By Chukwuma ShaFT AMaram

It is apt and fitting to introduce this discourse using an important analogy, with reference figuratively to classical Grecian robbery character and sadist: Procrustes. Mythical or real, Procrustes, was oddly known for the following: for sensational passion for robbery; extraordinary morbid pleasure and taste for enjoyment of sadism. Worthy of attention is the peculiarity of the unique manner Procrustes practiced and inflicted sadistic pains on robbery victims. Procrustes, in the course of execution of robbery, did the following: forced the robbery victim to lie on a bed; also, forced the victim to stretch out the body in order to fit a bed; cut off part of the victim’s limbs, in order to achieve the purpose of forcing the victim to fit a bed. Indeed, unusual methods of force applied in robbery! In essence, maiming and bodily mutilations, torture and infliction of sadistic pains, characterized Procrustean system of robbery.

In this context, without any exaggeration, Procrustean methods or practices; or Procrustean environment or society; qualify in general, as the symbolic metaphors for robbery and sadism, in different aspects; especially if perpetrated by the state or any of the state’s organs against her citizens.

There is another aspect of Procrustean behaviour. This aspect, can be simply described in the context of this discourse, as: Procrusteanism.

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, defines this phenomenon, as follows, Procrustean: “(of a system, a set of rules, etc.) treating all people or things as if they are the same, without considering individual differences and in a way that is strict and unreasonable”, end of quote. One word, is enough to summarize the definition: rigidity. This definition, explicitly or implicitly, is apt and fitting, in the context of this discourse, as allegorical portraiture of rigidily manipulated organic systems, especially in secular matters. In other words, the definition, makes it quite clear that Procrustean systems are essentially forms of rigidily controlled bureaucracies or decisions making typologies.

Another feature or inference, drawn from the definition, is that Procrusteanism (Procrustean decisions making systems or bureaucracies), can embody or incorporate positive or negative ends/poles, depending on the particular end or direction the system is pointing or stretched at any given time. Accordingly, the following critical attribute and phrase found in the definition, is a critical focal point for consideration in this discourse: “without considering individual differences in a way that is too strict and unreasonable”.

The question that should be agitating our minds, now is: how reasonable or “unreasonable” is the Procrustean systems or bureaucracies of Nigeria? This critical question, is apt and fitting analogously in the comparative contexts of highly contradictory and convoluted practices or tendencies of Procrustean Nigerian nation.

In the context of our discourse, it is safer or more reasonable, presumably, to believe the Greek character, Procrustes, existed only as mythical or hypothetical character or creation and robber but not a real person. On the contrary, Nigerian nation, is absolute reality, like the ancient Greek states of Procrustes generation. But more importantly, Nigeria is a typical example in realities of Procrustean nation and systems, harbouring different shades of Procrustes, especially in highly placed public offices and positions.

Nigerian nation, in a distinct sense, is a big universe of mindboggling absurdities, contradictions, and contraptions, in many contexts. These truths are self-evident in nearly every aspect of national life, especially, in the public sector domains or environments of the Nigerian multiethnic and multicultural polity.

The education subsector, perhaps, is the best example, or is among the worst case scenarios and victims of these pervasive proclivity towards Procrustean absurdities.

Presently, Nigerian education sector and systems, which are in serious turmoils, can be likened to pervasive Procrustean anarchical systems of bureaucracies. But more particularly, as pernicious systems of endemic cheating and gross mismanagement, in terms of specific policies frameworks or initiatives, fashioned out as the result of the overbearing and overwhelmingly “unreasonable” interference, and manipulations. Any wonder the education systems are found to be in near comatose or prostrate conditions? Or painfully, though avoidable, but grinding steadily to halt, through the various “unreasonable” acts of mutilations or surgical “robbery-like” and styled operations performed in and/or on the systems?

Chiefly, the fall out of the overwhelmingly “unreasonable” peddling of influence and the activities of legions of Procrustes overlords imbued with sectional agendas, in the Education Ministry and her legions of parastals.

