One thing that binds politics, business and international relations together is the fact that there are no permanent friends or foes. The only thing permanent being interest. After Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi stepped down as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly in May 2007, he was forced into exile in Ghana as Obasanjo declared his winning of the Rivers State Primaries as having a ‘k-leg.’ The only person that stood by his side was Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike who was a former Chairman of Obio-Akpor local government. He mobilised funds and provided moral support to ensure Amaechi emerged victorious against all odds at the Elections Petitions Tribunal. As a reward he was appointed Chief of Staff.

The bane of our polity is the lack of an ideology. Wike was arrested by the EFCC for allegedly embezzling about 4.6 billion Naira. It made the headlines and then fizzled out – Nigerian style. Wike was appointed as Director-General of the Amaechi re-election campaign team and was sent to represent Abuja at the Federal Executive Council despite the alleged scandal hanging over his head like the Sword of Damocles and the substitution of the formidable Tonye Cole, CEO Sahara Group for him. He has been a thorn in Amaechi’s flesh ever since the powers that be decided to give the Governor of the oil rich state a hell of a time for being perceived to be a stumbling block to GEJ’s do-or-die second term bid.

It was bad enough that he was not fired with his boss in the cabinet shakeup; his terrible public image took a further nosedive when he said that the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities will last for a few more months.

It is no news that he has not shown any concern about the speedy resolution of it as his preoccupation is to harass Amaechi and oil the wheels of his campaign to succeed his erstwhile boss at the detriment of his current important national assignment.

Education is so vital in any economy that the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommended at least 26% of the budgetary allocation for it. The late Western Region Premier, Chief Obafemi Awolowo who revolutionised education by introducing free primary education and having the largest scholarship scheme that sent westerners to England for further studies was quoted to have said that it was so important that 100% budgetary allocation to it should not be seen as too much. That statement is most insensitive and cruel! It further shows the disconnect between our supposed servants and the people who have the real mandate. One is not surprised that Oduah could also make the disparaging remark of the latest air crash being an act of God and purchasing very expensive cars at public expense while the nation was still steeped in mourning.

Wike has not come up with any solution to the lingering crisis which has left students who bear the real brunt stranded for four months. The strike’s lethal effects are multifaceted. Many companies now have an age limit for fresh graduates. It is a well known fact that most graduates are not immediately mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps immediately they are done with their schooling. There are delays of a year or more which may make them over aged and unattractive to employers. Exchange programmes both on the part of students and academics is an impossibility. Nigeria has many academics abroad that were forced by the exigencies of the harsh times to flee abroad. Many still want to contribute to their Alma Maters but is the structure in place? No foreign academic in his right senses will consider doing his or her sabbatical in Nigeria because of the instability. The cost in the loss of transferred superior human capital is gargantuan! Does Wike give a damn? We have our graduates being subjected to ridiculous examinations when they want to go for their post graduate degrees abroad. You can imagine the humiliation a graduate of English passes through when he or she does Test of English as a Foreign Language before proceeding for a foreign masters degree! Apart from the fact that English is our Lingua Franca, it is fast becoming the first and only language of many youths as a result of the side effect of westernisation. Last year, some medical schools were blacklisted by the United Kingdom. Global Migration of Labour is now an impossibility as our graduates are subjected to demeaning menial jobs when they sojourn abroad which greatly dampens the confidence of our graduates and raises questions as to whether the pursuit of a degree is worth the stress in the first place!

The current call for Oduah’s sack should be extended to Wike so that he can pursue his ambition. The education ministry is a too sensitive to be left in the hands of a Bull in the China’s Shop. We need men of ideas that can revamp this critical sector as the world has long moved from the era of natural resources to that of human capital development. We need strategic thinkers to set the agenda for the common good. The mind boggling unemployment – about 25 million youths is serious cause for concern. It has its roots in the faulty educational structure as the world is forever full of opportunities. Are the graduates fully equipped to take advantage of them? The importance of leadership cannot be dismissed in this sector that has the power to shape the future.

Wike’s gaffe is contempt at its acme and he deserves the boot for it. If Gordon Brown lost the 2010 election to Cameron simply because he called a woman a bigot and the Tories capitalised on it forgetting the golden years when he held sway as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Wike with no identifiable antecedent should be sent packing as soon as possible!

@ademiluyitony