Two Easiest Jobs In Nigeria

By Paul Onomuakpokpo

Despite the varied perfidy that sullied the recent elections, they are not irredeemably impaired after all. They have provided us with some vital lessons to navigate our labyrinthine political space. Clearly, they have once again jarred us into the consciousness of our seemingly indissoluble deficit in political enlightenment. 

It is such a societal malaise that propels the citizens to cast their votes without knowing the explicit reason they are doing this. In their minds, these remain unresolved posers: Is it really for the vote-buying lucre that is transacted far from the prying eyes of other citizens? Is it on account of the candidate’s past performance either in private or public offices that redounded to the well-being of the citizens?

Fake Certificates Saga And A Nation’s Future

By Matthew Ozah

Among a group of young men gathered in a barber’s shop, the other day, as I had a hair-cut, the topic of the conversation was how to gain admission into the institution of higher learning to acquire basic knowledge and be awarded a degree certificate.

One among them said: “Why would I waste my time in the four walls of a university for four, maybe five or six years, strike inclusive to obtain a sheet of paper called certificate”? The easiest way, as he reckoned, was to visit Oluwole and within minutes, you have a certificate at hand to brandish as a graduate and gain employment with.

Without mincing words, education is the key to unlock success in today’s society. Hence, it has become everyone’s desire to acquire a moderate qualification in any field of endeavour. It is, however, disheartening to say that many unscrupulous persons, like the young man in the barber’s shop, in their desperate quest to reap where they did not sow, are ready to go at any length to achieve their aim.

Such is the case in point, as recently reported in Cross River State, over certificate scam, where a head teacher was demoted to a gateman and a security man equally became a teacher.

Over the years, the decay in the education sector has been alarming and a lot has been cited as the cause. Of course, teachers with fake certificates are not without a share of the blame, as they cannot give what they do not have. More so, paucity of funds and the inconsistency of the education system among others have contributed to the decadence.

Unbelievable: Cut-Off Points Into Federal Unity Colleges In Nigeria

Imo -138;Yobe -2;Zamfra 4

Abia – Male(130) Female(130)

Adamawa – Male(62) Female(62)
Akwa-Ibom – Male(123) Female(123)
Anambra – Male(139) Female(139)
Bauchi – Male(35) Female(35)
Bayelsa – Male(72) Female(72)
Benue – Male(111) Female(111)
Borno – Male(45) Female(45)
Cross-Rivers – Male(97) Female(97)
Delta – Male(131) Female(131)
Ebonyi – Male(112) Female(112)
Edo – Male(127) Female(127)
Ekiti – Male(119) Female(119)
Enugu – Male(134) Female(134)
Gombe – Male(58) Female(58)
Imo – Male(138) Female(138)
Jigawa – Male(44) Female(44)
Kaduna – Male(91) Female (91)
Kano – Male(67) Female(67)
Kastina – Male(60) Female(60)
Kebbi – Male(9) Female(20)
Kogi – Male(119) Female(119)
Kwara – Male(123) Female(123)
Lagos – Male(133) Female(133)
Nassarawa – Male(58) Female(58)
Niger – Male(93) Female(93)
Ogun – Male(131) Female(131)
Ondo – Male(126) Female(126)
Osun – Male(127) Female(127)
Oyo – Male(127) Female(127)
Plateau – Male(97) Female(97)
Rivers – Male(118) Female(118)
Sokoto – Male(9) Female(13)
Taraba – Male(3) Female(11)
Yobe – Male(2) Female(27)
Zamfara – Male(4) Female(2)
FCT Abuja – Male(90) Female(90)

2015 WAEC Results - A Reflection Of The Nigerian Educational System!

By Idowu Oyebanjo 

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has just released the results of the 2015  May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the results as expected, "experiencing a free fall under gravity", pointed in the "right" direction - Downward! Why? Quality Education has become history in Nigeria, especially in the Public Institutions of Learning. Despite the myriads of "Private Schools" springing up, the situation is going from bad to worse.

*Buhari 

Yeye, my great Grand-mother, always said to me while growing up as a boy in Ikogosi-Ekiti, "Ti Iwaju O ba se lo, eyin a se pada si", meaning, if it becomes impracticable for you to move in the forward direction, it must be possible to take a reverse". I think this is dependent on the route. There is clearly no alternative route to getting a sum right than doing it right; starting from, and according to, basic principles. Therefore, a mirror reflection on how the system of education was before our "uncommon" era is in order.

Teaching was, and still is, a profession for the erudite in any given society. As such, Teachers must be respected, well remunerated and encouraged. That was the case in the golden era of The Nigerian Educational System. Teachers were paid comparatively higher than most workers and were among the few individuals who had bicycles or cars. To qualify to teach, you must know your subject well enough and must pass requisite examinations unaided by examination mal-practices. Yes, Teachers were the "Alphas" and the" Omegas". They were feared and respected because they represented the needed back-up for Parents when their children proved stubborn at home. Teaching was a profession of well-disciplined individuals. Undertaking Teacher training made you aware of this. Teacher Training was an on-going exercise. From graduation to becoming a Teacher, throughout the School Term, and some good part of the School Holiday, a Teacher was required to undertake a form of training or the other. Every weekend within a School term, a Teacher had to prepare notes of planned lessons for the week ahead. This afforded the opportunity to prepare for the needs of each member of a sizeable class. The notes of lessons would be critically assessed by the Head Teacher or anyone designated. 

Useful comments were made by the reviewing Teacher and where appropriate, re-submission of planned work may be demanded if there was evidence of gross unpreparedness for the Lessons of the Week. This way, it would be easy to spot, not for victimisation, the training needs of individual Teachers to be saddled with the responsibility of shaping the future of the lives of the children, the nation! The Head Teacher would often be a Teacher too and certainly not a money collector nor a Finance Director!