I DO WISH TO ONE DAY BECOME THE GOVENOR OF MY STATE- PAKI

Bello Sagir, the CEO of your favorite blog: 'Learning Never Ends' has cornered and interviewed Comr. Bilal Tijjani Paki, the President Students' Union Government (SUG) BUK, about his administration, his personal life and of course about the larger politics in the country. The BUK no. 001 student, has made so many fresh and interesting revelations that no reader will afford to miss. Enjoy:

LNE: Briefly, tell us who is Comrade Bilal Tijjani Paki?

Paki: Bilal Tijjani Paki is a young gentle man who studies Banking and Finance at Bayero University Kano and he is into school politics and he's the President of Students Union Government of Bayero University, Kano.

LNE: What is your hobby?

Paki: Reading stories, playing games, competing & sleeping

LNE: When are you at your best?

Paki: Addressing crowd.

LNE: Who's your role model?

Paki: Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna.

LNE: How did you emerge as BUK SUG President?

Paki: Its a dream that God made a reality.

LNE: What are your achievements so far?

Paki: Extension of examination period to 3 weeks. Extension of UG Registration period by 2 weeks. Extension of Library operating hours in weekends. Provision of Lockers/Safes in front of our main Libraries. Assisting indecent students with Funds to pay their registration fees. Price regulation (this is peculiar to sachet water)

LNE: What of challenges?

Paki: Still battling with Management to approve the opening of lecture rooms & theaters at night which is one of our major campaign promises.

LNE: Recently, you held a by-election. Why?

Paki: It was for some offices which investigation revealed that the occupants of such offices lacked the required (2.80) minimum CGPA to contest for any electoral position in the Students' Union Government of Bayero University, Kano.

LNE: What other positions do you hold, apart from the SUG President?

Paki: Speaker of Nigerian Economics Students' Association in the 2014/2015 Session. Treasurer Students Union Government 2015/2016 Session. Chairman Writers' Forum MSSN BUK 2015 to date.

LNE: How do you reconcile between handling the students' responsibilities and your studies?

Paki: Its really tough, honestly I don't attend my classes like before which is really bothering me. I'm trying to balance both though.

LNE: Now that the first semester exam is fast approaching, what is your special message to the students?

Paki: Read hard, pray hard and avoid examination malpractice.

LNE: What and what will the students of BUK expect more from you?

Paki: Ensuring that classes are opened for night readings during exams and some few others which I wouldn't like to reveal.

LNE: Recently, BUK held its 33rd Convocation, what is your message to the graduates?

Paki: Always remember that their degrees are conferred to them based on the fact that they have been found worthy both in character and learning they should then be good Ambassadors of Bayero University, Kano.

LNE: Students leadership, especially at university level, prepares one for the larger politics after graduation. Do you have any political ambition in some years to come in Nigerian politics?

Paki: Of course I do wish to one day become the Governor of my state.

LNE: What type of person and with what kind of qualities do you want to take over the presidency from you on the expiration of your tenure?

Paki: Trustworthy and hard-working. Sincerely I hope to hand over to someone who could perform more than me.

LNE: Which is the most preferred legacy you want to bequeath as Mr. Presidor?

Paki: That have been achieved which is extension of Examination period to 3 weeks and the Library operation hours to 8-10pm Sun to Mon.

LNE: Considering the tradition of transition from one person to another in Nigerian politics, do you agree that, we are the leaders of tomorrow?

Paki: Of course I do, where was Jonathan Goodluck yesterday?

LNE: Looking at the Comrades in the aluta who are the leaders of tomorrow, do you have hope that Nigeria will change positively in the future?

Paki: Yes.

LNE: What is the clear faith of Nigerian leadership if transfered to the youths?

Paki: There would be more development in all sectors of the Economy.

LNE: As an experienced leader, what do you realize so far as the real problem of Nigerian leadership?

Paki: Greediness.

LNE: How do you plan to make amendments if you are opportuned?

Paki: I wish to serve selflessly.

LNE: What advice do you have for the aluta comerades at BUK and at other universities and institutions?

Paki: They should know that Politics is just a game, we should shun away from hatred and bear in our minds that this is just a starting ground, we all have a brighter future.

LNE: Politics, they say is a dirty game. Is aluta also a dirty game?

Paki: No, its only a game of interest.

LNE: What is your comment on this blog, 'Learnin Never Ends' which is on www.bellosagir.blogspot.com?

Paki: Very Educative.

LNE: What is your final word?

Paki: Don't limit your selves to limitation cherio, sky is our limit.

LNE: Thank you Mr. President!

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI- Bello Sagir

I feel compelled to write to you, your excellency, in order to bring to your notice a camouflaged corruption in this country, particularly at this part of the year which is high time for its perpetrators. This corruption leads to what, when observed critically, is the mother of all corruptions in Nigeria. These are Miracle Centers which leads to exam malpractice.

