these satellite institutions but his application to convert to a  graduate staff of his bank has met with failure because the bank (not surprisingly) refused to recognise his 'certificate'. He would not have fared worse if he had opted for a vocational institution to train him to manage the bank's fleet of vehicles or gain training which would have enabled him to add value to the skills of his driver colleagues. He would have earned higher than his present driver status (with a 'B.Sc.').

The bank's reasons may not be far-fetched. They know that his certificate was procured without the benefit of reading any text books (just hand-outs), it was a certificate procured within the precincts of a dilapidated primary school with hardly the facilities for any rigorous tertiary academic exercise; it was a certificate procured from teachers who would hardly qualify to be graduate assistants in any university of note. If you are lax to accept this fellow as a graduate, wait until you hear him articulate his thoughts. He has a certificate but he lacks education. He is not numerate, he lacks the confidence of a thorough-bred university graduate. While I admit that there are exceptions, I am doubtful if these exceptions excuse the existence of these sub-standard institutions.

The Nigerian Universities Commission must wake up to its onerous responsibilities to stamp out these institutions and transfer the students to the Open University system which  is configured to cater for the needs of adult students and those who cannot run regular university programmes. We shall all be happier to have a system that caters for all but does not compromise standards.

Whither the Nigerian Graduate?

It is a topic I regret to discuss but the more I try to fend it off the weightier the burden - on my shoulders I mean. Have you heard a Nigerian graduate speak English lately? I mean graduates, yes graduates from even those universities we regard as centres of excellence. Hear their graduates speak! Sometimes one is left to wonder whether these so-called graduates ever saw the four walls of the university. Any attempt to correct their spoken or written English is often met with an embarrassing riposte along the lines of, "English is not my mother tongue..." But The Use of English As A Foreign Language is among the very first courses to be taught in the first year in any university worth its salt. So how come these people passed through the university without a mastery of or at worse, a passing acquaintance with the language? The logical question is how on earth did they pass their exams? The next logical question is who marked their exam scripts? Which begs the almighty question, were the lecturers incompetent or sorted (settled)? I hear that it is more the latter than the former!

We have certainly heard tales about the goings-on in Nigerian universities. They are disgusting. The rot starts from the gates, right up to the highest citadel on campus. There is a total break down of the system. The student wants to get a certificate without any effort; the lecturer wants to get rich (or the lecherous ones want to ingratiate their appetite for female flesh). The university is therefore the common ground, the market to transact this ignoble business to the detriment of our educational system and advancement. And so you have lecturers buying expensive cars or building expensive houses from monies collected from students! The lascivious lecturers I believe have a long list of their 'conquests' laminated, framed and hung in the walls of their dirty hearts. But the real losers is the society, the Nigerian nation.

It is indeed a tragedy of immense proportions to turn out an army of unemployable graduates every year. So-called graduates are pounding the streets clutching certificates held up side down in search of jobs! The country needs manpower in every sector. There are gaps to be filled in technology as in the arts. As an employer myself, I can do no worse than try to conduct interviews to fill up vacant positions in my companies. It's always a nightmare to speak to 'graduates' who know next to nothing in their disciplines. They all want to 'learn' on the job. Yes, but get the job first! The entrance interview comes first! This reminds me of a relation who resides in the village and who barely understands pidgin English not to talk of English Language. Yet she was in her second year at a 'satellite' campus (more on that later) of a university. She wanted financial assistance to (hold your breath), pay entrance fee at the examination hall and another to pay for someone to write the exams for her since she resides 24/7 in the village. So when I asked her which type of certificate she intended to get from the school, she said she had no idea. When I asked if she knew what a Bachelor's degree was, she answered in the negative. When asked if she intended to find work with the 'certificate' after graduation, she eagerly answered in the affirmative. I rested my case there and there! Of course, I did not oblige her and she left me in no doubt that I was an obstacle to her 'progress'!

The pathetic state of the universities and their graduates is certainly something to engage the attention of government at all levels. A state of emergency is crying to be declared in that sector. It would require nothing more than a clarion call to return to basics. Government can return to basics by investing massively to restore universities to their pristine states; teachers can return to basics by re-inventing and purging themselves of all avarice and non-academic proclivities. University administrators can return to basics by striving hard to promote academic excellence by creatively utilising available resources. After all, a university is a citadel of learning and research. All over the world, the university is a place where problems are solved through research, so solving this monumental problem should not be a problem.