 A speed has many uses and consequently different names. However, despite the name, form or use it goes by, here on The Advocate we call it by its name, a speed. Welcome to another No Holds Bad edition of your favorite program on Plus TV Africa, The Advocate. My advocacy today is on the multi-faceted and dynamic issues surrounding migration. In what he calls a thought that could save lives, Amani gives his opinion on waste disposal with a little bit of biology. Should you be monogamous with a chain or just own your own polygyny? Comfort breaks down for us. Kumuleh is going to read out 10 commandments of being a political aspirant and finally a Jomai talks about better education. Sit back, the panelists are here to present your Sunday dose of provoking thoughts after this break. The many faces of migration. Every year, many Nigerian migrants and refugees make a difficult decision to leave their families behind and embark on dangerous and sometimes treacherous journeys through land and sea. And then the headlines and news captions read as follows. Greece drafts new legislation to speed up migrant deportations. Over 80 migrants found hiding in trucks. About 73 irregular migrants arrested in Turkey. Overnight see irregular migrants rescued in Libya and so on and so forth. The EU Commission seeks faster deportation of migrants. Irregular migration brought me nothing but despair says an Irraterian migrant. And you find these headlines go on in different forms. Sometimes you see Nigerian migrants return after risking everything for a better life. Or you see thousands of African migrants crying for help from different parts of Africa and having forced to return to their homes after failing. And again, sometimes you see things that we like. Even the animals not even the conditions we live in now. From young children who have actually embarked on this journey and have dreamt of a happy life in Europe. But then for a lot of them, their hopes for a better life has faded. I constantly felt like a guest with no hope. Says a migrant who traveled irregularly. Not enough food, bathrooms or healthcare services. Says a Nigerian returnee from Libya who's warning other Nigerians against irregular migration. And in the words of another migrant, cautioning other Nigerians against embarking on irregular migration to Libya. You say the cost of living is much higher than you can imagine. And thousands of Nigerian irregular migrants who travel through Libya each year with the aim of reaching Europe eventually just may never achieve that goal. It was the toughest journey one could ever have. Says a Nigerian returning. Those who go regularly too don't necessarily have a bed of roses. You're a stranger in another's country. A hustle to get jobs that citizens may also want. The re-education to fit in. One of the cultures shook. And an alienation from family and a support system. The many faces of migration. But what is migration in itself? Simply put, migration is movement from one place to the other. And it's as old as human beings. It is and it is not a new phenomenon. So why is global migration taking a front burner role today? Maybe because for a country like Nigeria, the push-pull factors are interesting. On one hand we are dealing with a massive brain drain of competent citizens. Yet on the other hand we are also seeing an influx of other citizens coming to explore our country and harness its economic value. But the issues that surround migration are multifaceted and dynamic. And while I may have a right to migrate, the question becomes what about the place I'm going to? What value am I bringing there? And is it enough to know that a country has a working system and I want to just get in there? Now so many Nigerians in their quest for greener pastures have chosen to get Europe by all means and most have opted for the Libya Mediterranean route, hearing stories of victory from yesteryears by the brothers or sisters who have successfully crossed over. However, what many don't hear are the stories of missing relatives or the odious torture stories on the journey. Issues such as the lack of good job opportunities within the country has pushed a lot of people to seek work abroad and the same sense of despondency is discouraging migrants from considering the return to their home countries. In pursuing better jobs and economic opportunities, migrants often end up in situations of trafficking, modern day slavery and irregular migrant status. Vulnerabilities begin at the earliest stages of migration planning and recruitment in origin countries, including deception and exorbitant free charging. And many people are aware that people from certain countries can't get asylum status regularly due to their country of origin an example be Nigeria. And not many Nigerians do realize that Nigeria is not classified as a country that would grant you the ability to get asylum status. Would we as a people actually live our country if the infrastructure was good? If quality of life is assured and electricity can be had, what of jobs will enable an environment for business and income generation? There may be a glimmer of hope in the myriad of interventions now coming up though through international agencies in collaboration with the federal government. But how soon? How well? And what will really? When will this happen? The question though is, is this enough for a timid population? What more can be done? Or are we all going to run away? To go is hard. To stay is difficult. Which way Nigeria? But as I often say, we move because we must keep hope alive. If you must migrate, adopt safe migration options. So my view is this. Migration, whether legal or illegal, is expensive. And I feel at times that some of the people that have attempted to live this country could have done better with the resources they put together to live than going through that very difficult experience. And I know that especially those that go through Libya, at the end of the day, it's all bad tears for them. And one of the things that I have also found over time is that the stories you hear