Home Tongdiret Communique
| |
Communique of Abuja 2000: Education, Leadership and
Development in the African World
The Abuja 2000: Education, Leadership and Development in the African World
was held from July 17 through 19, 2000 at Nicon Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria.
The Second International Conference and Training Seminar attracted people from
around the world. Participants include delegates from USA, Namibia, Cameroon,
the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria and other African
countries. The Speakers include: His Excellency Prince Abubakar Audu, Executive
Governor of Kogi State; His Excellency Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu'azu, Executive
Governor of Bauchi State; Senator Hajiya Khairat Abdul-Razaq Gwadabe; Professor
Chukuka Okonjo; Professor Samuel Aluko; Alhaji Saidu B. Samaila, Executive
Director of Inland Bank (Nig.) Plc.; Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Chairman/Managing
Director, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals (Nig.) Plc.; and several expert
presenters. The Speakers stressed the pressing need to solve the problems of
poverty and improve the quality of education and healthcare delivery programs.
The conference successfully addressed several issues afflicting the society.
In the final analysis, it was resolved that under:
A. EDUCATION
 |
Financing of education should not be the sole
responsibility of the public sector, but also private sector; |
 |
African Governments should ensure free mass
education at every level since a people without education cannot progress
meaningfully and the AIDS awareness efforts cannot be meaningfully addressed
with the present level of illiteracy; |
 |
All children of school age must be in school.
There must be a legislation on this; |
 |
Educational curriculum should be designed to
meet with the developmental needs of Africa; |
 |
Need for vocational schools in all local
government areas; |
 |
That technological education must have a place
of pride in the educational system for Africa to meet the challenges of the
new millennium; |
 |
Community-based studies should be encouraged; |
 |
For effectiveness of education, teachers should
be adequately compensated, trained and equipped with the right tools; |
 |
There should be innovation, new thinking, and
double-streaming and better use of facilities and available resources must
be maximized; and |
 |
Proper implementation and consistency in
education policy. |
B. LEADERSHIP
 |
Leaders should make time to reach out to the
grassroots to address their needs and concerns. They should be more focused
and the populace should show more understanding and exercise patience; |
 |
Public should respect the differences in
culture amongst the legislators and give democracy time with an
understanding that it is an insidious thing; |
 |
Change is required to evolve the country to a
new concept of democracy; and |
 |
African problems are imported problems and
should be addressed from an African perspective. |
C. DEVELOPMENT
 |
Government should create enabling, conducive
environment for foreign investors and the investors should identify backward
communities for development; |
 |
That our developmental and research institutes
should do more by looking into our problem and invest more in industries and
others to address the issue of unemployment; and |
 |
There should be a relationship between
graduation and employment. |
D. YOUTH
 |
That the proposed Nigeria Constitutional
Amendment/Review should look into nomenclature "youth" as
enshrined and amend the constitution to allow the youth from 25 years to be
eligible to vie for an elective post in Nigeria and Africa as a whole thus
incorporating the youth into decision-making; |
 |
That National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS)
be henceforth involve in issues that bothers on Nigerian youth and the media
in Africa should focus on issues that affect the youth. |
E. HIV/AIDS
 |
Government to help and support research and
development into HIV/AIDS vaccine; |
 | Government should fully activate the two
committees elected to address HIV/AIDS problems; |
 | Screening centers for HIV/AIDS in all local
governments; |
 | All workers in HIV/AIDS researches should be
encouraged. Those in scientific research and government should work in
harmony; |
 | Government should establish HIV/AIDS
Foundation through which NGOs can apply for funding; |
 | Centralize registration of NGOs; and |
 | To inculcate HIV/AIDS education into school
curriculum. |
F. AFRICA & INFORMATION
ISSUE & EDUCATION
 |
Government and all Africans should enhance
positive image of Africa in the eyes of the world. |
G. ACODI was advised
 | to involve the youth in information
dissemination as regards aims and objectives of the workshop that an action
group in the form of a follow-up be looked into decisively; and |
 | that ACODI should ensure the continuance of
workshops like this for youth and the leaders to rub mind and assess the
problems, analyze it and proffer meaningful solutions. |
|