REPLY TO PROF. RUQAYYAH AHMED RUFAI OVER THE RECRUITMENT OF FOREIGN PROFESSORS

[Nuruddeen]

REPLY TO PROF. RUQAYYAH AHMED RUFAI OVER THE RECRUITMENT OF FOREIGN PROFESSORS FOR JIGAWA POLYTECHNICS
By
Jibo Nura
E-mail: jibonura@yahoo.com

Daily Trust's editorial of March 27, 2009, which appeared on page 12 of the Newspaper was commendable. Every serious minded human being that reads from that editorial commentary will in the end sympathize with Jigawa State on the issue of its education policy and development. Indeed, anybody who wishes Jigawa State's education well will instantly kick against the idea of the Hon. Commissioner of Education, Prof. Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufai on importing 15 professors from abroad to lecture in the state's polytechnics.
In fact, the learned Ringim born professor stands to be corrected based on the following:
That the improvement of quality of teaching in our polytechnics does not require any professorial intervention for it to be standardized. There are several Nigerian polytechnics and other institutions of higher learning that are discharging qualitative education without even a single professor let alone foreign ones at their disposal.
That the national policy on education that encourages the employment of indigenous education expatriates and expertise is indeed going to be violated once such an idea by Prof. Ruqayyah is allowed to happen. The importation of foreign professors to Jigawa is certainly going to be a wasteful venture.
Presently, we have up to ten (10) professors who are indigenes of Jigawa that are not encouraged to come and contribute their own quota. Among them is Abba Gumel, director of the Centre of Industrial Mathematics, University of Manitoba, Canada. He is one of the world's great six mathematicians that are doing original work in dynamic mathematical modeling, which has to do with transmission and control of dynamics of human diseases of public health interest such as HIV/AIDs prevalence in Africa. Abba, I understand is one of the great minds in the world that harnesses advance mathematical modeling with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) control in Africa. He has collected the Rh Award for outstanding contribution to interdisciplinary scholarship and research, which is the highest research award given at the university of Manitoba. Not only this, Abba is today the best and only young African mathematician that collected a medal for excellence in applied mathematics. There is even a plan for Abba to come to ABU and share his knowledge with our Nigerian medical doctors, especially those in community medicine over his work on mathematical nuance on HIV/AIDs pandemics in Nigeria. Has Prof. Ruqayyah cares to invite Prof. Abba to serve his state and refuse to accept her invitation?
Next are Profs Garba Goje Hadejia and Sabo Bako Gwaram from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. These people are epitome of knowledge in their own fields of endeavor. Prof. Goje has indeed excelled in applying mathematical theories, which have to do with algebraic expression to solving empirical problems. He has made some mark on computer programming and program design in relation to application packages. He was formally the director of Iya Abubakar Computer Centre, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. And Prof. Sabo Bako, an erudite political scientist, has done so many works on the political-economy of Nigeria, Africa and the world over. He has written and attended several international conferences and symposia on the political and economic theory of globalisation. The last time I had a chat with him over Jigawa state's issue i.e. at international stage, was prior to his trip to the 2007 Nordic Africa Institute conference in Sweden. And then during our 2006 international conference of Council for Development of Economic and Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) in Dakar, Senegal.
Hopefully, I will in sha Allah meet and discuss with him amply the problems of our state affairs sometimes in October in one of our GLOBELICS meetings in Senegal. Also Profs Tabi'u Muhammad and Sagir Ahmed are two renowned professors from Gumel local government area that are doing Jigawa proud in their own areas of specialization. Tabi'u, I understand is doing well as an astute law professor and legal luminary at Bayero University, Kano. Though he was once invited to state's duty, which he was able to discharge with utmost sincerity, zeal and commitment, but nevertheless, I doubt very much if Prof. Ruqayyah has ever care to contact him again. And Prof. Sagir is now doing a wonderful work at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) as hematology consultant. There is also Prof Ado Ibrahim Garki, a plant genetics specialist who is well known worldwide in the area of plant breeding. Also the likes of Profs Saeed Ahmad Babura and Birniwa are other great minds that are doing lots of work concerning languages and grammatical structures. So also Prof. I.A Kiyawa, former Head of Economics Department, Bayero University, Kano, has been, and is still active in academic work at BUK since 70s. And then Prof. Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufai of Education Department, Bayero University, Kano. Ruqayyah, being the only female professor in Jigawa, has proved to the whole world that she is Jigawa's academic rare gem. However, she needs to apply her original educational background to solving Jigawa's protracted educational problems that have hitherto but remain a menace to Jigawa students.
These professors whom  mostly are at our disposal, are very willing to come and serve the state, but due to the fear of uncertainty that has to do with our political ruling classes, they feel lackadaisical to come on board. And I believe our learned professor, Ruqayyah, is aware of other professors that this writer may not necessarily know or come by. Of course, there are several PhD holders who are indigenes of Jigawa working at various places across the country. So far there are more than 50 of those PhD people born and bred from the state.
Therefore what is actually disturbing here is the cost-benefit ratio analysis of hiring those professors into Jigawa, which is inversely proportional and diametrically opposed to Jigawa's education budget and capital expenditure.
In view of the aforesaid, there is the need to be very careful over unguarded statements and utterances that are inimical to our educational progress. What is even amazing and quite surprising is Prof. Ruqayya's lack of proper understanding of Nigeria's higher education standard measurable indicators.
It is an established fact that the universal standard for measuring any higher education is based on three (3) things. The quality of staff; educational stability in terms of teaching programmes; and availability of teaching facilities. Any institution of higher learning that falls short of any one of these cannot be said to have attained full educational standard in terms of character and learning. In Jigawa's case, our learned professor knows better that the facilities in Jigawa's polytechnics and even at primary and secondary schools level are not something to write home about let alone stable learning atmosphere for reading and research. I therefore urge our learned Prof. to please spare time and take a tour to Fagoji, Garu, Yina or Kwarin Makera and see the poor standard of education in our primary schools. Even the quality of staff and facilities at primary, secondary and tertiary levels is on so many areas and places being compromised.
For instance, at Kazaure School of informatics, one of the polytechnics in Jigawa, an erudite professor who was part and parcel of the visitation panel to that polytechnic was telling me about the level of rot in facilities at the school. He said up to this moment he doubts very much if the school has a standard library, internet connectivity and computer laboratories i.e. even when Jigawa is in possession of the so-called galaxy internet 'broad band' access network. So the question is: how can Prof Ruqayyah for Allah's sake maintain those foreign professors in such an educational scenario? How far has she gone in providing sound teaching facilities in her one and half years tenure in office as commissioner of education in the state? What effort has she made to sacrifice her precious time to, at least teach for one hour in one of the schools around Dutse metropolis? Really, the question is: out of those visitation panels' reports and recommendations on Jigawa schools, how many has she been able to implement since the receipt of such recommendations?
If for instance, our honourable commissioner cannot make sacrifice as a professor and lead by example, then one doubt very much if those professors that she intends to bring will be able to teach Jigawa students anything new, which was not taught by their present lecturers. So the issue is: Jigawa does not need to recruit any foreign professor for it to excel academically. There are thousands of Nigerian teachers and lecturers who teach better than some of our professors today. Go to our Nigerian universities and polytechnics and conduct a survey amongst students and confirm for yourself.

