By Sammy CHARLES
Properly trained, educated and mentored youths constitute a greater percentage of the brawn and brain used in driving development indices in the world.It therefore follows that for any country to gain meaningful development, she must focus on human capital development from the cradle. The educational system must be well structured where every successive government will pay maximum attention to its implementation.
The Nigerian government, with all her human potentials has failed to implement her National Policy on Educationleading to decaying and obsolete infrastructure, religious interference, inadequate manpower, denial of agreed remunerationsand incentives to teachers and outright systemic strangulation.When the educational system is atrophied, the collapse of the economy becomes inevitable because charlatans takeover the leadership and the future of the people becomes bleak.
The youths and indeed students of tertiary institutions in the country, having passed through the proverbial eye of the needle in public primary and secondary schools in Nigeriawere recently advised to make their voices heard in the affairs of their beloved nation.Addressing Akwa Ibom state student leaders at the Students’ Union Government Secretariat of the University of Uyo on the 12th of April, immediately after the 2017/2018 matriculation ceremony, Mr. Ide Owodiong-Idemeko, who holds the traditional title of Obong Unwana, Ibesikpo-Asutan, and a pioneer student of the institution as well as her first Alumni President advised the students to be serious and focused in their studies.
In his speech titled, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: THE ROLE OF STUDENTS AND YOUTHS IN OUR EMERGING DEMOCRACY, the Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial aspirant took the students down memory lane “… even more exciting for me is the opportunity to deliver this speech to a group that I consider my primary constituency, having cut my teeth as a student leader during my time here in the university, considering the various positions I held and roles I played as Secretary General of the pioneer Students’ Union Association, 1st Clerk of Congress and 1st elected Secretary General of the Students’ Union Government … at that time we saw ourselves as bastions of the democratic struggle especially since students’ unionism was a much stronger force against military adventurism into politics.”
Obong Owodiong-Idemeko, in rallying the patriotic zeal of the student leaders said “Nigerian students have been involved in some of the major political interventions and important political struggles that have shaped the destiny of our Nation in one way or the other.”According to him “I recall that during my time as Students Union Secretary General, a period that marked the return of prolonged military rule, coups and counter coups and endless transitions to democratic civilian rule, the great body of Nigerian students stood firm against … corruption, denials of the political right of the people, attacks on fundamental rights and press freedom, attacks on the right to independent students unionism, attacks on workers and trade union rights, the annulment of June 12 elections, etc [which eventually] contributed to the … collapse of the military and the return of civil rule in 1999….”
Citing zoning as the major ingredient of political and social justice,Obong Owodiong-Idemeko, quoting Antonia Simbane said “zoning formula seems to fit into the heterogeneous and federal nature of the Nigerian state, helping to accommodate all groups as much as possible and therefore reducing complaints of domination and or marginalization. To this extent, it helps to make the system more inclusive and therefore more supportive of the democratic nature.” Obong Owodiong-Idemeko expressed total agreement with the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and remarked that “the party has recorded reasonable success and has proven that [Zoning] if well managed can ensure peaceful coexistence and give everyone a sense of belonging.” He also posited that “it is time to enshrine this concept into the constitution and not just assume that it is covered by provisions of Federal Character. “
He advised politicians and leaders of political parties to be resolute in the implementation of the zoning principleand expressed concerns that “unfortunately, humans, being who they are and politics, being what it is, we have started witnessing several attempts to explain away what is zoned and what is not zoned.Some aspirants with access to our collective wealth banter the idea that it does not apply to them or they simply try to influence the managers of the political process to manipulatethe process in their favour for various spurious reasons. It is important that the weak should feel protected in the Nigeria we strive for. Survival of the biggest and the fittest should be left in the jungle; there, the lion remains king, no matter what.”
A cursory glance at the federal constituencies and local governments that have benefited as Senators from Akwa Ibom Northeast (Uyo) Senatorial District showsSenator George Aniedi from Nsit Atai in 1979 Uyo Federal Constituency, Senator ImeIkpatfrom Nsit Ibom in 1983 Etinan Federal Constituency, Senator AnietieOkonfrom Ituin 1992 Itu/Ibiono Federal Constituency, Senator John James Udoedehefrom Uyo in1999 Uyo Federal Constituency, Senator Effiong Bob from Nsit Ubium in 2003 and 2007 Etinan Federal Constituency, Senator ItaEnangfrom Ibionoin 2011 Itu/Ibiono Federal Constituency, Senator Bassey Albert from Ibionoin 2015.The above scenario shows that it is the turn of Uyo Federal Constituency in 2019 and micro zoned to either Ibesikpo/Asutanor Uruan Local Government Areas.
