In my earlier notes to you my friends on facebook I explained that our administration intends to tackle the issue of insecurity holistically rather than reacting in a knee jerk manner. I had said we will pay special attention on preventive strategies even as we focus on equipping and training our personnel to secure our nation. You may recall that I had traced the root of insecurity to poverty and that poverty has a very stubborn relationship to illiteracy.
Now I am not unmindful of the fact that even where some of our youths would want to be educated, we simply do not have enough facilities to educate all our people up to university level at present. This explains why only 10% of qualified youths are able to get spaces in our universities.
As a result, the Federal Government has approved the establishment of 6 new Federal universities with one to be sited in each of the 6 geo-political zones of the country. Funds for this purpose will be provided for in the coming year's budget and work has already started to make sure that these planned citadels of learning come into being in the shortest time possible. While approving the establishment of these 6 new institutions, we will continue to focus attention on upgrading and equipping existing ones and paying attention on staff welfare so that the brain drain we experienced from the mid 80s can be reversed to brain gain!
I am one of those who believe that a nation will not get rich by merely exploiting its natural resources rather wealth will come from exposing it's human resources to knowledge and values of community spirit.
Permit me to end this short note by felicitating with my Muslim brothers and sisters on this day of Arafat.
- GEJ
Source: Fighting Insecurity With Education | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/notes/goodluck-jonathan/fighting-insecurity-with-education/171700526190924)