By: Isaiah Leopold Mba, Ph.D
The high premium placed on education shows that, the development of human intellects and that of national development through training of citizens to be skilled, and gain relevant ideas and knowledge for purposes of being productive and creative towards ensuring that economic and essential social goods and services are generated cannot be over-emphasized. It entails considering education as a cardinal function of the government and should be satisfactorily brought closer to the people at the grassroots; sufficiently managed and funded through effective political leadership. This is what is termed as educational decentralization through visionary and development oriented political leadership. Notably, a decentralized system of education presupposes satisfactory transfer of education from the central government to states and local governments for the participation of citizens towards enhancing quality education and rapid development at the lowest level of governance.
The Multipurpose Constituency Building Constructed by Senator Abe
Senator Abe Presenting Learning Facilities (Laptops/Computers) to PhD Students
Senator Abe Presenting Learning Facilities (Laptops/Computers) to PhD Students
In realizing this feat in a nation like Nigeria with multi-ethnic groups, the government and its relevant functionaries with specific reference to legislators such as Senators, Members of House of Representatives, House of Assembly and Local Government Legislative Assembly as well as Executive Officers which include Ministers, Commissioners among others, are expected to key into upholding this decentralization principle in order to transfer education to be satisfactorily delivered in their constituencies with provision of basic educational facilities and resources to enhance effective teaching and learning in the institutions, either through constituency projects or special statutory executive projects or personal support and largesse. According to Godda (2014) decentralization policy in education if achieved will enhance transfer of highly centralized powers and decision-making in education to the lowest level. It means, therefore, that the goals of educational decentralization are meant to be pursued by those political leaders and other critical stakeholders with vision for increased performance in education through effective teaching and learning.
Senator Abe Awarding Scholarships to Law Students
The above assertion is extolled due to the necessity of quality education expected among the people living in disperse regions from cities like Port Harcourt, the state capital and centre of attraction of Rivers State, where education is qualitatively delivered with several public schools established and effectively monitored and funded. The consequence becomes leaving educational services in the hands of profiteering private school owners against the interests of indigent parents. As leaders, encouraging the establishment of public institutions; funding education, providing teaching and learning facilities as well as supporting citizens who desire gaining admissions into higher institutions should be of immense concerns.
Senator Abe Presenting Learning Facilities (Computers) to Graduating Students in Secondary schools for Quality Higher Education
Understandably, most political leaders are indifferent to giving adequate attention to education generally, in their programmes, considering education as the least item in their manifesto implementation. This is most dangerous and incoherent with the philosophy of prominent Thinkers like Plato, which emphasizes education as the positive means through which a leader can shape human nature in the right direction in order to produce a harmonious state, and sees the state basically as an educational institution. According to Plato in Sabine and Thorson (1973), education is the “one great thing” through which the citizens will readily see through the difficulties that befall them if well educated. The analysis reveals that, the need for every citizen to be educated, happy and live a good life in an ideal political state should be the focus of every successful political leader. Such a leader must be visionary; proactive, participatory and motivate others for higher commitment to the predetermined goals of the political unit, community, local government, constituency or district; state and the country at large.
Senator Abe’s ICT Study Centre for Higher Institutions’ Students at Bori, Headquarters of Rivers South East Senatorial District
Senator Abe Presenting Scholarships to Journalists in Postgraduate Programmes from Rivers South East Senatorial District
The reverse is always the case when some political leaders and representatives of the people fail to uphold the maxim of “the Great-minds and the precursors” of the progressive modern time, and continue to divest their constituents from the dividends of representative government. Unabatedly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe waded in, and altered the narrative when he emerged as a Legislator representing the good people of Andoni, Eleme, Khana, Gokana, Opobo-Nkoro, Oyigbo and Tai in the Rivers South-East Senatorial District, from 2011 to 2015 (as Senator elected on the platform of the PDP) and from 2015 to 2019 (as Senator elected on the platform of the APC) in the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,. In spite of the fact that, the Senator was elected on the platforms of political parties at two different tenures, due to change in party affiliations and membership, he was never despaired in being in-discriminatory in his programmes aimed at encouraging and giving support to indigent students from the senatorial district in tertiary institutions and other levels of education devoid of party sentiment.
Put aside the fact that, the Rivers South-East Senatorial District has only a Polytechnic as a higher institution, a situation that has been considered most inadequate and continually compelled Senator Abe to move a motion on the floor of the Senate appealing to the Federal Government to site a Federal higher institution of learning and specifically, a Federal University of Environment in Ogoni-land of the Senatorial District.
As a visionary leader with laudable programmes, SMA had achieved tremendously through participatory media and constant interactions with students in the Senatorial District, the fora where all students were granted the freedom to speak, make inputs and ask questions on their representation in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly. The import of such interactive sessions between the Senator and students culminated in the idea of the Senator to personally erect and equip a constituency building (office) rather than what it used to be, when his predecessors could only afford hiring buildings and spaces as constituency offices. It is, however, no gainsaying that, students and people of the Senatorial District would without hesitation yearned for such a visionary representative to occupy a hallowed position where he would superintend full executive powers and implementation for overall progress of the state.
Senator Abe demonstrated what leadership experts like Ololube (2017), referred to as leadership character with rare values as integrity, self-discipline, ethics and accountability built on contentment, fair-play, courage and non-compromise in the delivery of quality education for the people of Rivers South-East Senatorial District. Sincerely, by the dynamic nature of the society, many would like to identify with such leaders with desirable character, who foresee the future, prevent challenges; share vision with others in order to succeed, and detest grooming political thugs rather than developing intellectuals. That is why Ololube (2017) and Ogbu (2019) found that the character of a leader that enables him to be effective can be expressed in the integrity, ethics, accountability and self-discipline of the leader.