will only be stories of successes. People will not tell you what they went through, how bad and difficult it was. And I think that also encourages people to want to reach out without doing enough research. Thinking that it's time to live Nigeria. Let me migrate. Let me live too. Really? I'd never thought about it. I'd never. I'd always been one person that believed no matter how bad it is, we're going to remain in this country. That had been me. But when I now started thinking of what it would take, this is to legally migrate to. Oh, I don't have energy to start entering boats or crossing the Sahara and all that. And I realized you have to do this. You have to do that. Try to examine speaking English. That they say I have to write an exam and all that. I say, you know what? If I live now that I'm a queen in my country and I go now, I don't even know what I'm going to do there. Is it to wash toilet or whatever? I said, let me just stay here. So this is even me talking from the perspective of somebody who thought of legal migration and see all the wahala. Then you decide you want to write the camel's back, go through the sandstorms, enter the boot of a car, be cramped. And as you know, he said, the monies that have to go into it, if you had deployed it here, you probably would have started a small industry. There was the story of that woman. She became famous because I think she had been rescued or so. She had, she was in Calabar. She had a small business and she used the fact that she had a small business to go and borrow either 400 or 600K to embark on a trip to Libya to go to Europe. Nobody sent, nobody told her she had to come back. So she now came back after going through that horror and still was telling us on the news that she now still had the bill, the loan that she had to pay back. She has to pay back. Yes, she has to pay back. I don't want to sound callous. We should be realistic. But honestly, illegal migration is not the way. I honestly don't feel sorry for them. I'm sorry. If we come back to our country, yes, it's hard, it's difficult and all that. But you know what? It's still our country. And for some funny reason, Nigeria just has this tick about it that all you need is either the right moment, the right place, the right person, the right idea. And for what it is worth, you can actually create something despite all our issues. I mean, I had to come to that realization despite all our issues. So my own advocacy on your behalf is say no to illegal migration. Say no to illegal migration. So for me, it's been maybe because I work in the governance sector. And I just look at it like, okay, it's hard to legally migrate. I'm not in nomad, though I'm slim. So I'm not going to go through those horrors. No, thank you. And then I just looked at it. I'm in governance space. In two or three years, my friends will become governors. And in 10 years, my friends will be the president. Ah, now you want me to drop out. You'll be. I didn't want to leave. No, because it's about to get better. Not like I'm corrupt or anything. Ah, well. You know what we mean. Thank you for saying something. No, no, no. So looking at it, you ask yourself the real questions. Like she, she, I come from the mention for you to even go abroad. You're asked to write an exam in English. I'm about 40 right exam again. For what now? I've written enough. For me, I feel I've written enough exams in my lifetime. I don't want to write one more, not one more. And the fact I speak English, and I have to write to speak English in another country, that already tells me how the country would look at me when I start working in that country. It just eventually looks like that for me. So I already feel they don't want us here. They don't want us. It is better to sit down here and just work for our country. Well, I don't have so much to say on legal migration. I have absolutely no idea about that. But like Comfort said, prior to now, I was totally comfortable with Nigeria. I travel almost every summer with my family. I've progressed in the workplace. There's really no need to leave Nigeria. But unfortunately, I'm now on that train of migration. I've actually even closer to it than you would ever imagine. And why? My husband came to me last year about this time and he brought up the subject and I was like, are you kidding? I'm almost in a management position in the public sector. I'm a director in my private teaching center. I own my own business. I'm doing bloody well. That's why I want to do that kind of thing. And it made a very solid point that I cannot but agree with him. We have a special son. And Nigeria has nothing to offer this boy. And so yes, the migration so dearly at almost 40 came to my table and I had to write that exam. And I aced that exam. There you go, baby. I am on that path. And right now this week, I've been going from places to places saying my goodbyes and telling them that I'm not going on a permanent basis. I'm available to serve. Remember me. Just give me a call. I'm just around the tone. I have to do this for my children. Now, you see now that brings me to the final part of what I was talking about in my advocacy that what is the solution? We need to find how we're going to get the infrastructure and the system to work because half of us in the, all of us in this room talking right now do not fall into the category of the teaming population who sees as big. But then anyway, we will probably have to continue the conversation of migration over and over and keep thinking of solutions and wait for it. But then, our money is next after this break. Just a thought could save the day. I watched our three young Nigerians walk down a clean and well paved road in Lekiface 1. This is Highbrow Lagos and he dropped a cob of corn with a black cellophane bag, my lone bag. It was one of three but it could have been any one of them. I looked down at the truck down the road. I was torn between picking up the trash and running up to him with it. I visualized stuffing it in the bag that nested on the arm of one of his compatriots. I had picked