Former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Bisi Akande, has said only right, deep and mass education can end insecurity in the country.
Akande, while speaking with journalists during an event organized to mark his 87th birthday at his country home in Ila, Osun State, on Friday, warned against the lowering of education standards in the country.
He noted that graduates produced in a country with low education standards will not be able to compete with their peers from advanced countries with high education systems.
“You should face education; that is what differentiates humans from animals. When you are not educated, you are an animal. When you are not educated, you don’t mind killing people; you can be a murderer, you won’t be ashamed of it.
“Good education will make you competitive in the global world. If you offer 25% as a pass mark in the university, you can’t compete with China, which will expect you to score 80%. That is where they practice absolute meritocracy,” Akande said.
Referencing the recent American invasion of Venezuela, Akande, who said the US simply displayed the power it has through sound education its citizens had been exposed to over the years, warned against circumventing university education by lowering pass marks.
He said, “When you cut corners, pass 25%, admit 20%, you cannot compete with people like China, where if you have never achieved, you can’t become a member of the Communist Party, and only members of the Communist Party can vote and be voted for. This is absolute merit.
“Here in Nigeria, it’s cutting corners. Americans threatened the other time, went to Venezuela to pick the President and take him away; that is the power of knowledge, which we are trying to cheat by saying 25%, 20% (pass mark). You won’t have that knowledge, you won’t be able to compete with the advanced world, and you will be enslaved; your land will be taken over by strangers.”
Responding to a question on how the country can end insecurity in the northern part, Akande said, “The answer to insecurity is mass education. Obafemi Awolowo introduced mass education 70 years ago, if I can remember, around 1955, and that’s why we are not killing ourselves in the South-West.
“Now, look at Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping. Let people study very deeply. Your generation cannot eradicate it; it can be eradicated gradually if you adopt deep education, a mass universal education.”
In his remarks at the event, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, who represented President Bola Tinubu, lauded Akande’s contributions towards the growth of the country’s democracy.
Akume said, “This is a privilege to honour and celebrate a life that has been dedicated to the service of our nation, a life filled with humility and unwavering commitment to democracy. The history of our nation’s progress towards democrac is incomplete without the special place preserved for you.”
Also speaking about the celebrant at the event attended by dignitaries, including the Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Kayode Alabi; the Pioneer Registrar, National Business and Technical Examination Board, Prof Olu Aina; the Chairman, National Population Commission, Aminu Yusuf; the Senator representing Osun Central, Olubiyi Fadeyi; and Senator Lola Ashiru of Kwara South Senatorial District, among others, the Osun APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, described Akande as an exemplary leader who has become an institution people consult for knowledge.
