Reflections 2.0

This excerpt is taken from chapter 59 of the Guanzi, a book on statecraft by legalist philosopher Guan Zhong. It is one of the earliest discussions of education in China.

From Guanzi

“Duties of the Student”

Attributed to Guan Zhong

The teacher presents his teachings; students take them as their standards.
By being docile and reverential, and keeping their minds completely open, their learning is maximized.
On seeing goodness, they follow it; on hearing of righteousness, they submit to it.
Docile and compliant, filial and respectful toward their elders, they never display arrogance or resort to physical force.
Never false or depraved in purpose, their conduct is certain to be correct and straightforward.
Observing constant standards whether abroad or at home, they are certain to seek out those who are virtuous.
Their features being well composed, their inner thoughts are certain to be exemplary in their correctness.
Though they awaken early and go to bed late, their dress is certain to be tidy.
Mornings being devoted to enhancing their learning and evenings to practicing what they have learned, they are ever cautious of doing anything wrong.
Being ever diligent in concentrating on these things, such are the standards for study.

Young students in rendering service are late to bed and early to rise.
When sweeping the floor in front of the teaching mat, washing their hands, and rinsing their mouths, they conduct themselves in a respectful manner.
Once they have finished dressing and prepared the wash-basin for the teacher, he also rises.
When he has completed his toilet, the students remove the basin, sprinkle and sweep the floor, and adjust the teacher’s mat.
The teacher then seats himself, and the students in going out or coming in are as respectful as if they were greeting guests.
They sit in a dignified manner facing the master, their features composed and never changing.

For receiving instruction, there are guidelines:
The eldest student must come first.
The first time around, it is like this, but thereafter it is not.
The first time students recite their lessons, they must stand, but thereafter they do not.
If a student arrives late, his fellow students on either side will stand.
Should there appear a guest,
A student will immediately arise.
Since a guest cannot be denied,
The student will welcome him and hurry to carry out his wishes,
Rushing to the teacher for instruction.
Even though the person the guest seeks is not there, the student will still report back to him.
He then returns to his seat and resumes his studies.
If a student has a question,
He will raise his hand to ask it.
When the master leaves, everyone stands.
In his every word and action, the student takes moderation as his guide.
Those who were to flourish in the past were certain to begin like this.

At mealtimes, when the teacher is about to eat, a student prepares food for him.
Having pulled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and rinsed his mouth, the server then kneels down to present the food.
When the sauces, grain, and various dishes are set forth, it must be done in an orderly fashion.
Vegetable stews are served before dishes of fowl, meat, fish, or turtle.
Both the stews and sliced meat dishes are placed in the middle but kept separate.
Meat dishes having been placed in front of the sauces, the entire setting forms a square.
The grain is served last; on the left is the wine, on the right is the soy.
Having reported that everything is ready, the student withdraws and, cupping his hands before him in obeisance, stands to one side.
The normal meal consists of three servings of grain and two dippers of wine,
The student holds in his left hand a pottery serving dish, in his right chopsticks or a ladle.
He refills the various dishes in order as soon as he sees they are becoming empty.
If two dishes become empty at the same time, he refills them in the order they were originally served.
Having refilled all the dishes, he begins the cycle again.
Since his serving implement has a foot-long handle, he does not need to kneel. Such are the guidelines for making refills.

When the teacher has finished eating, the student clears everything away,
And hastens to bring in a basin for the teacher to rinse his mouth, sweeps the floor in front of the mat, and gathers together the sacrificial utensils.
Once the teacher gives the order, the students then begin their meal.
They arrange themselves properly according to age, and are certain to sit at the very front of the mat.
Grain must be picked up and eaten with the fingers, but stews are not eaten with the hands.
It is permissible for them to rest their hands on their knees, but not to lean on their elbows.
Having eaten to the full, they should cup their hands and touch the edges of their mouths to see if any food particles remain there,
Shake their skirts to get rid of any food crumbs, brush them off the mat, and having completed their meal, rise from their places.
Gathering up their clothing, they step down from the mat and turn to face it.
Each person then clears away the remains of his food as though he were a guest.
Having cleared the food, they put away the utensils,
And then return to their positions before the mat.

