TEXT OF THE SPEECH DELIVERED AT THE 11 TH ANNUAL LECTURE & AWARD OF POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS OF STEPHEN OLUWOLE AWOKOYA FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION AS GUEST OF HONOUR AT THE AGIP RECITAL HALL, MUSON CENTRE, ONIKAN, LAGOS , TUESDAY 14 MARCH 2006

Need I say, how delighted, I am, to be asked to be, the Guest of Honour, at this distinguished gathering, which is in honour of the memory of an eminent educationist. I feel enchanted by the invitation, because my enduring perception of him was of a politician who unyieldingly stood his ground like the Olumo Rock, against the fierce critics of the free education programme, which his party, the Action Group, introduced in Western Nigeria in 1952. Those were the days, when programmes distinguished parties in Nigeria and political debates among parties were at least meaningful and illuminating.

It will be remembered that, historically, Nigerian Western educated elite as in other former colonial countries in Africa , were crucial in the nationalist agitation for independence. They were also the greatest beneficiaries of the post-colonial heritage. The elite constituted the vanguard movement against colonialism. Their acquisition of the whiteman's knowledge, enabled them to challenge the Nigerian colonial dispensation and ultimately to gain national independence from it. The rapidity of the upward mobility in Nigeria , in transforming the educated elite to political hegemonic heights, within a short span of two generations, was revolutionary and possibly, unprecedented in history! Put briefly, the impact and consequences of Western education in Nigeria , although not without its critical differentials, was a potent instrument of social change, acculturation and stratification.

It is against this volatile background why decolonizing nationalists attached prime priority importance to education as they instalmentally assumed power at the inception of the Macpherson Constitution. Before the nationalists emerged on the scene, the education policy of Nigeria , if any, at all, was laisse faire and gradualist. Even then whatever policy that was administered by the missionaries and the colonialists, the former, as well as, the latter were careful to provide, as far as possible, the minimalist education necessary for their respective low level manpower requirements, and to those of the commercial interest group, that is, the provision of alter boys, catechists, pupil teachers, clerks and messengers. Not until 1948, for the first time, and barely four years, before regionalism, was all Nigeria Education Ordinance, enacted.

However, in March 1951, the Action Group of Nigeria was formed in Owo. Mr. (as he then was) Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, emerged as the Leader of the Party. The Party adopted the highly emotive, enchanting, populist slogan of “Freedom for all and Life more Abundant”. Unprecedentedly, in the annals of partisan political debates in Nigeria , the party “developed a definite program in a series of policy papers dealing with all aspects of governmental activity”, for example, Agriculture, Education, Health and Local Government. Of utmost concern to us, in this list of subject matters, is Education.

Thus in July 1952, history was made in Tropical Africa, when Chief Stephen Oluwole Awokoya, Minister of Education, Western Nigeria, the bespectacled science educator, with compelling presence, laid before the Western House of Assembly, Ibadan, his party's comprehensive proposals for a new education policy for Western Nigeria. The paper elaborated on a scheme for “free, compulsory, primary education of six years duration” starting from January 1955, instead of the existing nine years fee-paying schooling. Plans were made for the expansion of

Secondary and Teachers Training Colleges in anticipation of the outputs from the new primary scheme. It is now common knowledge that the programme ran into a number of unexpected hitches. The most critical being finance and the under estimation of school enrolment intakes against 1955. Consequently, to remedy some of the unexpected problems, the scheme was redesignated “Universal Primary Education”, UPE. Thus, the free content was dropped. Nonetheless, there were other far-reaching aspects of the new education policy. Apropos to the innovation of UPE scheme, and starting from 1952, were the annual tertiary awards of about 240 scholarships to persons of Western Nigerian origin. These scholarships in practically all disciplines were available in Nigerian and largely British Institutions of higher learning and training. And as if not to be out done, the Western Nigerian Development Corporation, also announced an equal number of awards in complementary disciplines, which were aimed at training medium level manpower.

The heavy burden, borne by Chief Awokoya, a tireless education administrator, in the Nations vineyard, competent scientist, a man of fecund, virile and imaginative ideas, with all these challenging developments, are best imagined. Eventually, as some of these measures fruitified favourably, quantitatively, the products of professionally qualified persons of all cadres in the system; primary, secondary and tertiary, rose phenomenally. This had a marked dramatic socio-economic and political impact on the polity. Children of peasants and fishermen, labourers, down to those of the lumpen proletariat, who might have been otherwise disadvantaged, notwithstanding their academic promise, found themselves, in some of the “best and brightest”, as well as, middling institutions of higher learning in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom. Thus, their upliftment in the stratification hierarchy was assured. As these scholarship holders returned to Nigeria , the momentum of the “Nigerianization” of the Public service, in the old Western Region, became unstoppable. Upward mobility on the bureaucratic

ladder was marked by unusual rapidity. Continuously, room was created at the top for new entrants into the bureaucracy and commercial houses. Kingsley Amis' “Room at the Top” became a reality in Nigeria . It was hardly surprising, therefore, that on 1 October 1960, all posts of staff Grade I, that is, Permanent Secretary grade, in Western Nigeria Public Service were Nigerianized. Similar happenings were occurring in the private economy and elsewhere in Nigeria . The trail-blazing example of the Western Region became pandemic like a communicable disease.