Lastly therefore, our learned Prof. should as a matter of fact know that what is wrong, useless and should be avoided is what my university lecturer once described as hot air jargon, popularly known in Hausa as "dogon turanci". The learned Prof should please kindly reverse in full gear her decision of importing foreign expatriates by embracing indigenization policy to reform the content of general education in Jigawa to make it more responsive to the socio-economic realities of our people.
Certainly, Jigawa state must consolidate and develop her system of higher education in response to the state's available manpower needs. We must strike a balance in our state, especially at the 21st century whereby despite the new emphasis in education, the education Ministry has not been able to provide enough indigenous expatriates to man our schools' affairs. Truth is, the high interest rate proportion on non-Nigerians and our high penchant for foreign expatriates in our higher institutions reflects the inability of an educational system to reproduce itself.

Jibo Nura, a Quantity Surveyor, is on assignment in Jigawa State. E-mail: jibonura@yahoo.com.

[gogannaka]

Nura,knowledge is broad. Almost all the universities in the world have foreigners teaching in them.
There is absolutely no harm if foreign professors are invited to teach in Jigawa or anywhere in Nigeria.
Do you really believe all those Jigawa professors(i think u listed the whole of them) you listed could agree to teach in polytechnics?

When i read the article honestly it seemed to me you just wanted to list the Professors Jigawa state had and your familiarization or friendship with them but gaskiya your argument is weak.

[Dan-Borno]

ggnk, did i see u write that his argument is weak? i dont want to
disagree with you, but i have to.  we in maiduguri are facing a
similar case, but with medical doctors from cairo to manage our
newly built and equipped ultra modern hospital, however, the
mode of training these professionals went through is seriously
affecting their job down here not to talk of other infrastractures
and bottle neck bureaucracy in our daily official duty - a typical
example is fuelling of generator - which has to originate from
the office of the medical director to the office of the honourable
commissioner, then through the office of the SSG before it catches
the attention of the governor who by then the hospital most suffer
darkness thereby hindering the doctors activities.  lets also not
talk about their allowances which must be in dollars.

i whole heartedly agree with nura when he opined that we have
enough teachers to teach in our public schools.  now, if you agree
to the idea of bringing/importing in professors - administratively
who are they answerable to? how do you think the young Phd
seekers and professorship candidates will feel despite their hard
work? definitely conflict cannot be overuled as the professors may
tend to bring new ideas that can not work on nigerian soils.  i am
not arguing that we can not progress, rather i am trying to present
the true picture of how administratively things are handled down
here.

this jigawa commissioner and professor of education should drop
this idea tun wuri, its better for jigawa to sponsor young lecturers
to pursue their various ambition in the field of teaching.

kuma if her argument is to better the standard of our education, then
it has to be from the scratch - which is the primary schools.  this has
nothing to do with physical structures, our parents were taught under
the tree, but the quality of education is far better than ours, because
knowledge has been imparted genuinely.

poor arewa.

