PVC-NAIJA Harps On Education As Important Tool Of Political Development
Politics is not the shenanigans to control the street and win it’s fights, nor mongering rumors and peddling fake news. It’s not out doing each other in propaganda. Politics is the debate between parties in power, issues centered discussion and ideological dialogue that shapen opinion and throw up competent leadership to ensure good governance. This was the submission of Dr. Bolaji Akinyemi National Coordinator of PVC-NAIJA. at the National discuss on 2019 Presidential Election in Nigeria organized by Trinity Foundation under the leadership of Pastor Ituah Iguodala In TRINITY HOUSE, Victoria Island, Lagos.
BELOW is the full text of the presentation of Dr. Bolaji Akinyemi at the event.held on Saturday 27th October 2018;
“Education is the key to liberation from pre-modal governance, the path way to human intellectual advancements and societal development, A people without education are covenanted to poverty” – Dr Bolaji Akinyemi @ the world students day celebration 2018.
In the past, we have often missed the take when it comes to electing our leaders, but the mistake became very obvious when desperation for change, led to change without a change of order, preparation was not made for the change we made.
Nelson Mandela said
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
We can’t abandon our people in illiteracy and expect them to effect a desirable change.
Babajide Ogunsanwo Channels TV data analyst once said, “The guarantee that our people will keep voting in the same pattern is in one word, illiteracy”.
We therefore must rescue the most responsible percentage of our population to civic duty of election, from the grip of illiteracy.
This mass army are the ones at the mercy of political parties foot soldiers who are jobbers of the political elites, sent into the street to exploit the ignorance of our people to the advantage of their pay masters.
If Nigeria must be saved come 2019, A step must be made in the right direction. There is the need to set up a structure of enlightenment for our teeming illiterate voters, who are mostly farmers, artisans, market men and women. They are the proud parents of the Nigerian youths to whom the future belong. The simplicities of our illiterate population are manipulated for gain by the political class for their gullibility. This has remained an asset in the hand of “political deities”, whose words, are laws and must not be reasoned, but carried out. (The babasope syndrome)
Because the vast majority of our illiterate population find it difficult at making informed political decision, they nonetheless must be rescued by vigorous political education. Very disturbing is the illiteracy of our “educated illiterates” which has sustained the role that fake news and propaganda plays in our political decisions.
The state of our polity is a function of political illiteracy, our social media is awash with political ignorance.
Kofi Anan, said, “knowledge is power, information is liberating, education is the premise of progress in every society, in family.
Borrowing a leaf from Kofi Anan, a model, of bottom to top, to trigger a process of godly change in our society must be activated at the Local Government, State and National levels).
A template of evolution from the family units to the larger societies, has informed the need for us to do the needful; educate our teeming illiterate populace.
Knowledge must be disseminated via education, upon which every societal progress is premised.
POLITICAL EDUCATION.
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”- Malcom X
Students and Youths being that class of our society to which the future belong, who constitute nearly 2/3 of our entire population, must be given the right to lead in making decisions that will impact on their future. They are the numerical strength of our voting population and must be harnessed and deployed to prepare a glorious future for them.
Their deployment to “RACING WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD” is imperative.
Global Race.
The world is in a race, a race so defined to provoke our creativity, but ignored till date by our leaders, defined by the phrase which qualifies the place we are occupying in a racing world; 3RD WORLD!
There is no doubt that the world has left us behind, but must we remain behind?
Our lagging behind is not a function of lack of energy, that we have in abundance, even our meals are a testimony to this.
The behind position of Africa is not due to the absence of natural resources. Nigeria alone is more endowed with this, than the whole of Europe put together. It is not in want of intellectual capacities, for Africans are among the best of human resources contributing their quota to make other nations and continents attain greatness. We are about the best in every field of life, the realities of life and facts on record attest to this.
This speech will be a mere rhetorics if it ended without a mention of very few gallant armies of Nigerian youths storming the world and taking her by surprise, ladies and gentlemen of 3rd world descent, setting speed record for the 1st world:
Of, Oluwole Akinwande, the poet who gets you dizzy.