Whenever sweeping the floor in front of the teaching mat, students should use the following method:
They should fill a basin with water and roll up their sleeves to the elbow.
In a large hall, they may sprinkle the water by tossing it widely about; in a small room, they should sprinkle by taking only a little in their hands.
When holding the dustpan, the tongue should be pointed toward the sweeper; in the middle is placed the broom.
The sweeper, on entering the door, stands for a while to make sure his demeanor is without fault.
He holds the broom in his hand, and lowers the dustpan, leaning it against the doorjamb.
For sweeping in front of the teaching mat, there are guidelines:
The sweeper must begin with the southwest corner;
Moving back and forth with his back bent in the shape of a bent chime,
He makes certain that he does not knock into anything;
From the front of the room, he works backward,
Collecting the dirt just inside the door.
Then squatting down, he gathers up the dirt by pushing it into the dustpan with his hand.
He points the tongue of the dustpan toward himself and places the broom across it.
Should the teacher rise from his place on the mat, the sweeper will straighten up and excuse himself.
Then, after squatting down to grasp the dustpan and broom, he reassumes a standing position and proceeds to remove them.
Having finished with his sweeping, the sweeper then returns to his position—this all being in accord with the object of his studies.

During the evening meal, the students repeat the morning’s ritual.
At dusk they light the torches, in each corner sitting and holding them.
The method for placing the faggots is to lay them crosswise to the torch holder’s sitting position.
When the torch has burned down to an appropriate length, he lights a new one by pacing it at right angles to the old one like a carpenter’s square.
He leaves a faggot’s width between them, the one that is already burning being just below the one being lit.
At the same time he holds up a basin to catch falling embers.
Then with his right hand grasping the old torch,
He trims the burning end with his left, but should any embers be about to drop, another student will replace him in holding the torch.
When exchanging seats, students must not turn their backs on those who hold positions of honor.
Subsequently, the burned ends are taken out and discarded.

When the teacher is about to retire, the students all stand.
They respectfully present him with his pillow and mat, and ask him where he would like to place his feet.
The first time they arrange his sleeping mat, they request this information, but once the pattern has been established, they do not.
After the teacher has retired, each student seeks out his friends;
Dissecting and polishing,
Each one strengthens his arguments.
The day’s routine having been completed, the next day it begins anew.
Such are the guidelines for students.

Translated by W. Allyn Rickett.

Source: Victor Mair, ed. The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

How many schools are in Nigeria?

How many students are enrolled?

How many schools provide learning opportunities?

What is the distribution?

What is the national ratio of teachers to students—qualified teachers? Who monitors teacher training and teachers’ continuing education?

The question could go on…but besides the obvious fact that these questions points at the national plague of poor record keeping in the public sector and the gross unavailability of accurate statistics, the questions are prompted by the seeming incapacity of mass education in this country.

My experiences are varied, but my recent interactions –for close to 8 months—with two categories of young people have constantly shocked me and prompted the questions above as well as many others. One group of young people are at the prime of their secondary education and besides their seeming disregard and disrespect for simple rules exhibit great intellectual poverty that I wonder if they had any education prior and given the way they conduct themselves I fear for our collective future.

The other group are in the prime of youth, they pride themselves to have successfully undertaken higher education…but quite honestly do not exhibit any quality of one who has excelled in learning and character…they show total disregard for positive values, threatening to beat up those with immediate authorities over the and passing sneer comments etc. They know too well that English is the official language here in Nigeria but besides the pidgin version of the language or the more rhythmic waffi version, they cannot make correct simple statements…then one wonders if they received instructions for their degrees in English or waffi.

The government claims to have expended so much on the educational sector. But I ask is she satisfied with the results? Is there even a performance monitoring system in place to map spending and investment in education to products or results obtained? Is the continued apparent disregard for lack of results (and lack of necessary input) into education the way to go?

I have always advocated private initiatives and believe non-profit and private sector involvements in education can bring about enormous improvements in that sector –remember NITEL failed and still does in providing telecom services which the private sector has shown not to be simpler than the science of rockets), but the truth remains only government have the capacity to bring about massive improvement in the necessary proportions in the country.

