Ms. Danesi, You are a lawyer for goodness sake. How did you reach the conclusion that the death of the foremost Nigerian education professor and former Nigerian education minister is due to the utterance of President Jonathan? How can you prove this for sure? This also if we may assume is very unkind to the President, as you feel his (Jonathan's) words may be unkind to the late Professor Fafunwa. I have enormous respect for the late Professor Fafunwa, but other than the 6-3-3-4 issue there were certain flaws associated with the late professor's handing of ASUU agitations and other issues that affected Nigerian education during his terms as minister. As a public official, Professor Fafunwa and his policy actions as a minister is fair game. The president has every right to comment on policy matters as he deems fit. He too is fair game. I do not think that President Jonathan was insulting or demeaning to the person, talent, or productivity of the late Professor Fafunwa, who would be dearly missed. He was making a commentary on the public impact of Professor Fafunwa's policy agenda- rightfully or wrongfully. In deed, there are some of us, who hold that the president might be wrong, as the 6-3-3-4 system as a policy initiative actually long predated the emergence of Professor Fafunwa's term as minister. I personally believe that the late Professor Fafunwa policy signature was his insistence on "mother tongue education" which expressed some good points, but was actually very problematic to implement given the realities of Nigeria at the time, and even now. For whatever it is worth, Professor Fafunwa was a prodigious education professor, impressive writer and historian on Nigerian educational enterprise and its evolution, whose scholarly influence was felt within and outside of education departments within and outside of Nigeria. In the past, I had heavily relied on his works for some of my own researches and conveniences. I also know that is works were heavily used in the department of education in Nigerian tertiary institutions. I had the rare privilege at one time helping handicapped (disabled) University students (especially blind, deaf, and dumb ones) at the University of Jos helping to read directly to them their courses' texts and assigned readings, including audio recording of these materials. I not only learnt but was surprised at the magnitude of scholarly productions of the late education professions. Having said that I still cannot grasp how you adduced your association, unless you know more than we know. I am sure that you are not saying that man President Jonathan has an evil mouth, like that proverbial evil eye. Please, following your reasoning, I would not be surprised that some religious experts could now begin to arrange for some exorcization of the evil mouth of President Jonathan, and also enabling some of his political opponents to depict him as a Nigerian 666-sent, a man whose covenant with the devil may be the reason for his quick rise to power and influence! Doing this cheap and gratis PRO inferences for Jonathan's detractors actually would be an olive palm freely placed in the hands of his foes! Poor Jonathan, the despised and the most bad-mouthed Nigerian leaders in recent time, even by the most evil among these leaders. Fafunwa a man who has lived to be 87 years old, and who was traveling to Abuja for a lecture at the University of Abuja, any number of things could go wrong leading to his death. In fact, at Fafunwa's age, he's lived a long and fulfilled life, that just a casual statement like this could send the salvo sending him to the otherside of the coin of life. However, what amazes me is your overt, definitive, and so assured association, which I do not find very persuasive enough. I am more intrigued that you being a lawyer and/or doctoral student of law, would makes me feel like puking right now. However, upon second thoughts, I am concluding that you are just trying to, as we all do, rationalize, the experience of death in a way that makes it bearable for the living. It is such a suave move, and lawyers are equally good at that. Well, I wish Baba Fafunwa a good rest in Al Jena, that he would now rest with Allah's blessing, for Baba among other things was actually known to be a very astute and conscientious Moslem, whose public service was informed and illumined by his faith, and hence his purposeful to service to the nation. --- On Tue, 10/12/10, Ms rosemary danesi <rosemarydanesi@yahoo.com> wrote:
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