Showing posts with label students. Show all posts
Showing posts with label students. Show all posts

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Nigeria: O Tempora O Mores, Sic Transit Gloria Mundi



Nigeria: O Tempora O Mores, Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

There is an epidemic of intellectual ignorance among the majority of Nigerians in Nigeria, including those who claim to be graduates of tertiary institutions, but are still intellectually challenged in logical and rational analysis of the vicissitudes of life and the essence of human civilization. 

Then there is a facade of conceit and deceit by the elites who are posing and posturing in affluence and opulence of the luxuries of the status symbols of their hypocritical society.
Money can buy lifestyle of luxury.
But money cannot buy class.
You don't need to be rich to have class.
You cannot have class without dignity, integrity and nobility.
You must appreciate the high values of the virtues of life.

A Fraudster can afford to live in a palatial mansion and buy expensive posh cars and SUVs and fly on private jets and dress in Gucci, Dior, Armani.and Versace and drink Champagne. But the Fraudster is still beneath the men and women of dignity, integrity and nobility.
All that glitters is not gold.

You must understand the difference between a life of pretence and a life that is the true essence of human existence.
You must know the difference between fallacy and legacy.

In the next 100 to.1000 years in the world if the Earth is still in existence, students.and scholars will be reading and studying Wole Soyinka and his peers and the intelligentsia of our generation. But all the mobs of the intellectually retarded and multitudes of this generation would be forgotten in the sands of time. 
I know the time frame of everyone and everything in Nigeria and the rest of the world in the history of civilization.

Everyone has a story.
But not everyone will make history.

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Author of "The Prophet Lied", "Diary of the Memory Keeper" and other books distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
Saturday, November 18, 2023 
Lagos, Nigeria.


Saturday, October 14, 2023

The Most Popular Film Stills From A Nigerian Film and TV Production


The most popular stills in circulation from a Nigerian film or TV  production are from the second phase of the principal photography of my documentary film, "Lagos in Motion" in 2016.

I published the photo book of the stills.currently distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.

View the NFTs exclusively on the Algorand blockchain
https://nftmyimage.com/@nigeriadaily
NFTs last longer than photos, videos and films that are not on the blockchain. 

The NFTs will be in the decentralized InterPlanetary File System.

The pictures show beautiful #Nollywood actress, model and beauty pageant Queen, Celina Ideh and other people in "Lagos in Motion" in the Toyota SUV as I was recording whilst the vehicle was moving us to another location in Lagos, Africa's largest megacity; on the Lekki- Ikoyi Link Bridge, Elegushi Beach, new Tejuosho Market and Onike in Yaba.

Film stills are very important in film studies.

Stills are essentially photographs taken on the set or during the production of a movie. They serve as a visual representation of the film, capturing key moments, characters, and set designs. These images are commonly used for promotional purposes, including posters, press kits, and marketing materials. And they are also used by scholars and students of film studies. 

#filmmaking
#filmproduction
#filmmakers
#filmstill
#screenshot
#documentary
#documentaryfilm
#movies
#series
#filmstudies
#students
#scholars
#Lagos
#Africa
#megacity
#photography
#book
#photobook
#Amazon

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima.


Monday, May 29, 2023

Film Criticism and Film Journalism


Film Criticism and Film Journalism 

Anybody who can write and can study the Nigerian film industry can write on both Nollywood and Kannywood.

Don't mistake film journalism for film criticism.

Majority of those claiming to be film critics in Nigeria are either film journalists or commentators. 

You cannot be a film critic if you don't understand filmmaking. Because how can you do a critique of a subject you don't understand the concept, content and context?

You don't know about Lighting for Storytelling and you are a film critic?

You don't know how soundtracks are used in storytelling and you call yourself a film critic?

You don't know costume for storytelling and you call yourself a film critic?

What of histrionics in drama?

Should I go on?

You cannot be a good film critic if you don't know the history of filmmaking or motion picture.

Until reading what I have written now, 99 percent of the so called film critics in Nigeria don't know what is film noir.