I pray those saddled with the responsibility of administering the ailing education sector will seat up and stop this mass in-education, rather collaborate with stakeholders to bring about a system that truly empowers the future of this great Nation!

I believe Nigeria will be great again. Do you? Do you not?  

He should be tired by now. It’s been a long 21 months of hard work (you can capitalize and underline that) and even though the strength you draw from speaking with a crowd of over 120,000 can be intoxicating, it’s already 11:30pm in his time zone and it will be a long day tomorrow — not with the thousands of names and roles that need to be sorted out.

At exactly 5am Nigerian time (GMT + 1) today, Barack Obama was declared the winner of the US elections — following one of the most interesting series of events (from the primaries through to election day) that literally caught the world on the edge of its seat. When he announced his candidacy, many laughed off the ambition of the skinny guy with a funny name, some admired his courage but wished he could wait for his own time and others simply told him what many of us have been told: don’t disgrace yourself. Now, after an almost impossible process that will be the subject of near-eternal analysis, that one is the leader of the free world.

As the fine words eased their way through his lips, my phone rang a number of times. Odd hours, yes, but there were many who stayed awake to watch the turn of events as the voice of the people was being interpreted through the votes of millions who despised the odds to support change. It’s the first time a man of colour will be president in the United States but that’s not the major attraction (even though no one can deny its historic significance). Yes, his success in this venture will help many truly believe that dreams do come true, including those eloquently expressed by a King who once had a dream. One of the text messages referred to the possibility of tears in the eyes of Rev. King but even if it’s tough to picture tears in the eyes of the dead, it won’t be difficult to imagine how his voice would have expressed the words: “Yes, we can!” Actually, he would now say, “Yes, we have!”

The major attractions here are the many lessons that this beautiful story (third in the series after Dreams of My Father and The Audacity of Hope) teaches the individual, developing nations and the world at large. It should now be a taboo for anyone to laugh at another person who dares to express their hope to become something greater than themselves — even if their name, background, experience or your assessment offer them no hope. It should also be a thing of shame for any African leader to offer up excuses that good leadership is far from those who are blessed with a certain skin colour. Born to a Kenyan father and discouraged by those who should be his mentors, Barry showcased an example in working deliberately towards set objectives. But as he said during his speech almost half an hour ago, the true winners are the people. Now, that is a direct challenge to the citizens of Nigeria and other nations where we have almost left elections to those who try to scare us away from the process.

Young Africans followed this election with so much passion. Many disagreed on the choice of candidates in elections that would not accept our opinion, but shall we shy away from that with possible outcomes that can shape our future? Ghana goes to the polls in December and many others (South Africa, etc) are waiting for 2009. Can young professionals shed the garment of apathy and decide to get involved? There would have been no President-Elect Obama if those who voted assumed that he was going against too powerful a machinery during the primaries, or if they returned home on election day because the queues were long. Many will spend much of today looking many times over at the same document (for lack of sleep) and the Kenyan government has declared a public holiday for Thursday. Will we see this same passion translated into citizen participation and possible contribution to the development of the land whose song we sing?

Congratulations, Barack, and all the best with the huge work ahead of you! For the rest of us, we have found inspiration to aim for any heights and we have seen the power of the seeming minority that refuse to stay away from a process that could tip the scale for them — and for generations ahead. It’s the day after Barack, let’s ride the wings of change here at home too.

Originally posted here

President-elect Barack Obama spoke to the world from his home city of Chicago as he became the first black president of the United States. Here is the full text of his victory speech:

“Hello, Chicago.

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

“It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

“It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled, Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

“We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

“It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

“It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment, change has come to America.

“A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.

“Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

“I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor (Sarah) Palin for all that they’ve achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

“I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

“And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next first lady Michelle Obama.

“Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the new White House.

“And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

“To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.

“And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best - the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

“To my chief strategist David Axelrod who’s been a partner with me every step of the way. To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics, you made this happen and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

“But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

“I was never the likeliest candidate for this office.

“We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements.

“Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

“It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give 5 and 10 and 20 to the cause.

“It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

“It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organised and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

“This is your victory.

“And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me.

“You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

“Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

“There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education.

“There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

“I promise you, we as a people will get there.

“There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can’t solve every problem.