trash and returned it back to sender a few times in the past. I had got out of a car in Shafiq to do the honor of picking a bottle to throw out of a new Honda Accord. I had out of the car I was in and we waited for the traffic lights to go green. I landed the well-dressed but bewildered offender the plastic bottle. Immically accepted it. However, the passage of time has all been to realize that there is a bigger problem emanating from our lack of awareness and thoughtlessness. It is frightening how many of us in Lagos have failed to develop a sense of environmental or self-awareness. Some of our acts may not be bad intentioned but some of their repercussions have continued to make our way of still life a harrowing experience. The issue of waste disposal is just a touching point of several worthless acts that have become involuntary actions like breathing. A little biology, when an action is produced with the involvement of thoughts they are called voluntary actions. It involves actions like working, eating, jumping and running. These actions are produced consciously both the spinal cord and the brain are involved and these coordinate with the peripheral nervous system to generate necessary movements. Thoughtlessness is an issue when we do the wrong things automatically. Let's examine the effect of dropping trash on roads. The trash on roads a lot of times go into drainages. It trains and the gutters are unable to evacuate water rapidly enough because they are clogged. The overflow floods the road. Flooded roads cause traffic and some unfortunate motorists might get water in the wrong compartment of this or a vehicle. He or she would need to pay for some expensive repairs. Over time the roads also get damaged. More public funds would have to be allocated for road maintenance. Or the road is abandoned to its fate. It becomes an iso and a wrecker of a vehicle's suspension. A bad road is also a harbinger of traffic jams and traffic robberies. Aviar rams could result in flooding. We have seen pictures of apartments with floating beds. This also results in huge financial losses to individuals or even loss of lives. It is interesting to note that proper waste disposal could drastically reduce the effect of this hail wind. Many people do not understand costs and effects. Too many of us appear to be on autopilot and do things without giving a thought to his repercussion on the environment of others. We need to deliberately start to take this for the future. We need to start teaching the children responsibility, actions and reactions. We need to teach awareness, both self and environmental awareness. How does shunting in traffic affect others? What of jumping cues and energy thefts? Not paying for services dream dad. We need to train the coming generation to see beyond an individual picture so that actions that are taking to cognizance communal good will become our new normal. Man, do you know as you were talking? All I could think was my goodness, wow, a little one little action. The ripple effect of it because you know at first when I thought waste disposal I'm okay, yes, I know it's a bad thing. But the more you painted that green picture the more scared I even became that the bad roads, the final challenge of the society we're living in from just one thoughtless action that we carry out. Like when I was growing up I remember that my mom would insist you dare not throw something out of the window or throw a letter or you're going in one of this house. You see the letter on the floor you must pick it up. And then the question then becomes is anybody actually telling anyone don't do this? Many years ago it was actually this big bill was around that that that long road that this is seven up where they talk about you know what leta there was a leta campaign and advocacy then of course Kai but I guess suddenly you've triggered something in me. I hope it does trigger something in other people and we see some difference with this but it was quite startling for me to realize that what thoughtlessness can actually do in the big picture. Okay. What I find really amusing in this situation is is it that they don't know or they teach them in school that you should not leta? No I mean because I can't fang on it and what actually drives me crazy we've discussed this on the advocate before and what drives me crazy the most is when you see Roma officials these ladies in orange suits or the roads and legos roads in particular sweeping the roads and now sweeping the sand into the water. I mean when they're not trained before they got that job they're compounding the problem and truly we all cannot even do enough and you know the funnest thing waste business is so lucrative if you can key into it. Yeah waste to wealth. You know how much we can make if every household is made to pay the minimum amount for waste disposal how much they could generate the government could generate it's a lot of money that we're not actually not I like me don't go to that part so I'm going to have to leave here but that's what I'm going to do but then I got the waste and you know make money you can't go without each other because truly the last time we're discussing this point comfort was like what am I going to do with my waste if the government doesn't come and pick it what do I do? Yeah but I'm tired of honestly discussing these issues that you know where things that tie it's not as sifu were not managing these things before that's it you made a very good point number one sorry Omoni I love the way you as you said you you broke it down the ripple effect of it was really well written and when any time mentioned about our parents I can still hear her come on we'll pick that thing yeah did you throw it out of the window is everything all right with you I can still remember it and I mean it's the same thing that I do and when did we lose that then what happened to sanitation days I know that there was an issue of oh it's not no it wasn't yes it was in freedom yes okay so we now yes exactly so we now made it a legal thing so what happened to the legislation