Former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau
The Senate on Wednesday corroborated the appointment of a former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, Adedayo Adeyeye (Ekiti), Dr. Stephen Orhu (Delta), and Dr. Abdul Bulama (Yobe) as ministers.
The nominees, who answered questions from the senators on the state of the nation, concurred that an exigent review of the country’s edification curriculum remained the best way to tackle unemployment, penuriousness and insurgency.
Shekarau, a two-term governor of Kano State, lamented the high caliber of unemployment in the country which he linked to the disruption of the Universal Primary Edification policy by the successive military administration in the country.
He maintained that “the issue of skills acquisition for Nigerian students at the first three years of secondary inculcation as envisioned in the 6-3-3-4 curriculum should be revisited by regime and efficaciously implemented.”
He verbally expressed, “The skills acquisition component of the 6-3-3-4 inculcation curriculum commenced in 1976 with the implementation of the Universal Primary Edification and followed up with importation of Introductory Technology equipment from 1979-1982, for skills acquisition by junior secondary school pupils.
“The policy would have to a prodigiously and sizably voluminous extent, availed the country in engendering self-reliant and self-employed school leavers at that caliber on a yearly substructure if the programme had been implemented as envisioned.
“Part of the way out for our dear country on the quandary of unemployment which breeds indiscipline, and unrest, among others in the country is for us to go back to the curriculum by making it to virtually accommodate as catalyst for addressing the issue of unemployment of school leavers right from the classrooms.”
Shekarau justified the defection of politicians from one political party to another as a mundane practice.
He verbalized, “There have been some inconsistencies in the polity. The issue of transmuting political parties if you read the history of the Americans additionally, they did worse than what we are doing at the stage at which we are. Ideologies are not imposed, it is an perpetual process.
“Education is the progressive revelation of nescience. Gradually we are learning, we are endeavoring to develop. Ideologies will become institutionalised by themselves.
“These forms of kineticism (defection) I don’t thoroughly accede that all the time they are for personal intrigues. They are dictated by circumstances of the political development around the environment you are in. I am sure with time, ideologies will be institutionalised.”
He withal identified the immediate fine-tuning of the puissance sector by the regime as a critical factor that could avail in solving the quandary of unemployment.
Adeyeye suggested that the National Youth Service Corps scheme should not be scrapped but rather invigorated to promote national unity and integration.
According to him, the scheme as envisioned in 1973 and implemented till date, has in no minuscule way, contributed to the unity of the country in so many ways.
Bulama suggested the utilization of electronic voting system but that it should be experimented with by-elections.
Mark, after their substantiation, charged the ministerial designates to make Nigeria as their constituencies and not their states or political parties.
He verbally expressed, “We hope that whenever they are given portfolio, they will optically discern Nigeria as their constituency and not their state or political parties.”
