Reclaiming public schools: In Support of El-Rufai,By Issa Aremu

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" - Nelson Mandela

Dating back to his days as the privatization czar at the Bureau for Public Enterprises and then as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yours comradely had constructively engaged Mallam  Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on policy discourse that entailed some contestation and significant cooperation. Proverbial waters had since passed under the Nigerian's governance bridge since the return to democratic governnace in 1999. Mallam El-Rufai has since transformed from an ."...Accidental Public Servant" to a conscious  governorship office seeker that enthroned him as the 5th democratic elected governor of Kaduna state in this democratic dispensation.

On Wednesday, 29 July 2015 Malam Nasir El-Rufai, as the Governor of Kaduna State rightly laid bare his vision for reinventing Kaduna. The vision promises an activist governnace in the area of revival of urban public transport, local government reforms, building of international conference centres and hotels befitting of an investment destination that Kaduna was once reputable for.

Mallam El-Rufai and his Deputy, Mr. Barnabas Bala Bantex are the first elected office holders to lead by example sacrificing 50 percent of their salaries and allowances until the fiscal situation of the State improves. The crisis of compensation in Nigeria is made worse by the unacceptable gap between the prohibitive tax- free pay of legislators, Governors and political office holders on one hand and miserable pay of public civil servants. The Kaduna gesture was sensitive, original and had since been emulated by other public office holders minus the Federal legislators. Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is also the first elected governor to make an industrial  tour of the moribund textile mills with commendable policy announcements such as patronage of garment (from revived Arewa mill) to training of workers (in Chelco blanket company in Kaduna.).

The latest is the reclaiming of public schools by demolishing illegal private structures in the school premises. Indeed the Kaduna State Government has  acted to its announcement and commenced the demolition of  some private houses built within the premises of public institutions in an effort to recover all government's lands that were illegally taken over by individuals. The exercise reportedly commenced on Wednesday at Alhudahuda College in Zaria where over 93 buildings were completely pulled down. The  demolition of the structures started after a three-week notice served on the occupants of such buildings by the state government expired. The notice was served on June 14. The General Manager of the agency handling the demolition, Mrs Saratu Haruna, who supervised the demolition exercise, said that the action was carried out on erring house owners who did not comply with directive of the State Government through her Agency. The importance of reclaiming public space cannot be overemphasized. The hitherto criminal allocation of public school lands as well as lands meant for public hospitals to private individuals in government once again dramatized the total abandonment of public education which in turn explains the miserable education statistics in the North.  In January, I paid a visit to my former secondary school, Ilorin Grammar school as part of my birthday actvity. I was shocked not only to see the collapse of the school facilities due to non-maintenance but scandalized that the school lands had been farmed out to some private schools developers. Whence the governance in the North, when public schools compete with private homes and even hotels? All well- meaning must encourage the State Governor, Mr Nasir El-Rufai, to reclaim occupied public schools and indeed public space as commendably done in Edo state under governor Adams Oshimole and Rotimi Amechi of rivers state. Indeed the Federal government through Federal direct actions must urgently reclaim and protect public school lands as part of the genuine commitment to reinvent public education. We are once again shedding crocodile tears about the outcomes of West African Examination Council (WAEC) results of the May/June 2015 in which only 616,370 candidates, representing 38.68 per cent passed with five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics. What WAEC results did not reveal is that most failed students come from public schools that have been criminally transformed into "living" quarters by some shameless intruders.

We cannot politicize education in particular and public welfare in general. I agree with Nelson Mandela that; "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."  Mandela, himself a product of public schools (like most of us) would not have imagined that same public schools in Nigeria are being overrun by marauders masquerading as "developers". Poorer Nigeria in the 50s, 60s and 70s built these public schools, richer Nigeria of 2015 should at least protect them which is what Mallam el-Rufai is commendably doing.

Issa Aremu mni