Educators From Nigeria

"I shall stand squarely and unapologetically on these principles. The people’s votes and mandate shall stand"

"Under me, votes must count, under me, the people’s mandate must be upheld."

"As an electoral officer, I have never in my life participated in any election but duty came calling."

"I didn’t start today. I stand here before God and Jesus Christ. I have never defrauded anyone. Under me, votes must count, under me, the people’s mandate must be upheld"

"They came with their threats, they came with their money, they came with their intimidation, I remained unshakable."

"Global challenges like the coronavirus pandemic are real and should not be seen from a nationalistic perspective. While the coronavirus reminds us how fragile and unprepared we might be, the efforts deployed on a daily basis serve as a reminder of what we’re capable of when we work together towards a common goal."

"Everything happens for a reason, and there is a premeditated arrangement for things that are and things that shall be."

"Life is like a relay race; visions and dreams don’t die. They are handed down to the next generation to run with..."

"Always keep in mind that some fellows will hold you in derision on your march towards progress, but don’t let it sway you...."

"The younger generations are agents of change and a bridge to a better future. This indeed is how I plan to shake things up- by equipping budding leaders with the requisite tools for growth."

"Life is not a ten-speed bike where you can change to different gears and request for a spare."

"For me, it involves connecting more with nature. Going outside and stepping into nature. Experiencing its beauty and its importance. It is only when we appreciate alluring essence of Mother Nature, then, together, we would have the urge to make our planet great again."

"Do not let the hardships take away your basic rights. Nature is closer than you think."

"A healthy environment is vital for a healthy existence, and I wanted us to aspire to make our environment better for us and the generations to come."

"At that moment, it struck me that one single act can make an impact in the world."

"I realized that indeed it’s a small world after all, and one must learn the art of fostering relationships for you never know whose help you might need."

"Human relationships are not a zero-sum game if we need to be truly honest. We should often create a platform for negotiation and understand how to improve in our relationship."

"The gift of life comes but once, and you have in a lifetime to accomplish all your dreams, visions, goals, and ambitions unapologetically. Remember, happiness comes in the fulfillment of these dreams, visions, goals, and ambitions."

"Just start with what you have, and do it. Dreams begin from where you start. Even though ideas could be overwhelming and vague, unless you start with what you have and where you are, you may never clinch your aspirations."

"Environmental studies could be seen as an autonomous discipline, yet to get the best out of it, a multidisciplinary approach must be applied."

"Aside from being custodians of the environment, youths should understand the imminent threat of climate change on their collective futures. To manage what is unavoidable (adaptation) and avoid what is unmanageable (mitigation), youths must prioritise environmental studies as fundamental to their education."

"When we become conscious of reducing waste from kitchens to households, and on the streets, it is only then they will realise the health, environmental and economic benefits of waste management."

"Nigeria's approach to waste management (2020)"

"There is nothing bad in adopting a new culture but when you see nothing good in your own culture and thinks the other culture is the norm, then something is wrong. I call it slavery of the mind."

"Your identity is your identity. It is what makes you special. Don’t be trapped by Mental Colonialism."

"Climate change is a moral issue. It is not just science."

"We should care the most about the environment. That’s what the green on our flag symbolizes."

"....However, that should not stop us from doing our part. This planet is ours. When it thrives, we do the same."

"I got home and told my husband that I wanted to go back to school. He said fine but that I should bear in mind that I was his mother, the mother of our two children and in charge of the home. He asked if I would be able to cope and I said yes. Then he said go ahead. That was when universities were organising examinations separately as there was no Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. So I bought application form, did the examination but I was not offered admission."

"After the war, he resumed the scholarship scheme for all of us because there were many of us that were beneficiaries. After the war, I completed my secondary school education, but no longer at Nsukka but at Holy Child Secondary School, Abakaliki. It was after my West African Senior School Certificate Examination in 1971 that he asked what I would want to do and I said I wanted to be a nurse. He said, okay, I will send you to London to be trained as a nurse; that was where I sent my sisters in the 50s. My niece was also going for the same training. He said, I’ll send both of you; that was when he came back after the war. So it was while I was preparing to travel to London for nursing that the story changed and we got married."

"I met him through his scholarship scheme. I danced in my hometown – Afikpo – during the electioneering campaigns of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons in the 60s; there were four of us. We were there to receive politicians coming to Afikpo for campaign, so we danced. In the end, he gave me a scholarship to go to secondary school and other things. My elder sister, who was the leader of the group, was given a job in Lagos. I don’t know what was done for the other two because there were four us. It was before the war, so the war disrupted my education as it did to everybody in the East."

"Women should be allowed to play their role, their role is to help the men to rebuild the society in any form or shape."

"That is why I said other countries have found that women are agents for development."

"If you overlook the women and their contributions, you are going nowhere, it seems as if you have two legs and you are running with just one; you won’t go anywhere."