[waduz]

Let us not trivialize this simple issue. The point is whether it will be good or otherwise, for jigawa state to bring expartriate professors to teach in her polytechnics. If one is ask, why is the state willing to do that? The answers might not be far fetched. Jigawa state, like my own state is among the most backwards in terms of educated citizens. If the government of the state can build the polytechnics, thenof course, the mechanism of laying solid foundations for the polytechnics, is to have ably qualified personnel to adequately man the institutions. Where will the state get such type of ably qualified personnels? First, if the state makes the mistake of shouldering the polytechnics to "other Nigerians" it will be a great mistake as the much needed solid take up will be lost.
Now, if we take education generally in this part of the country, we will inadvertently conclude that both government and the parents are to blame for the downwards trend of our educational standards. Look at the situation in most primary schools accross the area under topic. Teachers hardy report to the schools to teach. Most of them refuse to go on postings to rural areas. But ironically, these type of unpatriotic teachers hearken to collect salaries at the end of the month. What is government doing to save this dastardly situation? What was being done in the past glorious day when a school teacher is revered more than any one else in a town? Why are schools mostly left in dilapidated conditions without any iota of concern by the government?
The decision, as per as I am concerned by the jigawa government to bring from outside, well learned personalities to head their polytechnics is quite in order. It will boost the integrity of the schools, boost the standards by producing qualified professionals who will distinguish themselves any where, due the good skills they learned from those wise professors. I do not see any Nigerian professor coming back to nigeria to serve. Where do you keep him? How do you provide constant electricity and water for him to feel good that he is now back home? How much are you going to pay him as salary? Any special package for professors? C'mon guys, let us face it, we are still struggling to stand up, therefore the time to stop bringing in exparts from abroad to tidy us up educationally, is yet to come.

[Lawwali]

When i was in the university i was taught a general studies course named Science, technology and society.One of the important aspects of the course was to imbibe in the students the understanding and the emphasizing the supranationality of knowledge. That is why, -i think- here DB suggests why shouldn't the commissioner send some PhD sekers abroad to make them potential lecturers in the polytechnic.

First of all i will like to agree with Nura that Jigawa state has enough professors that exelled in  their various fields of endeavour; and that the cost of maintaining foreigners is higher than employing locals. But, i will also agree with GGK in disagreeing with Nura. Nura succeeded in listing the professors that Jigawa state has, without showing in any way where any of them offered a voluntary suggestion towards the development of Education in jigawa state. Nura also tend to have forgotten that polytechnic is not a university as their aims and objectives are also different. While the university teaches graduates how to think an idea, the polytechnic graduands are taught how to do it. therefore, You can have a disparity in teaching abilities between a professor in a university and a professor in a polytechnic settings. Nura, being a construction cost and management graduate; knows well these differences as they glaringly appears with high degree of paucity in the writings of Prof. Ivor H. Seeley (who is a professor in polytechnic) and that of Prof. Frank Hariss (who is of a university setting).

What am saying is that none of these Jigawa professor is from a polytechnic (I dont know 'cos Nura didnt mentioned that) and i will tend to agree with Prof. Ruqayya being a professor of Education of repute (as Nura himslf acknowledges, although he earlier contradicted himself) who knows the needs of the polytechnic. I am a product of polytechnic, before going to university, I knew polytechnics dont offer medicine or anatomy (so prof. sagir may not be needed), Jigawa is close to B.U.K and KUST, Wudil, both offers mathematics at garduate level; hence polytechnic in Jigawa may not need to offer it at OND or HND level (so profs Abba Gumel & Goje may not be relevant in Prof Ruqayya's overhaul program in the polytechnic). More over, political science is normally being offered in almost all conventional universities (including BUK) so Prof Sabo Bako may remains as relevant as he uses to be in ABU Zaria not Jigawa polytechnic. But i however knows that these erudite professors as listed by Nura can be contacted for Advices on how to move further but not to be engaged as polytechnic tutors. Because, the polytechnics are founded to provide the requisite practical knowledge for technical development of a nation or state. You keep yourslf abreast with their objectives and how they works in the National Board for Technical Education NBTE, which is to polytechnics as NUC is to universities in Nigeria.

I will not have disagree with Nura if those Jigawa professors are proficient in any of  Architecture, Building Technology, Estate management, Quantity surveying, Land surveying and geoinformatics, Information Technology, Food and Nutrition, Dietetics, Electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, Art & Design, industrial Technology, computer engineering, environmental management, Business Admin & Mgt, Agriculture, Government and rural studies, and many courses that forms the basics for practical infrastructural development of a nation and for whose purpose polytechnics are founded. Nura and indeed Daily trust should have asked Prof Ruqayya of her motives before drawing conclusion as to needlessness of the programme.

I believe, going by the proficiency of Prof Ruqayya and the purpose for which polytechnics and even monotechnics are founded, this programme will do good for Jigawa polytechnic, more so our professors (even masters and PhD holders) detastes working as polytechnic tutors. unlike many professorts in the foriegn countries, where many of them are in polytechnic and even colleges. Also, I want believe Nura is close (very well) to prof Sabo Bako Gwaram, i want him to ask the professor if he will teach in the polytechnic.

