Governments Should Not Pay Wassce Fees

In this interview with MOTUNRAYO JOEL, a former Head of Economics Department, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Abayomi Adebayo, gives an insight into various issues in the nation’s education system

Do you share the view of some educationists that Nigeria’s education sector seems to be on a slow pace to recovery?

Every one is saying our education standard is deteriorating. I believe their assumption is based on the poor performance of candidates in this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination and National Examination Council, especially in English language and Mathematics. They also measured their perceived drop in education standard based on the employability of graduates from higher institutions. I do agree that anyone, who graduates from a good university, should be employable. Some educationists even say education was better in the past. But at that time, many of our parents were prepared for white-collar jobs. They weren’t forced to do entrepreneurial courses. Many of them were prepared to become teachers. They also got jobs in various ministries. Some weren’t even interviewed for those positions. We must understand that the competition in the market wasn’t as tough as what youths face today. I believe our population has widely increased. I attended a public school when those schools were good, not like what we have today. I believe lack of supervision, bastardisation of the education system by politicians and all kinds of popularity programmes have crippled the sector. Private schools, on the other hand, are doing well. In public schools, the sense of commitment is missing. The first thing we need to do is to stop incessant interruption from political visions. These visions are undigested and are there to create problems. I describe them as interrupted and untested political visions. Constant change in our school curriculum has also caused our education system to deteriorate.

Breast Diseases

The breast is an important organ in everyone, most especially so in women because of its dual function as a means of feeding the young and is a sexual organ. It is a modification of the sweat gland, which originates from the skin and its appendages. The eventual size the breast attains is dependent on the age of the person, the sex, race and genetic disposition. The breast is a very important organ in all mammals and is the focus of our discussion today.

Normal cyclical changes in the breast are associated with puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, lactation and postmenopausal involution. The pre-menstrual enlargement is due to increased proliferation of blood vessels and these are usually manifested by the subjective feeling of tingling sensations and fullness of the breast. Every woman needs to know about their breasts and also form a habit of examining them at least once a month either in the bathroom or during their quiet time in the bedroom. It is so easy to perform and should be over within minutes. The knowledge thus gained with respect to any abnormality is so vital that it is often life-saving.

What Do Men And Women Want From Eachother???

People tend to ask couples who have been married for a long period what their secrets are. I always find it an odd question because by virtue of the word secret, it suggests it is not something one wants to share. Besides, one couple’s successful ingredients may not work for another.

The two most important questions asked relating to the dynamics between the genders are what do men want from women and what do women want from men? It is one thing to know the answer and make a decision on how to respond to it.

However, it is a whole different ball game as it is mostly the case not to have a clue. When we strip away all the confusion and complexities of the 21st Century living where gender roles are not so defined, sometimes tipping the balance to the point of non-recognition, there have been and will continue to be some basic primordial impulses and needs between the sexes.

Women primarily want a strong man to protect them, to provide strong genes to father their offspring. Men want a woman with child bearing hips to produce their babies and they want their women to be a mother to the children and to them.

Below is a vignette of a discussion between a group of men and women about the topic

Fast forward to modern day living where we would all agree the story and attitudes are somewhat different.

Although some argue that the intentions and needs are really still the same and that is why relations are in so much chaos because couples are trying to go against the grain and are fighting their basic nature.

I am being somewhat of a coward here and putting all cases of the argument in this article, trying not to pitch my tent on any particular side (I will probably fail in this attempt).

Footballers Use Charms to Win Matches

Former Super Eagles defender Taribo West is revelling in his pastoral duties after a hard life growing up, writes ’TANA AIYEJINA

These days Taribo West is home alone in his Opebi, Lagos mansion, away from the glamour and limelight he once enjoyed as a superstar footballer.

He no longer wears the flashy and oftentimes crazy hairstyles that stood him out in the pack. Baldness has set in and he is now clean-shaven. He is no longer “fearfully made” as he was once described by a comedian, because of his looks.

In his footballing days, Taribo was truly fearsome, an attacker’s nightmare. He had the crunchy tackles and would kick you on and off the ball, and force you into intimidation with his looks, gestures and power.

Today, he is a far cry from that personality. What you have now is the born again Taribo West; the pastor and founder of Shelter in The Storm Miracle Ministries of All Nations.

“I spend most of my time at home meditating. All I want to do is to keep spreading the gospel. In my own little way, I have been into evangelisation visiting places like Ughelli and within the Orile community, Ajegunle and so on. God has been kind during these visits to preach the gospel to people who are yet to receive Christ. We believe He will take us globally very soon,” Taribo said

Buhari Should Take Over Power Sector

National President of the Petroleum and National Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Olabode Johnson, speaks with GIBSON ACHONU on issues troubling the oil and gas sector in Nigeria

The Federal Government has rescinded its decision to sell the nation’s refineries. What is your take?
Our take as a body and key stakeholder in the sector is that going by the standard of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, all relevant countries must have state-owned facilities. But that does not mean there should not be competition where we can also ensure that private investors also establish their refineries. Our view is that, it is not advisable to sell off specific assets to individuals. That would mean the government can also be held down by these individuals as we saw before the general election whereby marketers held the country to ransom. Such can lead to other unforeseen problems. However, if private investors are also encouraged, there will be challenges but when there is no political interference and once turnaround maintenance is done promptly, the country will benefit. This will reduce the issue of petroleum subsidy to the barest minimum and Nigerians can benefit from its God-given blessings.

My Music Was Banned But It Has Little Effect on Me

Rave-of-the-moment artiste, Reminisce, has spoken out for the first time on the ban of his song, Tesojue, by the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission. According to the artiste, the ban has little or no effect on his career.

He said, “The ban on my song, Tesojue, actually makes little or no difference. The song was released last year and it enjoyed airplay towards the end of last year and early this year. I am not someone who often goes to a radio station with my songs, so the effect is very minimal. Although it is very disappointing, it has little or no effect on my career or creative flow. There are songs that I make and do not give to radio stations. When you get famous to a certain extent, presenters go out of their way to download your song and play it on their shows. I really appreciate those that do that because they do it out of love. But whenever I submit my songs to radio stations, I make sure they are clean. For those that are not clean, I make sure I re-record them and edit the vulgar part for public consumption on the radio.

Must-Read Tips for Single Pregnant Women

Are you single and pregnant? Do you think you are the most miserable woman in the world? Stop thinking this way. Every year over a million women (both young and middle-aged) experience pregnancy alone. It’s not the end of the world and you should be thankful for being pregnant because many women are not able to have kids. Gone are the days when women were ashamed of being single mothers. Nowadays women are strong enough to raise their kids alone and they should be proud of it. Here are a few tips you should remember when going through pregnancy alone.


1.Talk to your doctor:  Unfortunately, many single pregnant women suffer from anxiety and depression and it has a big impact on fetus. Talk to your doctor every time you feel anxious or depressed. They may help you cope with negative thoughts and feelings and you will know that your baby is healthy and happy. It’s believed that positive pregnant women give birth to positive children.It’s difficult to go through pregnancy alone, but it’s not the end of the world. I believe every woman can be happy without a man, especially if she has a child. If you are pregnant, I’m truly happy for you because having a baby is the best gift in life. Forget those who hurt you. Forgive them and move on. Now you should think about your baby too. Stay positive, eat healthy, take strolls each day and show everyone that it’s possible to be a happy single pregnant woman. We need role models in life, so why not become one?