The Spiritual Symbolism of Duality: Knowledge Waste in Nigeria – The Nigerian Universities Commission as an Impediment and a Tragedy (OKOJIEGATE)
You are not a target for this sublime conversation, if you are still in the rat-race in pursuit of material life, hankering after bellyful matters, gunning after “degrees” from Julius Okojie’NUC approved private universities, some run as profit-making enterprises, awaiting right issues at the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but suffers the loss of his own soul?
This is the gospel some prosperity pastors should preach to Professor Julius Okojie, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Universities Commission, who has been caught inexorably in a web of circumstance, should lose his job today or later after the judicial process turns its wheels.
In the Universe of man, those, who go the way of corruption, must face occasional degradation.
On November 6, 2013, I received a letter from the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Universities Commission, signed by one Mr. Moses O. Awe, who is Deputy Director (Legal).( NUC/ES/96/ Vol. 14/531) of October 31st 2013.
This was in response to my complaint in a letter dated 30th September, 2013, in which I justly accused one Mr. S. S. Ikani, an Architect, who works at the NUC, and who, had in a hand-written note carbon provable, that I should give him a bribe of THIRTY-THREE MILLION NAIRA, to facilitate my license for my proposed private Afemai University project. I stand firmly by my accusation.
The Facts
The detailed facts are to be found in a Sworn Affidavit.
On April 15,2010, the Nigerian Universities Commission’s Executive Secretary wrote to acknowledge receipt of my application for the grant of license to run the proposed Afemai University. ( See NUC/ES/ SCOPU/09/Vol !!1 of 15 April 2010.
The letter informed me that the Promoter(myself) and my planning Committee, would be invited to an interactive session, with SCOPU Board.
This was in response to our detailed application to the NUC dated 1st April, 2010. We furnished the SCOPU with all the relevant information before we were invited to the meeting at the Board-room of the NUC.
Mrs Constance. N Goody-Nnadi wrote on the application processes to me from and with the knowledge of Professor Julius Okojie.
On 28 June 2010, the NUC acknowledged in writing our detailed memorandum on our presentations to the NUC in pursuit of our objective.
After the interactive, which went very well, the NUC failed inexorably to write us officially to tell us about the outcome of the positive interaction, which warranted my reminder of 14th March 2011. There has been no response till date.
On October 10, I received a call that the NUC would visit the site of the proposed University and that I should put out sign-post to mark the site of the proposed University. We did this, but heard nothing till today.
Naturally and justifiably, I started to wonder whether the inability to pay the demanded bribe had covertly or overtly to do with NUC’s attitude.
In spite of pointed statements by those, who passed through my experience, I still nursed a shadow of doubt.
Disappointed, angry that our elaborate efforts to incorporate the name at the Corporate Affairs Commission, accepting 143 acres donated by the five Fugar communities for the project, architectural drawings, the Laws of the University, laboratory supplies arrangements, and the enthusiasm and hope of Afemai people to see their sons and daughters a good university, in their vicinity, all ended in Okojie’s wilderness, of vicarious liability and the defence of corrupt demands.
In a unilateral act of “thoroughly investigating your allegation against Architect S.S Ikani ,” you failed to adhere to the principle of “audi alteram partem”, fair hearing, review of evidence, discovery of documents and cross questioning by both disputants.
When you called up Mr. S.S
Ikani for my identification, I put it roundly to him that he had demanded the sum of 33 million Naira from me as a bribe to procure for me the license for the proposed Afemai University.
Before Mr. S.S Ikani could speak, Professor Julius Okojie told him in shouting mood, that it was my word against his ( Mr S.S Ikani’s) word!
I was shocked at Okojie’s investigation prowess. He ordered Mr. Ikani to return to his office!
I was never called to testify again, I then received a letter under review, in which Julius Okojie wrote that he “could not the substantiate or establish the purported demand for 33 million Naira”. in exchange of a private university licence”.
Okojie wrote about his “independent investigations and corroborative findings revealed that your allegation of corrupt demand for money against Ikani was found to be false, spurious, and mischievous” Mr S.S Ikani did not tell his principal that was audacious enough to submit his itemized demands in a note, which will show that there is perhaps a correlation between Ikani’s demand and Okojie’s defence!!!
Professor Okojie told me that he never saw my official file. How come there is a file No. NUC/ES/96/Vol 14/531 and a file No. NUC/ES/SCOPU/09/!!1 of 15 April 2010.
Professor of Education, Julius Okojie, wrote about “defamation” and integrity, which does not have in this matter.
A Professor of International Law and a Professor of Education stand on a footing of manifest inequality, when it comes to detecting criminal conduct.
He also spoke about bringing down the “integrity and reputation,” of the Commission. The Commission, under his mismanaging, has neither reputation nor integrity. Nemo dat quod non habet.
In an attempt to defend his agent, he put his foot in his mouth, till time indefinite!
This is what we have chosen to discuss based on revealed knowledge.
Later, we shall discuss the disastrous phenomenon of the waste of acquired knowledge and experience in Nigeria.
Light and darkness displace each other, at the appointed time every day. The Trinity reigns, the forces of evil destroy. There are Archangels, angels and demons. There are good people and bad people, there are men and women, young and old, beauty and ugliness, Sons and Daughters of God, sons and daughters of satan, the latter form small kingdoms in earthly places to cause mayhem world-wide.
There has always been duality in the Universe of Man.
The reader may wish to expand the prose. He or she will be guided by the Holy Spirit, who teaches us all things, if we ask.
The significance of understanding the spiritual dimension of duality is to enable us choose. We choose to be good or evil and our free choices determine what we shall be and what we shall achieve.
There were those, who followed Jesus and they did and still do great things till today.