“But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

“What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

“This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

“It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

“Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

“In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

“Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

“Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

“As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

“And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

“And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

“To those - to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

“That’s the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

“This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

“She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the colour of her skin.

“And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

“At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

“When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

“When the bombs fell on our harbour and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

“She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that ‘We Shall Overcome’. Yes we can.

“A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

“And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

“Yes we can.

“America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

“This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

“This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

“Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.”

Source: The Independent, UK

Originally posted here.

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the US. It stretches for 1.825km over the East River, connecting the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn on Long Island. On completion, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and the first steel-wire suspension bridge. Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915.  The Brooklyn Bridge has 6 lanes, and is sheduled for it’s first rehabilitation exercise in 2009. Since its opening, it has become an iconic part of the New York skyline. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.

While many bridges built around the same time have collapsed and crumbled, the Brooklyn Bridge still stands tall and strong, upholding one of the rarest of human values required for achievement. This bridge is not just a bridge, it’s a bridge with touching lessons, it’s the hallmark of one man’s determination and indomitable spirit, a tribute to one woman’s love and devotion, and a story of team work and faith by the Engineers that constructed it. The same world that said it can’t be done, celebrated it. What has the world shown you can’t be done?

In 1870, a creative engineer named John Roebling got inspired to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. Bridge building experts world over however told him that his idea was impossible. They told him it wasn’t practical and it couldn’t be done. They adviced him to forget it. Roebling however could not ignore the vision he had in mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time, and knew in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with the right person.

Thoughts: Remember, novices built the ark, and experts built the titanic. The real motivation for doing what you want to do shouldn’t be what people said. Everything in the world today started as an idea, even you. When an idea is yours, it’s bugging. Atimes we let it just slip away and die, atimes we rise to the challenge. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to do this?”. If it resonnates with a deep why, and you know in your heart it can be done, go for it!

He shared this idea with his son Washington who was an upcoming Engineer. He managed to persuade him that it could be done, and together, they started this project. Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

Thoughts:

1. All you need to get going on your dream, is the right patnership, the right friend, the right ally, the right colleagues. Ideas divide in the presence of the wrong person, and multiplies in the presence of the right people. If you idea keeps getting weaker when you discuss it, you are talking to dream killers.

2. All dreams have their set backs. Every journey it’s bus-stops, junctions or roundabouts. Sometimes they are mere setbacks, in rare occassions, the visioneer dies. This is the highest form of setback that can ever happen to any dream - the demise of the dreamer. How bad is your setback?

The accident made the headliines of private discussions - “We told them it couldn’t be done, it’s foolish to chase crazy visions, this useless project cost them their lives”. Tongues wagged. Nonetheless, what had happened was not sufficient to dissuade Washington from achieving the objectives they had set out to achieve. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment. It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

Thoughts: Where there is a will, there is always a way. Ways cease when wills die. It may require fresh thinking, it may require a fresh breath of inspiration from God, but once the will to succeed exists, a way can always be created. With his back on the bed, unable to talk or walk, this man used one finger to build a 1.8km bridge.

Washington tapped his wife’s arm and the project began. The wife had to learn non verbal communication, learn some engineering and painstakingly understand and translate what the husband was communicating to the on-site engineers.

For 13yrs, his wife, Emily took tapped out instructions from her husbands functional finger, until the bridge was completed. When the bridge was completed, she was the first person to ever cross the bridge. Against the highest odds ever stacked against any known project, the world’s possibly strongest and long standing suspension bridge was built, by wills of steel, an indomitable spirit, a wifes love and devotion, a teams unity and faith and loads of patience, determination and perseverance.

Thoughts: Armed with words, we find it difficult to communicate effectively with one another, this woman took instructions with finger tapping, from a near commatose husband. It didn’t happen in 3 weeks, it took 13yrs and they must have had all sorts of setbacks, but they completed the project. Analysis of this project shows, that the bidge was designed to be six times stronger than was required. Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

My Commitment to Development especially in rural communities came to the fore when last weekend I held two Stand Up and Take Action events I tagged ENGAGE I and II.

