Dr. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso
Kano State Ministry for Higher
Education
No, Professor Julius Okojie: You got it
wrong
The attention of Kano state Ministry
for Higher Education has been drawn
to a statement credited to the
Executive Secretary, National
Universities Commission, NUC,
Professor Julius Okogie, regarding the
501 students the government plans to
sponsor abroad for post-graduate
programmes.
While we regard Prof. Okogie in high
esteem and respect, we are however
surprised and indeed shocked by his
unguarded and unpatriotic posture in
trying to disparage the good intention
of Kano State government.
Let it be known that it is not our
intention to join issues with Professor
Okogie but it is important to note that
the Ministry for Higher Education has
done a thorough check and is ready
to make further improvements in
making this laudable and
unstoppable programme a huge
success.
We will also like to inform Professor
Okogie and indeed fellow Nigerians
that the 501 students are going to 11
countries – United States, Jordan,
Cyprus, Egypt, UK, Turkey, Ukraine,
Malaysia, India, UAE, China and
Poland - Therefore, it is not possible
for 70 percent of them to go to one
country (Ukraine) as emphatically
stated by Prof. Okojie. We felt so much
devastated that an academic of Prof.
Okogie’s calibre and standing can
make such an unsubstantiated claim
and baseless assertion.
In fact, what can be more unpatriotic
than Okogie’s attempt to throw away
the baby and the bath water, perhaps
together with the container! Agreed
there could be mistakes here and
there but Prof. Okogie should, as an
elder and ‘the regulator’ of the
Nigerian university system, offer
advice on how to improve or correct
the mistakes. It was also noted that in
his desperation to put Kano people to
shame and or to show how disdainful
he is to the people of Kano, he tried,
though unsuccessfully, to connect
Kano with cultism.
While we have no intention of taking
legal action against him, we will
however, not restrain all those
agitating to do so from going ahead.
Also while we are waiting to see how
and where NUC under Prof. Okogie is
taking the 100 persons to be
sponsored by the Federal
Government and the distribution
pattern. Nigerians are watching the
conditions of Nigerian Universities
under his leadership. What has
become of Nigerian universities under
Okogie is part of the compelling
reason why we have to sponsor our
young men and women abroad.
We want them to graduate on time
with no break as a result of strikes.
These are postgraduate students who
will man the over 20 new Institutes
and even the existing ones. We are
determined to build strong, proper
and everlasting foundation for the
development of our dear state, Kano.
Certainly, where our attention was
drawn or where we discovered some
mistakes, a committee is working to
correct them and we find this not
unexpected as this is the first time
this huge programme is taking place
in Nigeria. In deed we challenge Prof.
Okogie to tell us which state or which
country in Africa has ever taken such
bold and courageous step of
sponsoring 501, as first batch, to go
for postgraduate studies aboard at
one go? We expect Prof. Okogie to be
fair and academic enough to thumbs
up this wonderful effort, and be bold
enough to acknowledge (as academic
ethics demand) that it is this Kano
idea that the Federal Government has
copied by deciding to send 100
persons abroad for further studies.
It must be stated that the Ministry for
Higher for Higher Education has taken
every step to ensure that not only
good and well rated universities are
selected but also involved the
embassies of the selected, countries
in order to make sure the process is
credible.
In fact we find it laughable that going
by Prof. Okogie’s postulation, the
Kano state government will spend 15
million USD without the ministry
checking and ascertaining the
reputation, history and antecedents of
the selected universities.
No doubt this generation of Kano
people and indeed future generations
will find it difficult to forgive Prof.
Okogie for not only labeling them
cultists which is against our religion,
culture and moral upbringing but also
for damaging the image of our
country Nigeria by saying that the
young men and women that will be
sent for their postgraduate studies
amounts Nigeria “exporting cultism
from here.” Does this not amount to
self-indictment that the Executive
Secretary of National Universities
Commission is admitting that he has
failed to find solution to cultism in our
universities in Nigeria? Is he saying
that all those coming out from
Nigerian universities are cultists?
However, it will not be incorrect to
assume that Prof. Okogie may be
playing politics and it looks like he is,
knowingly or unknowingly, into
alliance with the enemies of the
people of Kano. Otherwise how can
one rationalize Prof. Okogie’s action
by attempting to ridicule and
embarrass Kano people when he can
simply call those concerned, as head
of a regulatory body, to draw their
attention and express his view to us
on what he feels should be done on
how to make the programme better?
It must be stated that no amount of
blackmail, embarrassment or
hullabaloo will stop or discourage the
Ministry for Higher Education from
driving this laudable programme to its
logical conclusion. No doubt this is
one programme that will make Kano
to catch up with other states in the
country and certainly some people
will not be happy with this as they
drive certain benefits by the status
quo.
Let it be stated once again that the
objective of this programme is to
build a strong and durable
foundation for this and future
generations of our youths, the vehicle
of which is education. And for the
information of Prof. Okogie, the 501
means first batch as the Ministry for
Higher Education will soon start
screening of the second batch 502
and it will continue until the end of
this administration.
Not only this, 100 Secondary School
Leavers with good grades will soon be
sent also, to the amusement of Prof.
Okogie, abroad to go and study
medicine, while same number of
young men and women will be
sponsored to train as pilots.
Another 100 teachers will also be
selected and sent to China to learn
and study Chinese in preparation for
the opening of secondary schools in
Kano that will be completely
conducted in Chinese. We are also
happy to note that the state
government has gone into agreement
with the Republic of Niger to jointly
run a secondary in Niger where the
student intake will be shared 50 – 50.
This will open opportunities for not
only Kano youth but will make them
play responsible roles not only in
Nigeria but in the West African sub-
region in the nearest future
Finally while we find it not out of
place to forgive Prof. Okogie we will
also say amen to anybody that prays
for him to be delivered.
Signed
Umar Haruna Mohammed Doguwa
Honourable Commissioner,
Ministry for Higher Education,
Kano Sate