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 Onoja: How Far Can He Go In Fighting Academic Fraud?
That there is socio-economic and political problems in any generation is not uncommon phenomenon. However, what is unique and worthy of emulation is the leadership style and wisdom employed by whosoever is at the helm of affairs to solve that particular problem at that particular point in time.
For example, some patriotic, selfless and sacrificial leaders who counted it as privilege to serve humanity in that capacity and would want to leave their prints on the sand of time, could go extra-miles in their desperate attempt to solving any nagging problem, even if they die in that process. On the other hand, some self-centered leaders dodged such problem and postpone the evil day.
However, history had it that patriotic human being like Christopher Columbus preferred to break history by keeping his integrity than mortgage the future generation of his fellow citizens. He had no gold, he begged bread for his hungry boy and died in want. Yet, he gave the world that which was better than gold – a new continent (America). As a result, many years after his death, he is being remembered as the founder of America. Infact, the history of America cannot be complete without mentioning his name. This seems to agree with the scriptural saying that a good name is better than riches.
Although, Chief Sylvester Onoja, the Commissioner for Education in Kogi State is neither the pioneer Commissioner for Education or the founder of education in the state as Columbus is the founder of America, he has no doubt opened a new chapter in the history of the development of education in the state. For instance, on assumption of office in June 2008, 48 hours after he was sworn in as Commissioner, he kick - started his aggressive enlightenment campaign against the examination malpractice which had hitherto earned the state a very bad name in the committee of states. The state was rated as the number one in examination malpractice state in the north central zone and second position in the federation.
Well, this scenario would not have caused any stakeholder in education any headache, were it not for the fact that the then Kabba province out of which the present Kogi State was created, produced the highest number of qualified civil servants that fed the then northern civil service. For example, the first primary school in the north was established in Lokoja by Samuel Ajayi Crowther in 1863 and the present Kogi State was the bedrock of educational development in the entire north. The rhetoric question, therefore, is how then has the first become the last? Who would volunteer to salvage the state out of the present down – shift in education industry? As a result of examination malpractice and other academic frauds, the state has successfully produced half-baked graduands from secondary schools and unemployable graduates from higher institution of learning. It has become the culture of the state. What a tragedy?
Unfortunately, out of numerous Commissioners of Education that served in the same capacity since the creation of state in 1991, none of them had the moral courage to fight against this monster because their hands were soiled. This, perhaps, explains why one of these commissioners was shamefully dismissed and prosecuted in the court of law for his alleged involvement in financial scandal. No wonder he had no moral stamina and courage to challenge the perpetrators of examination malpractice.
However, as a selfless commissioner and determined seasoned educationist who is hell bent on bringing about changes in education industry, he employed pragmatic approach that would proffer lasting solution to the nagging academic monster in the state. Although many of his critics thought that the campaign was a flash in the pan, to their utmost surprise, the monitoring of resumption of schools, the monitoring of the conduct of NECO Examination and redeployment of principals who were found wanting in the discharge of their administrative responsibilities, convinced the gainsayers and other stakeholders that he was not like the previous self centred and unpatrotic commissioners. Also, his refusal to collect fuel money purportedly offered by some principals during the on - the - spot assessment visits made them to sit up.
Indeed, the campaign started gathering momentum as the commissioner employed various strategies and separated politics and sentiment from his campaign against the poor quality of education in the state. He also employed on – the – spot – assessment visit to schools in rural areas. As a passionate educationist, he was determined to visit remote areas like Sheria in Oguma Local Government Area and Akpanya in Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area despite the deplorable condition of these roads.
Surprised by the degree of the commissioner’s commitment to bringing sanity into the rotten system through his assesment visits to schools in rural areas, the Aguma of Bassa and the traditional Chief of Bassa traditional council, Dr. Joseph Kpongbo, expressed satisfaction over Chief Sylvester Onoja’s determination to embark on monitoring of both NECO Examination and resumption of schools. He explained that Sylvester Onoja has made history in the educational development in the state. He noted that even if his successors refuse to continue with his pragmatic approach such as monitoring of resumption of schools and examinations, he has made an indelible mark on the sand of time.
Indeed, unlike arm-chair commissioners who loved to remain in their various air-conditioned offices in Lokoja, the state headquarters, to receive report from eye service civil servants, Chief Onoja decided to employ result-oriented approach called “on-the-spot-assessment visit strategy”. Although this strategy is cumbersome, risky and unpredictable because of the deplorable conditions of roads to remote villages and security threat involved, he is still hell-bent on bringing sanity into the system.
In most cases, those on his entourage would not know the destinations they were heading to. As the captain of the ship, he decides on the road which school to visit and nobody could predict him. The rationale behind this strategy is to avoid what he usually describes as “amebo” in these days of mobile handset. He strongly believes that he would not know the true situation reports of any school if a principal were to be informed that he would be visiting his school. To avoid window dressing, hypocrisy and eye service that characterizes most of our school administrators, he visited many schools unannounced.
Obviously, the on-the-spot-assessment visit strategy has yield expected results. For instance, during his aggressive enlightenment campaign visit to the Government Science Secondary School, Dekina, he discovered to his utmost dismay that on the second day of resumption, students were seated in their various classes waiting for their teachers, while the teachers were seated in their staff room chatting and discussing.
This, is no doubt, explains why students in many schools in the state have cultivated the habit of late resumption because, even when they resume on the official resumption date, no teacher cares to teach them. Though the principals of secondary schools in the state seem to have established the fact that the students have cultivated the culture of late resumption, the Commissioner’s unscheduled visit to monitor the resumption of schools, has shown that teachers are instrumental to the students’ late resumption and lack of commitment to their studies.
Undoubtedly, in view of the magnitude of this enlightenment campaign against this monster, the commissioner as a lone ranger cannot make any sustainable effort unless other concerned stakeholders in education complement the effort of the state government. The war against academic fraud in the state is everyman’s business and therefore, principals, parents, guardians, local government chairmen and all the royal fathers from the three senatorial districts in the state must brace up to the challenges of destroying this monster. Failure to do that is like postponing the evil day.