In the study of fine arts, we study art history and criticism combined, because you cannot be a good art critic if you don't know art history.

There is widespread intellectual ignorance and posturing by those who claim to be film critics, but they don't even know that filmmaking is part of fine arts and film criticism is part of art history and criticism.

This must be news to them.

Can they discuss Abstract Art in Art History and Criticism with Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima?

Can they do a critique of my masterpiece, "The Metamorphosis of the HIV in the T-Cell" collected by Family Health International (FHI) or "The Eruption of the Love Virus" in private collection since 1993?

I don't even claim to be a film critic.

I am a film writer and historian on the history of Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry widely published, circulated and studied by scholars and students in different colleges and universities in Nigeria and other countries.

Why? Because of the importance, relevance and significance in film studies, African studies, art history and criticism.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,
The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry since 2013.




Friday, October 7, 2022

The Legacy of Knowledge is the Greatest Heritage



"The legacy of knowledge is the greatest heritage."
- https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima

A paper published by a member of the Faculty of Arts Drama & Film department at Tshwane University of Technology mentions the name "Michael Chima Ekenyerengozi"

From scholars and students in Nigeria to South Africa to America to the UK to the Philippines, the most cited and quoted non-academic writer on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry is Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, the Publisher/Editor of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series, the first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry since 2013, printed in Raleigh, NC, USA.
Outstanding scholars who have made references to Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima include Prof Nomusa Makhubu, Associate Professor in Art History and Visual Culture at the University of Cape Town and the new Chair of the AGI's Advisory Board and Prof. Naomi S. Baron, Emerita at American University in Washington, DC.


Friday, September 9, 2022

Notable Nigerian Female Filmmakers

Notable Nigerian Female Filmmakers

Ngozi Onwurah

Prof. Branwen Okpako.

Sandra Mbanefo Obiago

Amaka igwe (of blessed memory)

Remi Vaughn-Richards 

Mildred Okwo

Emem Isong

Michelle Bello

Tope Oshin-Ogun

Ego Boyo,

Stephanie Linus

Chineze Anyaene

Chika Anadu

Blessing Egbe

Ema Edosio

Amaka Anioji

Grace Edwin Okon

Belinda Yanga-Agedah

Vanessa Nzediegwu,

Nosarieme Garrick

Zina Saro-Wiwa

Dolapo Adeleke, aka "LowlaDee"

Destiny Ekaragha

Mary Remmy Njoku

Akindele Olufunke Ayotunde

Adebukola Bodunrin

Kemi Adetiba.

Jade Osiberu

Lilian Aimiehi Onyinyen Afegbai

Genevieve Nnaji just got on the list, because of the outstanding success of her directorial debut, "Lionheart".

#Nollywood

#Filmmaking

#Filmmakers

#movies

#series

#Scholars

#students

#Africa

#Nigeria

#Nigerians

#film

This is not the complete list, because there are still some notable female directors in Nollywood who emerged after this selection who will be included in the third edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series printed in Raleigh, NC, USA.

This edition is a special focus on the Nigerian female filmmakers in Nigeria and the Diaspora.

I am the sole funder of the NOLLYWOOD MIRRO ® Series, the first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry since the first edition in 2013. I have not received any support from anyone else, private or public organization.

The articles in the first and second editions are among the most cited and quoted references in film studies, anthropology and African Studies by film scholars, students and others.

The Art Editor and Book Designer, Juvelin Aripal in from the Philippines.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series.


Monday, May 16, 2022

Write Like An Author, Sell Like An Entrepreneur

Write Like An Author, Sell Like An Entrepreneur is the product of very interesting conversations with many authors around the globe. The notion that an excellent book will ultimately sell itself with or without good promotion is the reason many writers become discouraged when they suddenly realize that literally excellence does not automatically equate to commercial success.

Before you write your next book, there are critical questions you must ask yourself and provide answers to. Questions like:

- Who am I writing to? (Target audience)

- Does my target audience have the purchasing power to buy my book

- Where is my target audience located?