There were those, who followed deities, mystics, occult brotherhoods, and many other spirit mediums, that were and are capable of giving powers to devotees.
Out of ignorance, vaulting ambition to get rich, greedy fellows get into the covens for material advantages, which the later regret after they have crossed the Rubicon of no return.
Again, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his own soul?”
Plotinus had cautioned the avaricious, greedy people, who were likely to fall into material abyss, when he said, “Mortify the body. Deny self, affections as well as appetites and the inner eye will exercise its clear and solemn vision.”
The Christ Jesus taught us that reputation and fame- seeking lead social humans into ambitious pursuits, which the negative elementals pounce upon to lead us into temptation. S
o, the Christ admonished us thus, “Do not fret you for the sake of reputation or of fame. These are worthless baubles of the day. They rise and fall like empty bottles on a stream. They are indices to what the thoughtless think. They are illusions and will pass away. The superior man does not worry about reputation or of fame.”
Like the eagle, he soars, with his eyes fixed to the heavens.
In Nigeria, the culture of “adoration” of former office holders, who may have performed poorly, corruptly and incompetently, as remained an obsession with the Nigerian press and the public.
Hence, every effusive, empty word they utter always captures the headlines. It has become an irritating habit in news reportage.
Old, societal habits die-hard. This is seen in our colonial legal system, our political order, our choice of countries to visit. We adopt simplistic options that do not advance the national movement to gain acceleration in the right direction.
Look at how far China, India, Malaysia and South Korea
The spiritual duality of forward march and backward speed must find resolution in advanced thinking, in order for a resolution to emerge.
Where this does not happen, the state has assumed the risk of an unwanted situation happening.
The progress of any state is predicated upon the clever use of the mental abilities of its knowledgeable and experienced citizens.
This knowledge may be revealed, acquired or cosmic.
In China, India, and America and in all European states, the knowledgeable are sought after, so that their informed opinion can be utilized for the advancement of their people. This strategy of statecraft is well advanced in the United States of America and this is why they are opinion leaders, economic, military and academic forerunners in the world.
In Nigeria, apart from our profligacy in material things, the most painful and telling is our knowledge waste.
This is the non-utilization of the available human intelligence in the country, to full capacity since 1960.
How has this been happening? Nigeria has not thrived on planned development since 1960.
Nigerians are universally acknowledged world-wide for their academic prowess. Lo and behold most of this acquired knowledge and experience is wasted.
When I was a Professor of International Law at the School of Law Shangdong University of Science and Technology, in China, I saw retired Professors still teaching after retirement, mentoring and nurturing young academics. Many were in their late 70’s.
There are many academics willing to come home, but the quality of life awaiting them and which they later confirm after coming home, as Walter Carrington said recently, send them back to America.
“Men, no light, no water, food is expensive. I just cannot cope. Is this what 2015 holds for Nigeria? Men, I quit.” One day you will come back, I told my Diaspora Joe, who complained further “hacula jakula.”
In Nigeria, some University officials virtually hound out retired Professors, who then go to other nations with respect for knowledge and experience.
What is left in some faculties is not the best for knowledge promotion.
Yet, the Nigerian Universities Commission looks on as private universities, without professors, churn out “graduates” and confer Honourary Doctorate degrees to non-first degree holders.
The destruction of a nation is escalated, when the educational regulatory body is heavily compromised, is ineffective and is laden with lead.
I have the NUC in a tight corner, from which it cannot escape. The disclosures based on carbon tested, handwritten evidence of a shameful demand for 33 million Naira as a condition precedent to the issue of a private university licence, has been sent to the Inspector-General of Police, the Chairman of ICPC, and the Chairman of EFCC, with copies to the Ministry of Education the powerful body that can effect immediate changes at the helm of the NUC, so that higher education in Nigeria can be rescued and unshackled from the throes of corruption, ineptitude, inefficiency and rot.
ASUU has been on strike for over a hundred days and a carbon tested evidence has been used in evidence in an already well-documented review. Only the truth shall set us free.
Under my Bradford Initiative Programme, I have been running a remedial seminar series (on line) for poorly educated law graduates, who seek for, but are inadmissible to higher degrees. It is all free of charge! It is a national service, if there is such a notion anymore!
Just close your eyes and review the standard of university education in Nigeria, in terms of professorial cadre, infrastructure, and regulatory management systems in place.
I have been associated with many universities since 1962, either as a student, postgraduate student, doctoral candidate, lecturer or as university professor.
I have been in universities in Sierra Leone, Kharkov, Kiev, Cologne, Heidelberg, Ife, Abuja, Michigan, Ann Arbor, Shandong, and Qingdao, China.
It is only under Professor Julius Okojie that private university licenses are freely given to traders, business men/ money bags, tithe-collecting evangelists and favoured individuals, who see the university as an extended trading post.
You will appreciate our dismal record of under-achievement, in the field of education, to the shameful extent that our compatriot struggle to send their children abroad involving colossal financial investment, with no hope of employment upon their return.
Since the NUC has not and cannot regulate higher education in Nigeria because it has been mired in blatant corruption, the situation has not and is not likely to improve under Julius Okojie’s corrupt administration, covering up shamelessly with criminal dexterity, a criminally-minded associate.THIS OKOJIEGATE MUST BE INVESTIGATED by Nigerians!!! NOW.
On November 6, 2013, Okojie sent two people to my house and angry, threatening telephones followed.
This is why I have to externalize this matter. Okojie is the Lambrosian type, with a narrow face like Cassius (WS). Such men
I decree in the MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS that the forces of backwardness, retrogression and confusion in the NUC be exorcised from NIGERIA by a mighty wind. AMEN and AMEN and AMEN!!!