Both events held in Minna the capital city of the Niger state and the home of the Federal University of Technology, Minna. Both events were planned to inform young people of the MDGs, the journey so far and what we as a nation must do to for these set of goals which many has rightfully described as minimum developmental goals must be achieved on or before the agreed deadline of 2015, but also ensure we surpass them in the years following the deadline.

At both meetings young people were charged to contribute their best to the development of their immediate community and encourage their friends, peers and allies to do same because this way and this way only can we gradually but eventually spread development across the geography of our nation.
Having identified that Governments control the most resources and can be the most effective in initiating, sustaining and ensuring the development of any country, state r people and bearing in Mind that they were our representatives who dreamed up and accented to the MDGs in 2000, young people signed a petition asking our leaders to commit to the MDGs and ensure they are achieved by the target dates. Participants also pledged their support to their leaders in actualising the MDGs.

For me it was a wholesome experience as I saw young people enthusiastically pick interest in the MDGs (some were obviously hearing for the first time about these goals) and resolving to reach out to their communities contributing several man hours in the areas of their expertise to the development of their people.

Though numbers fell short of my anticipations, I was quite fulfilled that those who participated each event returned to their various homes with a quite resolve to make the world better. I have commenced plans for follow up events that will keep attendees fired up for a long time thus ensure they act out their commitment while I also continue to use resources at my disposal to ensure many more commit to the collective tasks of achieving the goals.

Oluwakorede Asuni,
Oluwakorede Asuni is an author, a Youth Empowerment Advocate, he lives in Minna where he is currently completing a one year national youth service. He believes in the resourcefulness of young people and notes that if properly guided they can make the much needed difference between where we are and where we want to be.
He is very optimistic about of the future!
____
Links to my events on the Stand Against poverty website:
Engage I: http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/en/node/894
Engage II: http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/en/node/3185

See pictures from the events below:

ENGAGE is a 30 minute event that will incoporate:

A short lecture on the MDGs: by Mr. Oluwakorede Asuni, focusing on the History of the MDGs, local accomplishments in Nigeria, and what we will benefit if the MDGs are achieved.

A video showing extreme poverty

Circulation of a leaflet highlighting and advocating the attainments of the goals. This document will be written in English, Hausa, Gwari and Nupe —the last three being the local languages of the community.

Collection of 500 or more signatures of participats for a petition asking all stakeholders — Federal Government of Nigeria, Niger State Government, Local Government, Local Education Authority etc.—to work hard and accomplish the gooals on time.

Event Goal: Is to obtain 500 signatures or more of young people who want their leaders to commit to achieving the MDGs, on or before the deadline.

Date of Event:  Oct 17 2008 10:20am - 11:00am

Event Host Organization: I (Oluwakorede Asuni) am hosting this event with moral and organisational support from:  Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO), Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA), International Young Proffessionals Foundation (IYPF) — all of whom I have enjoyed affiliations with over the last 12 -36 months.

Originally posted in Ejowewe

We all know now that’s a winning line :). Over the past year and a half, the phrase has been sounded by a single man as a message of change, of hope rising… Last Tuesday we saw that hope begin to take on the semblance of reality, as Senator Barack Obama became the first African-American in history to lead a U.S. major-party ticket when he claimed the Presidential nomination for the Democratic Party. I’m happy for America. But this is entirely about Nigeria.
If you’re a Nigerian like me, how many times have you wished there was something you could do to change your country? Most of us are eager for change, but all too often that enthusiasm is quickly dampened by a feeling of helplessness over not being able to make a difference from where we are. Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) is a non-profit organisation that has refused to be bound by the limits and, as the name suggests, has consistently worked to create a new paradigm among Nigerians. Realising that the promise of Nigeria is in her people, PIN works with government, civil society, private institutions and international organisations to connect Nigerian youth with brighter futures via Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). For thousands of Nigerians, PIN’s work makes the difference between mediocrity and significance, between poverty and sufficiency, between destitution and hope. PIN’s objective is to change the future of Nigeria, one person at a time.

