ShortStory I Shattered Dream

SHATTERED DREAM

      She had lain in her matrimonial bed few minutes back, felt uneasy. Right now, she had chosen to be on her feet, still struggling in her devastating mood. She had remained like that for over an hour, kept roaming from one point to another in the same room. Opeyemi, the happily married 37-year-old mother of two, seemed not unlike one who had been duly notified that something was wrong somewhere. Probably she was reacting to a mere presumption. The sparkling white pyjamas she wore could feel every bit of the emotional crisis.

      ‘Ope’ as she was fondly called had been in the marriage for almost eight years but her husband was resident abroad, Spain precisely. That was exactly the bone of contention. Her hubby Tunde who left about five years back, barely few months after she gave birth to their second child, was yet to return since he departed. The couple only communicated on phone, hoping to see each other once again someday. What else could the poor woman do than to remain optimistic and resilient? Not until two weeks back when Tunde’s unending phone calls that served as her only succour ceased to come. She was yet to fathom the reason behind the abrupt break in transmission having employed several means to unravel the forsaking mystery; none of his phone numbers was reachable.

       Few minutes later as she impatiently stood on the tied floor, her cell phone that lay on the bed rang. The handset’s ringing tone was one thing she longed for since it is the only way she could hear from Tunde whom had been incommunicado for almost fourteen days. Immediately, the tone apparently aroused her consciousness.

       She rushed the phone, glanced at the screen only to discover that her mother was the caller. She sighed, felt highly disappointed, and thus couldn’t bother picking the damn call. She fiercely threw the gadget back to the bed, but it rang again.

      “What is it nah?” she lamented aloud as the handset blared for the umpteenth time, then sluggishly picked it up once again. “Good afternoon, mum.” She managed to utter as she eventually answered the call.

       “Ope, how are you?” the caller, Mrs. Adeolu enquired tenderly, felt disturbed.

       “I am fine, ma”

       “Where have you been?” said Mrs. Adeolu. “Why didn’t you pick your call?” she added in a jiffy.

       “I am sorry, ma.” Opeyemi responded. “I was busy in the kitchen.” She lied.

       “Alright.” Mrs. Adeolu said, became relaxed. “What about your children?” she added.

      “They are yet to return from school.” Opeyemi replied, quickly glanced at a wall clock hung in the room – it was 2.45pm. “They will be back by three.” She informed with a faded voice.

      “Are you sure you are okay, Ope?”

      “I am fine, ma.” She answered. “Besides, why did you ask?”

      “This is not your voice, my dear.”

      “Mum, I am fine.”

      “It’s a lie,” Mrs. Adeolu insisted. “I have known you for thirty-seven years now.”

      “So?”

      “This is not you, my daughter.” quoth the concerned mother. “Please tell me, what is the problem?”

      Opeyemi calmly sat on her matrimonial bed. “Mum, it’s Tunde.” She notified hesitantly.

      “Your husband?”

      “Yes ma.”

      “What did he do to you?”

      “Nothing,” she responded. “Just that I haven’t heard from him for two weeks now.

       “Are you serious?”

       “Yes ma.’ She replied, nodding – the nod was significantly useless though.

       “You don’t mean it.” Mrs. Adeolu exclaimed. “Well, that is why I called.” She hesitantly chipped in.

       “How?”

        Mrs. Adeolu actually called on Tunde’s account based on the directive of her husband, Mr. Adeolu. The latter had earlier in the day while leaving for office instructed the former to invite their daughter, Opeyemi home towards discussing a crucial issue regarding Tunde.

       “I called because of Tunde.’

       “What about him?” she curiously tendered, stood up from the bed.

       “There is nothing wrong, my dear.” Mrs. Adeolu informed. “Actually, your father has a business plan to discuss with Tunde, but he decided to inform you first.” She twisted.

       “What business plan?”

       “He said I should invite you home,” quoth Mrs. Adeolu. “So you both can talk one on one.”

        The two families resided in the same city. Opeyemi’s matrimonial home was about ten minutes drive from where her parents lived.

       “So, when does he want me to come?” she said anxiously.

       “Tomorrow,” Mrs. Adeolu replied. “In the morning.”

        The following day was Saturday, so the 65-year-old Mr. Adeolu who was an established entrepreneur wouldn’t be going to office. He worked only during the weekdays.

       “Okay ma.” quoth Opeyemi. “I will be there in the morning.”

