NAVIGATING THE NATION THROUGH TODAY’S SHAME TO TOMORROW’S FAME: SOCIAL STUDIES AS PILOT, A Love Song to My Husband and the New Nigeria, 17TH IN THE SE
Copyright 2009 Delta State University, Abraka All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or by any means, Photocopying, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright owners. ISBN 978 – 33872 – 7 – 4 Published February, 2009 By DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY, ABRAKA, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA. Printed By Justice Jeco Press and Publishers Ltd., Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. PROLOGUE/PREFACE
And he said: “marry me, May!” ‘I do no such thing: marry no ‘teacher’ said May Dreg of Professions: the teacher – disqualified Yet, most telling, lingering voice from the classroom!- qualified This teacher now processed, is professor, prophet and priest. Palm oil, the broom and sponge, banga soup – processed palm Through fire, through water, the sharp blade, agents of decay – processed As kero, diesel, petrol, cream, jelly, this balm – processed crude Emman Osakwe, processed teacher, a voice heard beyond Beyond the rostrum to the nations. Processed through pain, deprivation, denial, derided then, Today’s lecturer mounts the rostrum, behold he comes: My husband, my principal, mon pére Processed through fire, through waters, denied his due This principal teacher of teachers of teachers Is a teacher, teaching teachers of teachers of teachers. Promotion to peak denied for ten years! My co-parent, persevering through the years! Like diamond; processed from carbon, my patient prince and peace maker This principal teacher loaded with knowledge: Intellectual and divine, has a message: Nigeria is processing through shame – Shame of corruption, of grave-like greed! Shame of maladministration and misrule Misrule, yielding tall poverty from giant opulence Shame of monumental wastage of resources Shame of wickedness and religious godlessness Processing through shame to our desired fame: Our famous fatherland, yes our motherland; Land of my birth, land of my pain, land of my shame Land of your birth, land of your pain, land of your shame Dependent too long after independence, fragile like the eaglet For this fragile eaglet, ready to fall, unable to fly, Will become the great eagle in flight Famous bird; not to fly but to soar – Land of my birth, land of your birth, land of our birth Land of my fame, land of your fame, land of our fame – Nigeria is your name!
Chair, English Language Delta State University, Abraka COURTESIES The Vice-Chancellor, The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Admin.) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) The Provosts, Asaba and Oleh Campuses, The Acting Registrar, The Bursar, The University Librarian, The Provost, College of Health Sciences, Dean, Faculty of Education, Deans of Other Faculties, Professors and other members of Senate, Heads of Department and other academic Colleagues, Members of Administrative and Technical Staff, My Lords Spiritual and Temporal, Members of my family, Nuclear and Extended, My In-laws, Distinguished Invited Guests, Gentlemen of the Press, Great DELSUITES, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I feel highly honoured and priviledged to be called upon to deliver the 17th Inaugural Lecture of the Delta State University, Abraka. I thank God for granting us journey mercies to this gathering and I believe He will take all of us home safely in Jesus Name – Amen. Did you buy and read today’s papers? How many mind bugging and gory stories? What is the latest on militancy and criminality in the Niger Delta? How painful! You may try to take your mind off those depressive issues and feed your mind with the Obama big dream come true and so will ours. Yes, welcome to this forum! To this God given opportunity for us to reflect and discuss social issues akin to those raised earlier in this welcome tip. Sorry to tell you though that I have the monopoly of the floor in this discussion that is why it is called a lecture. But release your mind to travel along, as Social Studies pilots our navigation, through today’s shame to tomorrow’s fame.
The first thing to give attention to is the nature and purpose of Social Studies and how it serves as a vehicle for responding to issues of our time. Succinctly put, Social Studies is about learning to live and participate in this world, at a particular time and place; hence we have the formula: SSE = PSpt P = People S = Society P = place t = time This lecture being an indepth discourse on an aspect of my academic expertise, and my contribution to social studies as a field of knowledge, will be guided by the SSE formula as stated and the nature of Social Studies. Here then, P means The Nigerian People; S means The Nigerian Society; p means The geographical entity called Nigeria and t means Nigeria yesterday today and tomorrow. In this lecture, Nigeria yesterday implies pre-colonial Nigeria to the era before the 2nd Republic, while Nigeria today spans the period 2nd Republic to date. We recognize that this audience is not only interdiscipl