GIFTED MIND

A society that is governed by the reasoning that people ought to be paid for their qualifications rather than the worth of their services is doomed. This is what I mean: qualification is normally the testament of ability. But where the majority now have the qualifications with no expertise to match, then the purpose of the qualification has been defeated. And this, to me, is the summary of Education in Nigeria in this age. People merely aspire to get high academic certificates, with no intension of acquiring matching expertise. This is the idea behind people merely “preparing for examinations” whereas they were actually to learn through the years and only write the examinations to gauge the extent of what has been learnt. Unfortunately, this calamitous idea has eaten deep into primary and secondary school levels, and when one thinks of practices surrounding Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations, one wonders whether that level of education is still capable of fu...

It is no longer news that the Nigerian educational system, due to an unwholesome combination of neglect and mismanagement, has fallen over the years into a squalid state of disrepair. It is no longer news that while in saner societies throughout the world, the teaching profession is considered one of the most important jobs there could be, in Nigeria, teachers are about the most indigent, most derided lot in the polity. It is also not a so surprising truth anymore that if the achievement of peace, stability and development is one of the objectives of the Nigerian state at this present time, its school curriculums are ill-equipped to drive the nation towards that goal. Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, was therefore saying nothing new when he complained about the shortage of teachers and called for an urgent review of the curriculum at the seventh conference of the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) in Abuja the other day. More important than a reiter...

Nancy Isime has quickly become a Nollywood sweetheart with her obvious talent, #BellaStylista approved street style and red carpet looks and of course her daring staple hairstyle. Over the weekend, the Actor and TV host anchored the Beauty Of Africa International Pageant 2018 in not one but three stunning designs from bespoke womenswear brand Sue Manuell, stepping on stage each time with a new look that outdid the last. Starting off the night in a black tube-style jumpsuit with thick peplum details and strap PVC embellished sandals, her makeup done by Casskoncept1 was easy on the eyes and bold on the lips. Accessorising with extravagant silver earrings. Nancy moved on to cause a stir in a silver figure-hugging embellished floor-length dress with crystal embellishments. For her second appearance, Casskoncept switched her makeup to sultry eyes with a hint of silver and deep glossy plum lipstick. Her final look was the icing on the cake. The host with the most wore a flamb...

Looks like Jacobs never meant to shade anyone after all. In an Instagram post Friday, he apologized and detailed what really caused his show to kick off so late. "It was my wishful thinking that we could accomplish all that needed to be done for this show with the circumstances we faced. I was wrong," he wrote in a lengthy caption. "Not because everyone didn’t make every effort or give it their all and more, life is just that way sometimes. I’ve always been told that, 'if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.' ” In the comments section, he also addressed rumors that his lateness had something to do with Rihanna. We're happy to know there's no bad blood after all. As buttoned up and polished as New York Fashion Week looks from the outside, the real deal is a little less pristine — it's sometimes sweaty, sometimes panicky, and definitely dramatic. But even the week's usual antics pale in comparison to what fashion fans are specu...

The Lagos State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Jimi Agbaje, has said that the people of the state are tired of being led by one man. He, therefore, said that voters in the state “are gearing up for a change,” vowing that the PDP would win the 2019 governorship in the state. Agbaje spoke in Abuja on Tuesday when he visited the national headquarters of the party. He said, “We are getting ready seriously for elections and we just came out of the national convention stronger as a party. “We have to congratulate ourselves that we now have a Presidential candidate and we also have a Vice Presidential candidate.

Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, says his social media critics over his position on Atiku Abubakar’s nomination of Mr. Peter Obi as a running mate are ‘uninformed.’ Umahi made the assertion on Tuesday in Abakaliki while addressing newsmen after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Development Programme on socio-economic development. The governor, who is the Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum, condemned the critics. He said, “Nobody is against Peter Obi, because he is my friend, competent and you must have seen our pictures together on the social media.” Umahi explained that  South-East leaders were not consulted in making the decision on Obi’s nomination, while no one from Ebonyi and Imo states made the list of the running mate nominees.