Former governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarebe Musa, has traced the present situation in the country to the inability of leadership to live by example.
He said it is impossible for things in the country to move the way they ought to when leaders abandoned their constitutional roles of living by example.
Speaking as a guest speaker on, ‘The Standard of Education in Nigeria: A Historical Overview’ at a weekly fellowship organized by the Rotary club of Malali District, Kaduna, the elder statesman said the likes of Awolowo, Zik, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and others had their people at heart and everybody irrespective of their political, religious or tribal differences were treated equally based on merit.
He explained, “The first leadership of the likes of Ahmadu Bello, Awolowo, Ziks, Tafawa Balewa and many others worked for the general interest of the country and that was why Nigerians then worked as an entity, and everything worked perfectly well for the country.
“Today, what do we have? We have leaders that care less about the welfare of its people and that is why everything is in a shamble including the educational sector. Everything is in disarray and our leaders don’t care about what is happening in some parts of the country because of sectionalism and myopic thinking that does not give them the role of being true nationalists.
“From 1943 when l started elementary school up to the time l became a Chartered Accountant, my parents did not contribute anything but the state did everything for me. It was free education for everybody and you could read any course if you work hard for it. Today, even the courses have been politicized that not everybody go in and read Medicine, Law or any professional course that is assumed to be marketable, it is meant for who you know.
“Even when a child qualified for a particular course, he or she cannot go in for it because of the exorbitant school fees attached to it. These and many other factors have worsen the educational system in the country and our leaders do not have the political will to address these anomalies that tend to create great danger to our corporate existence as a country.
“One could go on and on without end to enumerate the challenges facing the educational sector and the lack of foresight bedevilling the leadership towards addressing issues of national importance but all you see them doing is their selfish programmes.”
Earlier, the past assistant governor and present President, Rotary club, Malali District, Kaduna, Barrister Kayode Faturiyele, said the topic chosen and discussed was a deliberate attempt to awaken the consciousness of members and Nigerians on how to tackle some challenges that demand immediate solution for the survival of the country.
Comments