The question is not that professors will be engaged from foriegn universities or polytechnics, but we should broaden our senses as to the likely benefits of the whole things not just writing an Editorial or posting opinions on internet forum. We should be proactive.

Finally, i will like you Nura to always give respect to people of the book, this will always help your write ups. See one contradiction you here:
where you said

.......And then Prof. Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufai of Education Department, Bayero University, Kano. Ruqayyah, being the only female professor in Jigawa, has proved to the whole world that she is Jigawa's academic rare gem.

and then you later said

....... What is even amazing and quite surprising is Prof. Ruqayya's lack of proper understanding of Nigeria's higher education standard measurable indicators.

How can these two statements come in the same Article (or write up) at the same time.
Nura adai duba ko dai da wata a kasa? ;D ;D ;D

To DB, certainly there are those kind of administrative bottlenecks in Govts in Nigeria. I think the commissioner needed advice here on how to curtail those bottlenecks but not abandon the whole idea. Those that passed thru polytechnics and later universities knows well what am talking about.

And Waduz has said it all

May ALLAH see our Education system through.

[Nuruddeen]

Nura,knowledge is broad. Almost all the universities in the world have foreigners teaching in them.
There is absolutely no harm if foreign professors are invited to teach in Jigawa or anywhere in Nigeria.
Do you really believe all those Jigawa professors(i think u listed the whole of them) you listed could agree to teach in polytechnics?

When i read the article honestly it seemed to me you just wanted to list the Professors Jigawa state had and your familiarization or friendship with them but gaskiya your argument is weak.

My dear Gogannaka, I think there is need for you to understand the rudimentary difference(s) between university and polytechnic. Your overt ignorance about the essence of polytechnics and the idea behind establishing universities, are quite superficial. You should know that Professors are meant to appraise polytechnics' lecturers or those that are teaching or who become lecturers or tutors at graduate level i.e. teaching diploma or HND courses. Of course, if a professor feels like teaching in polytechnic, he can do so at his own discretion. He/she can also decide to stay in the university and live up to his/her retirement i.e up to the time when they become emeritus. We have international professors who move from one continental academic map to the other. They go about sharing knowledge based on comparative analyses of their regional works and findings.


The issue is: How many professors have you seen living in polytechnics? I believe very few, Gogannaka. We all know that most of them are residing or to be better put, are usually lecturing at universities.

In Ruqayya's case, one thing I found worrisomely way-ward is the way she goofed as a professor by telling us that she wants to go and import foreign professors from abroad. One cardinal question here to her is: has she been asked or has she been employed or  asked by any foreign university abroad to come and teach? When she bagged her professorship, why has she not been interested in going abroad to offer her service? Why has she chosen to come to Jigawa and be commissioner of education instead of staying in the university? If she is trying to show the whole world that she's being patriotic to the state, why can't she encourage her other colleagues to come and serve instead of engaging in much taciturnity on foreign professors? If her sole purpose of coming to Jigawa is to be commissioner and that's all, then I do not think she has a case. I just do not know your understanding of economics, but I would have wished to tell you the ecomomic implication of hiring those foreign professors to Jigawa vis-avis maintenance and sustainability.

In any case, how many Jigawa state students are in Nigerian universities let alone polytechnics? This is a state that cannot even fill its quota in the Nig. universities not to talk of polytechnics. Even if you say that most of the Jigawa students are in polytechnics, what is the standard of such polytechnics today? I believe Ruqayyah is in the best position to answer us. My only worry here is her lack of understanding of higher education measurable indicators. We all know that there are three parameters for measuring education standard anywhere in the world. These are:

1. Quality of staff
2. Stability in academic and/or teaching programmes and
3. Availability of teaching facilites.

In Jigawa's case, I have asserted in ter alia and reiterated ab ini tio that we don't have all the above. What we have, one can say, is  relative stability in programmes with minimum level of strikes and relative peace etc. And the issue is: once a higher institution is lacking any of the above measurables, then its education cannot be said to have attained full standard. That is the main reason why polytechnics and universites are accredited each year to see into all these things whether they are there or not.


Nonetheless, polytechnics are known to be highly oriented in practical application and discharge of knowledge unlike universities which are more or less theoretical in approach. One pointer to this asssertion is for you to take a cursory look of our students' performance from universities and polytechnics. Those from poly u may find that are more practically oriented than the university students. And the reason is simple: those in the polytechnic as my university lecturer, Mallam Abba Ingawa,which Lawwali was trying to quote in his reply to this thread by saying that "they are taught to do it", highlighted to us in class that they are lectured to do it the way they are asked by their lectures. Unlike those in the university who are always asked to think befor they do. So don't be impressed by Lawwali's overtures. I once told him what Mallam Abba used to tell us while in ABU. So I wonder who Lawwali is trying to impresws by plagiarising Mallam Abba's statement in disguise.Lol!!!! But Lawwali do not feel offended, because sai dai kayi a hankali domin hausawa na cewa Kifi yana ganinka mai jar koma".