- What are the things that can trigger them to buy or not to buy my book? etc.

This book provides you with; a trajectory on how to answer these questions and the strategies you need to build a profitable business out of your writing career.

And for those who are yet to begin or finish a manuscript because of the fear of the unknown, this book will help you come out of the fear zone, clarify your message and pen down your words in the most beautiful way possible.

This book is every Writer's guide, whether you're a first time writer, a veteran writer or a best-selling author.

Purchase the book on 

https://paystack.com/pay/wlasle-hardcopybook



Sunday, September 26, 2021

Re: Abdulsamad Rabiu Gives the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, a N200M Worth Rolls Royce Car

https://www.nairaland.com/6772148/abdulsamad-rabiu-gives-emir-kano

The great Man of the Masses, Mallam Aminu Kano (9 August 1920—17 April 1983) would have wept over this elitist display of megalomania.

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero already has official Rolls Royce car.

This is not a gift, but traditional political bribe that will soon be followed by receiving a new traditional title from the Emir and another selfish pursuit.

Billionaire Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu should have spent the N200 million on scholarships for the indigent students from poor families in Kano to sponsor them to go to tertiary institutions; provide safe drinking water boreholes for his village to prevent the recurrences of Cholera epidemic or build a well equipped Primary Heath Care Centre in his village.

They ruling elites of the Hausa Fulani political ruling class will never end their enslavement of the poor Talakawas and the millions of underprivileged children out of school in Kano and the rest of the predominantly Muslims states of northern Nigeria, because they need the poor and powerless commoners for the regular supply of cheap labour as underpaid housemaids, houseboys, messengers, drivers and factory workers in their institutionalization of poverty in the social class hierarchy of the society.

There are more than five million Alamajiri and Almajira in Kano in the so called Almajiranci system of Islamic education for children willingly sent by their parents. But only the underprivileged children of the poverty stricken poor Talakawas or commoners become Alamajiri and Almajira and not the privileged children of the elites who are enrolled in modern public and private schools.

The Alamajiri have become easy recruits of the Boko Haram terrorists and bandits who have been on rampage in northern Nigeria with incessant terrifying occurrences of killings and kidnappings. And as the saying goes, the Chickens have come home to roost.





Friday, December 11, 2020

NOLLYWOOD is the National Treasure of Nigeria

NOLLYWOOD is the National Treasure of Nigeria

Nollywood is our precious National Treasure. But majority of Nigerians, including the majority of the practitioners in Nollywood don't have this realisation that everyone of the icons in Nollywood is a national treasure; the filmmakers, actors, screenwriters, cinematographers and the other indispensable professionals who have made Nollywood an international phenomenon in filmmaking and in the literary culture of motion picture.

The realisation of the importance and significance of Nollywood is the primary purpose of publishing the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series, the first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry which has become a vital part of the knowledge base of Nollywood and the history of filmmaking in Nigeria. 

Nollywood is the focus of scholarly researches on African studies, film studies, haute couture and the literary culture of the literature of Nollywood screenplays in numerous universities in different parts of the world.  The  sociocultural, socioeconomic and sociopolitical developments in Nollywood  have only been fully realised by film students and scholars and they are increasing the knowledge economy of Nollywood which is more important to nation building than the short term benefits of the film and TV productions, cinemas and OTT platforms combined.  

The realisation of Nollywood as a very important national treasure of Nigeria will increase the local and global appreciation of the Nigerian film industry and the greatness of Nigeria in the world.


- By EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima 

Publisher/Editor, 

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series 

247 Nigeria (@247nigeria) / Twitter

https://mobile.twitter.com/247nigeria

https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima





Saturday, December 5, 2020

Tall As the Boabab: The Story of An African Girl

 Tall As the Boabab

A powerful voice from Africa's young generation, Tall as the Baobab Tree poignantly depicts a family struggling to find its footing at the outer edge of the modern world… where questions of right and wrong are not always black and white.

