Obamanizing the Nigerian youth. (Part 1)

By Ilobi Austin

Beyond it record-breaking feat in the political history of the United States, I am inclined to believe that the name Obama would someday, be adopted as an English word just like ogbunigwe; which I once read somewhere had been given the interpretation of a mass killer. Already, it is reported to have been used over a billion times by marketers online to mean different things- all positive.

I entertainment no doubt that all things been equal, polls or no polls,tomorrow, he would win the election with the highest votes ever:popular and collegiate, in the history of presidential elections in America and after his second term within which he must have re-directed America’s military strength to more useful and worthy enterprise and re-assert her economic dominance, earn millions in U.S dollars mounting the soapbox across the globe inspiring the uninspired. That is his destiny.

And this I believe, is equally, the destiny of many in Nigeria, some dead many still alive but clueless, if only the right environment conducive to the development of their inert human potentials can be created by the government- this thankfully, is the principal objective of the state and to God be the glory, the core of the Yaradua’s seven point agenda for which a concrete foundation unlike the quicksand of yesteryear is slowly but gradually been laid. I guess it is imperative that one thinks aloud on some of these Obamanizing factors.

Education: let the government target the last years of secondary education to start enlightening the youths about choices in life. They should do this not through the so-called career counselors who are equally in need of direction but through motivational speakers who should be invited and paid by the government. Most of the people, who scramble to take JAMB exams annually and pollute the admission process with malpractices, are for all intent and purpose, not suited for conventional education. Had someone talked it into them to de-emphasize the pursuit of paper certificate in favour of obtaining good training in vocations that they are clearly suited for, the country would have been saved from the graduate mass unemployment challenge it currently faces and the talk of doing entrepreneurship program before graduating would not have risen.

At the tertiary level, all the institutions in the country needs to network with their counterpart abroad for the exchange of current ideas. The teaching methods needs to be broadened to accommodate the integration of live internet and satellite TV based classes from other environment. Truth be told, most of the lecturers are too lazy that their teaching materials from the 80s is what they are still using without any update or modification. Some students are even more informed than the lecturers in some courses because, they go online. The private tertiary institutions are not exempted because their lecturers are mostly part timers sourced from the federal universities.

The admission process needs to be better sterilized than is the case now to eliminate the injustice always done to the best and most qualified. A situation where the best is always at the bottom of the ladder while the worst sits at the top can never conduce to the making of an Obama; some ends up buying different admissions offered by the universities only to be denied NYSC for dynamics they had no part in creating but where clearly taken advantage of by the government. That is double rape and I hope the House of Representative looks into the issue with fairness. Happily, the radical Farouk Lawan of the “he said we were joking” fame is in charge of the Education committee.

Still under education, scholarships and how to access them should form part of the school curriculum, majority are either not aware of them until they are either over or are sceptical about them since there is a wide spread believe that they go the ways of elections in the country. The process and time of applying needs to be taught as a course under an exciting one in all faculties preferably, General Studies, it should not just be about teaching biology to an accounting student. Immediate relevance and future gains should matter and be balanced.


Infrastructure: I cannot claim to know the worth of the satellite that was launched at the tail end of the Obasanjo’s regime but some of the interviews I read and listened to then, alluded to a crash in internet service prices. That is hardly the case. This is beside the PHCN model like service. To produce 21st century Obama, we require 21st century infrastructure. One cannot quantify accurately, the cost of power interruptions to youths whose works revolves around writing with the computer. Most finds it difficult to use pen. The loss of enthusiasm and break in thought flow patterns.

I am not too sure if all the problems of PHCN are about generating MWs, to me, distribution is suspect. I see transformers going gaga like dynamite sometimes, like it is trying to refuse some official duties.


Ilobi Austin, a social commentator and event analyst writes from Warri. His articles on Nigerian and international issues can be read and downloaded free at www.vibratingaustin.blogspot.com