Now back to our discussion on Prof Ruqayya's unwholesome utterances. Well, as a Professor of Guidance and Counselling Education, she deserves some respect. And I have given her that respect in ter alia, at least for being a female prof. I am just an ordinary citizen with love and care for the downtrodden. And I am proud to see that Jigawa students are taught by Nigerian profs not foreign. However, at 21st century, you should not be carried away by the exigencies of academic moments. We are in a century where there is nothing wrong to fault a professor if she/he goes wrong. After all, a professor is just a human being like you. The only difference is that he has attained an academic status, which one did not. But that does not mean he/she is meant to know all. They got to be corrected dear. So really Gogannaka Ruqayyah goofed by parambulating herself as seroius educationist with nothing to show in terms of Jigawa state's education reform. You may be surprised if I tell you what she does.

But all the same I wish you and her Allah's guidance in your quest for foreign service(s). If I do not forget, I think I once read your piece on this board criticizing things that are imported while we have them here in abundance?

Gogannaka, you need to sit up and face the inevitable fact that we got to emancipate ourselves from educational slavery. None save ourselves can free our minds.
Jibo.

[Nuruddeen]

When i was in the university i was taught a general studies course named Science, technology and society.One of the important aspects of the course was to imbibe in the students the understanding and the emphasizing the supranationality of knowledge. That is why, -i think- here DB suggests why shouldn't the commissioner send some PhD sekers abroad to make them potential lecturers in the polytechnic.

First of all i will like to agree with Nura that Jigawa state has enough professors that exelled in  their various fields of endeavour; and that the cost of maintaining foreigners is higher than employing locals. But, i will also agree with GGK in disagreeing with Nura. Nura succeeded in listing the professors that Jigawa state has, without showing in any way where any of them offered a voluntary suggestion towards the development of Education in jigawa state. Nura also tend to have forgotten that polytechnic is not a university as their aims and objectives are also different. While the university teaches graduates how to think an idea, the polytechnic graduands are taught how to do it. therefore, You can have a disparity in teaching abilities between a professor in a university and a professor in a polytechnic settings. Nura, being a construction cost and management graduate; knows well these differences as they glaringly appears with high degree of paucity in the writings of Prof. Ivor H. Seeley (who is a professor in polytechnic) and that of Prof. Frank Hariss (who is of a university setting).

What am saying is that none of these Jigawa professor is from a polytechnic (I dont know 'cos Nura didnt mentioned that) and i will tend to agree with Prof. Ruqayya being a professor of Education of repute (as Nura himslf acknowledges, although he earlier contradicted himself) who knows the needs of the polytechnic. I am a product of polytechnic, before going to university, I knew polytechnics dont offer medicine or anatomy (so prof. sagir may not be needed), Jigawa is close to B.U.K and KUST, Wudil, both offers mathematics at garduate level; hence polytechnic in Jigawa may not need to offer it at OND or HND level (so profs Abba Gumel & Goje may not be relevant in Prof Ruqayya's overhaul program in the polytechnic). More over, political science is normally being offered in almost all conventional universities (including BUK) so Prof Sabo Bako may remains as relevant as he uses to be in ABU Zaria not Jigawa polytechnic. But i however knows that these erudite professors as listed by Nura can be contacted for Advices on how to move further but not to be engaged as polytechnic tutors. Because, the polytechnics are founded to provide the requisite practical knowledge for technical development of a nation or state. You keep yourslf abreast with their objectives and how they works in the National Board for Technical Education NBTE, which is to polytechnics as NUC is to universities in Nigeria.

I will not have disagree with Nura if those Jigawa professors are proficient in any of  Architecture, Building Technology, Estate management, Quantity surveying, Land surveying and geoinformatics, Information Technology, Food and Nutrition, Dietetics, Electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, Art & Design, industrial Technology, computer engineering, environmental management, Business Admin & Mgt, Agriculture, Government and rural studies, and many courses that forms the basics for practical infrastructural development of a nation and for whose purpose polytechnics are founded. Nura and indeed Daily trust should have asked Prof Ruqayya of her motives before drawing conclusion as to needlessness of the programme.

I believe, going by the proficiency of Prof Ruqayya and the purpose for which polytechnics and even monotechnics are founded, this programme will do good for Jigawa polytechnic, more so our professors (even masters and PhD holders) detastes working as polytechnic tutors. unlike many professorts in the foriegn countries, where many of them are in polytechnic and even colleges. Also, I want believe Nura is close (very well) to prof Sabo Bako Gwaram, i want him to ask the professor if he will teach in the polytechnic.

The question is not that professors will be engaged from foriegn universities or polytechnics, but we should broaden our senses as to the likely benefits of the whole things not just writing an Editorial or posting opinions on internet forum. We should be proactive.

Finally, i will like you Nura to always give respect to people of the book, this will always help your write ups. See one contradiction you here:
where you said

.......And then Prof. Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufai of Education Department, Bayero University, Kano. Ruqayyah, being the only female professor in Jigawa, has proved to the whole world that she is Jigawa's academic rare gem.

and then you later said

....... What is even amazing and quite surprising is Prof. Ruqayya's lack of proper understanding of Nigeria's higher education standard measurable indicators.

