From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrate confraternity) Frigate Deck has decried the declining value placed on education by youths in the country.
The association made the call in Calabar in a message to mark this years International Day Of Education which has as theme: Invest in education, prioritize education.
Bright Osas, the auditor of the NAS Frigate Deck which covers Akpabuyo, Bakassi and Calabar South LGAs said this is necessary because youths in the country are becoming disillusioned and increasingly seeing education as a scam.
“There is a tend going on out there people no longer seek education and think it’s not all that relevant for survival.
‘This is because of the recent happenings in the country where you see a lot of people having gone through the rigours of academics and then at the end of the day they are not able to find a place to be relevant.
‘Education actually gives you that platform for you to mix up freely and find a place to survive but for now having gone to school many find themselves not having that capacity to earn a living.
‘Then you see those who have not even seen the four walls of education, through one god father or the other they find themselves in juicy positions and the big and mighty offices so with that the slogan has been education is a scam.
“We may actually come to that point where people no longer feel motivated to go to school because having looked at their neighbour, or this guy has not been to school before but today he is driving a big Benz people want to do those dirty things that others did to be where they are.
“Government should as a matter of fact and urgency come to the rescue because the philosophy that is flowing and parading itself now if we do not nip it in the bud it will become more or less theory.
“Now it’s like an apotheosis but before you know it it will become a way of life and people use it to survive.
“That’s why we have things like Yahoo boys, ritual this and that because everyone wants to make money and education is a scam.
“This Exodus movement where people are leaving Nigeria for foreign universities either to go and school or work, most of us are leaving and before you know it we will find none here except nonentities, we must rise to the occasion because education is key”, he said.
Also speaking, Inyang Asuquo, the secretary of the National Association of Seadogs Frigate Deck Chapter said It’s a call to action for every stakeholder in the educational sector.
He added that NAS also condemns the ban on female education in Afghanistan saying it is detrimental to human dignity and fundamental human rights.
He said they will keep advocating up to a point that the government in Afghanistan will be able to reverse that law.