       “Alright, see you then.” said the 64-year-old Mrs. Adeolu.

       “Bye ma.”

                                          * * * * * *   

       “Ope, how are you?” Mr. Adeolu asked as he was seated in his parlour alongside his wife on the following day being Saturday.

       Opeyemi who was clad in a maternity gown sat opposite the couple. “I am fine, sir.” She answered in false pretence.

       “What about your kids?”

       “There are also fine.” she said. “They even wanted to come with me.”

       “You said, when last did you hear from your husband?”

       “Over two weeks now, sir.’

        Mrs. Adeolu shook her head, felt for her daughter.

       “Have you tried to reach him?” Mr. Adeolu enquired.

      “Yes sir.” quoth Opeyemi. “I have tried all his numbers but none was available.”

      “What about his parents?” the chief host rode on. “Have you heard from them?”

      “They are also worried.” she responded. “They haven’t heard from him too.”

      “Hmm..” Mr. Adeolu released a deep breath.

      “I learnt you have a business plan to discuss with him?”

      “Business plan..? Mr. Adeolu said, surprised; hastily looked at his wife who was seated beside him. “What did you tell her?” He queried.

      The wife was speechless, really trapped by the question.

      Opeyemi became very confused at the scenario, thus she was therein gripped by fear.

       The truth was that her mother twisted the reality of the moment when they spoke on phone the previous day, though she did it to zero her (Opeyemi’s) mind from any suspicion.

       From Mrs. Adeolu’s countenance, her hubby needn’t be told that something fishy transpired during the phone conversation, hence, he never bothered to receive an answer to his query.

      “Dad, what is going on here?” Opeyemi inquired, sensed unease.

      “My dear, there is no need beating about the bush.” quoth Mr. Adeolu.

       The moment he made the comment, Opeyemi’s heart stuck in her tummy.  “Is my husband alive?” She exclaimed emphatically, stoop up.

      “Far from it.” her father replied. “Just that, …” He added, stopped.

       “That what?” Opeyemi ranted, stood still.

       “He was deported last week.” He eventually informed.

       “What..?” Opeyemi shouted, subconsciously resumed her seat.

         Her mother walked to her seat and began to console her.

       “Take it easy, my dear.” Her father sympathized, remained in his seat.

        Tunde was repatriated from Italy over a week ago owing to a misunderstanding that ensued between him and a Spanish ‘sugar mummy’ he intended to marry. He resorted to settling down with her since it was the only way he could acquire a permanent residency permit. Barely three weeks to their proposed court wedding, she discovered that Tunde already had a Nigerian wife; hence, out of frustration, she set the dude up.

       When he returned to Nigeria, he went straight to his in-law’s residence, and they were the only persons that knew his whereabouts – although they weren’t told the actual reason behind the deportation. Since then, they had been thinking of how to disclose the matter to his wife.

      “So, where is my husband?” Opeyemi asked her parents amid convulsive gasps.

        Before she could finish the question, Tunde surfaced from one of the rooms in the house.

       On sighting him, Opeyemi hastily jumped up in tears and hugged him. He reciprocated passionately.

       As they hugged each other affectionately, Tunde perhaps kept wondering how he would cope with the days ahead since his dream had been seemingly shattered.

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Opinion I ASUU, FG and Fate of Nigeria's Higher Education

ASUU, FG AND FATE OF NIGERIA’S HIGHER EDUCATION

         

 For decades now, acquiring higher education in this part of the world – particularly Nigeria – has remained synonymous with cat and dog life owing to the unwholesome state of the country’s various tertiary institutions of learning. The said challenge, which is very glaring, might not be unconnected with the national and local issues affecting the way we plan for our future relevance and sustainability.

       

 Higher education is being reshaped by globalization and digital revolution, that, every institution of learning that knows its onions wants to find itself in the world map regardless of what it would cost. Prospective students are fast becoming academically aware and making decisions about education accordingly contrary to what it used to be. University rankings among other yardsticks of measuring greatness will increasingly have greater influence on positioning institutions in the international market, and graduate career-readiness is a growing student concern.