and say okay this was something that was making some headway it was working because we actually became tuned to it at that time and now yes yes I mean in certain parts so why didn't somebody take it of the legislation so okay let us make this into a law so that on these day years we've agreed we're going to infringe on our right to move here because we want to clean our country because that's what it should be now we have did you see that devastating picture of the carb inside the the plastics and all that we don't have the infrastructure to take care of the waste we have an overblotted population that is turning out waste on a daily basis then we have an uncivilized population that is that does not think anything of as you say you'll be in a car if I see somebody that I don't think okay probably doesn't know but I expect the person who is driving a car who has just picked children from the school in fact you see the mother helping the child wind down the window to toss it out of the window I mean when how where did we how did we get there you know for me comfort only I thought your advocacy was brilliant but I believe in Nigeria it's not thoughtlessness it's thoughtful man I'll explain why I was on a flight coming back from outside the country and there was this woman who carried her her trash and remember she was having chocolates I don't know why she was having eating lots of chocolates but she dropped them in the trash in the airport way the moment she lands they go she's let me tell you she's throwing the trash in the plane whoa the same person like really yeah so I don't believe is it thoughtlessness I believe we have trained ourselves to understand that in Nigeria we are all above the law that's the problem and comfort was mentioning legislation is people that know the constitution that can change the laws I didn't say anything okay what's your legislation I do not think that truly that you can actually legislate behaviour I mean I've been on a paradigm shift campaign and those are things I do communication for development some things I have to do in mindset and that's why I was keen into the fact that the thoughtlessness of it see what he may say it wasn't thoughtlessness the reality is that where you are in different environments they're parts of your brain that just switch mode I'm telling you but I think of money it's about to say so okay let's have a full conversation just after this all next is comfort stay tuned to be monogamous with a chain or polygynous with full chest another drama at the grave site a morning wife had defensive children a known or unknown other woman children that bear a photocopy-like resemblance to the man laid to rest factions in the extended family tension uncertainty I could go on painting the scenario but at one time or the other we have all heard stories like this that touch bringing us to my advocacy isn't it time to be practical marriage has been defined as a union of a man and a woman for companion and procreation however today the definition has changed globally with different viewpoints an institution a partnership and as a responsibility marriage is going through a lot of bashing with the main bone of contention being whether a man can be monogamous is he polygynous by nature or made monogamous by man which is in more natural state with the prevailing rate of men in monogamous marriages with at least one other woman in his life this advocacy is not talking about philandry men but men who deliberately keep a second even a third woman in a similar state of matrimony without the document and have children with these women and on the day he dies all hell breaks loose the family is the bedrock of any society and currently it is facing so many challenges that cannot be all addressed in this advocacy on this side of the divide we need to make up our minds what we accept as marriage we have three types of unions in Nigeria civil unions islamic and traditional marriages civil union is based on the adopted legal framework of the british of one woman one man which the church subscribes to as standard while the country retain traditional marriages which is our culture in most cases you have the man marrying both or more women using different methods secretly without a clear understanding of what we want to recognize and practice we're going to keep having unfortunate situations fractured families inheritance fights and battles and unnecessary bad blood a couple of men have stayed true to who they are and have been clear that they are polygenous and have lived their lives and conducted their affairs so thereby mitigating drama the surprises have come when the man has conformed to societal norms not a problem but men who find themselves in this dilemma need to make arrangements while still alive to mitigate the pain and potential damage that could occur after their demise if not for the women involved for the sake of the children women have an innate need to be recognized along with her children but as long as the prevailing practice is to bury our heads in the sand on this one there will always be rancor unless the man settles provides for her while he is still alive or reduces his wishes into a will but then he better have a strong lawyer willing to do his bidding even in death either way the evil that men do leaves after death okay this table is a shouting table I can't give a thing when I think I was about 24 and I'm not going to mention his need he was the last born of his family he was completely pampered he was loved and overt his father died and lo and behold on that day he realized that suddenly and not the last born again my goodness he was frightened he was shocked he was upset everything came upon him and he kept saying oh so not the last born so while everybody was devastated and scrambling and trying to figure out how, where, where my friend was just shouting I thought like I'm no longer the last born yeah I no longer the last born so I think I think the major issue there is the dishonesty of it that is what's really true true everybody's veins are but the