18 THE NATION TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015
THE NATION TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015 19 COMMENTARY ‘Instead of committing billions to overseas education, it is time to develop strategies whereby more of that money is spent at home. Government itself must take the lead in this respect by ensuring that a greater proportion of the huge sums it spends on foreign scholarships are transferred to indigenous tertiary institutions’ T HE report of unknown epidemic which hit Ondo and killed 12 people has attracted as much of public attention as it has created fears in the minds of inhabitants of Ode-Irele, a serene community in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State. Curiously enough, the state commissioner for health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, who reported the epidemic to journalists, did not know the cause, neither could he say when nor how the disease was first noticed in the community. But he knew that four persons with fresh symptoms of the disease had been isolated at the General Hospital, Ode-Irele. All that is known about this disease are its symptoms. According to Adeyanju, preliminary reports showed that all the victims who died of the disease “complained of headaches and later lost their sight before dying”. The commissioner explained that the symptoms of the epidemic were unlike those of Ebola Virus Disease which are diarrhoea, vomiting and haemorrhage. It is all well and good that the commissioner has assured that everything possible would be done to prevent the disease from spreading and that the state government had already sought the aid of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other partners, including the Federal Ministry of Health. On his part, however, the Chief Executive Officer of Ebola Alert, Professor Bakare Lawal, said that examples obtained from the victims were being analysed “to enable experts to determine EDITORIALS Money to waste •Nigeria is spending far too much on overseas scholarships Nigerians in Ghana annually. Exam Ethics International, a non-governmental organisation, puts the total spending on the education of Nigerians abroad at a staggering N1.5 trillion. Given the fact that the country plans to spend N400 billion on education in the 2015 budget, it is obvious that the funds spent outside the nation’s shores are grossly disproportionate to local capacity. Overseas scholarships can be beneficial when they are properly used. During Nigeria’s early years as an independent nation, hundreds of students were sent abroad as part of an ultimately successful effort to expand and develop the fledgling country’s human resources. The rational then was that there were only a few local tertiary institutions available for students to utilise within the country. Currently, however, Nigeria is endowed with over one hundred universities and about as many polytechnics and other tertiary institutions. The excuse of inadequate local capacity is therefore less defensible. The fact that the country is spending such a huge amount on overseas education is an obvious indication that there is a viable market for educational services if only determined attempts are made to fully tap into it. Instead of committing billions to overseas education, it is time to develop strategies whereby more of that money is spent at home. Government itself must take the lead in this respect by ensuring that a greater proportion of the huge sums it spends on foreign scholarships are transferred to indigenous tertiary institutions. This can be done using a variety of means: by insisting that more of its The Ondo epidemic •Citizen caution is advised while scientists probe the root HE allegation that the Federal Government is spending some N100 billion a year on foreign scholar- Tships must compel a comprehensive reformulation of the ways in which Nigeria finances its education system. The accusation was made by Mr. Ahmed Adamu, chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC), as part of his appeal to the President-elect, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), to scrap it. There can be little doubt that Nigeria spends a huge amount of money on the education of its students in overseas universities. About N27 billion has been spent on foreign scholarship awards by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). In 2011, N8.4 billion was spent on the school fees of the offspring of Nigerian diplomats. An estimated N160 billion is spent on the education of scholarships be tenable in Nigeria, rather than abroad; by awarding grants aimed at enabling local universities to expand their postgraduate education; by working with international donor agencies to develop scholarship programmes with overt Nigerian content. However, it must also be understood that such strategies will not work if local tertiary institutions continue to perform below international standards; indeed, this is the reason why so much money goes overseas in the first place. Tertiary education operates within a global context, and it cannot be arbitrarily adjusted to local whims and caprices. Inadequate infrastructure, ill-paid and poorly-motivated staff, incessant strikes and other disruptions to the educational calendar will only continue to degrade and diminish the tertiary education system, thereby driving ambitious students and their parents abroad, at great cost to themselves and to the nation. If Nigeria’s tertiary institutions want to start attracting more of the educational funds that go abroad, they will have to undertake a comprehensive change in attitude. Many foreign universities aggressively market themselves in Nigeria. Why is it that so few of their local counterparts think it necessary to do the same? Nor do local tertiary institutions feel the need to attract and retain the best university teachers and administrators, as is habitually done in countries like the United States. When local schools begin to see themselves as potential players on the global education stage, they will be able to start taking advantage of the educational bonanza at their doorstep. whether the disease was bacterial or viral infections”. But an online search vide the healthline.com revealed that the symptoms of this “unknown” disease “mimic those of temporal arteritis”. The portal has advised that, “although the exact cause of the condition is unknown, there may be a link with the body’s auto-immune response. In addition, “excessive dose of antibiotics and certain severe infections have been linked to temporal arteries which supply blood to the head and brain, become inflated or damaged. It is also known as cranial arteritis or giant cell arteritis”. The portal advises that although the exact cause condition is unknown, there may be a link with the body’s auto-immune response. All these notwithstanding, the speculation tracing the epidemic to consumption of illicit gin brewed locally in the community has been widely spread. We therefore support the warning to people not to patronise the illicit gin, also known as ogogoro, suspected to be the culprit, at least for now, although this seems a remote possibility given that the local gin has been consumed for ages without such epidemic. Whilst not necessarily supporting the consumption of the local gin, we must look beyond it for the cause of the epidemic. It is a pity, even if it is not surprising, that the epidemic had killed 12 people, as we live in a country where all kinds of drinks like the one called sobo and its like pass for soft drinks, and are readily consumed without verification from authentic quarters, like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), as to their safety for human consumption. What this tells us is that people should be mindful of what they drink. The Ondo State Government should investigate the matter to find out the source or sources of the production of illicit gins and also see to it that other things sold as drinkables, like ‘pure water’, should be made to pass NAFDAC test. Should handling of the epidemic be beyond the scope of the state government, it should follow up its calls on the relevant Federal Government and WHO to jointly look into the matter with a view to finding a lasting solution to it. The Federal Government particularly should show interest in the Ondo epidemic before it spreads to other states of the federation. A stitch in time saves nine. ‘Should handling of the epidemic be beyond the scope of the state government, it should follow up its calls on the relevant Federal Government and WHO to jointly look into the matter with a view to finding a lasting solution to it’ LETTER Counting the cost of xenophobia IR: South Africa is in the eye of the storm again as xenophobic onslaught against fellow immigrant Africans sweeps Sacross that land. The repeat of this deep rooted irrational hatred for fellow human beings which took place seven years ago, claiming over 60 lives was cruelty taken to another ugly dimension. Take it or leave it, xenophobic attacks in Africa have unfortunately lived with us and gone unnoticed for years. When it is over we forget to properly identify its recipe to forestall future occurrence. Killing and maiming of brothers has become the bane of a well celebrated continent of loving and caring people. The world was largely miffed in this South African Xenophobic attack because this is happening in a multicultural society known to have garnered immense African solidarity and support against serial injustices done to their nation during apartheid regime. This is the nation of Nelson Mandela: the epitome of the struggle for South African freedom who once said, “for to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chain but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Unfortunately, this barbarism contradicts the South African ideal for democracy, freedom, justice and what they portend. The brazenly rascality turned into broad day armed robbery where looting of shops and properties of immigrants by the young and old South African in the full glare of local and international media was the order of the day. The South African police and other civil security establishments should be investigated for their unenthusiastic approach to the crisis. They did not seem in my estimation to have risen up to this occasion. Xenophobia and other crisis in Africa cannot be divorced from economic struggle for livelihood and the quest for survival among the masses amidst affluent few, corruption, unemployment, poor healthcare facilities, lack of good education and paucity of the needed resources or denial therein. The lack of purposeful leadership and good governance in Africa has thrown up all sorts of confusions and crises. Both the hungry and the unemployed take to anger and since anger emotionally overpowers reason; the least provocation is a misdirected violence waiting to happen on the society which are manifested in the forms of riots and civil wars. Ralph Ellison posited that, “when I discover who I am, I will be free.” South Africans were freed from apartheid regime 21 years ago but they have failed to emerge from their cocooned slave-mindset and discover themselves; and if they do, they will be free indeed. Africans are weary of and can no longer tolerate governments devoid of good governance. The earlier African states and governments begin to see positions of authority as one of trust, service to humanity and a social contact which must be sacrosanct, Africa will arise, be well and better for it. • Sunday Onyemaechi Eze, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh • Editor Gbenga Omotoso •Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye •General Editor Adekunle Ade-Adeleye •Editor, Online Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Northern Operation Yusuf Alli •Managing Editor Waheed Odusile •Deputy Editor Lawal Ogienagbon •Deputy Editor (News) Adeniyi Adesina •Deputy Editor (Nation’s Capital) Yomi Odunuga •Group Political Editor Emmanuel Oladesu •Group Business Editor Simeon Ebulu •Group Sports Editor Ade Ojeikere •Editorial Page Editor Sanya Oni •Executive Director (Finance & Administration) Ade Odunewu • Gen. Manager (Training and Development) Soji Omotunde •General Manager (Abuja Press) Kehinde Olowu •AGM (PH Press) Tunde Olasogba •Advert Manager Robinson Osirike •IT Manager Bolarinwa Meekness •Press Manager Udensi Chikaodi •Legal Counsel John Unachukwu • Manager (Admin) Folake Adeoye •Acting Manager (sales) Olaribigbe Bello
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