Between Mailafia, Stephen Hawking and quest for African Einstein(1)

[Nuruddeen]

Between Mailafia, Stephen Hawking and quest for African Einstein(1)


Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. And the beauty in it is to always consider the good moments by reflecting on the bad ones in order to live as peacefully, as cheaply and as satisfactorily as possible.

I read with enthusiasm Obadiah Mailafia's piece titled "In search of African Einstein" that appeared on the back and the 60th pages of the Sunday Trust's Guest Columnist of June 8 and 15, 2008 where Mailafia intelligently expressed his dismay, and at the same time, lamented for not being a pure, but an applied social scientist. By the time I finished reading through the excerpts, I could not contain myself and had to recommend it to my very close friends to read and furnish me with their candid opinion(s) on what they think is going to be the future of Nigerian science and scientists.

I know that predicting the future, scientific for that matter, is not everyone's affair. However, you don't need to be Michael de-Notre Dame (1503-1566) commonly known as Nostradamus, a famous French astrologer, to make predictions or pass comments on any observable knowledge gained through experience. I also believe that even a non-scientist like Arthur C. Clarke who foresaw the exploration of space more clearly than many scientists did it out of sheer commitment and dedication to his own cause.

But when discussing matters of scientific and technological importance, there is the need to reflect on the singular monumental contributions made by famous scientists who brought about scientific revolution that began with fundamental laws. Hence, Sir Isaac Newton, the pioneer scientist of the seventeenth century readily comes to mind. Newton discovered the law of gravity that present day scientists are using in solving peculiar problems that have to do with experienced natural force or phenomenon.


As a science student way back in my secondary school, I still remember my introductory lesson in SS1 when my Physics teacher, Mr Isaiah, was explaining to us the atomic theory based on J. J. Thompson's first discovery of subatomic particle since the 18th century. I also remember vividly his common dictation that always started with "A car accelerates..." which we jokingly referred to as Isaiah's car. Once he started dictating to the class, we would become bored but at the same time alert over what he would ask us to find out in the end - be it velocity, speed, displacement or distance of "his travelling" but non-existent car.

Then we had phobia for physics, but of course left with no other option than to embrace it wholeheartedly, because we thought that was presumably the only way to actualize our dreams of becoming medical doctors and pharmacists. During that time, when we heard names such as Maurice Wilker - the man who ran the world's first fully operational computer or Francis Crick and James Watson who discovered the double helical structure of DNA (deoxy ribo nucleic acid) that opened the gateway for today's biomedical revolution, we became highly excited! The dream and vision in all of us were therefore to become famous and renowned scientists some day. What we were up to was really to hear and listen to famous names such as Alexander Graham Bell, the man who discovered the telephone in 1876 or Thomas Elva Edison's laboratory work at Menlo Park, U.S.A., which paved way for inventions that have broken up the foundations of the old civilization. Edison, we were told, was the person that invented the phonograph in 1877 and eventually discovered the incandescent light in 1879. To him, everything is "interesting" and therefore believed that "there is no substitute for hard work" and that "genius is about 2% inspiration and 98% perspiration.

In fact, those days, we don't want to hear anything than stories of the old such as Henrich Hertz the inventor of generation and detection of Electro Magnetic (EM) waves which gave birth to radio and television in what we today refer to as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).That is why whenever I see people like Professor Abubakar Gulma, the 25-year-old Cambridge PhD holder and ABU's First Class degree material in Electrical Engineering, resigning and signing into politics - just to make both ends meet, I feel completely bemused and sad, particularly when viewed from the fact that people like him are not meant to be intermingling or getting involved in Nigeria's political quagmire that seems to have no solution. Also, the likes of el-Rufa'i, another Quantity Survey First Class material from Ahmadu Bello University; Sarki Abba, the West African School Certificate (WASC) guru and immunology specialist, are supposed to have waited back and spent ample time in academics. But
today, el-Rufai is being consumed and carried away by the exigencies of Nigeria's political moment. And Prof Abba has now left us reminiscing over the problem of his brain drain in one of the United States universities. Indeed, it will be very difficult for Abba to come back and contribute his quota, especially in this noisy confusion of Nigeria's academic life. If there had been the enabling academic environment, all these people could have stayed back in the academics and made breakthroughs the way the Wright brothers feature prominently in the field of aviation as they successfully flew the first airplane on 14th December, 1903 probably about the same time as Gustare Whitehead.