Notably, several activities or decisions in the Education Ministry, are characterized by undisguised “robbery” styled operations, in the shapes of curious and biased policies designed deliberately, for example, to rob namely qualified candidates and school pupils from the Southern hemispheres of Nigeria, in schools admissions matters. These pupils, based on the criteria of merit systems, are patently qualified for admissions into Unity Schools, unhindered, under the control of the Education Ministry. Particularly, qualified candidates from the South East geopolitical Zone, are hindered, robbed yearly and constantly, by means of devious, “unreasonable”, and questionable devices, referencing, Oxford Dictionary definition of Procrustean systems or “unreasonable” treatments.

Whereas, in contrast, another curious set of “unreasonable” devices or rules but specifically fashioned out policies, which seem to be patently disdainful, disregardful, and scornful of merit systems, are officially tailored and enforced in favour of absymally unqualified candidates, but who are bestowed with preferential status, and drawn from the Northern hemispheres of Nigeria.

These sets of anti-South and pro-North rules are known to have caused serious challenges or hiccups and have undermined the integrity of the systems in the education sector.

The logical basis for these discrepancies in terms of the different set of rules applied to different classes of pupils from the South and North, have not been reasonably or scientifically explained or justified; especially on the basis of one critical condition and question: one Nigeria.The answer is seriously demanded and awaited anxiously.

Proper grooming, sound education, and holistic empowerment of Nigerian children, through the provision of standard or qualitative education services, no doubt have been criminally compromised in many cases and virtually thrown overboard, by virtue of curious policies concoctions and promulgations masterminded by certain entrenched influential circles with special interests, found among the education systems administrators/managers. This is the case especially at the apex national levels, under the superintendency of the Federal Ministry of Education and the subsidiary organs, under the leadership of the Minister of Education, as the overall boss.

In terms of economics measurements methods or appraisals of costs-benefits analyses or evaluations terms, these systemic drawbacks simply mean: the huge budgets appropriated to Education Ministry, sum up to wasteful expenditures.

Formal institutionalization or legalization, through the promulgations of North-South-divide- sensitive, or sectional-oriented education policies, particularly in the admissions processes or procedures prescribed and endorsed by the Federal Ministry of Education, for candidates seeking admissions into Unity Schools, are capable of undermining beyond recovery, the rapidly declining education standards, across the spectrum of the education systems in Nigeria. Such, is the typical case with the regards to the “unreasonable”, counterproductive, highly discriminatory and nearly zero based cut-off marks indiscriminately apportioned to some privileged candidates for admissions into the Unity Schools system, specifically reserved for the North. In these seeds may be found the curse or afflictions in the federal education systems; and the cause of the constant bizarre sub par performance levels uniquely common to the North.

Nation-wide qualifying common entrance examinations for admissions to the Unity Schools systems, statutorily is the responsibility of an agency: the examinations are organized and moderated/regulated by National Examination Commission (NECO), headquartered in Minna, Niger State. But, from all indications, the final outcomes in terms of ultimate qualifications (or disqualifications, as are oftentimes the case for many candidates in South East zone, despite passing the examinations based on appraisals of overall performances of peer states nation-wide) to gain admissions into the Unity Schools, is politically determined, manipulated/masterminded; and unreasonably over-moderated or teleguided through the “unreasonable” manoeuvring interventions mechanisms of the Federal Ministry of Education. Principally, through the obnoxious systems of policy of impositions, in terms of discriminatory cut-off marks, on state-by-state peer basis, without strict adherence to common uniform scientific based benchmarks or standards.

These “unreasonable” subjective criteria, lacking objectivity or scientific basis, in the end amount to broad day robbery of the hard earned marks scored by many pupils, namely from the South of the North, who are the victims of these deliberately deviced Procrustean policies; and have suffered injustices, under the unjust systems.

By means of the manipulative impositions of discriminatory devices and interventions of cut-off marks policy, entry qualifications and requisite requirements, are selectively tampered with and unreasonably adjusted after the results have been released; but absymally lowered to ridiculous lowest levels, amounting to “unreasonable” absurdities, in favour of candidates virtually drawn from the entire North geopolitical zones.

