2021 Mass Literacy Day Organised By The MALLPAI Foundation

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REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE 2021 MASS LITERACY DAY ORGANISED BY THE MALLPAI FOUNDATION ON SATURDAY, THE 18TH OF SEPTEMBER 2021

 

PROTOCOLS

 

First let me thank His Excellency, Aisha Atiku Bagudu, and the MALLPAI Foundation team for their very kind invitation to me to attend this special event in celebration of Mass Literacy Day. And it is fitting for the MALLPAI foundation to be the host of an event to mark mass literacy day.

 

This foundation which in the last decade or so has been led by the passion, commitment, and foresight of Her Excellency, Aisha Bagudu has sought to make perhaps the most important contribution that can be made to the lives of thousands in education.

 

Man is the sole dynamic in nature. He or she, unlike animals, has talents and abilities to develop himself or herself and his or her environment. He or she can make chairs from trees, invent airplanes and cars, invent vaccinations to prevent diseases. He or she can do all manner of things to develop a community.

 

It is in his or her place to organize commerce and monetary policy to produce jobs of different levels of sophistication and reward. But he or she can only perform these human functions with the benefit of education.  When a country is underdeveloped and wiped out by disease, infant mortality, it is because most of the minds in that country are underdeveloped and lack education.

 

The only known way to develop the human mind is by education. The only way by which man can live better than any other creature and live up to his or her God-given responsibility to develop his community, provide enough for that community is by education.

 

Education is the ticket to the full enjoyment of all human, civil and socio-political, and socio-economic rights. When we talk about human rights, the only way to access those rights is through education.

 

At the most basic level, the ability to read and write not just in one’s own language, but in global languages as well is crucial. To be deprived of education is to be deprived of the means of the pursuit of a dignified existence, where one can fully contest or collaborate with others for the benefits that life offers.  It is so important for us, especially those of us who are policymakers, those of us in civil societies, we owe our people a duty to educate them.

 

We owe our people a duty to lift their minds to the level where they can benefit maximally from their environment and give benefit to others. Every study confirms that education, especially of women has a multiplier effect on everything around them. In other words, if you educate a woman, she transforms her environment completely. It usually means a longer life span for themselves and their children, it means that they are less likely to die of communicable diseases since they are more likely to understand best practices in hygiene, sanitation and follow useful material on health care.

 

Everything is possible if the mind of a human being is educated. Every child who is born is born with talent, born with some ability, but nothing will happen if they are not educated to express those abilities.

 

We must commend the work of the MALLPAI Foundation, they have since 2009, been doing the difficult work of improving access to education and creating skills acquisition opportunities for the poor, and underprivileged communities.

 

We have heard of the extensive work they have done especially with nomadic children, and Fulani communities, trying to ensure that these children and adults are well educated.

 

Getting disadvantaged out-of-school children into formal education is a massive challenge, especially where in some cases the prevailing culture is an obstacle.

 

Hajiya, you have shown especially in the case of girls, that by being sensitive and understanding, it is possible to surmount socio-cultural beliefs and practices that hinder access of girls to education. There are all sorts of possible obstacles but if we understand them and explain them very well, it is possible to do much greater work.

 

Every one of the zones of our country where there has been free education, for example, beginning with the Western region, there is first a great deal of resistance. When Chief Obafemi Awolowo introduced free education in the West, there were riots. In fact, at some point, he lost the elections on account of his introduction to free education. But in a few short years, everybody began to see the benefits and as they say, the rest is history.

 

There is a lot to be done and we must have the courage of our convictions; if we say, girls should be educated, we must make sure that we follow through. It may not be popular, but it will be popular eventually.

 

What is even more touching for me is that you have included those who were left behind as children, and you are creating new opportunities for them as adults, through skills acquisition training and financial aid.

 

I truly believe that the more lives you transform in the communities you serve, the more the mindset will shift in those communities towards embracing formal education for all.

 

Hajiya Aisha, I commend you and your team for the brave and selfless work you have been doing over the years, and for not giving up in the face of many challenges. I know that behind your great success is the steadfast support of your husband, His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, and members of your family, especially Mariam, who now has decided to devote her own time to the work of MALLPAI

 

It is my prayer for your team, that as you have given so many such joy and hope, that the Almighty God will continually give you also, joy and fulfillment and He will bless you and sustain your work and service to this country and to humanity.

 

Thank you all for listening.

 

 



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The only known way to develop the human mind is by education. The only way by which man can live better than any other creature and live up to his or her God-given responsibility to develop his community, provide enough for that community is by education.