Job Osazuwa

December 7 was a significant day in the lives of members of teh College of the Immaculate Conception (CIC), Enugu, Alumni Association, Lagos branch.

It was not just a day when they took another critical look at how the education system has been relegated to the back seat in Nigeria in the last few decades, it was also an opportunity for them to renew their vows to contribute their quota to changing the narrative. They averred that they could not fold their arms and watch the system continue to sink, hence the intervention.

The alumni, many of whom have excelled in their professions and trades, came from far and near to be part of the occasion that took place at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. They brought back nostalgia as they all rose to sing the school’s anthem. Before then, they cracked jokes and threw jabs at one another.

President of the Lagos branch of the association, Mr. Chizoba Ojielo, said that the essence of the colloquium was to provide an opportunity to reflect, brainstorm, and generate ideas that would lead to a better future for all Nigerians, including children yet unborn.

He said that a change in mindset was pertinent and needed, which would make all to focus and act on the fundamentals that would transform the South East region through education.

“Reflecting on our current realities, where wealth seems to be the right value and focus appears to be lost, it is evident that we need a change. The difference could happen if we reflect on what made us great in the past and start to recreate those values. It is a fact that public schools in the early days of our country provided brains and minds that shaped the physical and political future of Nigeria where integrity thrived, and people did their best to add value to the country.

“But today, we have deteriorated in our value system; as a result, the penitent question, what made us lose those precious values, and how do we get it back?

“The great Zik of Africa influenced the motto of a university he established; the motto of the university is ‘To Restore the Dignity of Man.’ The great Zik selected the slogan because of the reality that the institution of learning is not just about obtaining certificates but an environment for the development of minds, skills, right values, and talents that will shape the future for the better, which will be achieved through women and men with substantial value-adding purpose and zeal to make a positive change in society.

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“The problem is that the institution that is meant to shape minds and values has weakened to the extent that it is no more adding the right values; hence, it failed to develop the leaders that we need today and tomorrow.

“It should not be left in the hands of the government. CIC Enugu Alumni has invested over N500 million within five years in the school to provide the ideal infrastructure for learning They include erecting a 450-bedroom dormitory; equipping the sickbay; providing potable water; renovating classrooms; fencing the entire school’s premises and others,” Ojielo said.

At the event, former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, said that the greatest asset of any country was its people, and the greatest investment was in education. He joined other speakers to decry the decay in the education sector.

“The more you invest in education, the more the country will develop in all facets. The problem we have in Nigeria is a cumulative effect of leadership failure over the years. If we don’t have these millions of children out of school, we won’t have terrorism, herdsmen and others. And it is worsening every day. The problem is not only in education but almost in all the sectors,” he said.

He commended the old boys for their commitment to rebuilding their school, and stressed that the role of the alumni in developing the education sector cannot be overemphasised. He said giving back to one’s alma mater was being done across the globe and Nigerians cannot be exempted.

The guest lecturer, Air Vice Marshall (rtd) Mike Iloenyosi, said there was no doubt that proper investment in education was capable of ushering in economic growth. He posited that quality education could reduce absolute poverty by 12 per cent.

He said that quality education will at the end increase productivity, but he regretted that budgetary allocations and spending by successive governments on education from primary to tertiary levels has been steadily dwindling over the years.

The lecturer said that teachers with poor remuneration and motivation, who ordinarily have no business with teaching, have invaded the education sector and churning out half-baked students. He said that it would have negative effects on the society. He said that most Nigerians’ certificates are under rigorous scrutiny within and outside Nigeria.

He believed that one of the ways to reverse the ugly trend was for government to partner with alumni associations, international organisations, and civil societies.