Permit me to start by heartily congratulating the family of late Chief Stephen Oluwole Awokoya for their unrelenting and inspirational exertions to keep alive the memory of their illustrious father. However, I must immediately contradict myself on account of the monumentality of the task they have set themselves. In any other civilized part of the world, the exceptionalism of this noble family would long ago have been accorded national recognition. In such nations exceptionalism is readily acknowledged, nurtured, cherished and preserved for future generations. Hence, we must sympathise with our hosts and plead with them not to surrender to despair. Rather we must urge them to soldier on until the battle is won in a country that is under the reign of terror exemplified by shock and fear as evidence of not only the collapse of education but also the subversion of science by ignorance and poverty. Now, we are all IDP’s (Internally Displaced Persons) living in fear of kidnappers, armed robbers, con artists, looters and money doublers!
With all due apologies, we must be frank with ourselves and admit that the IDP’s are not limited to those in refugee camps. By the same token, those who have failed us and consequently frustrated the fulfilment of the high (but legitimate) expectations and lofty ideals of Chief Stephen Awokoya and many others of his generation have by default consigned us and condemned future generations to the rapidly elongating list of IDP’s.
To put matters bluntly, Chief Stephen Oluwole Awokoya was AWESOME!!
His contribution to education in general and science in particular suggests that he drew inspiration from Plato the classical Greek philosoph who wrote on marble:
“By education I mean that training in excellence from youth upward which makes a man (and woman) passionately desire to be a perfect citizen, and teaches him (or her) to rule, and to obey, with justice. This is the only education which deserves the name.”
Our reference point deserves repetition-the emancipation of the entire Western region of Nigeria by the indefatigable Chief Awokoya, under the visionary leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, by that singular feat of launching the free Primary Education in 1955 without borrowing a single dime (or naira) nor dollar. It was a stellar demonstration of leadership anchored on commitment, determination, selflessness and a grand vision which was rewarded with reciprocal trust and sacrifice. We cannot but marvel at their statesmanship as well as exemplary management of scarce resources.
They had a sense of purpose which compelled them to toil day and night; and labour relentlessly come rain or shine for the greater good of the society and nation which they felt they had been called to serve.
As confirmation that the taste of the pudding is in the eating, the products of that spectacular but diligent social engineering have dominated our nation’s landscape not only in science- as doctors, engineers, dentists, professors, geologists, pharmacists, archaeologists and information technologists as well as chartered accountants, lawyers, architects, businessmen/businesswomen, surveyors, farmers, journalists, civil servants, musicians, artists e.t.c.
We are obliged to be lenient. Hence, with considerable reluctance we should perhaps extend the list to accommodate our nation’s unique brand of politicians!
What is beyond dispute is that going by the solemn testimony of the beneficiaries of free Primary Education, their parents were far too poor to afford to pay school fees.Their choice of livelihood and survival would otherwise have been limited to toiling on the farms as labourers, carpenters, bricklayers, masons, hawkers, dare devil touts or sorcerers’ apprentices.
Many of them are here in this hall and they remain eternally grateful to Chief Awokoya for opening the door of knowledge as well as opportunities to them and beckoning on them to sally forth to fulfil their God-ordained destiny.
However, we must not rest on our laurels or encourage complacency. Rather, we must take account of the strictures of the late President of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy:
‘’For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.’’
I believe that from the record of the Stephen Awokoya Foundation, it is self-evident that the Trustees under the sterling leadership of Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, the second best president (after Chief Obafemi Awolowo) we never had, are determined to ensure that our nation does not miss its future in science or lose its way on the path of rigorous pursuit of excellence.
We should also draw inspiration from Victor Hugo the French intellectual, philosopher and writer (1802-1885) who delivered the following verdict:
‘’The more school doors you open, the more prison doors you close.’’
This is a powerful message which we must ensure is not lost on our government- local; state and national. We need to remind them that under the leadership of Ban Ki-Moon who was the Secretary-General until December 2016 the United Nation set 26 per cent of the budget as the benchmark of educational funding for developing countries such as Nigeria.