Indeed, they could have excelled internationally and become Africa's Einstein of the 21st century the way Sir Albert made his mark on the law of relativity in the 20th century. I understand that Albert will continue to be remembered as the greatest mind that harnessed the forces of the atom and the universe. This absent-minded professor, whose extraordinary brilliance made his face a symbol and his name synonymous for genius, believed that mass and energy are inter-convertible. His famous Physics equation (E=MC2) i.e. energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared will live to be remembered till eternity. As a child, Albert Einstein was slow in learning how to talk. He was then expelled by his headmaster, because he was proclaimed as "unlikely to amount to anything". But even at the age of five, we were told that he was busy puzzling with a toy compass and the mysteries of the nature's forces.
During his leisure time in 1905, he produced three papers that apparently changed the world's scientific viewpoint forever.

Nura works with MOBAT Quants' Consultants and Project Managers, Yankari Holiday Resort and Safari Project, Bauchi State, jibonura@yahoo.com, 08063234772.

[Muhsin]

In fact, those days, we don't want to hear anything than stories of the old such as Henrich Hertz the inventor of generation and detection of Electro Magnetic (EM) waves which gave birth to radio and television in what we today refer to as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).That is why whenever I see people like Professor Abubakar Gulma, the 25-year-old Cambridge PhD holder and ABU's First Class degree material in Electrical Engineering, resigning and signing into politics - just to make both ends meet, I feel completely bemused and sad, particularly when viewed from the fact that people like him are not meant to be intermingling or getting involved in Nigeria's political quagmire that seems to have no solution. Also, the likes of el-Rufa'i, another Quantity Survey First Class material from Ahmadu Bello University; Sarki Abba, the West African School Certificate (WASC) guru and immunology specialist, are supposed to have waited back and spent ample time in academics. But
today, el-Rufai is being consumed and carried away by the exigencies of Nigeria's political moment. And Prof Abba has now left us reminiscing over the problem of his brain drain in one of the United States universities. Indeed, it will be very difficult for Abba to come back and contribute his quota, especially in this noisy confusion of Nigeria's academic life. If there had been the enabling academic environment, all these people could have stayed back in the academics and made breakthroughs the way the Wright brothers feature prominently in the field of aviation as they successfully flew the first airplane on 14th December, 1903 probably about the same time as Gustare Whitehead.

Indeed, they could have excelled internationally and become Africa's Einstein of the 21st century the way Sir Albert made his mark on the law of relativity in the 20th century. I understand that Albert will continue to be remembered as the greatest mind that harnessed the forces of the atom and the universe. This absent-minded professor, whose extraordinary brilliance made his face a symbol and his name synonymous for genius, believed that mass and energy are inter-convertible. His famous Physics equation (E=MC2) i.e. energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared will live to be remembered till eternity. As a child, Albert Einstein was slow in learning how to talk. He was then expelled by his headmaster, because he was proclaimed as "unlikely to amount to anything". But even at the age of five, we were told that he was busy puzzling with a toy compass and the mysteries of the nature's forces.

Let me start by saying that Nura has really written a very fascinating and commendable piece. His research is excellent. His view just on good track. God bless.

The issue of brain drain in Nigeria or Africa at lager scale is really heart-breaking. I always think and look at it from many agles. Yet finding none to blame. I can't say much here though.

I just want to tell of another hidden brain drain or rather technique deploy by those involve in the 'rickety' of brain drain in the modern day (thats now).

There was one boy, a class mate of my younger brother at one science school in Kano. The boy is really intellegent, or simply he has such a God gift briliance. He excelled in many local quizzes, debates, etc. Then Turkish International School, Abuja, took him to their school as part of his winning prizes under a facade of scholarship. Even at there he continued with his performance. There they went to abroad (Solivenia, for e.g) and as well won prizes. At last we heard that he was admitted to one Turkey university and now he's in US. Shikenan you see, we've lost such brain to whites country.

There are lots more of them. We barely, at times, hear of them. And they are there serving them. Suma su Sarki Abba tasu ce tayi wari.

Allah ya kyauta.

[Dave_McEwan_Hill]

Two points
If you want to keep your best people at home you have to provide a better country for them to operate in. If Nigeria was honest, progressive and ambitious and rewarded high achievers rather than multi billion thieves many of your best brains would stay at home to build the nation.
How many posters on Kano Online have gone overseas to be in more satisfying and more remunerative employment in better run communities?

and secondly

Nura's impressive recent contributions nonetheless read like special pleading. Who is he trying to convince? No sensible person believes that the "blacks" are any less intelligent than the "whites". The question is more complex than that. All members of all races function just as well as each other when placed equally in advanced environments. The key question is why some environments get so far ahead of some others.

[Muhsin]

Two points
If you want to keep your best people at home you have to provide a better country for them to operate in. If Nigeria was honest, progressive and ambitious and rewarded high achievers rather than multi billion thieves many of your best brains would stay at home to build the nation.
How many posters on Kano Online have gone overseas to be in more satisfying and more remunerative employment in better run communities?

