Justice at last for Lagos Eko Project volunteers?

There are two ways I could possibly start this meeting this weekend, as chief indulgee at this our Square Table gathering. The first one is that I can use a phrase from Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech and scream, like he did then: “Free at last… Free at last!” But then, one wicked indulgee, who gets his kick from poking fun at me, could sarcastically quip: “Phillip, free from what? I never knew you were in prison or in chains! Thought Brother Martin Luther King said that way back when white Americans were giving it badly to our black American brothers of his time?” To which I would then have replied: “Everywhere I go, I still see many of us put in chains, one way or the other. By individuals and governments; and the chains come in different shapes and forms!” If you really want to enjoy the “Free at last… Free at last…” line, go and get one of those rap songs, where it was used as background accompaniment! I think it was used in one ’80s song called “19” – not quite sure now.

And talking about music, the other way I think I could possibly start this meeting is to borrow a song from our own brother, Lemar! It was the Nigerian-born British musician, Lemar Obika (much better known simply as Lemar), who sang the infectious love song about a man who felt there was no justice in the world because he wasn’t with the woman he thought he ought to be with. So, in that our usual indulgees’ Square Table gathering style, I am sure it is appropriate to remind ourselves what that our brother Lemar Obika actually sang in the song. This is to ensure that when we get onto the subject of justice or the lack of it, as in the matter of Lagos State Government vs. Lagos Eko Project Volunteers, we will see what we mean by justice or no justice! And like Chief Zeebi (Zebrudaya of the New Masquerade fame) would ask, “Abi mgbo Afolin, are it not so?”

If there’s any justice in the world,

I would be your man,

You would be my girl,

If I’d found you first you know it’s true,

He would be alone,

I would be with you …

 But while Lemar is seeking love justice in that song, I have tried twice in the past to seek justice from the Lagos State government for some volunteers in the noble and novel idea introduced by our friend, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, called the Lagos Eko Project. For indulgees and passers-by who did not read my earlier write-ups on this matter and who are not in the know about this novel project, let me quickly do an introduction. The innovative governor, recognising the shortage of teachers in certain core subjects – Mathematics, English, Basic Science, Biology and Life Skills – and the need to provide support to existing teachers (by creating avenues for them to go for further training and have people do their teaching while they are away), introduced the World Bank-funded Lagos Eko Project. Many people applied, were interviewed and some were then recruited. I remember that, as Editor, when I first heard about the programme, the first thing I did was to call my education correspondent to say this is a programme that must be written about. It was like the “Teaching Assistants” scheme in the UK, where you have assistants, who are not the real teachers, providing supports to teachers in the classrooms! It was innovative thinking, I had thought, and I applauded the governor at our meetings for toeing this line.

But then, I heard something sad about the programme. I heard that many of those who had volunteered, who had decided to do full-time teaching, upon applying for teaching roles when applications were invited, were overlooked for appointments! This was sad and is still sad! I thought it was like being used and dumped – which is common in love stories, and Lamar, the Nigerian-born British musician, probably knows better, given that it’s close to what he sang about in “If there was justice in the world”. It was even sadder for me to hear the other day that there is a school where a volunteer, who had spent almost three years on the programme, who had gone on to get a teaching qualification to prepare for possible employment consideration, who is loved by students and whom the principal thinks is doing a good job, got to school one day to find that fresh graduates had been sent from Alausa (you know how they endorsed those letters – I know someone who knows someone who made it happen) to begin life in that school as teachers. That’s a school where this person had been contributing for the past three years hoping that things would happen for good. Do you see the justice and no justice connection in this matter?

I don’t understand how government people reason when, after coming up with a brilliant policy that should etch them forever in the hearts of their people, they turn around to deliberately mess it up by making some people permanently unhappy with them! The fundamental pursuit of any government, in my view, should be justice! This would be justice for the poor, justice for the rich; justice for the known, and justice for the unknown citizen. If there is no justice, then just forget it – you will have dictatorship all over the place! This is why I strongly believe that Eko Project volunteers who have done well (and I have heard about the conflict or jealousy that exists amongst Ministry of Education officials who see the Eko Project differently and do not tend to offer the needed support) deserve first consideration in teaching job openings, for those who want to continue with teaching and whose principals have acknowledged are performing creditably.

Now, that’s if there’s any justice in the world! I am not sure yet what’s going on, but I have heard that some moves suggesting that there could be justice in the pipeline for Lagos Eko Project volunteers are in the works. Principals of schools where some volunteers teach have been asked to compile and supply names, qualifications, subjects taught, number of hours taught, volunteers’ profiles, pictures while teaching, their personal stories about their schools, amongst others and send to Ronke Azeez, the hardworking woman who coordinates this very useful project. When I heard this, it sent me thinking: “Are these people about to dispense justice to these award-deserving volunteers, especially those who have stayed the course, have not given up, and have continued to enjoy the work that they do, impacting the lives of our young ones in primary and secondary schools?”

Surely, this state called the Centre of Excellence, with an Excellent Governor, cannot be seen to cheat its people, volunteers or not! Let justice reign for Lagos Eko Project volunteers who want to teach!