How can these two statements come in the same Article (or write up) at the same time.
Nura adai duba ko dai da wata a kasa? ;D ;D ;D

To DB, certainly there are those kind of administrative bottlenecks in Govts in Nigeria. I think the commissioner needed advice here on how to curtail those bottlenecks but not abandon the whole idea. Those that passed thru polytechnics and later universities knows well what am talking about.

And Waduz has said it all

May ALLAH see our Education system through.

Honestly speaking  I did not intend to reply you, but bcos I understand that you need to get informed on some of my issues that I raised which I can see still remains illusive to you.

First of all, Lawwali, let me clarify the issue of Prof Seeley H and Prof Harris Frank. I fail to see any reason as to why you think Prof H. Seeley is a polytechnic professor. What criteria have you used to categorise him as one? Is there any indicator that one can use to label a professor polytecnic or a university one? Please dear don't be naive in this regard. A professor is a professor if qualified to be one regarless whether he/she is residing in polytecnic or not. The choice to live in either university or poly is purely at one's discretion. So don't let pple get misinformed as to your categorisation wahala.


On the issue of relevance and irrrelevance of our learned professors that you want to insinuate, you need to know the political, academic, and economic bases upon which prof Ruqayya is advocating the importation of her foreign colleagues. Left to me but you need to know that the polytechnis that she's  talking about are school ofg informatics Kazure and college of Agric Hadejia. When Turaki open these schols with the intention of turning them into universities, has he succeeded? No. Instaed, we were rob blind. And now Ruqayyah wants to follow his footstep to bushwack us and nwalk on our intelligence? Never. Lawwali, it's my pleasure to tell you that the period of brandishing us with sharp but empty assertions is over. At 21st century, those pple with old ideas should give way for us to change our situation. Indeed, at this peroid in time, we need to show most of these pple the way.

As far prof Goje and Abba Gumel, I think you are just at your tender age to know the level at which these profs are operating. Goje and Sabo Bako were the ppl that were invited by Ruqayya to appraise the polys in Jigawa and they did appraise. What they reported to her was quite astounding. The level of rot and decay were incredible indeed. So when she imports those foregn profs, where are the facilities that they will work with? Where is the enabling environment for them to teach?

Please don't be carried away by somebody's professor status. One can make a mistake and is bound to be corrrected so as not to blunder anew.


I am highly disappointed in you saying that all the Profs I listed could have been much more useful if they are proficient in  architecture... Hear you: "I will not have disagree with Nura if those Jigawa professors are proficient in any of  Architecture, Building Technology, Estate management, Quantity surveying, Land surveying and geoinformatics, Information Technology, Food and Nutrition, Dietetics, Electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, Art & Design, industrial Technology, computer engineering, environmental management, Business Admin & Mgt, Agriculture, Government and rural studies, and many courses that forms the basics for practical infrastructural development of a nation and for whose purpose polytechnics are founded".


This is to show that you do not even know what we are discussing about. Is it because you are a stack quantity surveyor that you expect everyone to behave as one? Is this the main reason why you took so much time listing courses that mostly are related to Q.S? You messed up bro. Whenever we are discussing matters of regional importance, please try to get at least the arithmetics of the discourse before you chip in your motives. The lengthy buit empty explantion is certainly unnnecessary.

Honestly, I did not intend to drag you this far, but whenever I am optimistic about the situation in my state, the wallaby track of the gauntlet crowds such as your self, always dislodge my ideologies into a genetic monstrosity; preparing a pessimistic posture in a context of paradoxical contradictions.

Lawwali, I will in sha Allah publish my rejoinder to Ruqayya this week in Daily Trust and Triumph Newspaper and I want you to kindly spare time and write a rejoinder so that discuss it we shall.

I will eventually expose some of the ineptitudes that has to do with our education for the whole world to hear.

[Muhsin]

If for instance, our honourable commissioner cannot make sacrifice as a professor and lead by example, then one doubt very much if those professors that she intends to bring will be able to teach Jigawa students anything new, which was not taught by their present lecturers. So the issue is: Jigawa does not need to recruit any foreign professor for it to excel academically. There are thousands of Nigerian teachers and lecturers who teach better than some of our professors today. Go to our Nigerian universities and polytechnics and conduct a survey amongst students and confirm for yourself.

I think my former HOD (Prof. Ruqayya) should know this fact better than anyone in the gov't of Jigawa as she spent many years than anyone of them (SSG Taura exclusive, I think) in academia. Yes Nura, there are, I wholeheartedly believe. I wonder why the thought at the first place, Prof.?

Lastly therefore, our learned Prof. should as a matter of fact know that what is wrong, useless and should be avoided is what my university lecturer once described as hot air jargon, popularly known in Hausa as "dogon turanci". The learned Prof should please kindly reverse in full gear her decision of importing foreign expatriates by embracing indigenization policy to reform the content of general education in Jigawa to make it more responsive to the socio-economic realities of our people.Certainly, Jigawa state must consolidate and develop her system of higher education in response to the state's available manpower needs. We must strike a balance in our state, especially at the 21st century whereby despite the new emphasis in education, the education Ministry has not been able to provide enough indigenous expatriates to man our schools' affairs. Truth is, the high interest rate proportion on non-Nigerians and our high penchant for foreign expatriates in our higher institutions reflects the inability of an educational system to reproduce itself.

