MR PRESTUDENT OBASANJO, BEWARE!
By BISIKAY
 Whatever way we may wish to view
it, that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, decided to become a formal student again is a
laudable act.
Nigeria
probably is now the only country in the world ruled by a PRESTUDENT, a Student
who is a President, a President who is a Student, for the next six months,
until he hands over on 29 May 2007. After that time he becomes simply
Ex-Prestudent Obasanjo.
He has chosen to read CHRISTIAN
THEOLOGY as a matriculated diploma student of
Nigeria's Open University for the
next two years. What he wants to do with his certificate, if and when he
graduates does not really matter as he would not need to seek any employment
with his qualification, being already over qualified for the post of assistant
pastor, or vice prophet of any church in
the land. It may be that the man is simply trying to seek a quicker path to his
creator, more so he would be passing the proverbial three scores and ten
existential measure of human being by the time he finishes his biblical
studies.
The chosen course of studies by
Prestudent Obasanjo seems to me to be a strategic move by a military minded man
who has in the course of his presidency since 1999 has offended both GOD and
man. If he had taken Reuben Abati's advice to register for Law or Psychology,
in order to better understand human interactions and constitutional systems,
the man would still need to come back to sort out his existential dilemma for a
better escatological end which at 70 years of age could be too too late. So,
the course chosen is a wise move and it will only last two years.
Mr Prestudent has probably learnt
from one Mr Jonathan Aitken's example in the
UK. Here was a man who could have
become a British Prime Minister, courtesy of Margaret Thatcher, but ended up in
prison for perjury, courtesy of Mohammed Alfayed and the Guardian. Whilst in
prison studied for a BA in Theology, externally, courtesy of
London
University.
He probably has made up with his creator and now practices as a Preacher on the
evangelical circuit.
have read the articles by
Reuben Abati offering to be the Prestudent's unauthorised educational
consultant. Well, I hereby offer my service a the MENTOR of Mr Prestudent
Obsanjo to facilitate an easier path to his academic success.
When Odyseus was embarking on his
military and discovery expeditions, he left his son Telemachus in the care and
tutelage of his trusted friend and adviser,
Mentor, to help guide the young man's
developmental process. Since then we have all been mentored one way or the
other. And why can I not do this for Mr Prestudent Obasanjo given my
background.
I am one the very few Nigerians
who have ever gone through university education as EXTERNAL students of
LONDON
UNIVERSITY.
I am in the league of people like Chief Simeon Adebo and Prof Chike Obi among
others.
London
University's External degree programme
was established in 1886 and has graduated thousands of students worldwide. The
external degree programme is probably the most difficult educational process on
earth being that once you are registered for your course you are left on your
own until you are ready to take your almighty exams.
On my part I have a BA (Hons) in
Philosophy in 1981 and it may interest Mr Prestudent Obasanjo that my project
was a Dissertation Concerning The Existence of God, which analysed all the
philosophical arguments for the existence of God, especially Thomas Aquinas'
Summa Theologica. I am happy to offer the paper to my prospective 'MENTEE',
Olusegun Obasanjo, to help him with his Theodicy Assignments. Besides, I shall
be happy to send him an autographed copy of THE PROOF THAT GOD DOES NOT EXIST,
compliments of yours sincerely, the author, in which I have condensed all
theories about theology and theogony.
Let Mr Prestudent Obasanjo BEWARE,
lest he drops out of school as the attrition rate in open education is reckoned
to be more than 60%, especially when it has no occupational advantage to the
student. He may find that life after Aso
Rock may not be conducive for studentship as he grapples with the grinds of
daily life as and ordinary farmer. He faces not only the risk of dropping out,
he may find that even having asked for the allowable extension to his study
period, possibly five years in total, he would still be struggling to graduate.
Experience has proved that autagogy and autogogy are really not easy without some
element of pedagogy. So he needs to join, or form a tutorial group in his farm,
to enhance his consistency and continuity of his studentship. And, he must not
be the PRESIDENT of the study group, otherwise the group will be useless to
him.
If Mr Prestudent wonders why an
ardent critic of his is offering to be his mentor, it is that our paths crossed
once when we were both Fellows at the
Institute
of
African Studies, the
University of
Ibadan, in the early 80s. But above all,
I hope that his studentship will encourage us all and enhance the popularity of
open university education in
Nigeria.
It is a route which will serve to give millions of Nigerians an easier, perhaps
cheaper, opportunity to acquire further and higher education. It combines the
chances to learn to earn as you earn to learn. It will also bring self
discipline to more people as they go through the process of self-education.
Mr Prestudent Olusegun Obsanjo, goodluck
with your studentship. Wish you success.
NB: I forgot to add that I am not
charging any fee for my “educological” mentoring services. I am very happy to
do so freely in recognition of our common Nigerianity and for the sake of humanity.
BISIKAY,
LONDON.
bisikay@horsemail.com
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