Ahamefula Ogbu
9 August 2007
Lagos — With the combined efforts at solving the Niger Delta problem gaining momentum, different organisations are applying different approaches at resolving the same malaise, which has brought the economy of the area to its knees. The latest is targeted at the youth of school age.
In the suburbs of Abuloma, a sleepy town that adjourns Port Harcourt is the Community Secondary School, Abuloma which has been chosen to experiment an approach at engaging the Niger Delta youth in a manner that would make them self reliant by the age of completing their secondary education. The children numbering about 30 were in a classroom, which reeked of Ammonia but on inquiry, the teacher explained that it was a chemical used for tie and dye lessons.
They also enthusiastically laboured at putting into practice what they were being taught with the classroom. In the end, each student clutched his or her white T-shirt, which was to be died and stood round the woman who imparted the knowledge. To her, she was already through for the day's lesson as the children had learned the basics of tie and dye.
That segment however came after their daily computer lessons where each of the participants has a laptop to him or herself and will be meant to graduate with it to go home with and form cells of other youth in their residential areas for another round of impartation.
The scheme, which is operating under a registered foundation according to the originator of the idea, and Managing Director, Oildata Logging Services, Mr. Emeka Ene, is aimed at achieving results within the next ten years by which time the scheme, would have like amoeba, split into different animals of the same features.
Ene said that he drew his projection period of yield from what happened in the Western region where the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo gave free education and forty years or more down the line, the region is now playing a dominant role in almost all the sectors of the Nigerian economy.
He yet cited another example where he noted that in the 60s, the former Mid Western region use to record the lowest entry in West African School Certificate until they were sensitised, adding that as at today, that region also produces the highest number of students who enter for the examinations. He therefore concluded that given time, the seed of diverting the attention of the youths into productive ventures by educational means would have the same ripple effect on the region.
Ene is of the view that if the youth are trained in different trades which are relevant in the economy, they will be better positioned to fend for themselves, which will make crime less attractive to them. He agrees that it will work to contribute to the overall peace efforts in the Niger Delta.
"This is part of the seed effort at sustainable peace in the Niger Delta. Most times, people ask what those working in the Niger Delta environment are contributing to the host communities well being. We are taking this initiative hoping that other people will buy into the idea", he said.
The main idea is to train the children in all kinds of skills acquisition like wielding, fashion designing, electrical and mobile phone repairs among others so that by the time they leave secondary school, those that do not have the means or ability to proceed further in their education would have been sufficiently skilled to fend for themselves while those who want to go for higher education would have higher propensity to make money and would therefore have higher propensity to survive even in school environment without resorting to crime.
Ene said they established a foundation with the hope that other people will join them on seeing the good intention and effective approach of the programme, seeing in ready allies, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria which had been embarking in similar projects to elicit peace from the grassroots in the Niger Delta.
On how the programme started, Ene said he approached schools to partner with them, adding that selection of any school to run the programme must be based on willingness to participate and the involvement of the teachers and head of institution. Many of the schools, he said, refused to participate so they limited it to those who indicated interest.
"Like every new idea, it is bound to elicit some resistance, but by the time it gathers momentum, I am sure that those that rejected the idea would start rushing to have their schools enlisted in the scheme, so we are not worried by the initial response", he said.
On the selection process of participants, he said the best students who also exhibited interest and organisational capabilities were chosen on equal number of gender.
The girls were tested differently from the boys and the best among them selected to start the scheme. It is not a take all approach as the students are to use their hands to build things that the school would need but under the supervision of their teachers and some experts. For example, the students in Abuloma are to build an incinerator for the school with the resources provided by MIND Foundation and under the supervision of an environmental expert to be brought by the Foundation. After, the students will then clear the grass in the compound and incinerate in the facility they built.
The incinerator, Ene explained, would serve as the contribution of the students to their immediate environment, pointing out that they were being trained in civic responsibility and other value orientation to make them rounded responsible leaders in their community as possible leaders of tomorrow.
One of the trustees, Mrs. Esi Ogor who coordinated with her overall, looking like one of the trainees expressed elation at the rate the students were progressing, pointing out that even the teachers were now looking at the setting up of MIND clubs, reading clubs and cell creation by different groups drawn from participating schools.
She stated that the programme at Abuloma would cover the areas of "Volunteerism (where a service learning project will be executed), Leadership development, Computer training activity using the Techno Kids package and Vocational skills learning (Tie and Dye)".
She said the project was conceived and what they intend to do differently to achieve results instead of repeating what others are doing, she described it as a move to achieve a mind revolution among the young people in the Niger Delta so as to change their mindset and wake up in them, bottled up innate abilities which they are expected to put into good use for safe and secure environment, future and self actualisation.
"MIND Foundation is a start-up non-profit organisation with a mission to bridge the literacy and digital divide by using ICT to foster life-long learning and hands-on education for children and youth of our Nation and then, Africa.
"The vision of a foundation such as MIND was borne out of a desire to be the catalyst for a decade-long mind revolution resulting in several generations of sharp-minded, highly skilled youth who have the moral foundation, direction, educational and ICT skills to compete in the global economy by the end of a decade.
"The MIND Foundation's goals are to develop highly skilled protégés with strong character and leadership qualities that are set to compete in the global economy, develop individuals with an appreciation for our rich cultural identity, and provide career guidance for these talented individuals with a passion for excellence", she stressed.
She was of the opinion that a lot of educational programmes could be worked into the scheme and lost values revived more easily than carrying out open campaigns. She opines that it would be faster resurrecting dead value systems in the society since the scheme has the advantage of targeting the young when they still have pliable minds and have the capacity to positively affect others.
According to Esi, "We are not able now to take the programme to all parts of the Niger Delta or even the State at the same time but will groom those that will take the message down to other places. Starting from where we are, it will spread. Every equipped child will then create a cell and sponsored by our Foundation to build others in skills, computer knowledge as application and other relevant skills that we are teaching them".
She described the Abuloma scheme as a pilot, which on completion, they will move out to other places but insisted that the prerequisite for benefiting must be that the heads of participating schools must show enthusiasm to participate and must involve core teachers in certain subjects to be in all the classes they handle.
"Within the three years the students will be groomed, they are to meet a certain contact time to be qualified to benefit from the set up of their cells and must have completed certain community services. We want to teach them the principle of giving and how to positively impact on the lives of others. We will work with them and gradually achieve that critical mass that will be needed to push the.
"In the course of these activities, the students have expressed high interest in acquiring ICT skills and have demonstrated remarkable abilities. They have also developed an appreciation for community values and teamwork as they plan their service project tagged 'operation keep our environment clean' which will be implemented on the last day of the program.
"This has made learning fun for these students while imbibing leadership values as they do the Rap at intervals. The tie and dye practical class was a huge success as the students each emerged with a finished project of beautifully designed T-shirt, which shall be worn on the last day. PE activities every afternoon have also helped to keep them alert and feel better about themselves.
"As a result of these planned activities, the students have demonstrated an increase in self-esteem, which will go a long way to support academic achievement for them".
Executive Director of the foundation, Mrs. Olere Iluebbey who after watching the children through a session expressed satisfaction on the results so far achieved said there was need for teamwork, which was only possibly on voluntary involvement, adding that the students were performing beyond her expectations, which was a justification that such chances should be created.
Being used to good life and capacity of thinking straight will surely make its contributions towards resolving the resort to militancy and other crimes.
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