INTRODUCTION
Education worldwide has been seen as a panacea for every individual who aspire to be great in life. The available statistics has it that about 32% of Nigeria Population are literates out of
250million population, meaning that, 68% are illiterates despite the costly nature and difficulties involved in pursuing education persons have displayed stoicism in achieving the educational goals.
The literacy level in some parts of Nigeria especially the Northern part of the country is very low compare to other part of Nigeria like South West where the literacy level is higher.
The individuals who are educated have somewhat been liberated from abject poverty compare to those who have not been to school or attained any formal training.
By the way, what is education: as defined by Oxford Dictionary, education is a process of teaching, training and learning especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge and develop skills. From the above definition one could deduce that education plays a vital roles in transforming an individual holistically ranging from thinking ability, life style, communication and his/her aspirations.
However, many persons today who are President of some countries Ministers, Senators, House members, Chairmen of Organizations, Directors, Professors etc occupying an important position in places of high repute, some of them are from poor homes backgrounds. This is because they have attained or acquired knowledge and skills that have catapulted them to where they are today. This is as a result of transformative power of education. Therefore, the power of education in the life of those who have acquired it, can never be over emphasized.
Transformation is a multifaceted concept and does not have a precise definition and had varied meanings to many people. Obikeze (2003) describes transformation as the process through which change is initiated within existing forms. Transformation is about opening up to novel ideas, and ways of seeing the world, with the purpose of enriching that which has been ‗inherited‘. It is about dramatic and fundamental change in the way we see ourselves and the world in which live through changes in understanding of self, revisions of belief systems and changes in lifestyle. A vivid example is the slogan ―Corruption not in my country‖ slogan embarked upon by the Federal Ministry of Information in Nigeria as a wake-up call for re-orientation towards
an acceptable way of life for Nigerians in their working and personal relationships. Transformation is necessary to open up new vistas and to bring each person and each society into the wider horizon of a fast-changing world. Obanya (2004) believes that within transformation, most cultures will become mere museum pieces, as they will be denied enrichment, dynamism of the capacity to adapt to changing times. That is why transformation entails creating something new or different through the remolding or reconfiguration of the constituent element of the old (Obikeze,
2003). In the context of this book, transformation education is refocusing and re-energizing the educational system that will bring about quality research, governance and administration and above all, aligning with individuals‘ needs, aspirations and goals towards a better society. Similarly, that it will allow students and teachers to have a genuine relationship in which the teacher as a positive role model makes a difference in the life of students and self as well as allowing students to think independently outside the box by using the contexts of their formal learning experiences to construct and reconstruct personal meaning that would make them to be transformative intellectuals. This book believes that critical transformation should be in the area of diversifying the sources of finding in our schools as stipulated in the policy, review of the
curricular in relation to the knowledge economy of the 21st century and above all accord research its highest priority.
Nigeria could be the world leading power tomorrow if we get this things right today. No matter what we see, we only see the mirror of our yesterday‘s decisions and of the yesterday‘s leader‘s actions. The actions of our today‘s leaders will affect our tomorrow either positively or negatively, at same time predict the likeliness of security and insecurities in Nigeria.
Nigeria is the most densely inhabited black nation in the universe. It is home of the second largest film industry on earth. Nigerians are notorious for their vivacious and responsive energy expressions through diverse creativity.
But in the other hand, when we look inside, things are different. The Independence and so-called freedom in Nigeria has grown to an Oblivious Slavery.
In fact, there is no freedom in the shell, No freedom of expression, No freedom of Speech, No Financial Freedom, and Social Freedom is taken away etc… and even the Educational and Religious Freedom is at the brink of falling into Oblivion.
Imagine the Vandalism and Shenanigans in Nigeria, with thousands of frustrated and delusive policy, unfavorable to the youths, businesses, students and teachers at same time. The Destiny of the young is merchandised for a selfish political career, teachers are being refrained of their remunerations by some group of people who takes pleasure in seeing the innocent frustrated and dying while no one cares about.
