Ethnic Quota For Nigerians Is Challenged
By JAMES BROOKE, Special to the New York Times
Published: November 06, 1988

At the age of 11, Adeyinka Badejo is learning the hard way about affirmative action, Nigerian style.

The daughter of an eminent political science professor here, Miss Badejo hoped last month to win admission to a Nigerian Unity School - a Government-financed prep school for top universities here and abroad.

To Miss Badejo's dismay, she discovered that several of her sixth-grade classmates scored lower than she did on a national test, but that they won admission to the prestigious boarding school system. In this West African nation where virtually everyone is of the same race, the difference is ''state of origin'' - often a code phrase in Nigeria for tribe.

Miss Badejo scored 293 on a 400-point test - three points below the cutoff for girls from Ogun state, a southern state largely populated by members of the Yoruba tribe. If she had been born to parents from Kano state, the northern heartland of the Hausa and Fulani tribes, she would have sailed into a Unity School with a score as low as 151. 'Federal Character' Policy
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Miss Badejo's rejection was a result of Nigeria's policy of ''reflecting the federal character.'' Through nationally mandated quotas, this policy is intended to insure that Nigeria's disadvantaged tribal groups have equal access to higher education and to Government employment.

Femi Badejo, Adeyinka's father and a professor at the University of Lagos, decided to sue Nigeria's Minister of Education on the grounds that the Unity School's admission policy constitutes discrimination.

In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and one of its most diverse, the case has attracted attention comparable to lawsuits challenging affirmative action programs in the United States.

Late last month, Nigerian reporters packed the three wooden press benches in Court 19 of Lagos High Court as opposing lawyers in black robes and white wigs argued their positions.

During a recess, Mr. Badejo, clad in a yellow dashiki-style shirt favored by the Yoruba people, limited his comments to saying: ''There is no comparison between affirmative action in the United States and 'federal character' in Nigeria.''

For Nigeria's southerners, Mr. Badejo's case has become a minor cause celebre, and several southern educators and politicians have sharply attacked the 10-year-old quota system. 'Unjust Discrimination'

''I think it's unjust discrimination,'' Lateef Kayode Jakande, a former governor of Lagos State, told a Nigerian reporter. ''The way out is to encourage the underdeveloped ones to catch up, rather than to bring down the developed ones.''

In Ibadan, the nation's largest city and one that is largely Yoruba, Dapo Ajayi, a high school principal, said the national quota system discourages southern students who see it as reverse discrimination.

Support for the federal character policy comes from Nigeria's north. The northerners, most of them Muslim, long resisted Western-style education first introduced by Britain, the colonial power here until 1960. Nigerians on the Atlantic coast -Yoruba in the west and members of the Ibo tribe in the east - sent their children in large numbers to British colonial schools.

Today, almost 30 years after independence, a new generation of Nigerians bears the stamp of this colonial inheritance. In the test Miss Badejo took last September, the cutoff point was set by the score attained by the 500th-ranking boy or girl in each state.

Cutoff scores for students from states largely populated by the Ibo or the Yoruba ranged from 280 to 303. Cutoff scores for students from northern states with high Hausa and Fulani populations ranged from 151 to 252.

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/06/world/ethnic-quota-for-nigerians-is-challenged.html

Meanwhile================,


2013 National Common Entrance Examination Cut-Off Marks Released (State-by-State)

The Federal Ministry of Education has released the cut-off marks on State-by-State basis of the just concluded 2013 National Common Entrance Examination for admission processes into Federal Unity Colleges nation-wide.
Parents are advised to check the results of their wards which have been posted on notice board of all Unity Colleges throughout the Federation.
Pupils that scored above the cut-off marks based on their state of origin are eligible for admission on merit.
Abia - Male(130) Female(130)
Adamawa - Male(62) Female(62)
Akwa-Ibom - Male(123) Female(123)
Anambra - Male(139) Female(139)
Bauchi - Male(35) Female(35)
Bayelsa - Male(72) Female(72)
Benue - Male(111) Female(111)
Borno - Male(45) Female(45)
Cross-Rivers - Male(97) Female(97)
Delta - Male(131) Female(131)
Ebonyi - Male(112) Female(112)
Edo - Male(127) Female(127)
Ekiti - Male(119) Female(119)
Enugu - Male(134) Female(134)
Gombe - Male(58) Female(58)
Imo - Male(138) Female(138)
Jigawa - Male(44) Female(44)
Kaduna - Male(91) Female (91)
Kano - Male(67) Female(67)
Kastina - Male(60) Female(60)
Kebbi - Male(9) Female(20)
Kogi - Male(119) Female(119)
Kwara - Male(123) Female(123)
Lagos - Male(133) Female(133)
Nassarawa - Male(58) Female(58)
Niger - Male(93) Female(93)
Ogun - Male(131) Female(131)
Ondo - Male(126) Female(126)
Osun - Male(127) Female(127)
Oyo - Male(127) Female(127)
Plateau - Male(97) Female(97)
Rivers - Male(118) Female(118)
Sokoto - Male(9) Female(13)
Taraba - Male(3) Female(11)
Yobe - Male(2) Female(27)
Zamfara - Male(4) Female(2)
FCT Abuja - Male(90) Female(90)

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/main-square/77394-2013-national-common-entrance-examination-cut-off-marks-released-state-state.html

No be today, e don tay!