Coumba and her little sister Debo are the first to leave their family's remote African village, where meals are prepared over open fires and water is drawn from wells, to attend school in the bustling city. But when an accident suddenly threatens their family's survival, their father decides to sell 11-year-old Debo into an arranged marriage. Torn between loyalty to her elders and her dreams for the future, Coumba hatches a secret plan to rescue her young sister from a fate she did not choose.

On the edge of the modern world in rural Africa, Coumba hatches a secret plan to help her 11-year-old sister escape a forced marriage.

Gand Comme Le Baobab poignantly tells the story of a family conflict on the edge of the modern world ... where questions of wrong or reason are not always as simple as black and white.

Coumba and her younger sister Debo are the first to leave their remote African village - where meals are prepared over wood fires, water drawn from wells, and baobab trees dominate the landscape - to go to school in the big city . When an accident occurs that threatens the survival of the family, their father considers forcing Debo into a forced marriage. Torn between the deep-rooted traditions of her village and the dream of a better future, Coumba imagines a secret plan to save her sister from the fate imposed on her.

Inspired by real events, the first feature film in the Pulaar language, Grand Comme Le Baobab is the first feature film by Jeremy Teicher, finalist of the 38th Annual Student Competition of the Academy of Films of Art and Sciences.


Friday, July 15, 2011

NEW REPORT, Students, Technology, College, Work Life



14 Jul 2011 19:07 Africa/Lagos


NEW REPORT: 43% of Students Feel Unprepared to Use Technology in College and Work Life

PR Newswire

QUINCY, Mass., July 14, 2011

Research states technology can support student-centered learning if part of larger, integrated plan

QUINCY, Mass., July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to prepare all of New England's learners with the skills and knowledge they need for full participation in postsecondary education, work and life, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) promotes the integration of student-centered learning at the high school level across New England.

As part of this work, NMEF has released a new report, Integrating Technology with Student-Centered Learning. The report was prepared by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) for NMEF's Research and Development Initiative and examines current literature in order to better understand how technology might be used to personalize learning for students. The report examines the integration of computer- and web-based tools, applications, and games, as well as video and technology associated with mechanical and electrical engineering.

According to the report, which was prepared by EDC's Babette Moeller and Tim Reitzes , 43 percent of high school students feel unprepared to use technology as they look ahead to college and work; only 8 percent of teachers fully integrate technology in the classroom; and many teachers lack confidence in their own technology-related skills.

"Teachers and students often utilize technology and social networking in their everyday lives," said Beth M. Miller, Ph.D., Director of Research and Evaluation for NMEF. "However, in the past, technology has not always improved achievement. As this report makes clear, we are truly at a crossroads in the potential for technology to enhance student-centered teaching and learning."

The report points to evidence that technology has the potential to help expand education beyond traditional boundaries and support key practices of student-centered learning.

According to the report, technology holds the potential to:

* Help diagnose and address individual needs. Technology can help establish a clear baseline from which teachers can then serve as coaches and advisors, steering students to the right mix of resources and projects that meet specific academic requirements.
* Equip students with skills essential for work and life in a 21st century global society. Technology can enhance the knowledge and skills valued by employers and not typically measured in achievement tests, including: problem solving; creativity; collaboration; data management and communication.
* Provide an active experience for students. Technology can equip students to independently organize their learning process. At the same time, technology transfers some responsibility for learning to students. Through online learning and digital games, students have the ability to direct their own progress.


The report provides portraits of student-centered models where technology has been successfully integrated, such as High Tech High, a network of K-12 charter schools in the San Diego area that utilize technology to document and assess student learning through digital portfolios; and Quest to Learn, a New York public school that uses a video game-based curriculum.

The report also mentions that technology can:

* Provide an invaluable way to deliver more student- centered/personalized learning in a cost-effective way.
* Enhance academic achievement, civic engagement, acquisition of leadership skills, and personal/social development.


"Our review of the research found evidence that technology alone will not enhance learning nor will it change traditional learning environments into more relevant, innovative ones," said EDC's Babette Moeller, co-author of the report. "But we did find that technology can be used effectively to personalize the learning experience when it is part of a larger student-centered learning plan and when teachers are involved in helping them make the most of it."