second wife knows about it or the third wife as the case might be but I think it's the first wife that is oblivious of everything who somewhere in our mind has revered that husband and feel that oh he was a good man he loved me provided for me then upon his death you realize that he actually wasn't as good as I thought but he was a good man I think there's always been a problem and that's the problem of culture okay okay the society for system is down our throat very true and we don't well the world the world is we don't own those things we don't decide to be be me so if polygamy is the way for me why don't I just come out and be polygamous I'm thinking what would people say what would this person say and that is shaping the things I do so so we need to have a case where more people are doing things with with a conviction so many people are going to monogamous marriages or even getting married at all without a conviction but yeah it's the next thing you are you're a man you're going close to 30 you have a job you have this next thing is to get married you know I'm interested in that we're having this kind of conversation today because in the last few weeks or should I say months recently I've asked a question in the fact that where did the narrative of monogamy come from bless you that's my you know that question had said coming and I said I said ask and I mean most of my adult life I had pretty much stayed on or the idea or the knowledge of being monogamous like or like money you said that because of what society had said now please don't get me wrong I'm not saying I want to be polygamous but then I asked myself something really and truly what exactly is the problem with it what is the issue with it because there are situations where I found it very saddening that for me it's only for men who am I to their first wives and therefore whatever reason not because I want to be philandering eventually do make somebody or someone and then they actually have a better relationship with the next second or third wife a lot of women have had women who literally want to like you know stone me and I'm saying that really it might be time for us to look at what exactly is it that we want to be what does culture say and even for religion especially the christian religion I told some people that the british method or the one we have adopted what has the book that we follow what has it really said about it I said and the part of our reference to one man one man clearly stated was about if you are holding a position within the institution of a church but in the empire times for then we've seen men who had numerous wives a lot of other people outside of all called to the concubines and I'm like this story is a this narrative is a very dissonant but I do not think I have a problem with people in comfort advocacy comfort you said when he decides I think now and here in the 21st century we should remember we should remove the fact that it can be a he in this situation truly I think it's both genders women have more than one husband of course and I'm not happy but you know I find that dicey I'm not happy to see how that I can't pick up on husband citizenship okay so for me my my advocacy was coming from what we already have we haven't even finished dealing with the tradition I want to say to you man man and I love the way any so you distilled what the advocacy is really about and that is please let's be practical men and for me are not built to be monogamous we women have more of that because once she settles with a man and all you know she's she guides her she secures her position her children brings everybody up you know keeps whatever the man is meant to what do you call it propagates his lineage I think they'll if we're more honest and I don't think it's culture that is our problem our culture wants to marry more women our men want to marry more women it's the adoption of strange laws that we have come and put and twisted religion into it for me that is causing the problem new culture is the way of life and whether you like it or not what is our culture now is not is not necessarily our original culture there are so many things that we do as Nigerians that there are just too many look at even when we marry you one person will want to go to church courts have traditional wedding go to courts that's true it's it's it's all coming from what has become our new culture I don't know why kule is quiet kule yeah one quite what are your thoughts if you don't want to rock the ball or kule please rock it we'd like to hear your thoughts so that we go on to you no no um for me you know whenever I look at the situation of marriage and you know people's perspectives um I would like to say I can be solo one on one side I don't mean I'm not in reference to myself I mean I mean men can be solo one on one side and of course if they are men now they just want to stay one woman and not want anything else and like we've mentioned the importation of culture funny um the people that brought us to culture you know when they were being taught religion by the original people that had it and then they went to do crusades back to collect the holy land from those people don't have monogamous situations so it's somewhere along the crusades the mentality of adoption of the culture forcefully put by Europe like we wonder why one church is in Rome so a nice one I think you've ended it very well so now on to politics with Cooley as he's giving us the 10 commandments of what a political aspirant should live by don't go anywhere the 10 aspirant commandments there's a lot of force when elections get close we hear start to hear funny things like I think in 2019 boot of change or change is change and funny other things that go on 2023 isn't any different and the issue that causes tears in the tissue are people want to run be it not too young or just too cool to be in the Jurassic Park of political dinosaurs that they ignore the work in the race which is actually politics the greatest error is that that they forget to actually walk the path and that's kind of common