TakingITGlobal - Panorama - "MY STORY OF...

Published on: Jun 20, 2011

Topic:

Type: Experiences

https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=31445

The violence and chaos that precedes every election in Nigeria is second to none. Already, most politicians who lost at the just concluded general elections have started instigating political riots in their regions which runs up into a religious and ethnic conflict. These conflicts have led to the loss of lives, properties and businesses worth over N100,000,000 (one hundred million Naira); Raw like bleeding flesh are the memories of the violence that preceded the 2007 general election; sudden and unexpected outbursts of violence, even in the most solemn of places like churches; the sad memory of seeing my roommate and best friend Yemi hatched to death; the run for my dear life and the usual accompanying songs of victory by the youths of the faction that gets to win the meaningless and endless fights.

Examples of these abound in the northern part of Nigeria like the ‘No Western’, policy, popularly known as ‘BOKO HARAM’. Young boys are deprived of basic Primary education because their religion does not allow anything ‘Western’. They were indoctrinated to belief that religious education only, is what they need and encouraged to abhor the ‘Western’ system of education of learning how to read and write, which according to them brings corruption and moral misbehavior, contrary to the teaching of their faith.

There is also the HISBA group amongst others who are used as the security outfit, thereby depriving them of proper education. These groups are ready instruments in the hands of some politicians who want to get political powers and position through violence. They deceive them to believe they are fighting a just cause using religion as an excuse! This is as a result of lack of proper education!

This situation presents a bleak future if nothing is done to salvage the situation, the mind of these youths must be reoriented through proper western education and their mindset changed to militate against ethno-political and religious conflicts which seldom threatens the unity of the nation, a plague that has been unconsciously engineered into their consciousness and DNA. There is a need to devise a way of instilling a new perception model and thought pattern in order to break the mind barrier on these youths and deliver them from the lingering vices used in ensnaring them.

I was born a Christian, remained a Christian and my parents both from the eastern region of Nigeria. Yet, I spotted out mass illiteracy as a major cause of the prevailing circumstances; I decided to go the Ghandi way in spearheading the changes I desired through my actions and examples starting from where I was.

I decided to plunge into the democratic waters in my graduating years in college to get a head start into how things work and how to solve problems. I became a member of the educational committee of the National Association of Science Students Bayero University Kano State’s chapter.
A well grounded understanding of the desires of students, as a student myself helped me in my assignment. I knew it was lack of formal western education, poor parental up bring, poverty, misinterpretation of religious values and misinformation that naturally leads to the desecration of common human values. I was able to convince the Governing Council on the need to encourage local Muslim youths to take up western education.

I went ahead to lead members of the Education Committee of my Faculty and some student volunteers on a four day tour of all local Islamic schools within Kano state of Nigeria, aimed at sensitizing the ‘Almajiris’ (Koranic students) on the importance of western education to their life, future, religion, culture and nation. With the reforms in place and the youths informed, more than 68 Muslim youths were assisted in gaining admissions into various primary schools of their choice.

This new achievement led to the Faculty’s Educational Committee and the Student Representative Council request that I stay on the committee for another year, and together we recorded another success. Automatically, I became the Faculty and Student Union Educational Chairman, plus a few other non-academic responsibilities because of the success of my first endeavor, a success I attribute to my decision to participate at all.

When I graduated, Curiosity led me to gather like-minds to think together on ways to re-orchestrate and reposition the minds of the Northern Nigerian Muslim youths; this gave birth to an NGO – Western Education 4 Northern Nigerian Muslim Youths (WENNMY) in august 2009| a youth volunteer organization which has over 480 Muslim youths now undertaking basic primary school education in various government owned primary schools in Kano state Nigeria. This was possible via supports and co-operation of students from the Faculty of Science Bayero University Kano state, some Islamic scholars, philanthropists, the ministry of education and the government of Kano state.

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by Peter Emmanuel Nkemakolam
Published on: Jun 20, 2011
Topic:
Type: Experiences
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=31445


The violence and chaos that precedes every election in Nigeria is second to none. Already, most politicians who lost at the just concluded general elections have started instigating political riots in their regions which runs up into a religious and ethnic conflict. These conflicts have led to the loss of lives, properties and businesses worth over N100,000,000 (one hundred million Naira); Raw like bleeding flesh are the memories of the violence that preceded the 2007 general election; sudden and unexpected outbursts of violence, even in the most solemn of places like churches; the sad memory of seeing my roommate and best friend Yemi hatched to death; the run for my dear life and the usual accompanying songs of victory by the youths of the faction that gets to win the meaningless and endless fights. Examples of these abound in the northern part of Nigeria like the ‘No Western’, policy, popularly known as ‘BOKO HARAM’. Young boys are deprived of basic Primary education because their religion does not allow anything ‘Western’. They were indoctrinated to belief that religious education only, is what they need and encouraged to abhor the ‘Western’ system of education of learning how to read and write, which according to them brings corruption and moral misbehavior, contrary to the teaching of their faith. There is also the HISBA group amongst others who are used as the security outfit, thereby depriving them of proper education. These groups are ready instruments in the hands of some politicians who want to get political powers and position through violence. They deceive them to believe they are fighting a just cause using religion as an excuse! This is as a result of lack of proper education! This situation presents a bleak future if nothing is done to salvage the situation, the mind of these youths must be reoriented through proper western education and their mindset changed to militate against ethno-political and religious conflicts which seldom threatens the unity of the nation, a plague that has been unconsciously engineered into their consciousness and DNA. There is a need to devise a way of instilling a new perception model and thought pattern in order to break the mind barrier on these youths and deliver them from the lingering vices used in ensnaring them. I was born a Christian, remained a Christian and my parents both from the eastern region of Nigeria. Yet, I spotted out mass illiteracy as a major cause of the prevailing circumstances; I decided to go the Ghandi way in spearheading the changes I desired through my actions and examples starting from where I was. I decided to plunge into the democratic waters in my graduating years in college to get a head start into how things work and how to solve problems. I became a member of the educational committee of the National Association of Science Students Bayero University Kano State’s chapter. A well grounded understanding of the desires of students, as a student myself helped me in my assignment. I knew it was lack of formal western education, poor parental up bring, poverty, misinterpretation of religious values and misinformation that naturally leads to the desecration of common human values. I was able to convince the Governing Council on the need to encourage local Muslim youths to take up western education. I went ahead to lead members of the Education Committee of my Faculty and some student volunteers on a four day tour of all local Islamic schools within Kano state of Nigeria, aimed at sensitizing the ‘Almajiris’ (Koranic students) on the importance of western education to their life, future, religion, culture and nation. With the reforms in place and the youths informed, more than 68 Muslim youths were assisted in gaining admissions into various primary schools of their choice. This new achievement led to the Faculty’s Educational Committee and the Student Representative Council request that I stay on the committee for another year, and together we recorded another success. Automatically, I became the Faculty and Student Union Educational Chairman, plus a few other non-academic responsibilities because of the success of my first endeavor, a success I attribute to my decision to participate at all. When I graduated, Curiosity led me to gather like-minds to think together on ways to re-orchestrate and reposition the minds of the Northern Nigerian Muslim youths; this gave birth to an NGO – Western Education 4 Northern Nigerian Muslim Youths (WENNMY) in august 2009\| a youth volunteer organization which has over 480 Muslim youths now undertaking basic primary school education in various government owned primary schools in Kano state Nigeria. This was possible via supports and co-operation of students from the Faculty of Science Bayero University Kano state, some Islamic scholars, philanthropists, the ministry of education and the government of Kano state. « return.