Serious discrimination.

The way out is to encourage the underdeveloped ones to catch up, rather than to bring down the developed ones.

Agree.

The concept of unity schools without federal character would be defeated because some states in the North can't cope or measure up to expectations.

www.Divide this country ...dazz all

Prof Corruption:

Agree.

The concept of unity schools without federal character would be defeated because some states in the North can't cope or measure up to expectations.

The conept of QUOTA SYSTEM was dead on arrival. How can you punish MERITOCRACY and reward MEDIOCRITY?
Still After 53 years of Independence the North still cannot measure up to expectations, any wonder why Nigeria is still the way it is?

''I think it's unjust discrimination,'' Lateef Kayode Jakande, a former governor of Lagos State, told a Nigerian reporter. ''The way out is to encourage the underdeveloped ones to catch up, rather than to bring down the developed ones.''

The eagles are forced to fly so low, so that chickens can catch up.
No wonder Nigeria is like 1302 instead of 2013.

Actually the south is really slowing down in education, though still not comparable to the north! But how can Nigeria be among the industrialized nations by 2020 with this type of policies?

I think private schools should pick up the slack and give federal government the run for their money and FG should really look into privatizing all their schools and give cheques instead. Government has no business in education. They have failed woefully. Nigeria is the only country on earth that has seasonal university strikes. I wonder why people still send their kids to those schools.

The most painful part is the assumption that certain people will forever try to catch up while others will be ahead. Federal character is a scam.

noblezone:

The eagles are forced to fly so low, so that chickens can catch up.
No wonder Nigeria is like 1302 instead of 2013.

And this is what Tinubu and his co-travellers that have decided to coalesce into the Arewa Peoples' Congress, APC are implicitly trying to do by getting Buhari or some other hausa-fulani to rule us again as president supported by some lameduck southern VP.

We should be wiser!!!

cogitoErgo: Actually the south is really slowing down in education, though still not comparable to the north! But how can Nigeria be among the industrialized nations by 2020 with this type of policies?

^^^The bolded is unfortunately true! What we need is a ruthless competitive environment like we had in the 50s and 60s, before the Hausa/Fulani got to be in control of policy making and execution and then slowed everyone else down to their speed.

I've just about had it with this country!! How can you initiate affirmative action in education and employment (since the 70s) so the core north can catch up with the south, yet there's no time frame or termination date for this stupid retrogressive policy? Why the fuc/k am i chained to a people who don't give two fuc/ks about education and are afraid to compete on a level playing field?

And when i want emancipation from this mess, someone will turn around and shout 'one naijeriah mehn!' in my face and tell me i'm going nowhere!

If Nigeria -at the very least- is not restructured so everyone can progress at their own pace and be in control of their own destiny, we will still be talking of potential-potential, murders, corruption, and all what not, even ten years from today.....and it would do us like film when even countries like Somalia pass us on the highway to economic prosperity, and we'll be open mouthed and look on in horror as they disappear in the distance and leave us trudging along at a snail pace in the jalopy that is 'one Nigeria'!

Quota system was 80% responsible 4 backwardness of the Nigeria nation. It was adopted by northern elites so as to fill in their illetrate and semi illitrate brothers in position of authorities as againts competent and well qualified southern counterpart.

Same still applies for universities these days. More reason why the private university business is booming now.

If after 40years of this policy, a state like Yobe still requires 1% score to gain admission in 2013 (https://www.nairaland.com/1318269/2013-national-common-entrance-examination), it means all the efforts of the past 40 years is a waste. Deductively, it will take such a state upto 500 years to raise their cut-off to 50%. Are the rest of us going to keep paying paying this success inhibiting price? If this issue stops at this unity school level it would've been endurable but it extends to the university admission and other aspects of our country system. No wonder one hardly finds core northerners in private establishments where merits are rewarded. My annoyance is that these sets of pampered students end up leading the rest of us.

My REV FR in church a while ago, bombarded us with a plethora of nigeria issues. He criticized everything about nigeria. Now am back to relax and the first item on the front page is another nigerian problem. Well am tayad. I think we should all ignore nigeria and its problem. Nigeria is too small to ruin my happiness.

Alpha conde.

We are expected to take panadol for their headache...yet they are against Western Education.

I hope this is from the archives, I find it difficult to believe that NYTIMES had a live website in 1988 prior to creation of the internet.

anonimi:
And this is what Tinubu and his co-travellers that have decided to coalesce into the Arewa Peoples' Congress, APC are implicitly trying to do by getting Buhari or some other hausa-fulani to rule us again as president supported by some lameduck southern VP.
We should be wiser!!!

What's the correlation between your rant(in ugly font) and the topic in discourse? And how come you always post like an illiterate? You went from not being able to spell "lying" to using "lameduck" in the wrong context - you definitely need to go back to wherever you got your education; and ask for a refund. I initially thought you were a decent poster; but you're more of an uneducated political jobber with blinkered brain cells - get a life!!