       

 Students are indeed looking for access to services and education across new technologies and more flexible delivery options. Towards being competitive as well as meeting these expectations, higher institutions would need to invest in expensive facilities and infrastructure. Higher citadels of learning, such as universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, are like manufacturing industries, hence, require adequate funding towards sustenance. Commencement of such business alone is strictly capital intensive, and its day-to-day running is sustained by thorough vigilance on the part of the management. Since schools are not profit-making industries unlike other capitalist firms, their functionality mainly depends on funds coming from outside rather than the students’ tuition fees.

         

Ironically, Nigeria’s learning citadels, precisely the higher ones, have been wearing pathetic physiognomy thus far, thereby making them produce half-baked products unabated, in the name of ‘graduates’. This set of unemployed youths is littered all over the country, searching for white-collar jobs that cannot be properly handled if given to them. And, since the jobs are not forthcoming, they would resort to such various social vices that would generate quick money as armed robbery, kidnapping, abduction, cultism, gambling, and so on.

        

Considering the aforementioned phenomenon, there’s no need to say that about eighty per cent (80%) reason Nigeria is currently awash with all kinds of dubious acts is the ongoing plight of unemployment, which is on the rampage. But if the so called job-seekers were well equipped/tutored while in school, they would have rather considered becoming employers of labour. They can only become self-reliant if the necessary teachings were given to them during their school days.

        

Take a walk to any university across the federation and see things for yourself. Facilities including laboratories, libraries, workshops, and even lecture classes/halls are nothing to write home about. Most of the institutions are, to assert the least, like glorified primary schools. What about the lecturers’ offices coupled with their wages? An average politician would go home with millions of naira on a weekly basis whereas a lecturer, on the average, cannot even boast of a hundred thousand naira (#100,000). It would interest, perhaps shock you to note that the basic salary of a ward councillor in Nigeria is about five times greater than the overall monthly wage of a professor who is reckoned to be most learned in any society.

        

A lot has really gone wrong, and it is high time we made amends toward attaining the anticipated greatness. Each year, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), among other labour unions in other higher learning citadels, embark on industrial action for a particular cause, yet the demon ravaging our schools remains seemingly unbeatable. The question now is: how do we unravel this lingering mystery, or should we continue folding our arms and watch it deteriorate into a more forbidden scene?

        

The answer is very simple. First, governments at all levels must ensure that heads of the institutions in question, to include vice-chancellor, rector, and provost for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, respectively, are strictly appointed via merit instead of mere favouritism which is usually the case. Astute administrators, or individuals of note, ought to be appointed to serve in such capacities.  
        

Sometimes, the poor state of these schools is partly attributed to the kind of person piloting their affairs. In most cases you would observe that a vice-chancellor, for instance, would spend several years fencing the institution, and end up not implementing any consequential project throughout his/her five-year tenure or as the case may be. This aspect of misappropriation of funds is, for quite some time now, being harboured as a culture in most existing higher citadels of learning across the federation.  

         

Similarly, the concerned quarters must ensure that only qualified individuals are employed as lecturers; engaging unqualified teachers in the institutions have succeeded in causing untold harm to the future of the teeming students, particularly the undergraduates. The wages of the lecturers must also be taken as priority by the governments, and those in privately owned institutions should equally be treated as such.

          

Universities, being research-oriented institutions, cannot thrive under the ongoing Treasury Single Account (TSA) regime of the present administration. The education sector – especially higher institutions – deserve unalloyed financial autonomy, thus they ought to be exempted from such mechanism. Since the initiative is targeted to curb corruption, the government can set up a formidable and reliable agency that would continually monitor how the schools are faring; and if anyone is found culpable in the process, he/she should be brought to book without much ado. It’s very pathetic and an eyesore that our universities are yet to commercialize their patents in an era where the society is expected to mainly depend on higher institutions as regards research works.

         

The fact is, adequate funding of higher education, which has been taken aback for decades now, is the only way we can make the affected institutions compete globally. There are absolutely no two ways about it. Though the ongoing Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) scheme is trying, a lot still needs to be done. Most times these funds are utilized on laboratory equipment that cannot be calibrated, or library materials such as books that are outdated, thereby making them serve as mere monuments or decorative materials as long as they last in the various benefiting institutions.

        

The ASUU, among others, on their part must endeavour to run an independent unionism at all times, rather than barely indulging in tokenism. The handwriting should invariably be clearly written on the wall for the concerned government regardless of the circumstance. Hence, they mustn’t spare the rot and spoil the child. They ought to acknowledge that any foul play they engage in is to the detriment of their students’ future, and that of Nigeria at large. If you have a cause you are fighting for, concentrate on how to drive to the end instead of succumbing to baseless and unfounded threats in the long run.

