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COI P4C A SOLID BASE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Nigeria has grown old enough to be faced with the challenge of the option of either to rise to the challenge of building a new society, a new civilization, or to slide into chaos of interethnic suspicion and rivalry. The task of rebuilding does not however take place in a vacuum. It requires an understandable approach of what we call Democracy. Thanks today for synergy system of leadership that parents and citizenry with range of alternative to make up for lost ground. To keep abreast with current happenings in this world and the world outside him. So for us as a people to be political and democratically up-to date, we must embrace COIP4C as a functional educational paradigm that will move us far into the world. This research therefore was carried out in five phases in chapter one which housed the introduction, emphasis was on the background and the point of inquiry where the reason for carry out this research was highlighted. Chapter two defined and clarified some of the COIP4C values that used in the research work. Similarly, chapter three is the exposition of the point of inquiry problems especially as nascent democracy –in Nigeria. Chapter four highlighted the solution to these problems using COIP4C. In rounding up the research chapter five concluded by analyzing all that was done mention was made of the implications of the findings as well as recommendations. There was also a limitation of the study and suggestions for further studies.            

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR POINT OF INQUIRY PROBLEM.

The year 1914 remains a reference point in the history of the people living in Nigeria as it is presently constituted. For administrative and other reasons the British decided to install a centralized administration which entailed the unification of Northern and southern populations. This was the dawn of what has come to be called amalgamation. The term amalgamation, as well as the reality of it, means lots of things to different people. In 2014, Nigeria became 100 years of existence but hundred is just number. One question is whether what called Nigeria and amalgamation has really achieved its main aim. Has the essence of this amalgamation been achieved, if not what is the remedy? The blessed country of Nigeria, of course contained several people whose right to consider themselves as nations, even with the narrowest meaning of the term was obvious to anyone who had thought about the matter.

As far as Nigeria sustainable democracy is to be achieved we must try to keep behind the type of education bequeathed to us by our colonial masters. The British came and faulted every aspect of our life including our social  political economic and educational system which is ingenious to us only to replace it with their own  idea based on the problem they own back home.

British system of education is pedagogically oriented. When you look at their educational propositions, they would seen very laudable and commendable in intent but we are living witnesses that they abysmally fall short of the needs of our people. They came to do business and not necessarily to teach us a better way to solve our problems.

Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Stan Anih said it severally that there is nothing like transplantation of technology. We should brace up to our problem and seek indigenous solution to them. The British educational system which is pedagogy has not equipped us with all the necessary values to refer to the past, compare with the present and plan for the future. The whole idea and aim have been a process of remedial instead of redesign, a camouflage, a charade, a cosmetic extrapolation.

We are witnesses to the incredibly harsh stark realities of innumerable Nigerians young and old, men and women who are though real and unique human beings they find themselves suffocating and smouldering under the intolerable situation of academic bankruptcy and intellectual blackout due to the putative academic activities going on in our schools. Our students in Nigeria are made to go through dysfunctional programmes which end up manipulating and dehumanizing them, thereby making them yahoos and deluded youngsters that grow into valueless adults.

The educative process of the feudal Lords and the absolutizing norms of our academic administrators have negated the lofty values of democratic principles of our age in Nigeria. The outcome is being witnessed in all spheres of our national life. Let us x-ray the educational sector where the lecturers are exploiting the students with the sale of handouts and sorting is now the order of the day. Today many Nigerians graduates find it difficult to communicate in simple English neither could they solve their day to day problems. In the banking industry, we have recorded more failed banks than any other African country. As the sixth largest oil producing nation in the whole world we are still importing refined petroleum products. Our political area is a sorry site. As at the last count, more than six elected governors have their mandate mollified by the electoral tribunal for rigging their way to office. We have been rated as one of the most corrupt nation in the world.

We are therefore compelled to believe that these problems stems from the type of education we received which is completely bereft of the most relevant existential values for survival in the post modem epoch of our time which is thinking that makes for reasonableness in this our society that is devoid of meaning. The education processes which build analytical and creative ralencies which have saturated many parts of the world seem to be mysteries for us Nigeria. Any educative system that is strongly logical, reasonable or saturated with relevant philosophical values are quasi-absent in the educative curricula of various levels of our schools.

As witness to the outcome of lack of educative process that seek for meaning, the question  being asked is must we continue to do thing our old way even when the outcome  is not paratable? Are we going to continue to educate our people using educational stance with outcome that is worse than the situation of an epidemic we need to move from academic tragedy to rational transcendence to save our nascent democracy from collapse.

1.2     POINT OF INQUIRY/STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.

When we read from the national dailies or listen to the news from the television about the catalogue of woes resulting from violence and killings that are politically masterminded, you will spare a though to ask what type of democracy are we selling to the world. Is democracy synonymous with bloodshed, assassinations and political thuggery? Why is our practise of democracy devoid critical and caring thinking? Is the same practice with other part of the world? Why is ours different? Is it not the some democracy?

As we peep into the problem of Nigerian democracy, we are certain that most of these problems emanate from our educative process that is neck-deep is pedagogy. For our democracy to be global and to be seen in line with what is obtainable in the global world there would be need to give the Nigerian person education that is communitarian, participatory as well as collaborative that easily communicate human values and that are rich in community of Inquiry philosophy for children.

We don’t need prophets to tell us that all these ugly sides of our democracy are coming due to our reliance on one–man–show concept of education operant in our schools which has made us look foolish as a fool is one who speaks more authoritatively and dogmatically with a tone of expertise in a domain where he is actually ignorant, a fool claims the status of a consultant when he is only a quack. A case in point is that of madam speaker Etteh of the House of Representatives that spent millions of tax payer’s money to renovate her official quilters when many Nigerians are living in abject poverty.  

The unfortunate atmosphere of shriveling economy in Nigeria does not arise out of depression in the “quantum” of innumerable mineral resources and natural gifts of the country but arose from the self-inflicted poverty of low spirited narrow mindedness, selfishness, bigotry and anti-ecumenical economic theory of some of our compatriots who negate human rights due to their previous type of education that is pedagogue.

We must change out thinking and turn to authentic democratic education of community of inquiry that will give us ecumenically oriented politico-religious actinide required in this age.

1.3     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The importance of the study is not farfetched when you consider that our country is not moving forward. Forty-eight years after our independence why are we still dependent. Today we import virtually every of our consumables. The pain is that we have been so blessed by God, but see what our education is doing to our people.

This study was to identify most of the problems which rightly are traceable to pedagogical slant of education operant in our nation. Most persons within our society are constantly being exhausted by pedagogy as a learning process and because of the failure of the system to proffer solution to the variety of problems facing resort to all sort of desperation which led them to criminality.

But with the introduction of community of inquiring philosophy for children (COIP4C) which is learner friendly I think with the empowerment that go with it especially in the upliftment of their reasoning skills most of the gap with be filled and our people will become reasonable in a meaningless world of Nigeria.           

1.4     SCOPE OR DELIMITATIONS.

Ordinarily there is no limit to how for this study should go because by nature every Nigeria should be politically conscious and aware. But due to certain exigencies I have limited the scope of this wonderful work to educational planners, educational secretaries, school proprietors, local government authorities and political conscious Nigerians within Enugu and environs.

When resources improve the work would then be extended to other parts of the world via internet.

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