Whereas, the cut-off marks ceilings for candidates from the South geopolitical zones, are raised higher or highly, possibly with the sinister motives to put in great disadvantage and jeopardy the candidates from the South. But the highly over-pampered privileged beneficiaries of the “unreasonable” politically motivated adjusted cut-off marks, from the North, are forced without any considerations to abilities and perhaps against the will, to fit the bill, by the Procrustes traversing the entire spectrum of the Federal Ministry of Education.

Predictably, the resultant outcomes, are:

First, whereas, ably and eminently qualified pupils from the South, especially from the South East geopolitical zone, who have by means of posting excellent results and scaled through the rigorous bars of the competitive qualifying examinations, oftentimes are schemed out and denied admissions.

Secondly, whereas, on the opposite side, the counterparts drawn from other zones, especially from particular zones in the North, are awarded underserved or unmerited and “unreasonable” bonus admissions into Unity Schools, after obviously flunking the NECO organized common entrance examination by scoring bizarre lower marks.

What worse examples or scenarios of crude forms of bizarrely “unreasonable” Procrustean nepotistic bureaucratic systems, can any reasonable person imagine?

Online published reports and statistics of the cut-off marks for candidates for admissions in 2020/2021, are self-evident, and testify of the truth highlighted herein in terms of the “unreasonable” discriminatory or nepotistic standards endorsed by the official fiat decreed by the Education Ministry. The following online report focusing on ranking, by an education monitoring platform, puts the issue squarely in perspectives, and beyond dispute, accordingly.

State-by-state cut-off marks statistical data in 2020/2021 admissions are as follows:

Abia-130, Adanawa-62, Akwa Ibom-123, Anambra-139, Bauchi-35, Bayelsa-72, Benue-111, Borno-45, Cross River-97, Delta-131, Ebonyi-112, Edo-127, Ekiti-119, Enugu-134, Gombe-58, Imo-138, Jigawa-44, Kaduna-91, Kano-67, Katsina-60, Kebbi-9(male) 20(female), Kogi-119, Kwara-123, Lagos-133, Nasarawa-58, Niger-93, Ogun-131, Ondo-126, Osun-127, Oyo-127, Plateau-97, Rivers-118, Sokoto-9(female) 13(male), Taraba-3(male) 11(female), Zamfara-4(female) 2(female), and FCT Abuja-90.

Critical or dispassionate analyses or syntheses of the statistical data and information on cut-off marks, based on the highlighted report, portray graphically the sordid or “unreasonable” self-defeating manipulative policies and strategies in operations in this critical education level and system in Nigeria.

Based on the appraisals of the statistical data before us, it is only on sentiments, anyone can defend why male or female pupils from either Sokoto, Taraba or Zamfara, should be favoured by bizarrely lowering the cut-marks to as low as 2 marks, but male or female pupils from Abia, Benue, or Lagos, are treated differently. 2/200 total marks. Quite bizarre. This dilemma is one of the numerous examples of: One Nigeria, different set of rules, especially in the education sector.

One critical conclusion or extrapolation difficult to overlook based on the aforementioned issues; especially the astonishingly and comparatively very poor performance levels of candidates from the North in the NECO organized tests for admissions into the Unity Schools systems, is: the belief that the respective states’ education ministries in the North geopolitical zones, either do not understand the enormous responsibilities assigned to them. Or have failed bizarrely in terms of the effective executions of these critical mandates.

Logically, the continued sub par performances index over the years of the candidates in these states are the true reflections of how poorly these education ministries have discharged; or have failed in the performance of these critical mandates; or even, have justified or otherwise the existence of these ministries.

Another important perspective is: as long as the pupils from the states in question are guaranteed unmerited admissions to the Unity Schools; as long as Governors, emirs, Senators, Members of House of Representatives, local government chairmen, parents, and other stakeholders in the North are appeased, or gratified, through these awards system, there shall be no incentives or reasons for these ministries and the schools in particular, in these states, to wake up from slumber. As long as these rigging formula, patterns, malpractices, or techniques are deployed to aid the North educationally, the North shall continue to under-estimate the real essence and value of education. Because, when incompetency is highly rewarded, it only breeds more incompetency.