Another incontestable fact, Nura. I hope "the learned Prof.", as you've been calling her, should aptly heed to that hint. Muma ai ma samu aikin yi, in addition to its relevance.

I very much like this thread.

Muhsin

[Nuruddeen]

If for instance, our honourable commissioner cannot make sacrifice as a professor and lead by example, then one doubt very much if those professors that she intends to bring will be able to teach Jigawa students anything new, which was not taught by their present lecturers. So the issue is: Jigawa does not need to recruit any foreign professor for it to excel academically. There are thousands of Nigerian teachers and lecturers who teach better than some of our professors today. Go to our Nigerian universities and polytechnics and conduct a survey amongst students and confirm for yourself.

I think my former HOD (Prof. Ruqayya) should know this fact better than anyone in the gov't of Jigawa as she spent many years than anyone of them (SSG Taura exclusive, I think) in academia. Yes Nura, there are, I wholeheartedly believe. I wonder why the thought at the first place, Prof.?

Lastly therefore, our learned Prof. should as a matter of fact know that what is wrong, useless and should be avoided is what my university lecturer once described as hot air jargon, popularly known in Hausa as "dogon turanci". The learned Prof should please kindly reverse in full gear her decision of importing foreign expatriates by embracing indigenization policy to reform the content of general education in Jigawa to make it more responsive to the socio-economic realities of our people.Certainly, Jigawa state must consolidate and develop her system of higher education in response to the state's available manpower needs. We must strike a balance in our state, especially at the 21st century whereby despite the new emphasis in education, the education Ministry has not been able to provide enough indigenous expatriates to man our schools' affairs. Truth is, the high interest rate proportion on non-Nigerians and our high penchant for foreign expatriates in our higher institutions reflects the inability of an educational system to reproduce itself.

Another incontestable fact, Nura. I hope "the learned Prof.", as you've been calling her, should aptly heed to that hint. Muma ai ma samu aikin yi, in addition to its relevance.

I very much like this thread.

Muhsin

Many thanks my dear Muhsin. You see, at 21st century, people like us are supposed to show these oldies the way. Its high time we told them enough is enough. We are really tired with these ppl who are bereft of ideas. I actually did not intend to expose this female professor until I realised that she does not even know what she is doing as a professor of guidance and counselling. I now begin to ask myself what kind of professor is she if she cannot read in between the lines and proffer altruistic solutions to Jigawa's educational predicaments. Muhsin, I hope Allah zai barmu zuwa wani lokaci muga ko zamu iya canza Nigeria. I wrote a book on this our Godforsaken country as described by Obama, and hopefully it will be in the global market for all to read. I assserted in that book lots of things that have to do with our woes as a ppple.

Will refer you to my publishers once they are through so that you buy and read. It's currently being processed in U.K and U.S. Alhamdulillah some men of God have helped me with ample donations to pay for the publishing. It costs me up to N2 million. And Alhamdulillah the rest is now history.

"Redefining Moments for Project Nigeria in the Twenty-First Century", will be your good companion I suppose.

My dear, at 21st century we got to change this country willy-nilly!

I wish you the very best in your quest for knowledge. Akulu kauli haza wa'astagfirullaha li walakum.
Nura.

[usman11]

Nura, I picked up on something you said about changing Nigeria in the 21st century. Can you please expand on that comment? How exactly do you hope to change Nigeria? Who are the "we" you refer to? And what kinds of changes are you proposing? Can you broadly offer some more insights?

[Nuruddeen]

Nura, I picked up on something you said about changing Nigeria in the 21st century. Can you please expand on that comment? How exactly do you hope to change Nigeria? Who are the "we" you refer to? And what kinds of changes are you proposing? Can you broadly offer some more insights?

My dear Usman11, when I say "WE" are to change Nigeria willy nilly, I mean the YOUTH. It is my humble opinion that the old cannot change Nigeria for the better. If they can, they could have done that 40 years ago. But by virtue of what we are seeing, we are even drifting below the status quo ante. Hence, the thinking among us in the 21st century is to do away with all these pple who are bereft of ideas. Of course, Obama and his Grit friend have asserted elsewhere that what Africans have are usually " Old pple with old stuff maintaining old rubbish in parliaments". So the truth is we need to stand up and tell them that we are tired of all these nonsensical attitude and style of their own form of leadership and governance. I fought my state governor for eight(8) good years and had nothing to lose, because I am afraid not of anybody except my creator. I am still addresssing certain issues in my state that I think should be addressed the way pple will be happy and joy. I will continue to tell truth to power. My own style and definition of corporate governance and leadership has to be based on transparency and accountability to the downtrodden i.e. the electorates who give their mandate to the powers that be. I am trying my best for now, but if I realise that my country is beyond repair and has headed to the point of no return, then I have no choice than to go on exile and seek refuge in any African country that I think is relatively better and worth staying. I may wish to stay away and watch things from background since nobody is ready for change in my country. This is indeed sad Usman11. But do I have a choice? Will be leaving shortly for Morocco and Mozambique and I want to really see the way these countries are fairing in terms of leadership and governance. I will then compare and see with my own.


