Nigerians have dug up an old interview of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where he condemned citizens going abroad to study certain courses whose expertise are readily available in Nigeria like law, economics and English. This comes after the recent graduation of Jordan, Wike’s son who just bagged a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from Queen Mary University of London.
Commentators think Wike’s comment at the time and his action, leading to his sons graduation abroad, wreaks of double standards.
“Some of these courses you don’t need to send them abroad, what we said in our case, why do you need to send someone who wants to study English overseas? Why do you want to send someone who wants to study economics overseas,” Wike had said in the video.
“Why do you want to send someone who wants to study law overseas? When you know we have very good faculties in these areas in Nigeria universities. We thought if we desire to send people overseas, it must be in very peculiar areas, that we lack and we want our people to go and study. It can be in some areas like; engineering, agriculture, medicine and ICT.”
The event was attended by Jordan’s family, as well as other Nigerians such as Okezie Ikpeazu, former governor of Abia State, and Philip Aduda, a former senator.
His proud father announced the news on social media, sharing photos from the graduation ceremony.
However, Wike’s different stance on foreign education for ordinary people a few years ago, and his son’s graduation abroad gained the attention of many Nigerians who slammed him, saying it is a display of hypocrisy by the country’s political elite.
Observers say this development has exposed Wike’s hypocrisy, and also highlights the lack of faith political leaders have in the country’s education system; the same system they were elected to improve.
Read also: New flank on Nyesom Wike
They pointed out that the troubling hypocrisy is not only disappointing, but also undermines the credibility of Nigerian universities. If our leaders and their families cannot patronise Nigerian institutions, what message does that send to the outside world?
In recent years, there have been calls for a law to ban public office holders from sending their children to schools abroad in Nigeria, with the hope that it would force leaders to prioritise investments in the country’s education system. However, given the selfish tendencies of many in leadership, many have concluded that such a law seems unlikely.
Many say rather than focusing on unrealistic law, the country should channel efforts into electing leaders who genuinely care about Nigeria’s development.
“I’m not surprised with the video; they preach what they don’t do”, Hameed Muritala, a development consultant told BusinessDay.
“One can only hope that incidents like Wike’s own will inspire a renewed commitment among our leaders to transform the nation’s educational institutions and restore trust in the system”.
Many Nigerians, who reacted to the video on social media, said it is a display of lack of sincerity on what governance is about by political leaders in the country, because many of them preach what they don’t do.
Similarly, other Nigerians said it is not a surprise to see the FCT Minister talking with two mouths, noting that is one of the characteristics of an average Nigerian political elite.
“Is it not only Wike?, nearly all of them have their children schooling board, that’s one of the characteristics of an average Nigerian political elite. It is sad really, that is why they are not funding education here”, Tope Olusegun said on Twitter, formerly X.
Also reacting to Jordan Wike’s foreign education, human rights activist and convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore, lambasted Wike for celebrating his son’s graduation in the UK.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC), knocked the Minister for serving as education minister in Nigeria for four years and failing to build a school good enough for his children to study.
He said it was a “shame” that Wike failed to leave an legacy behind in the education sector despite serving as Rivers State governor for eight years, local government chairman for two terms and currently as the FCT minister.
According to Sowore, “You were governor for eight years in Rivers State, one of Nigeria’s wealthiest states.
“You looted the state dry and couldn’t build a single school where your children could earn a Master’s in Law. What a Crying Shame!
“Nyesom Wike was ex-local government chairman (two terms), ex-Minister of Education (4 years), ex-Governor of Rivers State (two terms-8 years), and current FCT Minister yet Wike could not build a school good enough to send his children to study, he needs to send them to UK schools with stolen funds”.
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