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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
A former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has revealed reasons behind the establishment of the School of Politics, Policies and Governance (SPPG).
Ezekwesili explained that she and other well-meaning Nigerians needed to change the faulty political culture that was inimical to citizens, by raising new breed of leaders to salvage the situation.
She stated this yesterday at a virtual matriculation of over 100 SPPG students.
SPPG is a non-conventional institution that has graduated three sets of students, including the pioneer class of 2021 (160), Class of 2022 (133) and Class of 2023 (184).
According to her, the insouciant posture of the Federal Government to secure the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls was discomforting which prompted her into taking part in the relentless protests to push the government into securing the release of the girls.
The former Vice President of the World Bank recalled how some political forces attempted to make her compromise her moral values, which she resisted and suspended her presidential ambition in 2019.
“Suffice it to say that a strong correlation was established and that of the triangular pillars of democracy, the construct that I propounded from that research comes the School of Politics, policy and governance which is dedicated to correcting the anomalies on the supply side of the market of democracy of politics when viewed as a service or a product.
“So, we designed the School of Politics, policy and governance as an unconventional school that has a pedagogical structure of curriculum that derives from the content of what the problems have been analytically identified to be, why the continent is has not achieved development when compared to its global pairs.
“And so, the supply side, which is what you represent, is a response to what the research seems to be the existence of a dominant culture, the dominant political culture, our culture as a people.
“But there is a political culture that is dominant across our continent. And that political culture is one that subordinates the common good to fit personnel or narrow interests of those who ought to lead the political space and you get to learn how to start in this kind of dominant culture.”
