FRANK UKONGA LECTURE:THE IMPERATIVES OF FREE AND QUALITATIVE EDUCATION TO THE SUSTENANCE OF NASCENT DEMOCRATIC DISPENSATIONS IN AFRICA AND EMERGING DEMOCRACIES OF THE WORLD -THE NIGERIAN PROJECT-

University of Benin Logo: H.E. Prince frank Ukonga
delivered his lecture on the imperatives of Education to
students of Uniben on 23ed March 2012

FRANK UKONGA LECTURE SERIES 4

THE IMPERATIVES OF FREE AND QUALITATIVE EDUCATION TO THE SUSTENANCE OF NASCENT DEMOCRATIC DISPENSATIONS IN AFRICA AND EMERGING DEMOCRACIES OF THE WORLD-

-THE NIGERIAN PROJECT-

Lecture delivered by H.E. Prince Frank Ukonga-Governorship Candidate of Edo State in the 2012 polls, to the University of Benin 3ed Annual Seminar Lecture, Held @ the Banquet Hall-University of Benin on the 23ed of March 2012 @ 12pm.

My dearest Compatriots,

 All protocols observed; I salute everybody present here today and those who have worked assiduously to making this occasion possible- The 3ed Annual University of Benin Seminar organised by the Students of the University. I am cognisance of the high esteem your have accorded my person by inviting me as the Special Guest of Honor to this great occasion… a status that is usually reserved for State, and Nation’s chief Executive officers and highly achieving personalities… I thank you for yoking me among the sages, and for this we grant that your University be yoked among the best of bests in creation.

Please let us observe a minute silence for all the fallen progressive Heroes of  Nigeria, Africa and  the Black Race, most of whom paid the supreme price in the battle to entrench a just, free and democratic society in Africa and the world in Generality…In this context we remember the martyrs of Democracy as the Great Bassorun MKO Abiola, Mrs Kudirat Abiola, Alhaji Aminu Kano, Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Gani Ifawehinmi, Dr Tai Solarin and many others in the Nigerian front, while we shall also cognitize the contributions of Patrice Lumumba, Ramdan Albain, Mengetsu Hailey Marian, Thomas Sankara, Secou Toure, Kwameh Nkrumah , Alfred Olympio, Maumar Al Gadaffi, Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta, Samora Mitchell, Anwar Sadat, Jafar el Nimeri, Said Barre, etc in the development of human resource in the African frontiers.

 In Diaspora we acknowledge the immense contributions of Booker .T. Washington, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jn, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Cheik Anta Diop, W.E.B Dubois, Franz Fanon, Antonio Gramsci, Che Guevara, etal to the rapid development of education and development of the Black Race and advancement of humanity  on a global magnitude.

Qualitative education according to Booker .T. Washington is an ordinary means to an extra- ordinary end.Whence he advocated free , qualitative education to all human beings of the world as the greatest wealth and legacy of bequest…and on this premise Marcus Garvey established his great garveyism philosophy; making free and qualitative education the rational core and policy thrust for Any African Nation to quickly frog jump into the future promises of progress and prosperity…Chief Obafemi  Awolowo , a great Social Democrat believed in Free and qualitative education as the imperative premises gamine to the greatness of Nations… and this he pursued vigorously as the Premier of   Western Region of Nigeria;-as the first African Region to invest in free education at all level… this in contemporary times has earned  Western Region of Nigeria, a comparative leadership in the aspects of social, economic and industrial advancement to any other region of sub-Saharan Africa and the African continent in generality…

Whence free and qualitative education, for all citizen is the most important aspect for a society seeking rapid social, economic and industrial prosperity. Knowledge is the singular quality that distinguishes mankind from other animals, and the limitations of its acquisition are inter alias the barriers between mankind and the gods…. the more educated we are the more godlike we become. We become better equipped to conquer and dominate our environment which opens up avenues to solve the problems of mankind, through Research and Development, as well as its Siamese twin ship of Research and Innovation…which consequently impact directly on democratic dispensation.

In the aspects of development of social , cultural and production relations an educated society is amenable and easier to lead and organise than one bugged down by illiteracy, mundane backwardness, bedevilled by tribal / ethnic chauvinism, religious bigotry, and feudal/military irredentism…

It becomes imperative to pursue a vibrant education policy thrust addressed to entrench genuine democratic exercise and culture in  Africa based on our truculent, seething historical and dialectical materialism for the past 500 years…where Africa was taken to the knackers and savoured as food for beasts and swine’s of a raven epoch.. as in the trilogy of the Anti Bellum trade of slavery, colonization, and imperialism which subsequently underdeveloped Africa through the bastardization of our primordial loyalties, wanton larceny of our pride, assets, being and destiny by the impudence of the white Race in to the schemes of things of the African civilizations of yore.