25years later, the problem still gets bigger. The problem is that the champions of the useless federal character are not aiming at catching up with the more advantaged neighbors, but rather to slow them down to their own stagnant pace.

cogitoErgo: Actually the south is really slowing down in education, though still not comparable to the north! But how can Nigeria be among the industrialized nations by 2020 with this type of policies?

Tah!!! Ndi Ala!

After reading what Katsumoto and DK posted on another thread about the same topic - I understand why the quota system is necessary in such schools. If the concept of "Unity Schools" was to unify the country by getting kids from different parts of country to attend the same schools - I honestly don't think there's anything wrong in applying quota system a la affirmative action for parts of the Nigeria that are educationally backwards. If you don't apply that; then it defeats the reason why those schools were created in the first place.

There's a similar policy in the UK and America for kids from inner cities. Since most of you believe in Nigeria; you need to stop moaning about everything and help the other side get to your level. That's the spirit of one country and being your brother's keeper.

Don't worry my pple, major general Mohammadu Buhari & Alhaji Tinubu will fix the matter once they took office in 2020s...

Those in favour of Quota system say AYEEEE

anonimi:

And this is what [b]Tinubu and his co-travellers that have decided to coalesce into the Arewa Peoples' Congress, APC are implicitly trying to do by getting Buhari or some other hausa-fulani to rule us again as president supported by some lameduck southern VP.[/b]We should be wiser!!!

u need a brain transplant!!!
Did u ever knw u are off te context of this discussion?

U were busy feeding ur bigotted aura dt u failed to realized so much foolishness u av displayed.

It's easy. So many presidents including jonathan shld av reversed dt. The concept was a good move, but jes like jakande said, they shld av learned to keep up! But seriously, 'wld they av'? No!

If the north is a country on it's own, there's no doubt on how primitive they wld av been! Like niger! they dnt even value education so what's d point?

I can bet it wit u dt the few of them who really want to learn are alwys good at what they do. The high cut off mark of the south wldnt av been a barrier!

So, open ur brains. Stop being tribalistic at the wrong time!

ShyM-X:




Since most of you believe in Nigeria; you need to stop moaning about everything and help the other side get to your level. That's the spirit of one country and being your brother's keeper.

Please tell me you are joking. Are you for real? I should help an abdullahi to get Western Education, when the same Aboki is seeking for Virgins and ready to bomb to hell if I try to tell him otherwise.

ShyM-X:
After reading what Katsumoto and DK posted on another thread about the same topic - I understand why the quota system is necessary in such schools. If the concept of "Unity Schools" was to unify the country by getting kids from different parts of country to attend the same schools - I honestly don't think there's anything wrong in applying quota system a la affirmative action for parts of the Nigeria that are educationally backwards. If you don't apply that; then it defeats the reason why those schools were created in the first place.

There's a similar policy in the UK and America for kids from inner cities. Since most of you believe in Nigeria; you need to stop moaning about everything and help the other side get to your level. That's the spirit of one country and being your brother's keeper.

It is very easy to come to this assumption if you spends all your life oversea and when u did not pass through Nigerian system.

IGBO-SON:


^^^The bolded is unfortunately true! What we need is a ruthless competitive environment like we had in the 50s and 60s, before the Hausa/Fulani got to be in control of policy making and execution and then slowed everyone else down to their speed.

I've just about had it with this country!! How can you initiate affirmative action in education and employment (since the 70s) so the core north can catch up with the south, yet there's no time frame or termination date for this stupid retrogressive policy? Why the fuc/k am i chained to a people who don't give two fuc/ks about education and are afraid to compete on a level playing field?

And when i want emancipation from this mess, someone will turn around and shout 'one naijeriah!' in my face and tell me i'm going nowhere!

Ouch!

As it was six decades ago when in 1953 late Chief Enahoro tried to move a motion for our independence to be granted in 1956, which probably could have made us earlier than Ghana. . . .

My father moved the successful motion for Nigeria‘s independence – Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation

There has been so much confusion, misunderstanding and misinformation about who actually moved the motion for Nigeria‘s independence.

Many Nigerians believed that the motion for Nigeria‘s independence was successfully moved by Chief Anthony Enahoro. However, the truth of the matter was that he kicked off the process for that struggle with his gallant efforts in 1953, the fact remains that he was not the man that successfully moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence.

Chief Enahoro moved a motion for ‘‘self rule‘‘ in the Federal House in 1953 which proposed that the country should get its independence in 1956. Unfortunately, it was rejected by Parliament and it therefore failed. It also resulted in a walk out by the Northern People‘s Congress parliamentarians who were of the view that Nigeria was not yet ready for independence. The tensions and acrimony that came from all this and the terrible treatment that was meted out to the northern parliamentarians and leaders that were in the south because of their refusal to support Enahoro‘s motion resulted in the infamous Kano riots of 1953.

NBF

so it is now in 2013.

Should we continue to allow ourselves to be drawn back in this day and age