I understand your sentiment, Dave. You simply are in support of them, for you are one of them, huh? LOL I supposed you should be a bit frank but... ::)

To me, if you keenly wanted this country to develop and uplift its status you should and would better stay, fight for your right (better salary scale, for eg) and then if nothing was done you can exile it. Is this what they are doing?

Kai, let me call your attention to one point you seem to have missed/forgot; many of those in diasphora (working class and not business) secured their way to there via scholarship paid by govt for them to study and return and serve their country, isn't it true? I've seen and heard of many of them.

Don't have much time to expatiate. But inshaAllah later.

[HUSNAA]

Two points
If you want to keep your best people at home you have to provide a better country for them to operate in. If Nigeria was honest, progressive and ambitious and rewarded high achievers rather than multi billion thieves many of your best brains would stay at home to build the nation.
How many posters on Kano Online have gone overseas to be in more satisfying and more remunerative employment in better run communities?

I understand your sentiment, Dave. You simply are in support of them, for you are one of them, huh? LOL I supposed you should be a bit frank but... ::)

To me, if you keenly wanted this country to develop and uplift its status you should and would better stay, fight for your right (better salary scale, for eg) and then if nothing was done you can exile it. Is this what they are doing?

Kai, let me call your attention to one point you seem to have missed/forgot; many of those in diasphora (working class and not business) secured their way to there via scholarship paid by govt for them to study and return and serve their country, isn't it true? I've seen and heard of many of them.

Don't have much time to expatiate. But inshaAllah later.

Dama ana kiran dan adam insan saboda Allah Ya Hallice shi mai mantuwa. To Muhsin ina tsammani ka manta da irin tarairayar da ku dalibai kuka rika yi lokacin da malaman jamia suka tafi yajin aiki don neman hakkin su yadda kace: stay and fight. To in kuwa you want the professionals to stay behind and fight for better salary etc, then YOU students should STOP complaining about how the lecturers are short circuiting you guys.. when ever they decide to strike out for better welfare standards for education and also try to get the dear public to reverse their unfavorable opinions on striking teachers or lecturers... ko?

BTW, many go into exile precisely out of frustration because nothing gets done, sai ma the tide of public opinions turns against those who are trying to better the conditions of others.. look at how the labor union is treated by the masses for God's Sake! Yanzu Wallahi Rahamar Allah ce Kadai take tafi da kasar mu Nigeria.  In ba haka ba ai da yanzu an watse anyi kaca kaca...

[Abbas Bubakar El-ta'alu]

Assalamu alaikum  Malama Husnaa !!!

     Though I am a bit away from the topic at hand, but I think fighting for one's right (like better salary scale), as you wrote, is neigther an end, nor a means to it when we talk about developing a country and uplifting its status. There are better strategies towards building a better country, esprcially ours, Nigeria !

[Muhsin]

Dama ana kiran dan adam insan saboda Allah Ya Hallice shi mai mantuwa. To Muhsin ina tsammani ka manta da irin tarairayar da ku dalibai kuka rika yi lokacin da malaman jamia suka tafi yajin aiki don neman hakkin su yadda kace: stay and fight. To in kuwa you want the professionals to stay behind and fight for better salary etc, then YOU students should STOP complaining about how the lecturers are short circuiting you guys.. when ever they decide to strike out for better welfare standards for education and also try to get the dear public to reverse their unfavorable opinions on striking teachers or lecturers... ko?

Going off topic too, I will add; Hajiya Husnaa, if you really remember, my reaction/opinion towards lecturers strike was not out-and-out that harsh. Yeah...I ofcourse complained but saying gov't was right...no, no, no. I have never said that. All I can recall I said then was: I hope the wtwo disputants/warring parties should come to table and resolved their differeces. But it was DB, I think who blamed them.

BTW, many go into exile precisely out of frustration because nothing gets done, sai ma the tide of public opinions turns against those who are trying to better the conditions of others.. look at how the labor union is treated by the masses for God's Sake! Yanzu Wallahi Rahamar Allah ce Kadai take tafi da kasar mu Nigeria.  In ba haka ba ai da yanzu an watse anyi kaca kaca...

I respect your words, Husnaa, and even believe it. Yet I still know some are not absolutely going there out of 'oppression' but 'wishes' and 'self-interest'.

Sannan, you said nothing akan those going on public fund (scholarship) and refuse to return. Are they doing good for Allah's sake?

PS:
I can but politely say that some of the K-Online posters, as talked Dave, looking at some obvious reasons, like their words aboard, defy or elude simple categorization as them ('brain drainers'). Perhaphs it could be more accurately, albeit reluctantly ;D, said most of you are there just as destiny--Allah haka ya nufa.  ;D

Years ago, during my secondary years, what I cherished most in life was live my life in US. Doing what? Serving them...yes working there means impliedly serving, for I learnt they would only set you free when you are of no need to them.