However, Nigeria chose to ignore the benchmark and every other mark. These are the recent allocations of our nation’s budget to education: 2017 – 7.4%, 2016 – 6.01%, 2015 – 9.5%, 2014 – 10.7%, 2013 – 8.7%, 2012-10.0%, 2011 – 1.69%, 2010 – 6.40%
Let me share with you what Ban Ki-Moon tabled as a priority item of the United Nations:
Headline: Education first
‘’ Education has shaped my life and the history of my country. I grew up in a society ravaged by war and mired in poverty. Schools had been destroyed. My classes were held in the open under a tree. We had no desks, chairs or other basic necessities. The Republic of Korea was on its knees, but education enabled the country to stand tall again. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other international partners provided books and school supplies to help pave the road to recovery. I will never forget the hope that these basic tools gave us.
Even in the worst circumstances, education helps to give children confidence to face the future. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, I want every child, without exception, to have the same sense of opportunity that I had. The power of education to transform lives is universal. When you ask parents what they want for their children — even in war zones and disaster areas — they seek the same thing first: education. Parents want their children in school.
Children have a fundamental right to free primary schooling of good quality. Governments have pledged to uphold this right. I am deeply concerned that education is slipping down the international priority list. Education First stems from my resolve to answer the call of parents everywhere for the schooling their children deserve — from the earliest years to adulthood. We must place education at the heart of our social, political and development agendas.
This is not a matter of choosing education over other issues of great importance. Our internationally agreed development goals are a complex tapestry, and education is an indispensable thread. Educated mothers are more likely to have healthy children who survive. Educated families are less vulnerable to extreme poverty and hunger. And educated nations are more likely to enjoy vibrant economies, political stability and respect for human rights.
Education is not simply a moral imperative; it is the smart choice. Every dollar invested generates $10 to $15 in returns. Yet worldwide, some 61 million children are still not in school. Our shared ideals are simple. We want all children to attend primary school and to progress to secondary school and relevant higher education. We want them to acquire the literacy, numeracy and critical-thinking skills that will help them to succeed in life and live as engaged and productive global citizens.
This is a pivotal moment for collective action. The 2015 deadline for achieving the internationally agreed goals for education is approaching fast. The achievements of the past decade have shown what it takes to succeed: political will at the highest levels, sound policies, and resources to scale up proven methods. But to achieve a breakthrough, we will need an unprecedented mobilization of all traditional and new partners. Education First aims to rally a broad spectrum of actors to spur a global movement to achieve quality, relevant and transformative education for everyone.
We must not deny the promise of quality education to any child. The stakes are too high. When we put education first, we can end wasted potential and look forward to stronger and better societies for all.’’
Also, on the 24th September, 2014 Graca Machel (the widow of Nelson Mandela) and Melinda Gates (the wife of the richest man in the world according to Forbes magazine) sat down, while attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, exclusively with BBC’s Laura Trevelyan to talk about efforts to educate women and girls. They were firmly of the opinion that empowering women around the world starts with alleviating poverty, promoting education for girls and women’s health. They jointly declared their outrage at the kidnapping of girls seeking education in the North-East of Nigeria (the Chibok girls). According to them, those who pay the highest price for war are women and children who are mostly uneducated.
Even Nelson Mandela would be embarrassed that what he crafted into words had already been captured by the deeds and dogged determination of the combination of Chief Adekoya and Chief Awolowo. Nevertheless, we must give credit to Mandela for his clarity of vision.
‘’Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world FOR THE BETTER. ‘’ (Emphasis on the last three words is mine).
At the risk of stating the obvious, perhaps we need to remind ourselves that the superlative achievements of the Awolowo/Awokoya (The Two Awo’s!) nuclear onslaught on ignorance, illiteracy and deprivation did not go unnoticed by the rest of the country. In due course both Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir Ahmadu Bello, the respective Premiers of the Eastern Region and Northern Region strove to match (or even surpass) the wonderful results in the Western Region that were too glaring to be ignored.
Indeed, a few weeks ago His Royal Highness, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II- the Emir of Kano declared that he would no longer give his blessing to the building of private mosques in Kano. His preference is for education. Hence, he enjoined his subjects to convert the mosques into primary schools. This is not totally unexpected of a Moslem prince who had the benefit of attending a catholic primary school in Kano followed by King’s College, Lagos where nobody cared about anybody’s religion, tribe or race.
[Address delivered at the 22nd Stephen OluwoleAwokoya Foundation Annual Lecture, Award of Honours & Postgraduate Scholarships held on 21st March, 2017 at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos].
- To be continued next week
J.K. Randle FCA; OFR
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