Since its days as an online network in 2001, PIN has successfully executed several projects, details of which can be found at www.pin.org.ng/old/index.php. More recently, PIN began a revolutionary project called Ajegunle.org (see www.ajegunle.org), a relay training programme in which young people from Ajegunle (yes, Ajegunle!) are empowered with ICT and entrepreneurial skills that will enable them break the cycle of poverty in which they’re enmeshed. Ajegunle.org has received tremendous media coverage and has been presented in various fora across the world (Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt, United Kingdom and Switzerland) as a case study on how ICTs can be used to aid development in under-served communities. For more insight into the success story of Ajegunle.org, please visit http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-14359 to watch a brief descriptive documentary courtesy of Nigeria International.

You can support the awesome work PIN is doing by making a financial contribution via debit or credit card at www.pin.org.ng. With the click of a button, you can begin to change Nigeria one life at a time. You can also make donations by cheque, if that’s a more convenient means for you. Please make all cheques payable to Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, and send to any one of the addresses below:

Friends of PIN UK
c/o Temilade Agbaje
Institute for Science and Society
Law and Social Sciences Building
University of Nottingham NG7 2RD
United Kingdom. If you prefer to pay by cash, please send an email stating your intention to laxta1@nottingham.ac.uk, and payment details will be sent to you.

As a Friend of PIN, I have witnessed first-hand lives being transformed for good through initiatives like Ajegunle.org. Working as a volunteer with the first set of Ajegunle youth in August 2007, I had the opportunity to catch a glimpse into the hopes and dreams of those young Nigerians. Speaking with them, I discovered they all had lofty ambitions buried deep within them; ambitions their circumstances had erstwhile forbidden them to pursue. The coming of Ajegunle.org re-ignited their buried dreams, causing them to dare to hope again, to believe that they can be whatever they want to be. A certain young man on the programme told me that he saw in me what he’s always wanted to be, and to this day I have the honour of being a mentor to him.

The Ajegunle.org experience made me realise that change in Nigeria against all odds is indeed possible. It made me realise that change in Nigeria against all odds depends on me. Can you be part of this change? Yes, you can. Will you be?

Originally penned on Thursday 5^th June, 2008

I returned to the classroom as a student earlier today- though I made an earlier return a few days back, as teacher at the Government Secondary School, Minna where I am carrying out my primary assignment as a Youth Corps member.

Now I have experienced firsthand what ‘Gbenga Sesan - one of mentors - felt when he had to return to the classroom in April at the Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

For me returning to the classroom nearly two years after I left it – as student - is a commitment to one of the prongs in my multiple prongs approach to improving self – body, soul and spirit. I resolved at the commencement of the National Youth Service Year for me to maximize the opportunities the period will afford and I have decided on the following:

Serve God: Really Return to the Roots. I should have taken a cue when in Januart ‘Gbenga, One of my mentors and the same mentioned above declared in a meeting January that this year was his year of returning to the roots, I had laughed and wished the best thinking to myself that I have all he is missing and do not need to go back to any roots or retrace any steps. Today however, everything around me points at the emptiness I feel deep within and the need for me to go back to God - seek him out, learn his ways again and put his valued principles to work again in my life - has become imminent. God please help me.

I honestly feel a void deep within and have lost appreciation for a lot of things for which I have had so much value in the past.

God, please, accept m back, I am a prodigal SON come home.

Serve others: I have decided to seize the opportunity of the service year to increase my service to my fellow man; thus the conception of the ICTs Schools Project (ICTsSP), a project designed to take ICTs to children in underserved communities with the goals of (1) creating a thirst for further ICTs knowledge amongst the children; (2) attract Government and donor agencies attention to the need for ICTs based activities at community levels and; (3) above all equipping people who otherwise would not have had the privileged to improve their livelihoods by plugging into the various opportunities ICTs afford.

Service is the whole essence of the NYSC, though largely abused in some quarters with some corps employers seeing the pool of corpers as cheap labour and treating them as such and most corps members seeing the whole program as a waste of time - boy I had a similar opinion until recently.

In serving others, I have resolved to carry work further on the Students’ Survival Kit project, which is a performance enhancement program for undergraduates in Nigerian universities and those willing to study in a Nigerian university (you can read more about the project here, here, and here)

Learn: yeah increase my knowledge base and improve my skill sets. I have itemised my areas of competence and interests and have resolved to improve on my competence by seeking formal education, learning and certification opportunities. While I will seek additional information on all areas of interests to in other to identify their consonance with my life’s goal; which can be simply summarised as: making meaning of life, for me and others.

