Removal of History from school curriculum revisited, as Jega, Ahmad, Ogundipe speak at Varsity Muslim Alumni’s pre-Ramadan lecture

*Good citizenship most important element in leadership recruitment – Adamu

*Resolving Nigeria’s leadership crisis of leadership requires improving the leadership recruitment process – Jega

*The type of leadership in Nigeria a reflection of its people – Ahmad

By SUMAYYAH ADEFAKA

…negligence of knowledgeable and able citizens toward electoral process in Nigeria had led to the issue of leadership that the country suffers. “The poor go out to vote, why the rich sit back to watch and count.”

The removal of the study of history from school curriculum in Nigeria has once again received attention in Lagos on Sunday, as Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, expressed disappointment over the unfortunate development that has remained unaddressed by the leadership.

Ogundipe spoke while playing host to this year’s pre-Ramadan lecture of the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni, held at the J. F. Ade-Ajayi Auditorium (Main Auditorium), on the university’s campus at Akoka, Lagos.

The lecture, themed: “Leadership Recruitment – The Missing Anchor in Our National Development, gave insight to the current state of Nigeria’s political leadership system, the challenges of governance and provided solutions to those highlighted issues.

Dignitaries who attended included a former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, who was chairman of the occasion, the Global Missioner of Ansar-ud-Deen Society Worldwide, Shaikh Abdulrahman Ahmad, guest lecturer and Petroleum Economist, Dr Ahmad Adamu, all of whom were welcomed by the Chief Host and President University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA), Alhaji Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, among others.

In his chairman’s opening remarks, Prof. Jega commended the programme organisers for choosing the type of topic as, according to him, central to the current national predicaments, and key to resolving those predicaments for good government development processes, was issue of leadership.

Stating the roles of citizens toward the past and current state of governance in the country, Jega said:

“Nigerians have been mining rather than structuring over government democratic and development processes.

“Nigerian citizens have evidently been recruiting and electing inappropriate leaders into government. Every citizen needs to be concerned about the development of his or her country and the need to contribute positively to it, in respect of the state of the country,” he said.

He said, “to a large extent, the peace, development, satisfaction of citizens need and aspiration depend on the type of leadership we have. Because they either unite or divide the country, they inspire or demobilise and also plan how they harness to utilise national assets to develop or destroy the country or how they destroy the country by reckless pursuit.”

He said, Nigeria has a profound crisis of leadership, which is crying for urgent solution and that the key to address this crisis is improving the leadership recruitment process, leadership selection or getting election right in the country.

According to Jega, citizens need to be enlightened and mobilised to understand the value of using the electoral process in building a better Nigeria.

“Today, political parties are cultured by so called money bags or godfathers and power of the patriots and they operate undemocratically to install clients otherwise fix untrustworthy people in elective positions that actually require true competence, commitment sacrifice and dedication.”

He said no doubt, good leadership recruitment is one of the missing anchors in Nigeria’s national development, stating that, if leaders lack vision or are narrow minded and shortsighted, they will contribute no development to the nation.

From religious perspective, Shaikh Abdulrahman Ahmad said the type of leadership in Nigeria is a reflection of its people, backing it with the Qur’anic verse that says:

“Verily, Allaah will not change the (good) condition of a people as long as they do not change their state (of goodness) themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allaah).” Surah al-Ra’d 13:11

The Ansar-ud-Deen Missioner emphasised the importance of background check in leadership recruitment.

He also called on religious leaders to be truthful as they also have a role they play in fixing government and should not be after aspirants’ money.

In its own remarks as a host, the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said negligence of knowledgeable and able citizens toward electoral process in Nigeria had led to the issue of leadership that the country suffers.

“The poor go out to vote, why the rich sit back to watch and count.”

Ogundipe stressed on the importance of citizens, including students, to know their citizenship roles and right, and the importance of good leadership in the country.

He also expressed his disappointment in the removal of history from school’s curriculum in Nigeria.

The country should realise that “there is need to know about history and there is need for us to go back to the drawing board, to let our students know about our history and it will make a good impact on leadership in the future.”

Dr. Ahmed Adamu, in his own remarks, noted that to have a good governance, leadership recruitment systems require an evolutionary change.

He added that good citizenship, particularly voters, being the most important element in leadership recruitment, should endeavour to carry out their right by going for their Voter’s Card and also come out to vote, not to sit back and count the number of votes at home.

He said politicians and delegates should check their intentions, and also do the right thing.