that's kind of common and it's like getting hit by a parked car for me these are the 10 aspirant commandments in politics for people that want to delve into politics the first one would be politics could turn anyone into an animal try not to get caught up the truth is from experience people will always talk they have something to say always as long as you're a politician you have a target on your back but you always have to carry this and this is what I carried while running for office is that lions do not bother about the opinion of sheep and that's the best way to keep it two never let your next move be predicted the moment you can be predicted the electorate and even people you're running against can plot anything from anything and trust us we have no limits when it comes to political destruction three don't trust anyone those who hail you the most are the Judas of the park for campaigns to keep this in mind there are always 11 Judas and one Peter and making sure that one Peter is you that's the candidate that's running so best you be denied that privilege to anybody else or annihilated in the game of politics four never get high on the we are behind you the house as you say seikai the yorubazu of course baba or mom you let's not make it let's be conscious of the female gender to running for office I'll tell you it doesn't translate into votes forget all the facebook likes you can even have seven million followers on facebook you'll be shocked the number of votes you put together won't be up to a thousand five keep your eye on the ball always aspirations come with distractions I can tell you why running for office as a man or a woman you'll be sought out by a lot of people the kind of people you thought would never be able to talk to you want to start to get to you once it gets in your head let me remind you after ballard day your phone that used to ring about 1000 missed calls in a day trust me you'll be looking for who to call you six keep your family and politics completely separated now this is a very key thing and most people mix it up which is why most times wives and children who were never part of the aspiration or husbands and children who were never part of the aspiration get caught up seven politics is local one key attribute I learned while running for office was being able to switch from Barack Obama to Addedibu as the need arises eight welcome to the jungle it will be full of smear campaigns so train yourself to face a blog report from your husband's side chick that's if you're a woman and most hunting of all you'll be mocked by those closest to you you know what it is to be sit on your school group and be told so now because you made a common statement maybe during a conversation jokingly you now think you are better than us because you are running for senate who the hell are you you went in with the smartest of one of us nine in Nigeria which is the corruption capital you have to as you have to as a new aspirant be prepared if you don't have a backyard of dollars then prepare to be David with a catapult against 21 Goliaths and that is the reality ten believe in the best politics abilities and prepare for the worst the ballad day is nothing but a day things will go back to the same whether you win or you don't these are inspired by things I felt and anticipated while running for the highest legislative office in Nigeria in 2019 okay okay okay if I may have where is the green light okay if I may have the first reaction you said something about praising in and even in our everyday life people that use a lot of sars sars for me or they call me boss are people that I'm just naturally very weary of I'm always afraid because it can easily get into your head but these are people that also at the same time when they are when you're not there they are probably calling you different names and you know the universe are very respect conscious but someone that respects you or uses a respectful word like air which is a way of show respect it would use that respectful phrase but it might also be abusing you at the same time so I'm always very weary I'm very careful about people that tend to just sing your praise if it gets into your head I'm telling you you'll be very circumcised you know what I'm interested in that I mean under your map thank you for referencing how it can be like that but what got to me what really hit me from your advocacy was the fact that in a like live ball moment it hit me that politics may not be understood by a lot of people the idea of politics in itself is like a behaviour pattern like who you are that was what you said Arakubama to Adejibu and I can assure you that that was like a live ball moment it politics is actually an issue of personality how you can move around how you can be true to this one be that to that person but you know we a lot of people in Nigeria especially look at politics as an ideology you come in to come and push an agenda but politics actually taking on a person to achieve a goal and as you went through the 10 commandments of political aspirants I'm like for the first time ever you hit me that you know what I'm talking about maybe this is why a lot of people are unable to get into politics or a lot of people that do try on the basis of ideology don't get it because politics is you meandering and pushing something it was just behaviour it hits me but somehow I feel running through the 10 commandments maybe it's my personality where is the cop that is half fooled that's what I'm wondering reading the 10 commandments you've put out only I have this flashback as if you've had it really bad I'm sorry I've not walked in your shoes so I cannot say for sure but reading through it I'm like if I'm supposed to come into this journey I'm asking myself where is the cop that is half fooled where is the light see what the reality is that is how you know that is what he's coming from his own experience he's bringing his experience to the table it was relatable I know it might be but I'm asking I'm saying if I'm a new person trying to start on this journey what is in it