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Revolution Revisited … [Part 2] By Carlisle U.O. Umunnah In the first phase of this work, I reflected on the exigencies and causes of Revolution across the world. I pin pointedly used Dwight Eisenhower’s following warning: “in the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist,” to drive home my point; and comparatively showcased Nigeria for Nigerian, experts discussions. We have seen time and again a classical study of a dysfunctional society through misplaced power, misplaced priorities, lack of vision and nationalism in Nigeria frontiers. This lacking of visionary leaderships has therefore regurgitated more often than not, unworthy greedy few who now fronts as its custodian[s] as we head to the cross road. We subsequently and together, visited Ghanaian revolution under J.J. Rawlings which came with swift and resolve and indeed met its targets accurately irrespective of the fact that its mission and vision under dear leader, Kwame Nkrumah was interrupted by a combination of domestic and international factors. We added that today Ghana is synonymous to tranquility, security and good governance. Accountability and transparency is taking root based on constitutionalism and respect for the rule of law by its citizenry. We visited Russian Revolution of 1927 in the face of its feudalistic or landownership’s oppressive laws against landless workers, which we also addressed or referred to in other cases as peasants, in other cases as servant-master relationship or master-servant relationships as commonplace in that era. We lamented that this practice, sooner gave way—as peasants-or-landless-workers revolts swept across the land. As, it was a question of time as it overthrew the misplaced and misguided power drunks that deluded themselves as messiahs of the government of the day and in its place the former Soviet Union was born. Our conversation drove us to the French Revolutions which, also saw the likes of Napoleon and their followers’ takeover and restructure France industries for its citizenry. Liberty, freedom and fraternity were its hallmark. We curiously observed Biafran revolution, its three [3] years freedom from Nigeria as a battle of attrition to safeguard of their family, their children and their religion; we looked at the American Revolution that declared these truths as self-evident as exemplified in the equality men before their Maker. We also saw the industrial revolution in England and across Europe became an act of crossing the rubricon to meet new challenges, as Europe awake from its dark-age era, to embrace enlightenment, while civilization in Ethiopia [Africa] flourished. We went to Cuba and dissected it completely: That the 1959 Revolution led by Fidel Castro and his comrades, sent United States backed Batista’s capitalist regime parking never to return again. We saw Chairman Mao and Red China championed its revolution which subsequently became a foundation that established it, which carried China through revolution and post-revolution era; by so doing extricated her off of almost total collapse and lunched her into prominence. Which, evidently though, became a cover-up for its primordial nationalism—we noticed that its peoples regardless of the new challenge were savvy enough to create a climate for new creeds of fundamental significant capacities—locally? We saw other entities with similar ideologically driven vision, today; share a measure of geopolitical bloc becoming an emergent competitor in the comity of nations, a crucial competitor in the global market-economy. In the aforementioned, never was education zeroed on to bear the task of responsible operations thusly, education as key fundamental litmus for effective civilization of a society cannot markedly be left redundant or unattended. It is therefore, important, that we review educational means and possibilities for revolution as it was not part of the first communication in our previous conversation. Observers and scholars will agree with this writer that, in all these analytical and examinational expositions we never reflected on Japanese Revolution. After US dropped the first Atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945, Japan did not walk away. It picked up its pieces and moved on as much as it could. Japanese revolution took-off, primarily through literacy and skills and acquisition enlightenment programs. This is reflected on curiously as we observe Nigeria, descent into Religious and ethnic clashes, rivalries out of theological and cultural under-education or the lack there-of. Religious fundamentalism could be a dangerous thing without proper education. Today and everyday, millions of hundreds of Nigerians are being slaughtered in Bauchi State, as a response, Onitsha and other parts of Nigeria caught fire for fire because of ignorance and lack of education of what religion teachings really means and whose purpose they really serve. Comparatively speaking, Nigeria northern military and northern civilian elites who have looted and continue to loot Nigerian treasures since 1960s did not see the need to educate and enlighten its populations. They have rather preferred to keep mute or all call for empty inconclusive investigations old slogans as Rome burns. This writer plead, that we return to critical conversation that will be centered to some measure on the second largest economy in the