Letter to President Buhari and Adamu Adamu

The present government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is a government that all Nigerians expect much from her. It is an administration that embodied high caliber of personages and an administration that aims at repositioning Nigeria. It is the one that intently and keenly wants to extricate this country from the past entanglement […]

The present government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is a government that all Nigerians expect much from her. It is an administration that embodied high caliber of personages and an administration that aims at repositioning Nigeria. It is the one that intently and keenly wants to extricate this country from the past entanglement and disorder.
Nigeria is a vast country with many problems, issues and complications that need careful solutions, and one person or group of persons cannot contrive these solutions, they need the positive contribution of all Nigerians. All should join hands with Mr. President and his government to salvage this country. As a lecturer in the University, the issue I want to tackle here chiefly borders or dwells on education.
In doing so, I will like to divide the world into three categories in terms of ability and capability. This is to see to which category Nigeria belongs and why.
1. We have what they call developed countries. 2. There is what they call developing countries and thirdly what they call underdeveloped countries. In my opinion, the first category includes countries that have (a) Manpower in terms of people available or required for work or military services. (b) Technology and (c) Mineral resources. Countries in this category include America and Russia among others.
The second category includes those who have technology and manpower like Malaysia, Pakistan and India etc. The third category includes those countries that have manpower and minerals. This applies to all African countries, many Asian and South American countries and the Caribbean countries.
Where does Nigeria belong? Obviously, we belong to the third category, for we have enough manpower and kingdoms of minerals, but without technology. A huge country like Nigeria still is dependent on others. Sometimes, we are a liability. The food we eat cannot be produced at home, we import. What an ignominy!
Nevertheless, we have scores of Nigerians who are technologists, technicians and scientists in various fields, living outside the country, some are in America, Europe, Asia etc. These qualified brains do not want to come home, because they will not be respected, dignified or encouraged by the country. Therefore we cannot tap from their knowledge and know how to develop our nation. They feel that coming home is just a waste of time and human resources, for there will be no work for them to be engaged. Above all, the fear is that they will not be given befitting salary. In some circumstances in Nigeria, a politician, such as a councilor in a local government, who is a secondary school dropout is better off in terms of income and has more regards than a University Professor of Medicine. I met some of these educational elite in Kuwait, and I know some of them in London, Malaysia and so on. Even some were my mates during our school days.
Furthermore, what perplexes and astonishes me is that, some Nigerians accuse foreign countries for our backwardness. I want to be kept abreast, has any foreign country sent their army to stop us from progressing? If we say they are sabotaging our efforts, then why do we allow them to sabotage us? Why are other countries progressing and developing? For instance, Ghana, Malaysia, China etc. Today, Pakistan and India are nuclear countries. MTN and DSTV are for South Africa, Nigeria has nothing of this nature. We import rice from Thailand, India and even from Cameroun. Please, is this right?
My compatriots, lets tell ourselves the bitter truth. It is a virtue and nobility to accept the truth. Most of our past leaders were not patriotic. They were selfish and egocentric. They only believed in looting and malfeasance. Public fund to them is just a booty and gratis. They always blew the trumpet of education as their utmost priority, but they performed very less. Our country has been very rich enough to go shoulder to shoulder with any country, but who will lead the crusade? We hope this determined and resolute government will do.
No country can move forward without qualitative education. Those who landed on moon were able to do so because of their education and technology. Education had not been receiving the attention it deserved over the years in Nigeria. Right from our primary school up to our universities, what we have are below international standard. Until when will Nigeria continue importing eye-glass cases from Jordan, curtain from Syria, electronic and cars from Japan, substandard products from China, torchlight from Korea, shoes from Egypt and the rest? Our university products of today cannot express themselves well in writing or even in vernacular, their native languages that are being taught in our Universities today. Languages like Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Fulfulde, talk less of foreign languages like Arabic, English and French.  How can you expect creativity from people with this deficiency?
 By and large, I have no iota of doubt that, this patriotic government, the government of the people under the able leadership of PMB, with his active and diligent Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, and the problem of negligence concerning our educational system will be a thing of the past. As such let us give time to this government, and at the same time, we should assist them in all ways we can. Destructive criticism and blackmailing of leaders will take us nowhere.
Hon. Minister do your possible best to improve the quality of our university education, so that we can stop paying huge amounts of money as fees to Ghanaian and Malaysian Universities. Ironically, I know a person who was one time a registrar in one of our Universities but sent his children to Ghana. Corruption is a scoundrel disease and morbid that kills Nigeria. Nigeria belongs to us all, let’s serve her honestly and diligently. All should know that education is the bedrock and substratum of any development and progress. The adage says: If education is expensive, try ignorance.
 Professor Muhammad Muazu Nguru, Unimaid is the DG Nigeria Arabic Language Village, Ngala