The report also points out that there has been relatively little research studying the effects of similar technology across different subgroups. The authors point out that such research would be necessary before specific technology could be recommended to close academic achievement gaps between populations.

Download Integr a ting Technology with Student-Centered Learning .

About the Nellie Mae Education Foundation
The Nellie Mae Education Foundation is the largest charitable organization in New England that focuses exclusively on education. The Foundation supports the promotion and integration of student-centered approaches to learning at the middle and high school levels across New England. To elevate student-centered approaches, the Foundation utilizes a three-part strategy that focuses on: developing and enhancing models of practice; reshaping education policies; and increasing public understanding and demand for high quality educational experiences. The Foundation's new initiative areas are: District Level Systems Change; State Level Systems Change; Research and Development; and Public Understanding. Since 1998, the Foundation has distributed over $123 million in grants. For more information, visit www.nmefdn.org.

About Education Development Center, Inc.
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), is a global nonprofit organization that addresses some of the world's most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. EDC manages 350 projects in 35 countries. Visit www.edc.org.

Contact: Nick Lorenzen
Nellie Mae Education Foundation
781-348-4239, nlorenzen@nmefdn.org

SOURCE Nellie Mae Education Foundation

Web Site: http://www.nmefdn.org

Top Reports of Today



Saturday, March 12, 2011

New book to help today’s students and young managers become the leaders of the 21st Century




Bestselling author Annie McKee releases new book to help today’s students and young managers become the leaders of the 21st Century

Bestselling author Annie McKee


Philadelphia, PA. March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The world has changed. In Management: A Focus on Leaders (Prentice Hall, 2011), New York Times bestselling business book author, Annie McKee, broadens her reach from business leaders to include students and young managers—combining the best of the old with the best of the new. This book prepares today’s students and young managers to become the leaders of the future.

Hundreds of thousands of graduate and undergraduate students take a Principles of Management course each year. Most textbooks used in these courses today were originally written decades ago—many of which still include research and models that aren’t relevant to today’s organizations. McKee’s Management: A Focus on Leaders gives faculty the book they have been asking for to address today’s challenges. The book provides practical, relevant content and a readable style that engages students and young managers meaningfully in what it takes to lead in the 21st Century. McKee has reset the dial for students.

“At a time when leadership has become almost indefinable, McKee has given it new depth and clarity. This is a management book carefully crafted to raise the bar—and it does.”—Jim Lopresti, faculty, University of Colorado
Tradition Meets NOW–Essential, Current Topics

Grounded in the best research of the past and latest research in neuropsychology, organizational theory, and management, Management: A Focus on Leaders moves away from looking at management as silos: planning, organizing, leading and controlling. It presents an integrated model with leadership at the center. In order to better reflect the environment in which students will soon find themselves, this text has incorporated key and current management topics throughout the book and includes immense online resources, including:

* Emotional and social intelligence
* Ethics and the responsible use of power
* Social, technological, and organizational change
* Fostering innovation at all levels in organizations
* Sustainable organizations and communities
* The power of human diversity
* Managing in a global environment
* How to inspire and motivate people
* Adaptability and resilience
* Self-awareness and self management
* Leadership at all levels: today everyone needs to lead
* Creating high performance cultures

“The pace and scope of change in our organizations and our economic and social systems is unprecedented,” says McKee. “Many people believe, and I am one of them, that many of the crises our globe is facing today are the result of a failure of leadership at many levels and in all sectors. Today’s students will be cleaning up our messes, and I see this as a once-in-a-lifetime wake-up call and opportunity for educators everywhere to prepare students for the very complex world that awaits them.”

In The Wall Street Journal, Business Week and New York Times bestseller, Primal Leadership, Annie and her co-authors (Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis) unveiled new scientific evidence demonstrating that a leader’s emotional intelligence and mood have an enormous impact on group performance and an organization’s bottom line. With the publication of her new textbook, Annie has become the scholar-practitioner-mentor for a new generation of managers and leaders across sectors.