        

This recessionary era is obviously the ripe time to get the funding of the country’s higher education right, because any procrastination would surely be at the expense of the anticipated economic turnaround. Think about it!

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TechOpinion I Nigeria's SIWES On the Decline

NIGERIA’S SIWES ON THE DECLINE

        

The Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) – a skill acquisition programme designed to expose and prepare students of universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, as well as colleges of education for the industrial work situation they are likely to encounter after graduation – has been on the decline for decades now that it is liable to go into extinction in no distant time if drastic measure is not taken towards addressing the lingering anomaly.

       

SIWES was initiated to be a planned and supervised training programme based on specific learning and career objectives, and geared toward developing the occupational competencies of the participants. It is generic, cutting across over 60 programmes in the universities, over 40 in the polytechnics/monotechnics, and about 10 in the colleges of education. Hence, it is not meant for a particular course of study or discipline. Since inception, it is being reckoned to be an innovative phenomenon in human resources development in Nigeria.

        

While some institutions and disciplines permit SIWES’ duration for only three to six months, others go for up to one year. The programme, which permits the affected students to seek for Industrial Training (IT) or Teaching Practice (TP), as the case may be, in any establishment of their choice, has ab initio been a cause of concern to education and economic planners, particularly with respect to graduate employment and impact on the general societal development. There are equally mixed feelings concerning how much of it that is actually helpful to students’ academic performance and job readiness after graduation.

        

Whatever positive impact the SIWES has thus far created on the students’ well-being and the society at large, the truth is that the primary purpose for which the programme was established has recently been relegated to the background. The prevalence of the inability of SIWES’ participants to secure employment after the pragramme, or even perform adequately if eventually employed, casts doubt on the continuing relevance of the programme to the contemporary industrial development drive in the Nigerian society. This obvious lapse isn’t unconnected with negligence and/or apathy on the part of the trainees, trainers, concerned institutions, and the government.

        

It’s noteworthy that most of these students dodge the programme. They prefer indulging in activities that would fetch them money to going for the technical knowledge. To this set of individuals, partaking in the industrial programme is simply a waste of time and energy. In view of this misconception, when the programme is meant to take place, you would see them participating in all sorts of inconsequential menial jobs, or even gambling and what have you, just for the aim of raising some cash. This growing mentality of placing money before knowledge has contributed immensely in endangering the prospect of the laudable programme.

        

Those who bring out time to participate in the programme, are prone to one challenge or the other. It’s worth noting that greater percentage of the trainees is not paid by the establishments in which they are serving, not even stipend. Hence, they would end up making use of their personal funds to service their transportation and accommodation fees. It’s more worrisome to realize that most of these trainees are overused by the firms; rather than teaching them the needful, the supposed trainers would engage them in unnecessary activities, thereby making them lose interest in the training.

          

Worse still, most of the concernment institutions don’t cough up time to supervise the students in their respective places of assignment. Ridiculously, in most cases, the schools would remain ignorant of where the students are undergoing the training till the duration of the programme is over. This very loophole has over the years served as an advantage to those who never participated in the programme. In this case, during the SIWES defence, the affected student would claim to have undergone the training in any establishment of his/her choice, and the supposed supervisor would never bother to ascertain the truth.

        

Inter alia, funding of the SIWES hasn’t been encouraging in recent times. The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) – a body responsible in the day-to-day funding of the programme – currently appears incapacitated, perhaps owing to lack of adequate allocation from the government and other financiers. Sometimes, the students would be deprived of the statutory allowance they are entitled to after the programme. Those whom were lucky to receive theirs had to wait for a long time.

       

The SIWES is obviously yearning for resuscitation. The present state of moribund experienced by the scheme can only be properly addressed by revisiting the Acts that bind the programme. Such step would enable every authority involved to start seeing the initiative as a priority towards the anticipated economic diversification. The said Act should categorically specify what is expected of the trainee, trainer, school, as well as the government as regards the sustenance of the scheme. Similarly, there’s need for a relevant law enforcement agency that would penalize or prosecute any defaulter.

       

It’s indeed high time we revived this technical-oriented initiative whose motive truly means well for nation building. This can only be actualized by changing all the flat tyres that have succeeded in crippling the journey. Think about it!

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