By 1956, Chief Awokoya, had cause to leave the political terrain for the well-transversed education turf. After his helsmanship of the Federal Advance Science School , he was appointed the Federal Adviser on Education, a post, he held with distinction. The products of the School of Science helped, in no small measure, to swell the intake of science and technology students into tertiary institutions and research bodies, while the school lasted. Chief Awokoya's work in developing a National Curriculum on education was epochal; it was an attempt to forge a philosophical basis for education in Nigeria , as an instrument for social change and national integration. Thus, abandoning the colonial carry over of laisse faire policy in education at the National level. The National curriculum concept foreshadowed the work of the Chief Somade-led-National Committee on Education, in 1969. The Committee, on which I had the honour to serve, had as one of its terms of reference the use of education for national integration.

What seems clear is that, with the exit of the ‘Awokoyas' from our national arena, the concern for values and standards in our educational system seem stunted. Our national values and ethos, have become equally skewed. Even where these have been decreed in the constitution, they are contradicted in actual practice. Hence, it seems contradictory to talk of a

“just and egalitarian society” where no one is oppressed in a situation where lawlessnes, contempt and disregard for due process and other anti-social attitudes, characterize the behaviour of political office holders and the elite, at every level of the society. To hold a political office in our country is to be arbitrary and to be above the law of the land, except if it is expedient to do otherwise. Our constitution provides for “free, compulsory and universal primary education,” known as UPE; “free adult literacy programme” “as soon as practicable”. Still, all aspects of our education, particularly, science and technology, are poorly funded. But, generously funded kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and universities, which the children of the elite attend, proliferate in our land. As if to dramatize the present ruderlessness and the dirth of vision in our educational policy, elitist foreign sponsored institutions now proclaim their wares from every corner of our country; as if their indigenous proprietors have never heard of Renascent Africa and the need for the “mental emancipation” of Africans! The privileged elite send their children to institutions of learning, at all levels overseas, instead of improving the appalling educational facilities at home. The products of special elite institutions, as well as, similar ones from overseas are thus, equipped with competences that will stand them advantageously in the global economy. Whereas, the children of the non-elite remain educationally disadvantaged and non-competitive in the modern economy. Some of them constitute the millions who in the Canon Banjo Report in the Western Region, 1960, dubbed as neither non-literate nor literate. The UNICEF, claimed recently that about 7 million Nigerian children are illiterate. Consequently, all these unfortunate youths are ‘unemployed' and ‘unemployable'. These are the drifters who constitute the bulk of conurbation unemployed and jobless miscreants. At traffic hold ups, in all sorts of weather conditions, they harass motorists with every imaginable ware, likely to yield them the barest pittance as profits, if at all.

For example, it is common knowledge that some of the Okada riders on our streets are graduates of Nigerian Universities! Need we talk of the hundreds of Nigerian professionals in diasporal, unable to find job fulfillment at home, because of the qualitative under-development of our economy, which has remained essentially raw material exporting and manufactured-goods importing; it remains a persistent neo-classical mercantile system since the 18 th century based on imperial economic policy. Many of our nationals overseas, in spite of their training or social standing at home, engage in all sorts of unimaginable menial jobs. What all this mean, is the growing proletarialization of the band of ‘have nots', the proverbial “hewers of wood and drawers of water”, who are socially handicapped or ‘challenged'.

In these circumstances, are contemporary political elites in their obsession with Bretton Woods' poverty inducing programmes, bent on undoing the monumental educational programmes unleashed by the generation of the ‘Awokoyas' in 1952. The programmes were aimed at the mass literacy of our people and the production of competent personnel for the burgeoning post independence bureaucracy and economy. We need to emphasize that implicit in the revolutionary educational strategy of 1952, was the concept of “equality of opportunity and access to primary education”, which has now been constitutionally extended to secondary and tertiary educational levels. Albeit, these rights are non-justiceable. Still, there is no greater tribute to be paid to Chief Awokoya and his party as educational innovators who were unflinchingly committed to the literacy emancipation of the masses. This is what constitutes the enduring legacy they left for us and the unintended compliments being paid to them by present day office holders.

Hence, one is immensely impressed that since the inception of this Foundation, its annual activities, have been regular. It is fitting that a Foundation of this type be devoted to the memory of Chief S.O. Awokoya, a lifelong science educator and astute educational administrator. He remains one of the iconic personages in our history whose ‘footprints on the sand of time' are indelible. Chief Awokoya in his lifetime took bold and telling steps by the education policies that he initiated and passionately espoused, at various levels. These prodigious measures contributed to the spread of literacy in the Region and consequently, in the destratification of the society. Furthermore, he made worthy contributions to education not only at home but also on the international forum. Obviously, we have a responsibility to “keep the flag flying”. We ought not allow the fruits of his foresight to wither like the evening lily. It is therefore, fit and proper, to continue passing on the torch of Chief Awokoya's enlightenment. We need to realize that our efforts can only be meaningful, in the context of a non-decadent and non-manipulated democratic political order; such that will guarantee a socio-cultural milieu, in which Nigerians can continuously realize themselves.

May I now congratulate the Trustees and Officers of the Foundation, Awokoya family members and the Ijebu Community, here present.

Finally, Chairman, Your Excellency, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Guest Lecturer, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Media, how do I thank you for the generous time you have spent listening to me. You have been so understanding. Thank you very much indeed.

Chief Tayo Akpata
(The Ogiesoba of Benin )
Lagos .
14 March 2006.