As a founder of the global leadership firm, Teleos Leadership Institute, Annie is a leader in her own right, named by Business Week as one of the Top Leaders of the Year, calling her “The high priestess of executive coaching,” for her work advising executives around the globe.
About Annie McKee

McKee is best-known as the co-author of the Harvard Business Press trilogy, including bestseller, Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence (2002) with Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis; Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope and Compassion (2005); and Becoming a Resonant Leader (2008).

McKee has worked closely with senior teams at international firms such as UniCreditGroup, Thomson-Reuters, BP, HSBC, United Nations Development Program, Vodafone, SAP, and Creative Commons. McKee serves on the Board of Directors for the Leader to Leader Institute and is Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and has lectured at The Wharton School. Her work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, BusinessWeek, Leader to Leader, and Psychology Today.

As a prominent thought leader, Annie speaks to global audiences about leadership, most recently at the World Bank, the United Nations, Google, The Omega Institute, and IBM.

Annie currently leads the Teleos Leadership Institute with co-founder Frances Johnston and a powerful team of senior advisors and consultants.
About Teleos Leadership Institute

Teleos Leadership Institute is a global consulting firm founded in 2002 by leadership experts Dr. Annie McKee and Dr. Frances Johnston. Teleos partners with CEOs, senior teams, Boards of Directors, government agencies and NGOs to move the leaders who move the world.

Teleos’ work is grounded in decades of research and experience in leadership development, neuropsychology, emotional and social intelligence, organizational development, group dynamics, Gestalt, and change management. Teleos has a proven track record of designing and delivering a wide range of highly-customized services to create the leadership cultures required for sustained success.


Media Contact:
Suzanne Rotondo
Executive Director
Teleos
267-620-9986
srotondo@teleosleaders.com http://www.teleosleaders.com



Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Re: The Minimum Wage Of N17, 000 Is Nonsense

Re: The Minimum Wage Of N17, 000 Is Nonsense

Do you know that thousands of secondary school leavers who cannot gain admission into higher institutions need jobs and many of them are paid as little as N5,000 monthly salaries in Lagos and other places? My friend pays his receptionist N8, 000 monthly and thank God her residence is not far from the office.

Majority of the civil servants in Nigeria are going to depend on the minimum wage and those with families will have no choice but to use their children and other dependants to hawk goods on the street.
Monday night on the way home from work at about 10.33 pm, I saw children still hawking at the Maryland bus near Ikeja and I told an elderly woman hawking with them to go home and sleep. She looked at me and continued with her work.

Today I went to the Tejuoso market in Yaba and I saw hundreds of boys and girls selling petty goods and the Igbo boys engaged in their rag trade of second hand clothes and other goods. I was heartbroken, because many of them have better dreams than petty trading.
I saw depression written on the faces of hundreds of traders and shoppers. I saw pretty girls and handsome boys struggling for survival and JAMB reported today that there is no space for 340, 000 successful UTME candidates and lest we forget hundreds of thousands of graduates and millions of secondary school leavers are jobless.

I returned to the office feeling depressed, because of the bleak future of the poor masses and their children.

If we sack the ruling megalomaniac party and set up a government without a National Assembly, we are going to save trillions of naira to invest in human capital development and develop a 21st century economy to provide better living wages for majority of Nigerians.
It is possible.



Monday, May 3, 2010

Your GPA Does not Determine Your Brilliance

Your GPA does not determine your brilliance


Every Nigerian knows that it is not easy to go to a federal or state University in Nigeria.


This topic just popped into my brain just because a couple of days ago, the degree results were released, those who passed, passed, and those who failed, failed. Those who graduated with a first class rejoiced, while those who didn’t do too well sulked…!


The thing here is that the fact that you made a 4.95 GPA doesn’t mean that you’re the most brainiest person in the school environment…it simply means that you simply have the greater ability of cramming what you read and giving it back to the lecturer during the examinations instead of reading to your understanding.