 Africa was Raped by the white Race, to build great cities of London, New York, Paris, Bogota and Bones Aries etc. In these countries black children are likely to end up in jail than go to college. And in Nigeria/Africa we currently have a large army of uneducated youth called Almanjiris whose population is swelling daily…Our former Head of State H.E. Gen Abdusalami Abubakar in his candid speech delivered to Northern Leaders recently, on the need for qualitative education and service delivery to the electorate noticed that the Almanjiris now numbers above 10 million kids roaming the streets of Nigeria without education nor hope of getting one…

Generally all Social Democratic Parties the world over and all genuine social Democrats which is the philosophy of centre left, believes in the imperatives of free and qualitative education as germane to rapid social, cultural and economic advancement of the society.  Based on this philosophy, Social Democrats place as priority number one, the adamantine inalienable rights of all citizens of the geo- polity access to free and qualitative education at all levels… and this is what we offer Edo People and Nigerians in Generality at our great party- Social Democratic Mega Party…

Free and qualitative education can also help to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in the societies of Africa, as well as solve the question of abject poverty, penury, misery and scavenging of the average African family that lives below poverty line in the context of international standard practise..

Like wise an educated society translates to a healthier society which will have quick preventive response to disease, cancers and curb the AID/HIV pandemic that has become acute and threatening to wipe out more than half of the productive work force of the African continent within the next two decades… in some African countries close to 30% of the productive work force are HIV positive…with positive education this could be avoided..This phenomenon will affect the economic, and moral glories of the African peoples in not too portable distance of history yonder which will impact negatively on the democratic experience..

The recent challenges of climatic/ ecological changes afflicting mankind through force majore, of disasters, flooding, drought, erosion and environmental degradation can be better solved when a society is well educated and abreast with pro active panacea to these emerging global threat that is threatening to annihilate a large population of mankind if something drastic is not done to arrest the situation on a global comprehensive initiative. This will impact negatively to the development of democratic institutions of Nigeria/Africa and the world in generality.

The issue of restive youth due to voluntary and involuntary redundancies of joblessness, and declining opportunities of mankind caused by corporate greed and abrasive imperialism with its backlash of looting , corruption and mismanagement of private and public treasuries in Africa and on a global basis could be arrested by positive education; training and retraining as in the aspects of human resource development and empowerment of the peoples of Africa and the world in generality. This problem has taken an obtuse dimension in the first quartile of the 21^st century and if a comprehensive solution is not forged out by stakeholders in emerging democracies of the African continent will threaten to suffocate the growth and development of democratic institutions to maturity.

Poverty, penury and misery are spreading at an alarming rate and the gap between the rich and the poor is widening at a steep margin. Some people virtually own the entire world while some cannot afford to eat one meal a day. The expectations of democracy and its subsequent reason de entre as a preferred system of governance the world over is its peoples oriented milieu, which is fast evaporating and replaced by carnality and bestiality, as in its primordial imperatives in necessity and sufficiency premises in ushering dividends of democracy to the majority of people has vanished. What we have now is a democracy at the beehive and at the service of the rich and mighty while the poor continue to wallow in abject poverty, want, hunger, malnutrition, poor health delivery system, misery and all the ills of post industrial mankind. This emerging crass capitalism if not addressed will impact negatively on the progress and development of democracy in Africa and by the theories of historical and dialectical materialism will be the albatross and causality of its demise, as in the classic Marxist maxim: “that those who make peaceful transformation impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”. This can be addressed through positive education.

The issue of nationwide infrastructural decay, homelessness, frustrations, and public apathy will also impact negatively on the development of democratic institutions in the African continent and on a global magnitude. This is caused by visionless leadership who lack the necessary education in management, in diversifying the mono cultured resilient African economies based largely on receipts from exports of primordial raw materials to feed the industries of the developed Northern and Western hemispheres. The indiscretions and paucity of pragmatic developmental agenda to diversify the earnings from monoculture product export will begin to rear another big crisis as African Nations enter into the 2 ed quartile of the 21 century. Certainly this will impact negatively on the development of democratic institutions in Nigeria and Africa which can be quickly solved by positive education, and training of quality manpower to man the planning and economies of emerging African democracies.

The issues of electricity generation and distribution, agriculture, industries and manufacturing are factors that are important to the sustainability of a vibrant modern society, But in Nigeria and Africa the development of these aforementioned departments are in epileptic developmental stages due to lack of developmental finance, and lack of will of the leadership to addressed the problems of these areas focused to have a positive impact on the development of the society at large. Recently the manufacturer’s association of Nigeria announced that more than 8000 manufacturers have closed shops in the past few years due to the lack of enabling environment for industry and enterprise to thrive. This certainly will impact negatively on the overall productivity of the Nation as well as on the democratic institutions but with a purposeful education, planning and focus; some of these problems can be solved.

Conclusively I concur with all the dignitaries and students here today that the greatest legacy we can banquet ourselves and the future generation of mankind is free and qualitative education, germane to the evolution of a democratic society, better equipped to tackle the challenges of post industrial mankind in the context of cultural and economic globalism in the making. And this is the top priority of my Political Party. Gratitude.

ALUTA CONTINUA….VICTORIA ASATA…

Thanks and God bless