Senator Abe is such an effective leader judging by his proactive nature; integrity, trustworthiness; consistent and actualized educational programmes in line with the goals of Education for All (EFA) policy in Nigeria, and it is no gainsaying that with such future-focused, people-oriented leadership style and unbeatable track records of the Senator, “his name will surely be written in gold” while his good works remain constantly immortalized for present and future leaders to mimic. The provision of laptops as learning resources for doctorate students on one side was a good attribute of a future-focused political leadership of the Senator. Recall that, in 2019, the Senator intervened in the Doctorate Degree programmes of students from the Rivers South-East Senatorial District in Universities, and donated learning facilities (HP laptops computers) to over 100 doctorate students, an achievement many have continued to refer to him as a people-oriented, proactive and future-focused political leader. The theory of proactive behavior of Crant (2000), which assumes that in achieving set goals, looking forward or doing things in advance and remaining future-focused, rather than just reacting to events after occurring is the way to go, further upholds the educational gesture of Senator Abe.
The learning equipment became utmost relevant in terms of internet research, data analysis using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS), a computer-based data analysis that is swiftly replacing the manual method of analyzing research data and as a veritable tool for learning virtually amid health crises globally, such as the dreaded COVID-19 that had taken the centre stage. The learning equipment further facilitated ICT in education as a powerful enabler that speeds up information flow between institutional management and students as well promoting human capital development in tandem with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2006, that the adoption of ICT promotes efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery in all ramifications; it improves communication; effectively exchanges knowledge and disseminates information towards quality education. In the same vein, at Bori, the headquarters of the Senatorial District, Senator Abe set up and equipped a high profiled information and communication (ICT) centre for higher institutions’ students. In order to equip and prepare candidates for the computer-based JAMB examinations, the Senator provided computers for students in the graduating classes in senior secondary schools in the district, and by extension, donated computers to the Rivers State University. Thus, it is worthwhile to give credence, and emulate the leadership approach of a valued and transformational leader like Senator Abe who exemplified himself as a servant but a leader to rely upon.
The quest for SMA as an effective political leader to be elected as Executive Governor of Rivers State is evident in the achievement of numerous projects and human capital development through qualitative educational service delivery during his era as a representative. Though, as a legislator much was not expected, Senator Abe emphasized and pursued quality education for his constituents, and urged other political leaders, representatives, private individuals, religious institutions; interest groups as well as corporate bodies to always embark on educational programmes that are quality-oriented, noting the fact that quality education is an expensive venture. According to Nigerian Tribune (2019), speaking at the dedication ceremony of the Anglican International Academy in Abuja, Senator Abe stated that “quality education is not free; it is expensive” and appealed to the Church; individuals and corporate bodies to always create avenues and scholarships to assist brilliant children who are less privileged to gain quality education as the best way to go.
The zeal for providing quality higher education for his constituents began and was made practicable from 2011 and 2015, when Senator Abe floated a Free JAMB Scheme for 1,225 indigent JAMB candidates drawn from religious organizations and public senior secondary schools established in the 7 local government areas that constitute the Senatorial District. Unthinkably, amidst what seemed to be a halt to progress, when Senator Olaka Wogu stepped into the shoes of the hard working Senator falsely, due to the ill-fated electoral process and gross frauds perpetrated at the 2015 Senate elections in Rivers State, the scheme continued till 2019 when tenure of Senator Abe ended. However, it is on record that, a total of 2,170 young indigent members of the Senatorial District benefitted from the Free JAMB Scheme since his inception as a member of the National Assembly.
In promoting quality vocational and higher education of his people, Senator Abe awarded scholarships to 9 Journalists from the senatorial district to embark on Diploma and Post-graduate programmes in Journalism. The programmes consequently equipped young journalists from the senatorial district to face the complex world of mass communication within and outside the district. He facilitated the training of engineering graduates from the senatorial district at the Skills Acquisition Programmes for Nigerian Engineering Graduates and Science Teachers organized by the Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI), Enugu.
Importantly, through his personal largess, Senator Abe supported 159 students with N100, 000.00 each in tertiary institutions; encouraged the girl child education with award of scholarships to 10 indigent girls at the St. Martins’ De Porres Girls’ College, Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State. He introduced the payment of monthly stipends to Students’ Leaders, embarked on skills acquisition programmes for 40 young school leavers (graduates) across the 7 LGAs and facilitated the training of graduates at the Workmanship Training and Technical Centre of the RSSDA, Port Harcourt among others.
Senator Abe’s undaunted interest in quality education was eminently demonstrated in his commitment to legal education as a pet project through constant financial support to final year law students from the senatorial district in the Nigerian Law School throughout his tenure as a representative of the people (from the year 2011 to 2019). As the drive for enhancing quality in higher education strived, distinguished Senator Magnus Abe expanded the scope of his representation to erecting a State-of-the-Art Laboratory Block for the Department of Anatomy in University of Port Harcourt; constructed an Administrative Block in the Faculty of Law, Rivers State University and at different times awarded scholarships to several other indigent Nigerian citizens who were not his constituents in tertiary institutions. It is as a result of this feat among other monumental achievements that, the Senator is flanked by everyone across ethnic nationalities in his political leadership aspirations and considers him most preferable to lead Rivers State people as Governor.