ASPIRE: Articulate and actualise my aspirations and dreams. Stop the talk and start the walk

Thus far I have made considerable progress on the LEARN point by enrolling with Broad spectrum Synergies Ltd, an Abuja based training consultancy for an eight week formal training in Project Management based on PMI’s PMBOK guide and will prepare me for the certification process by the PMI. And that was the classroom I returned to today as a student.

I will give regular updates on my activities here and more specifically at www.oluwakoredeasuni.com/reflections

In a ThisDay newspaper report on September 26, 2007, Tim Akano wrote about Covenant University’s giant learning strides under the topic, “Nigeria: Covenant Varsity Produces Int’l Programmers & IT Experts.” The report celebrated “undergraduates of the university [who] qualified as International Sun Java Certified Programmers…” Please read the full report here. One shouldn’t be surprised at this when you look at the school’s mission as clearly articulated on its website: “To create knowledge and restore the dignity of the black man via a Human Development Total Man Concept driven curriculum employing innovative, leading edge teaching and learning methods, research and professional services that promote integrated, life–applicable, life-transforming education, relevant to the context of Science, Technology and Human Capacity Building.

Add these words of the school’s Chancellor, Dr. David Oyedepo, and you will understand why I was excited to speak to the school’s students on April 3 (see blog post here): “We are committed to producing a new generation of leaders who will positively impact their nations, the African continent and the world at large.” One more, the vision of the College of Science and Technology: “To produce a new generation of competent, skilled and innovative professionals who are able to pioneer excellence that translates into the good life for all Africans.” The Chancellor is not new to Nigerians, and the feat he accomplished with what has been severally described as the auditorium with the largest space in the world. As a professional architect and a man who has never been bound by the status quo, one is not surprised at the story that he insisted that the structure could be erected even though some people said it was impossible at the time.

The amazing things I know about the school and the Chancellor would explain my surprise the first time some students of the school told me that mobile phones were not allowed on campus. I put it off as a joke until I returned to the school earlier this week and spoke about how mobile phones had changed the world. “All of you in this hall now have mobile phones, which we never had while I was a student,” I said, adding that “… please make use of the opportunities you have to improve your lives.” The pin-drop silence that followed prompted me to ask if the joke was true. Their response shocked me, and I wonder why it has remained that way since the ban. The next day, three students of the school were at my place to discuss an innovative solution they came up with. I asked them about the ban and I want to believe that the reason they offered is another joke: “Mobile phones were banned in the school because of an encounter with a disobedient student whose phone went off during a meeting with the Chancellor, after many warnings.”

Disobedient students should be punished but should a whole school be taken back in time? I’ll apologize for that statement if someone tells me how else to explain being kept away from mobile phones that can help one reach family and friends — and even future business partners — in 2008! And we are talking about university-age students here. Come on! So, we can add Covenant University to the list of places where mobile phones can’t be used — alongside hospitals, banks (except GTBank), gas stations, airplanes, etc. This only reminds me again of how I was kept away from using a computer in my third year in secondary school. But that was even secondary school, this is a university — where you should connect young people with opportunities and not deny them in the name of control. I’m writing this as an angry young man whose daily job is to seek out innovative young Nigerians and support them in our collective bid to transform Nigeria into one of the world’s most desirable nations.

I have had many reasons to communicate with students in various schools across Nigeria, but each time I need to discuss with students of Covenant University, they always have to get permission to come and meet me in Lagos. I think that amounts to reversing time, in an age where mobile phones help with better communication. I will also take it that the stories of a campus-wide ban on personal laptops and controlled access (because someone was caught checking porn sites) are two April jokes! Students, parents, lecturers and everyone at Covenant University will need to do a lot to convince the world that the school’s vision is true, and that the words of the Chancellor are consistent with the school’s actions by lifting this ban now. I honestly think that one major question mark hanging over the vision of Covenant University is, “When will students be released from the bondage that has become evident because they can not use mobile phones in school?”

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‘Gbenga Sesan is an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, Nigeria’s first Information Technology Youth Ambassador and a member of the United Nations Committee of eLeaders on ICTs and Youth.