ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Adequate investment in all facets of the educational sector has been described as the only panacea to saving the future of the youths of this country who will eventually become Nigeria’s next generation of leaders.
These views where expressed by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello Sunday while receiving a delegation of eminent FCT residents who paid him Sallah homage at his official residence in Life Camp, Abuja.
The Minister said it is the duty of the present generation of leaders to reflect back and compare the quality of education in the past with what the situation is today in order to work towards improving the standard.
He said that is the reason why the FCT Administration has paced a lot of emphasis on education, pointing out that only recently, the Administration opened five new secondary schools in order to underscore the importance accorded to education.
His words: “No matter how much we agitate and complain about marginalisation or lack of access to employment opportunities, so long as we don’t have the right candidates, we cannot take advantage of the available vacancies. But I am happy that the good work that has been done by some of leaders present here has given the Territory a solid educational foundation and that is why today we can beat our chest and say we have the right candidates for any available vacancy.
Malam Bello charged political leaders who at the helm of affairs now as Area Council Chairmen, leaders of youth organisations and others, to make education their watchword from the Primary school up to the Tertiary education level, stressing that more emphasis should be placed on the quality of staff rather than the beauty of buildings.
‘Today in the FCT we have two Ambassadors; one carrier and the other non-carrier Ambassador. Ten or twenty years ago it would have been difficult to have either of the two. But it is possible today because of education’, he said.
Malam Bello while congratulating the residents on the occasion of this year’s Eid El Fitr celebration which marks the completion of the Ramadan fast, noted that a lot has been learnt during the period by the Muslim faithful in terms of good virtues such as sacrifice, sharing, self-denial and above all piety.
‘It is my sincere prayer that the Almighty Allah will reward our sacrifices with all the bounties which He has promised to bestow on His servants who observed the month with since devotion’.
He called on the residents to uphold the lessons learnt through love for one another, harmonious co-existence and faith in our dear nation, Nigeria.
The Minister said inspite of the difficulties which the country has gone through in the last one year or so, “we are beginning to see signs of good progress in all aspects of the economy because of the measures put in place to ensure prudent management of resources, transparency in governance, ease of doing business as well as security of lives and property. Our prayer is that from this year on, things will continue to get better”.
“Let me also use this opportunity to assure all residents of the determination of this Administration to address all developmental challenges in the territory. At the moment we have devoted a lot of resources in ensuring that all on-going projects especially within the city itself such as roads, water and rail which we believe will have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people, are completed”.
“We are also moving very strongly into the Area Councils and Satellite Towns to provide them with the needed infrastructure such as the N2.6bn Karu road project which upon completion, is expected to make life more meaningful and enjoyable for the residents of the area”.