from what the 10 commandments you've told me the do's and the don'ts what then makes me see the do okay there's a book love does not win elections I shall I shall sorry that's a good book that was an amazing book if you've read the book you will see that there are lots of parallels with the things Kuley has shared and what Kuley is just trying to do is if you're going to politics these are possible pitfalls these are possible holes I would have appreciated a balance of the 10 see that's the of the 10 points he has given they might be true like I said it formed his own position I would have appreciated a situation whereby he balances it out because it truly it cannot be all bad so the balance is that the balance is that you are an aspirant simple for me that was what I took from it that look I've decided to run to throw my heart in the ring and run this thing because I want to serve my people for me that's already the half the half cup full the next thing now is that these are the things to watch out for you can make it if you're able to scale this one then you'll reach the promising I love your own about the Judas that's the one that I loved because I noted your reaction yes yes that's not me yes because it's not just in politics if you can keep this in mind for your life for life that look there are more people who are against you in your life than they're there those for you you would have fewer disappointments and fewer troubles because you don't get through no for me I know no no I wouldn't align with that point at all at all like I said maybe it's just my personality of course it's possible that I don't think I'm not I'm not that kind of person that would go ahead with those kind of 10 commandments I think for me my first commandment would be like you want to do it go for it you can achieve it then I can now begin to number two obstacle number three obstacle number four another strong point to get you kicking and get you going but of course over to you Kuley listening to what you were saying Najumai I think I'd like to just note that the commandments aren't to really scare anybody but I think people rather be armed for war knowing exactly what the war is about preceding that so now we're going to go to the importance of good education which cannot be well emphasized and Najumai of course speaks on that after this break the classroom is no longer a one-size-fits-all I saw a result that was issued to a special child from the school that he attends in the result the boy was issued an F for all the 10 subjects he offered and the teacher commented that the child needed to work harder I asked myself how else is this child to work harder by the way there are no door liners only door teachers if you have taught a child and it scores F all round this is a sign that you the teacher have failed in your responsibility and nothing absolutely nothing has been taught this is 2021 and teachers need to upscale their teaching methods and techniques if the kids do not learn the way you teach it is your responsibility to figure out how to teach the child also understand and educate yourself on teaching special needs children I realized that the teacher and the school are oblivious of special needs and the best way to teach them it is also emotionally draining and discouraging to send such a callous result to the parents we need teachers to be trained on special needs education and how to navigate teaching children with special needs we also need to be empathic as individuals if the teacher was empathic he or she would have known that such a result should never be sent to anybody talk less of a parent we have even seen now more than ever that academic success does not equal life success so we must ensure that we do not write off learners in the classroom the classroom should no longer be a one size fits all you know when I when I listen to your advocate say I was blown away because I think this is a topic that we ignored a lot it's only in Nigeria where special needs kids are not good in arithmetic across the world they top the charts they are super smart yes but they can't be taught the way we teach other kids so it begs the question if they are so super smart because they are usually geniuses across a scene they are very good with math some very good with pictorial representation they are massively intelligent so it just means that our educational system does not handle geniuses that's what I translated but to also be very honest you find that a lot of the no need students go to school in Nigeria and they do badly or they just manage people come with a third class and then they go and do masters abroad and they do best so it I think that the way we teach or we expect people to learn might not really be the best for critical thinking so you are thought to take it as is given so let me tell you one of the things that I experienced in the university if your literary attitude is something in a certain way and then you find another way of explaining it you might be penalized for not even putting it that word forward so that also shows that generally we might have a problem with how we expect people to learn what I think what it shows clearly is that Nigeria spends less than 10% of its budget on education why is it going to be 50% in the coming years 50% not 50% how can it be 50% I thought it was going to be a new Nigeria no no sadly this issue that has been raised here is something that is deep, is painful and it now also for me says that as people, especially in the education space, does that drive that need for education to become different and so different from what Nigeria is even understanding of identifying and obviously we are still using outdated teaching methods to be able to teach children in this time and in 2021 and then of course now with all the myriad of issues raised here is it any wonder that people are trying to jump out of Nigeria but then it's sad, it's unfortunate and for special needs children I've always had a heart for it and I've been like okay but I think because I've been involved in a lot of things