Reference to above pragraph, I know wani likita working in US dan unguwarmu. He barely comes back to see his relatives in a decade. Rannan dai ya 'aiko' iyalinsa who are also yan unguwarmu even twice.  Da sauran labari dai. Na gaji.

[Dan-Borno]

-----------------OFF TOPIC ----------------------------
Har gobe i will continue criticizing the way and manner
ASUU go about their right (rice).  Condition of service is
always there to guide us.  However, fighting for one
rights doesnt mean transgressing into other peoples right.
Ko da shike gwamnating nigeria ita ce dai dai da ASUU
they no longer complain, because of the lecturers are
either big time politicians or working hand in hand with
the politicians - they dont have the time to even fight
for their rights.

Go to our universities and see for your self the quality of
education the so called ASUU members are giving out.
A lecturer (full time) hardly comes to class until and when
the time table for examination is out.
------------------ON TOPIC--------------------------

I dont blame any one working in any part of the world
so long as he is legitimately earning his living.  However,
its good to join others in making your country the best
and that doesnt require your presence in the nigerian soil.

[HUSNAA]

Toh dai like I keep saying good governance is the key to development. And yes fighting for one's right is not an end nor a means to an end for a developing country as Dr. El ta'alu points out, but it indirectly helps to bring the development.
DB I think that we are witnessing the result of the neglect of education. Truly speaking if education was given the importance that it deserves, then you will see that the calibre of teachers will also improve. At the moment, anyone can be a lecturer simply because the standard of education is so low, and there is a dearth of good lecturers in the country so anyone is welcome to fill the gaps.

[Dave_McEwan_Hill]

I go back to the past again to make a point. When I was appointed Vice Principal in the WTC, Kano I made up the timetable. It was ready for the start of term .The teachers were shocked. They were used to sitting about in the staffroom for about a fortnight or three weeks before they were presented with a timetable and I was very unpopular (except with the Principal at GGC, Dala who had me seconded to there to do her timetable as well).

Education must be taken seriously before than can be real progress.

[Abbas Bubakar El-ta'alu]

Yes, Dave_McEwan_Hill and Malama Husnaa, the standard of education, at the moment  (at all levels), in Nigeria is very catastrophic, and as said, one of the reasons is calibre of teachers themselves. Nevertheless, there are always ways out to every delemma. How I wish for them to know, that they are made and not born !!!

[Muhsin]

Go to our universities and see for your self the quality of
education the so called ASUU members are giving out.
A lecturer (full time) hardly comes to class until and when
the time table for examination is out.

True!

I dont blame any one working in any part of the world
so long as he is legitimately earning his living.  However,
its good to join others in making your country the best
and that doesnt require your presence in the nigerian soil.

That needs expatiation.

[Abbas Bubakar El-ta'alu]

Hi Muhsin !!!
                Do not be carried away by what others say, they are sceptics and people without vision, who do not have anything to offer for the betterment of the all-round Nigerian efficiencies, find out things by yourself before making such innuendomic conclusions. Saying "A lecturer (full time) hardly comes to class until and when the time table for examination is out", is a dangerous fabricated statement that lacks integrity of respect, that is even punishable by prosecusion. As I said in my last post, 'Teachers are made and not born', and to be candid, when you visit some faculties in Bayero University, for example, you would see how energetically, and thus qualitatively lecturers work. More greese to their elbows , Hurray !!! It had not been in vain that our Nigerian universities are a group of those (in Africa) that produce best Medical Doctors, politologs, and so on. Our universities are not places for square pegs in round holes.

[Muhsin]

Malam Abbas,

Let me start by begging you to please cool down. The matter has not gone to that peak, I at least can see. Please refrain your above words...that could do better.

Sincerely speaking, though off topic, but the issue of lecturers conduct nowadays is not as it was I reckon during your days here. And that is from real experience; for I'm a student at the university you gave example with. And I'm even presently typing these words from there (Student Cafe, Lib.).

Yes. The way, although we don't know the status of the speaker (Dan-Barno), maybe he has potentialities to adress them the way he does, he refered to the lecturers is, in some ways, disrespecting. Yet they still have to be blamed on some certain grounds. E.g the don't, if not few, come regularly to the lectures unless when its late, they are engage in some unmentionable conducts; accepting bribe from students, adultery/fornication, etc. But there are still GOOD ONES, wallahi. Abun sai dai wanda Allah ya kiyaye. At times you fail to find who to blame.

Don't have much time and its already Juma'at prayer time down here. So am leaving. Wish and hope my few above uncontructive words could be deciphered.

Thanks
Muhsin