A Miracle Center is an exam center where even the dullest of students is guaranteed to pass with 'flying colours'! It's a very lucrative venture that enriches instantly. This attracts more people to invest in it on an alarming rate. The centers are established in all the main cities across the country. They register students who are desperate to pass WAEC, NECO, JAMB, and what not. Their patronizers are mostly the children of the elites, and those who have been sitting for the said exams over and over again without success. Among them are students who have attended JSS one to SS two at their respective private schools, but ironically lost confidence of making success at once at the schools. There are also students who lost confidence in public schools who also go for the Miracle Centers. Sir, a couple of years back when Bayero University Kano (BUK) offered admission for me to read LLB, and I couldn't make it in my WAEC, I contacted one of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of such Miracle Centers who was among the front runners in the business in the state. I was there for an inquiry. When I asked him what compensation would await their registered student who failed their exam. He replied to me out of disappointment that, they didn't think of failure in their center, as success is always guaranteed! He went further to tell me the number of courses to pass and the kind of grades desired are negotiable. The higher the number or grades the higher the charge. Despite my passionate long existing ambition to became a lawyer and to qualify as a Law student, I must present a WAEC with a minimum of six credits including Maths, English and Literature in English to the screening committee of BUK, I couldn't succumb to the Miracle Center boss. To validate the saying: 'A friend in need, is a friend indeed', my good friend offered to help and connect me with another Miracle Center boss at the host state of NECO: Niger, who demanded a huge pay for his service, because it seemed his center was even more miraculous than the earlier one. 'Pay today and get any result you want tomorrow!' will serve as the best motto for the boss. I sent the two third of the money. But on the very day, just few hours before the delivery of my miraculous result, I changed my mind and demanded that he refund me. He did so. I was astonished, but later learned that there must be the influence of the go between in the refunding. Had I didn't refuse to sing the song of corruption, I would have become a Lawyer by now or about to be, but with a forged result, courtesy of the Miracle Center. Imagine the kind of lawyer I would have been or about to be. The Niger based center is indeed more miraculous than miracle as they took all precautions to block all the gateways for tracing the forgery. The boss, to calm me down, reassured to me that they have being in the business for quite many years with no record of issues with the security agencies and the court.

Your excellency, these Miracle Centers promote different forms of corruption. For instance, they do not become content with the unbelievably high sum paid, but they keep extorting money from their customers from the day of registration up to the day of collection of result until they milk their customers dry! Some female candidates get waivers or free registration after they battered their body. Above all, Miracle Centers promote exam malpractice which is the mother of all corruptions, when looked critically. Candidates that can cheat, will, or to be mild, can cheat public treasury, because they claim the knowledge they don't legitimately possess. This is similar to how some government officials claim the money they steal from public treasury. Such culprits extend the malpractice to universities, and if not caught, graduate, claiming the knowledge they don't possess at all. At the end, they become teachers teaching little or nothing to students, or engineers/architects designing and building week structures that suffer premature collapse which swallows lives and wealth, or doctors that becomes dangerous to the life of the patients, etcetera.

Educationally, Miracle Centers diminishes the past glory of learning in the country, especially at secondary schools level: most students don't mind to concentrate on their studies, for there exist a Miracle Centers at their disposal. Some of them use their study time to watch football and argue about it, some take drugs, or chat or play games or watch movies or sit at hangouts gossiping and planing evils. Others use such time to disturb the public or go to clubs etcetera. Students get the impression that, knowledge shouldn't be learned but rather be bought. It is also part of the disadvantages of Miracle Centers that it earns disrespect to teachers and teaching thereby relegating education to the background. 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.' - Nelson Mandela'. If this quote along other points mentioned above are anything to go by, then it can be concluded that, Miracle Centers are no. 1 killer of education in Nigeria! These centers' bosses, who are at the same time the proprietors, as it's the norm in our society these days, are valued and respected in a way that some universities, emirate councils and NGOs in the country honour and crown them with honourary Doctorate degrees, chieftanicy titles and awards. What a misplaced honour! I think if only the corrupts are honoured in Nigeria, corruption is redefined as legal and moral. I think this suggests that the unsung heroes in our localities are not worthy of such honour because they are free from corrupt wealth to bribe and buy such honour. I think the case is not the same in America and in other developed countries that we always claim to emulate and therefore aspire to be like them. I think the society should desist from according respect to such corrupt people, for that is an encouragement to them: essentially, once honour is accorded not to whom it deserves, the society then begin to perish, for instance, the way, according to some people, Nigeria begins to perish now.

Your excellency, These centers, going by the way the parents regularly pay for the registration of their children and encourage them to cooperate to the centers, the illegality is reshaped to be legality or to be mildly, condonable crime. To accomplish a true success in your anti corruption crusade, Miracle Centers in Nigeria should cease to exist: your excellency, canceal and replace them with guidance and counseling centers all over the country to be manned by experienced teachers and lecturers. Let these centers be organizing series of enlightenment lectures to all secondary schools graduating students before WAEC/NECO and JAMB registration commence, with the intent of curbing the menace of exam malpractice. Let them also use conventional and social media to campaign against the menace. More so, religious and traditional leaders should be involved.

It's high time EFCC and ICPC turned their direction to 'Miracle Centers', for they are the number one killer of education in Nigeria because I believe, they are not above the law, especially in your administration that belong to everybody and belong to nobody!

Bello Sagir writes from Kano
08132518714/belsagimyahoo.com.

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(C) Bello Sagir 2017.