BOKO HARAM: APC WANT FG TO USE EDUCATION TO FIGHT INSURGENCY

By Tobi Omoaghe/hotmanpet.blogspot.com

All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders

 The All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders has identified the insecurity situations in the country, including insurgency, kidnapping militancy and other forms of crimes as the aftermath of failure of leadership and lack of education for its citizenry.

All the APC leaders who gave one form of address or the other at the second Progressive Governance Lecture Series in Kano yesterday observed that lack of proper education policy as the bane of poverty, insecurity and political unrest in the country.

Former Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari advocated that the Federal Government should renew its educational policy in a way that it could provide free and qualitative education in the country.

The Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) former presidential candidate noted that such step would go a long way to preventing insecurity in Nigeria, adding that our security challenges may get worse if the Federal Government does not fix the education sector.
 
He insisted that, “until the falling standard of education in Nigeria is fixed to engage out of school children, the incessant attack on innocent Nigerians particularly in the North east may get worse.”
 

The ex-Nigerian Head of State also advocated for increased budget in education so as to raise the standard of education in the country to equal the global best practice..

According to him, "When we came to government in the 80s, we called for education review led by Prof. Fafunwa to review all the recommendations on education and identify critical point for immediate implementation. We most draw a clear cut and road map on our education to achieve desire success.”

General Buhari who regretted that no solution is yet on sight to rescue the missing Chibok girls urges concerted effort to return to girls.

Also speaking, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, former governor of Abia state and the Chairman, of the Lecture Series called on all stakeholders of the APC to shun personal interest and lift the flag of the party to victory come 2015.

He declared that the panacea to the lingering socio-political cum economic crisis in the country is a change of leadership at the centre in 2015.

According to him, for the past 16 years, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) has been on the saddle of leadership, “but to my utmost dismay Nigeria as a country has been stagnated in terms of meaningful development all this while.

“The ruling party has called our party, the party of one person; but it is clear that the APC is the party that belongs to all of us. The APC is open to all Nigerians. The APC is indeed, the only national party.

“APC is the only party that controls, at least, a state in the six geo-political zones of our country. The ruling party cannot claim to have that, if they do, they should tells us the state they are controlling in the South-West.

“APC is the biggest opposition party in the history of our country; and ready to respond to the needs of our people. APC is no longer just a party, but it has become a movement. Whatever we do, we must listen to the cries of our people.

“We must constantly study the mood of the nation—we must move along instead of trying to move against the collective will of our people. We should never think that we already won an election that is yet to be contested.

“So, over confidence never helps, but rather it hurts. The stability, unity, peace and progress must always guide every single important step that we take. The provision of our will be achieved when we respect the rules we make by ourselves. Our party constitution must remain supreme in the conduct of party affairs,” he stated.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State also noted that the difference is clear in terms of leadership style and governance between the PDP and APC, adding that if APC had been in government, the spate of corruption would have been curtailed and billions of Naira stolen from national treasury would have been used to provide free and qualitative education for Nigerians.

The Rivers state governor lamented the crisis in education pointing out that corruption is the cause of bad leadership in Nigeria.

The chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) also pointed out that if there is no poverty, unemployment and illiteracy, there certainly will be no Boko Haram, insurgency and insecurity.

The Chief Host and Kano state Governor, Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso in his welcome address enumerated his land mark achievements in the education sector.

According to him, apart from establishing over 24 institutes across the state which has graduated about 40, 000 young men and women, Kwankwaso noted that his government has sponsored hundreds of Kano indigenes to bag their masters degree abroad.

He also used the occasion to reveal that Kano state government has declared free education for Kano indigenes from primary to university level, adding that even within the country hundreds of Kano state indigenes have been given scholarship to study in universities like the Bells University and Crescent University, both based in Ogun state. 

 Owelle Rochas Okorocha who is the Chairman, Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and the Governor of Imo state condemned the spate of insecurity in the country and called on politicians irrespective of party affiliation to come together and fight the scourge.

“As Progressive Governors Forum, we had planned this lecture series but we never knew that the Chibok incidence will take place. Those children have not been rescued as at this time (Monday morning). Many of us may not know what the parents are going through right now. This is time for Nigerians to pray for the rescue of those children.

“This is not the time to say who is right or who is wrong; but this is the time to close ranks and come together to rescue the Chibok children. It is obvious that no political party, not even the PDP can benefit from this crisis.

This is the time for the government in power, the PDP to reach out even to their perceived enemies to all work together to rescue the ugly situation that we find ourselves”, he stated.

He also insisted that the progressive governors has already donated the sum of N100 million to the families of Nyanya bombings, adding that the progressive governors have also decided to help in rebuilding destroyed schools in Borno state

Okorocha spoke particularly about the abduction of over 200 girls at Chibok, Borno state, while insisting that   now is the time for all Nigerians to come together and ensure the release of the innocent students.

According to Okorocha, the theme of the lecture was decided in line with the mandate of the Progressive Governors’ Lecture series to bring to the fore and work towards eradicating certain national problems.

Former Vice President Atiku Aabubakar also spoke at the forum stating that the collection of the progressives should be translated into a political will whereby the governors should implement the educational policy discussed in other the rescue the sector from further decay, adding that the APC should lead in this agreement so as to have a clear-cut difference between APC and PDP.

Dr. Ahmed Illyasu of the Department of Education, Bayero University Kano, BUK, presented a paper entitled Crisis In Nigeria’s Education Sector: Addressing The Connect Between Unemployment and Insecurity. Dr. Ahmed described education as, “an instrument for national development,” adding that with qualitative education and job creation, the problem of insurgency and militancy would have been solved.

Party leaders who graced the occasion include General Muhammadu Bbuhari, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nasiru El-Rufai, Senator Bukola Saraki, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Aisha Alhasan, Senator George Akume, Senator Ibrahim Kabiru Gaya, Governors Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Senator Bola Ajimobi (Oyo), Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara),  Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Ibrahim Giadem (Yobe), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), former Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Masari among other APC leading chieftains.