Bukola Elemide popularly known as “ASA” the “little hawk” because when she was young, will often run away and changed direction like a hawk.
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, indeed a wizard at his trade, they call him wizkid.
Chimamanda Adichie, the pen merchant whose first two strokes on paper won a literary award.
Adeola Sagoe, who has given the world of fashion a strict challenge for its tittle.
Oluchi and Agbani, both of who are among the best of ladies on the walk way.
Shola Ladoja who is redefining the critical area of our agricultural productivity, filling the gap of processing and preservation of farm products.
Laolu Isaac Sebanjo, whose work added value to Beyonce’s on her way to the Grammy.
Jelani Aliyu, the leading Nigeria car designer with General Motors, brought back home to head and give directions to National Automotive Design Development Council, (NADDC).
Bosun Tijani, whose exploit and work in ICT commanded the attention of Mark Zuckerberg to Nigeria. The list is endless!
The peril of Africa, is that the educated are not politically educated. The best are led by “The beast” and the mentality of the beast is perpetually to remain primordial so that ancient landmark are maintained, even when they stand in the path of the road we must construct. Status quo, he must maintain even when they tend towards income loss, animals would not be ranched for greater productivity; train must go slow to protect rampaging animals refused to be ranched.
The giant of Africa must not be allowed to remained big for nothing.
The sleeping pride of the black race must be awakened from her slumber; to release her potentials and fulfil her destiny.
Time to rise is now!!
Social Capital Investment.
The social capital of love, that nature has bestowed on relationship must become the engine to drive the change expected. The bonds of love between Youths and their parents must come handy. The force of social influence generated through peer pressure will for once be positively channelled to bring the nation to the understanding of where we are in the global race, and the effort that must be unleashed to catch up with the rest of the world.
2019 elections for us at Project Victory Call Initiatives, A.K.A PVC-NAIJA, is viewed as hitting the mark for the race we must run.
A Staggering Reality:
The population of Nigeria today is a guess, between 150- 200 million. This in itself is a problem, as certain provisions cannot be made for an uncertain number of people.
Our population today houses the poorest of the poor of the 7.6 billion treading the earth. Our crisis is compounded with 13.5 million children out of school.
A Looming War.
Global index on proliferation of arms shows that 70% of global small arms numbered at 500 million have found it’s way into Nigeria, with 300 million arms in a nation of 150million. That is an average of 2 arms per person. The monster behind this catche are the political class, whose children are kept far away from the battle ground, but their plan to unleash war against our innocent generation shall not see the light of the day.
What Must We Do?
We must make the right decision in 2019.
A Nigeria youth who is 18 years old now would be 50 years old in 2050, the year the United Nations projection says our population will be 3rd largest in the world, after China and India.
The preparation for 2050 must start now, by those who will be the adult then to manage the reality that 2050 portends.
Racing With The Rest Of The World.
RELAY 2018- 2050
2019 must be decided to give us a good ahead start.
1st Leg Nigeria President 2019- 2023 (2027), a good HEADSTART is important in every RELAY race. We must get 2019 right.
2nd Leg Nigeria President 2027- 2035
3rd Leg Nigeria President 2035- 2043
Last Leg Nigeria President 2043- 2051- YOU!!
Project Victory Call Initiatives, PVC-NAIJA is calling Nigerian Students and Youths to arise for a change of order, as we demand from every political parties their ROAD MAP TO 2050.
No nation ever emerged great without a vision backed by action plan with time lines followed through.
United Arab Emirates.
Singapore
Of Rwanda vision 2020.
Nigeria is not a PDP/APC project. Nigeria is a Nigerian Project, we must decide where we are going and hire a bus (political party) and driver (The President) to take us there.
The road is long and bumpy, so, the bus must be sound and regularly service.
The skill, competence, energy and intellectual capabilities of the Drivers for this journey must not be compromised if we must arrive at our desired destination.
Thanks for your time and audience.
God bless Nigeria!
Dr Bolaji Akinyemi
National Coordinator Project Victory Call
(AKA PVC-NAIJA).
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