In essence, through series of officially deviced patronizing adoptions, influences, promotions, and strategies of acute pro-North but anti-progressive education policies, the following deductions, inferences, or conclusions, can be drawn:

The North, educationally, is rapidly backsliding and has declined backwards progressively; remains in contents and contexts technically inferior, based on available measurements benchmarks and statistical data, in comparative terms, vis a vis the peer states of the South.

The North systematically but continually fosters educational backwardness; engenders highly avoidable inferiorly or primitive-like position, through over-dependence on shortcuts and counterproductive or delusive and shortsighted measures. Such as the systems of mandatory admissions for sub par performances and performers in competitive national examinations and selection exercises, specifically, now, turned upside-down in favour of the North, for political exigencies.

The North discourages diligence, hardwork, and industry, in the education systems, especially in examination matters. But encourages academic laziness and sloppiness among the mass of pupils and candidates registered in schools; who, over the decades, have been mentally, emotionally, and psychologically conditioned or programmed to consider or view examinations in negative terms, as abnormal, absurd, and anathema in education curriculum and requirements; rather than in positive concepts.

The North is covertly and overtly disdainful and sceptical of the hard core aspects, importance, and great values of education, in terms of diligence, hardwork, and industry required to excel. But greatly admires and greedily covets the supreme benefits and great rewards of education; by means of clamouring and questing for underserved and unmerited privileges, based on arm-twisting policies devices.

Above all, the North, preeminently, using the forestated instances; and these instances serving as logical basis or premise; it can be argued herein, the North has displayed and demonstrated favourable inclinations or support towards the mindset or philosophy of spirit of acute hatred for secular education systems; as boldly preached and violently enforced under the philosophy or principles of Book haram school of thought.

In addition to the current parlous state of the education sector and systems, there are serious concerns in some quarters, bordering on the corrosive and negative systemic impacts, in the short or long-terms, on other strategic sectors. These are more likely to spew out of the “unreasonable” and unscientific methods of the Procrustean policy frameworks in the education sector.

But naturally, the education system ought to serve as core bedrock for the promotion of excellence in other vital sectors, as cohesive integrated systems of national life and endeavours.

These grave concerns, as deadly symptoms, signpost possibility of the imminent collapse, not only of the education structures and systems, but of the progressive regression of the entire macro structures of Nigeria.

The Procrustean policies or rules in the education systems in the Federal Ministry of Education, raise other acute concerns, verging on the entire well-being of Nigerian nation, as presently constituted, in all ramifications.

For instance, to what extent, or widespread, can these “unreasonable” treatments spill-over (or may be have already spilled-over and too late to prevent) into other strategic roots and veins of national life, based on the stubborn retention of the current culture or status quo, as practiced in the education sector?

Suffice it to consider or imagine, as example, WAEC or any other regional or supranational examination body, shall be favourably disposed, or compelled, or even bribed, to introduce and adopt similar nepotistic cut-off marks, designed to suit the selective sentiments or disabilities of sub par performance standards of candidates from educationally-quotarized sections of Nigeria, who enjoy constantly and depend on privileged “diet” or “ration” in form of bonus marks and quasi free admissions policies into Unity Schools.

What of the universities here in Nigeria, or outside Nigeria; regulatory organs and organizers of professional qualifying examinations, such as ICAN, COREN, Nigeria Law School program managers, and a host of similar independent bodies?

Shall these Procrustean “unreasonable” agendas, ever be incorporated in the professional guidelines, principles or templates of these bodies? Just wondering, though.

We wonder if these “unreasonable” unscientific formula has surreptitiously or overtly by designs crept into the boardrooms or inner chambers of administrators/managers of promotions or assessments examinations organized for the personnel of the Civil Service corps, at the national levels?

We imagine how many top level civil servants, especially of the rank of permanent secretary or directorate cardre, drawn from certain sections of Nigeria, have been unreasonably favoured officially by the dubious means of Procrustean controls exerted from above, comparable to below-cut-off marks devices and strategies, used in the Unity Schools?

