The recent interview granted to the Channels Television by His Excellency, Gov. Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River State, where in it, he decried the fact that every graduate from the University of Calabar now wants to become a politician in the state without any real life experience, is one fact that may not be agreed upon by the graduates of the institution just for ego massaging, but this remains the ugly truth and calls for urgent re-orientation for students of both the University of Calabar and Cross River State University to understand that they cannot all graduate to become politicians.
Though unemployment plays major role in why all our graduates now wants to be politician, the institutions in the state are not also helping matters. For example, the recent award of higher degrees in the University of Calabar, most especially Ph.Ds, is a critical example why most of them will join politics with no option, please, take it from me.
If you have been following events in the state, you will find out that most of the higher degrees celebrated recently by graduands, as awarded by the University of Calabar are majorly in courses that will add no value to their immediate environment, I am not saying they are not relevant. But most of these courses, with the way the Nigerian economy is, their relevancy is to the extent of either becoming a lecturer or joining politics. And in the absence of lecturing work, politics remains the only option. I am not undermining the importance of the courses, but the truth remains that at every critical moment of human existence, there must be certain things that most be given priority if we must confront our confrontations.
The University of Calabar and Cross River State University should understand their role in the development of the State and Nigeria by training critical manpower, please take this, critical manpower and experts that will help the economy of the state and Nigeria. I will not mention fields so that I will not be quoted out of context, but they know.
Again, the inexperience associated with politicians who graduate from the university and go straight into politics is what Gov. Ben Ayade was trying to emphasize on.
If you take a critical look at the government of Prof. Ben Ayade, about 80% of his appointees are graduates from the University of Calabar and in this, about 60% of them may be people that have never engaged themselves in any other meaningful venture except politics.
So, one can rightly say the inexperience amongst the appointees is one of the reasons why the government may not have done very well in some or most areas. It takes an experienced person who has managed critical information for years to understand what is information management. It takes experience for people to understand that certain publicity could be negative and detrimental to the growth and success of government. It takes years of experience for people to know that there is \”the need to know\” in information dissemination so that in trying to promote a government, you don\’t at the same time harm her. Though personnel management are thaught in school, it takes practical years of experience to understand the DOs and Don\’ts in real personnel management; and all these are the critical needs in effective governance which is lacking in most of our graduates who graduate to go straight into politics.
Our graduates should find something meaningful first to do to acquire experience before joining politics for the sake of our state. Gov. Ayade is right in his assessment.
Ekpenyong Isaiah-isababa
Commander, Infantry Pen Battallion
isacool4good@yahoo.com