I think that I have come to realize that the reason why most students in “Nigeria” graduate with a lower grade other than the first class thingy is not because they don’t know how to read or cram! Let’s be honest with ourselves here, most of us bribed our way through the University. While others toiled day and night, yet they come out with nothing. And you begin to ask yourself why???


One of my lecturers who was among those that compiled the final year results complained that there was a case of mass failure in the last graduating set. He said among thousands of students, none graduated with a first class from the department of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages! And those who managed to graduate with a second class upper narrowly escaped graduating with a second class lower grade! I was dumbfounded because I was cock sure that we had some real brilliant students in that department. My lecturer now asked a question that I think some of us have an answer to….he said, “is the problem with the lecturers or the students?”


I actually did think that the problem was with the lecturer because most of them come to class, speak a lot of jargons and leave, expecting a student with no prior knowledge of the course to actually grab what he/she is saying. And when you end up asking questions, they bark at you as if you don’t have a right to ask a question on something you obviously do not understand.


Let’s be honest here, that fact that BOY A graduates with a whooping first class doesn’t mean that he is better than BOY B who graduated with a third class or a pass!
I know of a guy who graduated with a clean first class, but guess what? He doesn’t know how to write an informal letter!!! Will you now tell me that he is better than his neighbor who graduated with a pass who knows all the elements of grammar both in the spoken and written form?


In Nigeria, we place so much importance on GPs that we actually fail to see what a youth has to offer to his country! We fail to give them the opportunity to display those thoughts and ideas that they have been nursing since their childhood years…rather we judge them based on a piece of paper (which obviously doesn’t end up determining one’s level of success in life).



Take a good look at Wole Soyinka! one of Nigeria’s finest literary writers. What did he graduate with when he was in the University of Ibadan, Oyo State? A THIRD CLASS! Yes! But he left the shores of Nigeria to study abroad and he came back with a first class certificate. Why? Their learning system is much more favorable than ours.
It’s no longer news that students bribe their way through to first class by having amorous relationship with their lecturers, both male and female while others simply pay their way through the university. At the end of 4 or 5 years, these students graduate with first class and second class upper honors while those who spent endless hours in the library, foregoing their social lives and burnt the midnight oil end up with the second class or pass! Yet they call it an educational system. At the end of their stay, the school offers them a readymade position in the departments or faculties to become lecturers while those who graduated with a lower degree end up on the streets hustling for their lives.

Then you begin to wonder how they want to reform or rebrand the educational system of the country.


Your GPA doesn’t determine your brilliance!
Feel free to prove me otherwise.


~ By Queen "Cynosure" Ebong



Thursday, July 30, 2009

ASUU is Unreasonable!


A Nigerian University

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will never stop asking for increments, but increase in salaries is not what is urgent in Nigerian universities, but re-engineering the entire academic system from the classroom to the laboratory.

Ineffectual lecturers in ASUU are also clamouring for increments, but they do not have the brains to overhaul and improve the outdated curriculums of their respective faculties. The increments they have been receiving over the years have not freed them from the retrogressive academic stasis that has made majority of their students clones of intellectual underdevelopment or what I call the GIGO Generation who are presently posing and posturing as the Nigerian Facebook Generation.
These lecturers should examine themselves, because many of the members of ASUU are not even qualified to teach and have been found guilty by complicity in various cases of admission racket in Nigerian universities.

The raison d'être of ASUU’s strike is not enough to waste the precious quality time of Nigerian students who need to be on campus studying and not at home!
By going on strike ASUU is making innocent students the scapegoats of their disagreement with the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN).

What is the business of the FGN with the members of ASUU employed by the state owned universities? I mean members of ASUU teaching at the state universities should not have gone on strike with ASUU. This is simple ratiocination.
Many of these lecturers are even moonlighting and have never paid a kobo of tax every time they moonlighted. So who is fooling whom?

Chidi Amuta wrote a very comprehensive analysis of the genesis of the academic crisis that has left the Nigerian academia in intellectual stasis in his “ASSU’s Untidy Robes” published in his column Engagements in This Day newspaper of Nigeria.
ASUU should grow up and stop behaving like confused junior high school pupils.