Imaging the conglomeration of deadly Patterns of Antediluvian theories and policy which were repugnant to the Nations in Antiquity, propounded in the age of Technology and Artificial Intelligence by some Tatterdemalions who found their ways into the stage, putting to numb, the powerful brains and Philosophers in the Country. Mephistopheles with a Monotonous mindset. Tediously fanatic with a Refracted Idiosyncrasy deliberately ignoring the modern education and modern business methodologies, making Nigeria a terrible place to ever be on earth, The way of education and decision making is frantic and whimsically capricious to the extent you could even imagine if the leaders do not have the political will. The Political bodies are Diagonally Antagonistic to both the way of Education and Hospitality.
The Destiny of Nigeria lies in a shattered of aborted dreams, left behind over forty years ago. Nigeria is a place where the youth are silent for the sake of the selfish desires of some sadistic men to be carried out.
Nigeria is a place where the giant lives in fear, strong are wasted perpetually, the education is silent to die forever though some evil par-salacious leaders whose mandate and agenda is to promote Boko Haram in another dimension; hence the ASUU remained on strike throughout 2022 and no absolute solution for it, rather, they sit to just provide some momentary remedies on and on.
The Destiny of Education and Freedom is the solution of
Nigeria
LIES IN THE QUALITY OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE LEVEL OF FREEDOM TO WHICH THEY ARE ALLOWED TO USE THAT SAME KNOWLEDGE AT THEIR DISPOSAL. Leaping out all those Salacious leaders in another way by Decentralizing the Powers, Keeping an eye on the policy and never letting the right of the Citizen taken by Foreigners though not to be self-centered, nor letting the soul of a non-social and non-political animal override the value of a human life. Only in doing this. Nigeria will be the Giant Star of Africa
progressively. The eye ball of the whole world, where all possible mineral resources, intellectual resources, financial resources and humanitarian resources are freely available for the world to tap for their survival.
1.1 THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF EDUCATION
Education worldwide has been seen as a panacea for every individual who aspire to be great in life. The available statistics has it that about 32% of Nigeria Population are literates out of
250million population, meaning that, 68% are illiterates despite the costly nature and difficulties involved in pursuing education persons have displayed stoicism in achieving the educational goals.
The literacy level in some parts of Nigeria especially the Northern part of the country is very low compare to other part of Nigeria like South West where the literacy level is higher.
The individuals who are educated have somewhat been liberated from abject poverty compare to those who have not been to school or attained any formal training.
By the way, what is education: as defined by Oxford Dictionary, education is a process of teaching, training and learning especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge and develop skills. From the above definition one could deduce that education plays a vital roles in transforming an individual holistically ranging from thinking ability, life style, communication and his/her aspirations.
However, many persons today who are President of some countries Ministers, Senators, House members, Chairmen of Organizations, Directors, Professors etc occupying an important position in places of high repute, some of them are from poor homes backgrounds. This is because they have attained or acquired knowledge and skills that have catapulted them to where they are today. This is as a result of transformative power of education. Therefore, the power of education in the life of those who have acquired it, can never be over emphasized.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The success of any educational system hinges on proper planning, efficient administration, adequate funding and motivation. The
Government needs to provide an enabling environment for teaching and learning for Nigerian Education to have its pride of play in the comity of nations. All stakeholders must contribute their quota with particular reference to the following:
1. The Government must as a matter of priority stop paying lip service to the full restoration of autonomy in educational institutions as well as in the provision of adequate facilities for effective teaching and learning. The interference in the selection and promotion of staff in institutions by Government should be a thing of the past. Educational institutions should be allowed to select and appoint their staff without any hindrances from the government.
2. Staff salaries and fringe benefits must be paid as when do, so as to reduce corruption within the educational system and thus motivate staff to contribute their quota to the development of education.
3. All stakeholders within the educational system must uphold the sanctity of examinations, so that quality may be restored to the system.
4. The government must make teaching to be lucrative by employing and retaining the best brains and fill the shortfalls in teacher supply in our schools.
5. Institutions must periodically review educational system and present it to the policy makers. All must be committed to change and be part of change
6. There must be school of leadership for would be school leaders as this would prepare them for the day-to-day activities in their new position.