Chinedum Treasure
Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor has urged students of Political Science to prioritise academics while engaging in unionism
Mefor gave the advice while hosting delegation of the National Association of Political Science Students (NAPSS), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), led by its president, Comrade Achor Armstrong in his office.
He cautioned the students against neglecting their studies for union activities, arguing that politics and academics do not mesh easily.
“My advice to you is to balance activism with academics so you can graduate with at least a 2:1. Your primary assignment in school is to prepare for the future.
“No employer will ask how many student union offices you held when computing your GPA.”
Highlighting investment of Governor Chukwuma Soludo-led administration in education and human capital development, Mefor said WAEC/NECO performance in Anambra had jumped from about 60% in 2010 to 80% and above under the Soludo government.
He added that the government’s policy on education was central to Soludo’s vision of building Anambra into “African Dubai-Taiwan-Silicon Valley”.
“Physical infrastructure must go with human capital. If we build a Dubai-like city but most of our youths are involved in cultism, fraud, and drug abuse, we will have achieved very little.
“Free education ensures the children of Keke riders and wood hewers have the same chance as children of the rich. That’s yet another piece of evidence of Soludo’s inclusive governance.”
The Commissioner disclosed that over 260,000 Anambra youths had been trained in digital skills, with a target of 1 million “digital tribe” of Ndi Anambra in the coming years.
Talking about politics, Mefor stressed that it should be about negotiation, not violence, and condemned the rise of cultism in schools, describing it as a “nasty, brutish” path that destroys the future of youth.
“Politics should resolve social problems without violence. But in less advanced societies such as ours, we still see too much violence. That is what we see in cultism: action and reaction, war begetting war, and hits begetting counter hits.
“During our time, we viewed cultism as a sign of weakness. Today it has spread even to secondary and possibly to primary schools.”
The commissioner asked the NAPSS delegation to foster the right attitude and develop skills beyond classroom discipline.
He assured the students of the ministry’s willingness to collaborate on strategic communication around the proposed NAPSS Conference.
Earlier, NAPSS President Comrade Achor Armstrong said the NAPSS Conference, slated for next month, was aimed at “showing Nigerians and Anambra State that political science is not just a course we study, but a discipline we embody and practise.”
He appealed for the ministry’s support, noting that the event would host the newly elected NAPSS national president and members from across Nigeria.
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