around education and development I believe that there is a gradual but no change occurring in the education sector yes maybe from the private school system but somewhat somehow special needs children are becoming relevant I know quite a number, a few right now that parents are identifying and I don't also forget that the issue of stigmatization from society and also an inadequacy in terms of teaching teachers themselves what teachers this is, let's give them some credit I believe it's a painful experience it's a painful experience it's a painful experience but I know because I have been in that space and I do have people in that space that a lot of teachers now and these are personally of scaling, now can we do better can the school system, can we as society begin to hold the education system through every form we know, accountants we want a difference, can we begin to push our self security but you can only hold I want to take off from where you started so what I got from the advocacy that it's too prompt, there's the issue of special needs and then there's the issue of even just general education itself one Cardinal State Governor decided to be brave and take a step in that direction and say okay let me even find out the people who are inside inside this place that is teaching the next generation and all people were interested in is how to collect their money it wasn't an issue of, it's even true let's go through the system, let's go through the exam let's go through the fire and see who will come out of it so your education system already is there's a huge problem there there isn't enough money to even what you call it, to standardize it then you've left the space to entrepreneur people not educationists when I was growing up I was taught by teachers people who loved who had the passion, who understood and that's what is also missing and so when you now spoke about not sending F9 to the parents that it is not fair, if the child has made F9 it's F9 you let the parent know I am not one of those people that thinks that there's a standard there's a minimum standard that needs to be educated on because he or she is going to go out into the world if you don't know how to add if you don't understand how to speak put your tenses properly that needs to be done but as she said also the issue of feeling sorry for the teachers our teachers here are honestly battered they are honestly battered they are not what you call motivated enough they are not being carried along and the parents again the teacher if the child is not behaving properly if the child is not the teacher where is the role of the parent in ensuring that we are not at home to even help them with their homework we are not at home to even understand what did you do in school, where can I help can I go and meet your teacher we've left everything to a system that is already in problem I am sure if you have special needs children should you as a parent put your special needs child in a mainstream school without actually making sure that that mainstream school has the capacity to take in special needs children and if they don't what can I as that kind of parent actually do to that system it's a myriad of issues or should we actually scrap for my education and really look at it and say is this the working force I've seen some developments in the sector I have a friend in Abuja who has a special needs child and she's about 13 now but their system what they did was here and his wife started a school his wife went and started reading online about special needs education and they started a school see that's it I know people who have done that and so that is one place but with the kind of sometimes these issues raise opportunities those that we're not looking at and what I believe strongly that last one year people in the education space outside of government government and people should understand that technology and the change in dynamics have created avenues to change things so if we actually have the opportunity to in that space as this advocacy is going on and as educationists are listening or watching there's a lot of change that can be created because half of the children today are homeschooling anyway so can we actually take advantage of what we're having on ground but then again if a school that particular school that parent is not enough to just be angry there should be issues taking up with that school that why do we have a regular teacher taking this child and giving it a regular you can't grade the child on what the child doesn't know so definitely we've all agreed that the parent the teacher, the society the government, private institution all of us have to come together to make education for special needs better in Nigeria we bring these issues to your plate because we all want a better society and a better Nigeria so we will always want to see some of your opinions on issues we discuss here Emo Obete says APC and PDP members are already wired a certain way the honest youths have to infiltrate both parties and diplomatically alter their mindsets unfortunately is it true these parties that we should stand a chance to improve that we stand a chance of improving the system because they own everything Dotsun Ajamuna says I like how we talk about things that should be done as if we don't know how the contraption works you expect the National Assembly to bite the hand that feeds them who honestly believes that a bunch of people are unqualified to be representatives to begin with to embark on a process that will not favor them man I laugh but hope springs eternal I suppose we have now come to the end of this week's episode of The Advocate however The Advocacy continues on our social media platforms on Facebook plus TV Africa hashtag The Advocate NG or on Instagram at plus TV Africa hashtag The Advocate NG to catch up with previous broadcast go to plus TV Africa dot com forward slash The Advocate NG don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel plus TV Africa till next week, same time on this station let's keep advocating for a better society