What of the recruitment exercises into and trainings programs undertaken in the highly sensitive national security platforms?

Most likely, the ideal entry requirements, may have been brazenly lowered in order to suck in certain elements and thereby retain sectional control or dominance of the nation’s security agencies, no doubt based on Procrustean principles of “unreasonable” treatments, manifest in diverse contraptions.

In the same token, the current operational inertia stigmatizing the security organs, vis a vis claims of “decimating” Boko haram insurgents, may be the inevitable adverse effects of highly compromised security systems, viewed from the perspectives of the education ministry.

One can further stretch

the power of reasoning, and imagine the possibilities of the unmitigated harm or danger, these seductively but unreasonably deviced policies portend for the present and the future development of Nigeria.

Why are the ideal systems of merit and excellence compromised or sacrificed in the education sector by the education ministry, or in other complementary and strategic sectors in Nigeria, in this present age or millennium?

Perhaps, I suspect, that I am too daft to understand why. In which case, I solemnly solicit for the most kind favours of the top notch bosses in the Education Ministry to come quickly to my aid, with the right answers or responses to quench my curiousities.

But before ever any corrections or responses come from appropriate quarters; before, I become properly enlightened, instructed or well tutored in these matters by the elite bosses in the Education Ministry; before I am stopped to reason as “ignoramus layman”, as, I may be termed in the perceptions of the Avatars or politicians in Education Ministry, let me quickly express the following worrisome opinions:

The education policies of the Nigerian nation, oftentimes, briskly brewed and dispensed in hurry in response to certain political expediencies or extreme exigencies, elicited from Procrustean mindsets, philosophy, principles or strategem, most likely, if not thoroughly re-examined and scrutinized, inevitably would continue to jeopardize the proper growth and development of Nigeria’s politico-economy, in all ramifications, sooner than later.

The ominous dangers embedded in these anti-progressive practices, can no longer be ignored or systematically rationalized with majestic arrogance or impudence, by the current ruling class of Nigeria. But, rather, requires urgent attention or interventions of the critical stakeholders, particularly knowledgeable, patriotic minded, visionary bureaucrats and technocrats in the entire spectrum of the education industry and systems.

Federal Ministry of Education and her numerous feeder organs and subsidiaries, ideally, ought to be kick off points, but systemic inertia and paralysis, may as often is the case, for politically correct or incorrect reasons, defeat the objective.

Specifically, with reference to the “unreasonable” nepotistic favouritism bestowed on the candidates of certain Northern origins in the NECO examinations, as clearly proven by media reports and available statistical data, without any question, translates to: “unreasonable” and injurious government sponsored policy thrusts fashioned for the encouragement and promotion of culture of indolence, acute illiteracy, and crass mediocrity in the education sector and systems.

Equally, the practice represents regressive devaluations of the culture of excellence, industry, and acceptable global standards or benchmarks in the education sector.

No effectively and efficiently designed systems can survive such frontal abuse or assaults, except through appropriate introductions of deliberately designed robust policies and interventions; and effective or efficient applications of appropriate reversal mechanisms and strategies.

But at the moment, no Cheers, no toasts to malignantly designed Procrustean monster-like, Frankenstein education policies, scornful of excellence but fosters supine admiration for mediocrity, for a privileged class of below par pupils; who are officially over-pampered and awarded unmerited admissions automatically into Unity Schools; and unjustly in celebration and recognition of bizarre failures in highly competitive selections examinations.

A case of one Nigeria but different set of rules for different Nigerians.

To put it mildly, the existence of different set of rules in the education sector and ministry at the national level, constitute a serious menace to the effective and proper development of Nigeria.

As you digest further and reflect soberly on these important subjects, it is critically imperative to bear in mind and ponder seriously over a highly distressing but unavoidable, probing question:

Wherein lies the Cause or the Curse of Nigeria’s Procrustean absurdities?

 

Chukwuma Shaft Amaram writes from Owerri

 

Picture: Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education