I have said and written lots of things about NIgeria. Sometimes I go one on one with pple at the helm of affairs, but finally I got to understand that none of them is serious about nation building. They are only interested in building themselves and their immediate families. I have intermingled with majority of the elders from the north and have had their views. I am sorry to tell you that most of them are not having the interest of their ppl at heart. This is also sad. I hope I am understood my dear Usman11?
Jibo

[usman11]

Mmm..Nurudeen, I applaud and admire you for your very progressive and change oriented ideology. I followed your write up about education reform in Jigawa, and it was vey interesting and informative. I would have wanted to jump into the discourse, but I am totally unfamiliar with the education situation in your state, so I opted instead to observe. What I am sure everyone may agree with is that Nigeria as a whole, needs immediate education reform.
I commend you for challenging the powers that be even though doing so seems like an uphill battle given the power, connection, and resource those powers have at their disposal. If everyone else refused to accept the garbage that our government throws at them, then maybe things would not have deteriorated to this level.
I hope you have a good trip to Mozambique and Morrocco where you may be surprised to find that things function way better than what obtains in Nigeria. From what I've heard, man of those small and quiet African countries are way ahead of us in terms of organization, social services, infrastructure, government, health care, etc. I visited Cote d' Ivoire before the war, and I can tell you flat out that, you could not in way shape, or form, compare that country to Nigeria. The difference was that staggering. However, like you say, the old guard have had their chances for decades, and they've destroyed the country. It is therefore time for them to leave, and then be held accountable for their deeds.

[Muhsin]

I wrote a book on this our Godforsaken country as described by Obama, and hopefully it will be in the global market for all to read. I assserted in that book lots of things that have to do with our woes as a ppple.

Thanks for the response, Nuruddeen. But I've got some questions  to further ask you.

1- Which country did Obama described as "Godforsaken"?

Will refer you to my publishers once they are through so that you buy and read. It's currently being processed in U.K and U.S. Alhamdulillah some men of God have helped me with ample donations to pay for the publishing. It costs me up to N2 million. And Alhamdulillah the rest is now history.

That book muct be very much expensive, I presume. How much could it be sold?

"Redefining Moments for Project Nigeria in the Twenty-First Century", will be your good companion I suppose.

The book's title?
So I hope.

My dear, at 21st century we got to change this country willy-nilly!

I wish you the very best in your quest for knowledge. Akulu kauli haza wa'astagfirullaha li walakum.

InshaAllah...Thanks once again. Wish you all the best.

[Nuruddeen]

Mmm..Nurudeen, I applaud and admire you for your very progressive and change oriented ideology. I followed your write up about education reform in Jigawa, and it was vey interesting and informative. I would have wanted to jump into the discourse, but I am totally unfamiliar with the education situation in your state, so I opted instead to observe. What I am sure everyone may agree with is that Nigeria as a whole, needs immediate education reform.
I commend you for challenging the powers that be even though doing so seems like an uphill battle given the power, connection, and resource those powers have at their disposal. If everyone else refused to accept the garbage that our government throws at them, then maybe things would not have deteriorated to this level.
I hope you have a good trip to Mozambique and Morrocco where you may be surprised to find that things function way better than what obtains in Nigeria. From what I've heard, man of those small and quiet African countries are way ahead of us in terms of organization, social services, infrastructure, government, health care, etc. I visited Cote d' Ivoire before the war, and I can tell you flat out that, you could not in way shape, or form, compare that country to Nigeria. The difference was that staggering. However, like you say, the old guard have had their chances for decades, and they've destroyed the country. It is therefore time for them to leave, and then be held accountable for their deeds.

Usman 11, many thanks for your concern about my state and Nigeria. In sha Allah we got to emancipate ourselves from all this leadership slavery. None save ourselves can rescue our situation. I also enroute  Cote dvoire on my way from Senegal back to my mother land. At Cote d voire I miraculously met an old school friend on plane.Jameela was a lady of a sort that I saw and abruptly called her name. I was surprised to see her coming from the war Cote d voire.Because I met her there when the war was still going on. We could only land and pick some passengers(Jamila inclusive). And all of a sudden a conversation ensued between us. I asked her what she came to do there hear her:

'well, I came to verify some building materials that were bought from here (Cote d voire) because the materials here are much more qualitative than the ones we have in Nija."

I was then curious and I asked her specifically which building materials because we are more or less birds of the same feathers professionally. She casually told me that it was ceramic materials. So what I am trying to arrive at is that even in times of war at the  crises ridden  Cote dvoire, Jamila risked her life to go and make some verifications and other purchases and come back to her country undisturbed.

I still live to remember my conversation with Jamila and it ticks in ma mind Usman. Nigeria is really a sorry state. Our ppl now prefer to leave and earn a living elsewhere. May Allah help us.

[Lawwali]

HMMMM Nura kenan,

I found your reply disgusting, embarassing and indeed shameful. Please reconsider your opinion and make a thorough study of what is a polytechnic and what are the motives and cardinal principles upon which they are founded.
You also need to know what is plagiarism.
You also need to choose what are you a journalist, a QS or a public commentator who opinned even if it is unnecessary.
These are advice for your own good.
Thanxx