You cannot compromise your electoral integrity, Jonathan tells academia

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, said the involvement of academia in the management of elections in the country was based on their integrity, insisting that compromising their roles would undermine Nigeria’s fledgling democracy.Jonathan stated this in Enugu at the 10th anniversary celebration and sixth and seventh convocation ceremonies of the Godfrey Okoye University.

According to him, members of the academia were people, who could not be easily compromised, adding that this was why various administrations, since the return of democracy in 1999, had continued to use them to conduct elections.Jonathan, however, charged them to live up to expectations by ensuring that they superintend processes that were not questionable. He insisted that they would also be held responsible in the event of the collapse of democracy.

He said: “It is a good thing that we have continued to use members of the academia in the management of elections in Nigeria. We believe they cannot easily be compromised. Those who have served and are serving in the management of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are members of the academia. These ones also go out to appoint their members as Returning Officers during elections among others. What it means is that they are people of integrity and therefore, should hold fast to those things that mark them as different people….”

Speaking on the topic Place of academia in nation- building, Jonathan said “education unlocks development potentials of any nation, as it intends to build human capitals that could fit into the knowledge economy and compete at any global level.”He stated that Nigeria was a great country, stressing that it could not continue to be described as a great country, when it has failed to advance in technology.

The former president said universities must continue to emphasise character and learning to be able to produce a complete human being, stressing that certificate without character was worthless.He lamented the level of criminality and cultism in higher institutions, saying authorities should devise means of ensuring that the institutions were not used as breeding ground for criminals by youths who are the future of the country so as to foster development and growth.

Jonathan called for the overhaul of the country’s education curricula to meet changing demands, stressing that it was the pathway to its survival and growth.