world today which is Japan. Observers and readers note that Japan is the second largest economy today but has no drop of oil on its soil. After Second World War II, Japan deployed into 3Rs educational development: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Through this educational revolution, Japan launched itself back to the global plate with little or no interruptions, irrespective that it lost the War. Amazing right! But Nigeria, under the Northern rulers for 45 years or so squandered its opportunity, rather than invest and massively fund education to massively equip our people or I would say to equip the Northern masses to eradicate ignorance and illiteracy choose to starch these funds into personal accounts in Switzerland and elsewhere for their self aggrandizement. It is therefore, no surprising that by denying these people adequate learning tools and funds, for preparations for the 21st century’s orbit digital and technological challenges it failed to do so. The North Hausa/Fulani and its caliphs in retrospect, decided to destroy the entire learning institution across the country they call Nigeria, in an attempt to slow down Southern educational and economic advantage over her. From Federal Board of Education to GEC, JAMB and other Fed and regional educational controllers, what we had and still have are Alhaji this and Alhaji that, even when these Alhajis are not even qualified to head these boards. This heinous treacherous attempt to “catch-up” with the South led to the totally destruction of Nigerian educational learning institution alongside its infrastructures that watered down to the destruction of all infrastructures in post Nigeria/Biafra civil war era. I stand to be corrected. In Japan though, after the WWII, Japan invested heavily on literacy and skills acquisitions through education in an effort to prepare its peoples in meeting future global market challenges and needs. It is estimated that Japan has over 218 private and public universities running effectively for its population. Results: Japan is one of the most powerful geopolitical competitors in the comity of nations because of its indigenous creativity, self-worth educationally and technically investments. In Japan, learning and teaching are done in Japanese language with introduction of western English education from Americans was only, recently. Japanese creationism through educational revolution makes her the envy of the world after the United States. Nigerians and other nationals flock to her for learning and studying but have no technical and equipped educational infrastructures for continuous research, laboratory experiments and other needed educational equivalences in their home countries on return—that is in the case of Nigerians. Nigerian educational and or learning institutions with its purported technical infrastructures are contraptions to say the least. These institutions are total chaos and have no hope until there is a sweeping revamp the latter, through educational revolution that would in short, liberate these peoples from ignorance and illiteracy. Ignorance, illiteracy, corruption, nepotism, ethnic-rivalry, tribalism and others like unto these are cancerous; and, as a result, results to a misplaced, misguided priorities of unelected leaderships of the past administrations and present administration. Former education Minister, Professor Bob Fafunwa, once remarked: “The illiterate man is the victim of political maneuvers” Finally, I would draw my conclusions by saying that not until the issue of literacy, ignorance and backwardness that we suffer today, as a creation in part, of unlearned or learned leaderships that lacked nationalistic qualities, creating a precipice of under-education or lack of one thereof brought us to this standstill. Nigeria as a country is doomed, its peoples are indeed disturbingly doomed forever regardless whether it is in Great Biafran States, Ijaw State, Oduduwa State, Arewa State and so forth if its leaderships denies this people adequate educational learning tools and machines it is over. If learning educational tools are not speedily initiated, civility will not take hold in Nigeria and elsewhere. At the turn of 21st century, revolution through educational means is the gateway to self-worth and self-actualization. Revolution through educational development, literacy and skills acquisitions will de-socialize these peoples from corrupted minds and the foolishness. It is will blindly wallow in anything west is supreme while, anything domestic is inferior. Revolution, through educational means would adequately and strongly provide assistance and guidance that it needs for its development. Conscientious development of man about his environs, better orientation about his neighbors, cultures and others will assist her develop the capacity to acknowledge, appreciate and respect value for the sanctity to human life, self-worth, human development, human civilization and observance of the rule of law. Massive educational revolution will address the cartoon invasions. Thusly, it is a fact, that—educational revolution is the only way forward to free the republic, its peoples, from the current imbroglio of ignorance and illiteracy that has besieged her, 45 years later.
Carlisle U.O. Umunnah Is a New York-Based Freelance Writer Contact at: cuu1_liberties@yahoo.com February, 2006
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