Tinubu Applauds Dogara’s Commitment To Advancement Of Education
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has eulogised the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara for his commitment in advancing the cause of education in Nigeria.
This was as the former Speaker, said that that democracy to him, still represents the most progressive idea of governance ever invented by man since the ancient city state in Greece introduced direct democracy, adding that democracy itself is a promise, as it guarantees nothing.
President Tinubu, who spoke at the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of Yakubu Dogara Centre for Legal and Democratic Studies (YADILDS) at Achievers University, Owo, Ondo state on Friday, said that the project is in line with his renewed hope agenda to boost educational standard in the country.
Represented by Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad, the president said that the project showed how committed and patriotic Dogara is towards achieving quality education in Nigeria.
Tinubu said; “I hope that the Yakubu Dogara Institute of Legal and Democratic Studies (YADILDS) will be one of the Centres of Excellence that Nigeria and Africa will be proud of, especially in the area of legal and democratic studies.
“It is our hope that this project will see the light of the day and, I call on many organizations and philanthropists to make commitment towards financing this gigantic project that will impact positively, not only on the law and political science students of this great institution, but also the entire Nigerian society and beyond,” he said.
In his remarks, former Speaker Yakubu Dogara said that there are millions of out-of-school children in Nigeria not because they hate education, but because they cannot afford it.
According to Dogara; “And there’s always a correlation between education and development. Look at all the countries where the level of literacy is high, you will see that advancement trails it. But where the literacy level is low, you will see underdevelopment trailing it”.
He commended President Tinubu’s intervention in education through the establishment of the Students Education Loans Scheme which is helping to fund the education of millions of students in the country.
Speaking on the Institute, Dogara said the institute is wonderful in the sense that it speaks of two things that are critical in society or to society, namely; that it is dynamic and organic, adding that law is the fabric that glues everything on the tapestry that ensures progress of society.
Dogara further said; “Science is wonderful. Perhaps, my first love was to be a scientist. Apparently, I didn’t get to the science school at the end of the day so I ended up becoming a lawyer. But, the beauty of the law like I said is that it holds everything together.
“If you remove law and the social fabric collapses, then science itself although it guarantees advancement, becomes destructive. It just requires somebody pressing a button somewhere for all of us here to be eliminated, but what stops that person from pressing that button is the law.
“That is why we always strive to ensure that we expand the boundaries of education beyond just reading books but by studying, understanding the dynamics, the critical interplay of forces in society.
“Someone has said democracy is a government by the people, for the people and by the people. Some remarked that it is not the best form of government except for the other ones that we have tried.
“It is a promise that free citizens utilising the promises, the tools of democracy can better govern themselves, better organize themselves so that they can reach out for those potentials in themselves that guarantee progress
Dogara, later announced an initial donation of N50 million for the commencement of the construction of the Centre with a pledge to rally resources from well meaning Nigerians towards the completion of the project.