"One leg is the male, the other leg is the female but in our society, it seems as if it is only one leg we are running with, that’s why we are where we are now."

"Any nation that realizes that women constitutes the other leg, you will see the impact, the country will grow and develop, it is my area sociology of education and gender studies; It has been proven that without women contributing, if you still believe in patriarchy, you are going nowhere."

"The patriarchy is still in men; it’s like some men are afraid of allowing women to come up; they feel a woman should not be competing with a man, I feel advocacy is needed, that please, men, we are not coming to compete, there is no way a woman can be a man, I have my role to play, due to biological parts, a man has his own role to play, but if it comes to development of the society, both of them should work together."

"There is need for advocacy which we can do through our traditional rulers, people need to come together to advance this course; to assist the women to play their role, everybody was born with a potential, God created all of us equal."

"I have never heard any research that say the brain of a man is bigger or smarter than that of a woman, it is the society that made the woman not to develop her potentials. Men hold grip of positions and they believe it is the best for the society"

"When I had my first degree, he wrote Mrs Uche Azikiwe B.Edu, to show you how he valued it. When I got master’s degree, he would write B. English (Education), M. Education (Curriculum) on the envelop. He did the same thing when I had my PhD. When I was able to achieve all that, he was so happy because he had asked if I would be able to combine everything. I am happy he was alive when I got my PhD in 1992."

"Personally, all I want is the best for Nigeria. Anyone who will stop insecurity, poverty and all sorts of indices that often make people avoid Nigeria, I am totally in support of the person."

"That is why I will stand on behalf of Azikiwe to pray that whatever happens, Nigeria will never disintegrate. Please let us come together. It will make him happy and make some of his other contemporaries happy that Nigeria is one. Please, let our current leaders do something to make sure that Nigeria is one. One Nigeria is what we need."

"Why Nigeria is crawling."

"The country was standing on one leg and would hardly make any movement under such condition."

"It was regrettable that the men were still hiding under culture and traditions to relegate women to the background."

"Fortunately for me, I came into his life when he had made everything one would need in his life as a human being and a man. In 1973 when we got married, he was already everything; he had run his newspapers, been a Premier, Senate President, President and all that. I wouldn’t say I contributed anything at all because he had already achieved all that before I came into his life. So I will not claim that; the only thing I will claim is that I gave him comfort when he was at the age of 60, 70 and when he was old and in the latter part of his life. That was my contribution to his life. He was already successful when I came into his life."

"I have an NGO, Widows’ Lifeline, that I want to focus my attention fully on now that I have retired. It is an NGO that takes care of widows and provides opportunities for skills acquisition for them. And after graduation, we give them start-up grants so that they take off and become economically and financially independent to some extent, considering the problems that our widows go through, especially in this part of the country. But the problem I have is that the number of widows swells or increases every year and it is not easy to accommodate everybody. I have to cut down on the number to at least 40 – 50 every year, which is not very easy for a retiree like me to be sponsoring."

"We used to eat every meal together except when one of us was not at home. It’s something that bonds the family together. After eating, we would relax and chat. We argued and disagreed to agree. I had fun arguing with him even though I might not be correct and he would always caution me. He would say you have to be diplomatic, you are not diplomatic and I would say, why should I be diplomatic when I know that this is what it is. He would say, no, there is a way you have to put it, so it doesn’t just come out like that. You know these are fond memories and as I told you he was very protective of his family, but to me, it was a sign of love and care. He wouldn’t want anything to happen to any member of his family. That was why if you went out and didn’t return by 6pm, he would start worrying. I am happy that he is resting in peace because he did a good job for Nigeria and Africa."

"It is like when you think you know all and don’t consult those who will help, but consult those who will tell you what you want to hear; that was the problem of Ojukwu, according to Efiong in the book. I think that was when it went to the level that Zik now left and went on exile in London. He got all the recognitions for Biafra – he was responsible for four recognitions that Biafra got during the war; it was because of him. And consider the fact that Zik was in the same age bracket with Ojukwu’s father, so they were close friends. He was older than Ojukwu, so the fact that someone wanted to work with you shouldn’t mean that you would disrespect anyone. So I think the story has it that when he told somebody like Nnamdi Azikiwe to do something, then you would go behind and not accept the suggestions he was giving to you, how would that person continue? That was why he said since my contribution is not appreciated, there is no need staying, so he left."

"From what I know or what I read or what I have been reading, even recently on some of the platforms, the killing of the Igbo people was not acceptable to anybody. It was unacceptable to Zik the way Igbo people were killed in the North. When Ojukwu declared Eastern Region as separate nation, we all know that Zik supported him because he felt that he could not live and see our people – Ndigbo – being slaughtered for no just cause but as time went on, it didn’t work out. I even read on one of the platforms that an extract from a book written by the late Gen. Philip Efiong, who was second in command to Ojukwu, stated everything and why it seemed that people like Zik decided to leave Ojukwu."