PRESS RELEASE: CAEMI VOWS TO REBRAND EDUCATION AND EXAMINATION IN NIGERIA

As Nigeria continues to struggle on how to bail itself out of the present poor educational system that has taken over the country, a group known as CAEMI, acronyms that stands for Campaign against Examination Malpractice Initiative has officially declared its plans and efforts towards combating the present educational problem in the country.

In a press briefing held on Monday at Bolingo Hotel Abuja, the group through its founder, Prince Chibuike Echem had disclosed that it was determined to take Nigerian education to another level through regular partnership with well-meaning Nigerians and the government. It promised to brand the nations education system and give it a new face.



Details below:

CAEMI as an organization was established in response to the high level of Examination Malpractice that has pervaded at the secondary and tertiary levels of the Nation’s educational system. The mission of the organization is to strive and institutionalize virtues such as integrity, character, honesty, hard work, excellence, and dedication in our scholars; whereas our vision is to sanitize our school systems by eradicating completely the menace of Examination Malpractice and bring back value based education, which will cure corruption in our dear nation.

Our focus in CAEMI is to fight against examination malpractice and re-introduce Value Based Education in our schools because we know that youth are the future leaders of tomorrow. And if we are able to inculcate these values and ethics in them now that they are young, they will grow to become good adults and leaders that will transform our society.

Development of Value Based Education is very important in any country since it promotes knowledge, skills, habits, and values. Our social values have been diminishing over the past decades. Therefore, it is necessary to develop holistic Education which trains the Head, the Heart and the Hand. Our normal school system now trains the head and the hand while leaving out the Heart, which is the engine room of any human behaviour.

Education has long been recognized as a central element in Nation development.

The question arising here is: What type of Education is needed to empower citizens to become agents of postive change for better Nigerian Society?

IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION:
Education is important because it promotes knowledge, skills, ethics, values, attitudes and understanding of the people.

It is also considered as the backbone of any development in the nation. Therefore, greater concern and emphasis must be given to means and ways by which education (learning and teaching process) transfer the needed knowledge and information to students and children.

It helps the people to become useful members of the society and to develop an appreciation of their culture.

THE QUESTIONS WE MUST PROVIDE ANSWERS TO NOW ARE:
How can we prepare our future generation to cope with the challenges and fast changing realities of today and future? How can we develop citizens who can bring about the transformation of the culture of violence, intolerance and greed to one of peace, non-violence and respect for one another, which is prevalent in our society today?

Value Based Education is not simply the heart education, but also the education of the heart.

VALUE BASED EDUCATION:
Values are principles, standard or qualities that are considered worthwhile and desirable. They are integral to the process of education. This is to state that the question of values arises everywhere in the educational process and in the society. Consequently, all human activities, including teaching and learning revolve around values.

Equally, every curriculum must therefore support Value Based Education as a process of inculcating desirable attitude and behaviours in the individual.

Value Based Education involves a process of attaching degrees of goodness to activities and relationships. This is to state that it is concerned with the development of the individual’s sensitivity to good and the right of others.

THE AIMS OF VALUE BASED EDUCATION:
1. To promote basic and fundamental qualities like compassion, truthfulness, patriotism, peace, justice etc in the children.
2. To train them to become open and considerable in thought and behavior.
3. To train them to become responsible citizens in personal and social life.
4. To encourage them to rise above prejudices on religion, ethnicity, language, sex or creed.
5. To develop proper attitude towards one’s own self and fellow human beings.
6. Value Based Education involves ability to choose the right values in accordance with the highest ideals of life and internalizing them in thought and realizing them in action.

Indeed as remarked by Gandli: A Value Based Education makes a child a gift of God to mankind and pride of the human race, but its deficiency can make him the cause of the world’s social problems.

COMPONENTS OF VALUE BASED EDUCATION
Components of Value Based Education that are recognized in the society are as follows:

HUMAN VALUES: Human values are needed for human social existence and for the well being of the individuals and the society. Its components include:
• Truthfulness: To have constant practice of truth to approach and reality.
• Constructively: To help for good undertaking.
• Sacrifice: To help without selfish motive.
• Sincerity: To work within assigned stipulated time.
• Self Control: To have control on individual’s mind for action and to have self - restrain.
• Altrum: To always deal with others with love and consider well being and
happiness of individuals first.
SOCIAL VALUES: These concern the responsibilities and the contribution of the individual towards the society and its well being. These are governed by the political and social philosophies and the constitution of the country.

Thus, the overall social philosophy of Nigeria is to live in unity and harmony, with the democratic principles of freedom, equality and justice; promote effective citizenship with national consciousness and better human relationship.

MORAL AND ETHICAL VALUES: These are values related to the code of conduct of good character such as honesty, integrity, discipline self-reliance, hard work, excellence etc.

SPIRITUAL VALUES: These are values related to the development of the soul and spirit of man. They include the spirit of ‘do unto others, as you will like them do unto you’, fear of God, value for human life etc.

THE PROPOSED VALUE BASED EDUCATION:
There is no doubt that there is need to integrate CAEMI’s Value Based Education into the Universal Basic Education (UBE) by developing a special value-oriented curriculum.

The recommended integrated Special curriculum should focus on Value Based Education with emphasis on respect for and appreciation of human dignity using thematic and practical activities for effective learning delivery.

In practical terms, our proposed Value Based Education (VBE) courses are as follows:

COURSES FOR JSS 1 – 3
• Value Development and Character formation (Basic).
• G – Factor and essence of life (Basic).
• Impact of malpractice on my future and society.
• How to plan, prepare and pass examinations.
COURSES FOR SS 1 – 3 AND TEACHERS
• Value Development and Character formation (Advance).
• G- Factor principle and the essence of life (Advance).
• Failing forward (Advance).
• Principles of Nation Building.

COURSES FOR PARENTS
• Foundation (family free).
• Value Re-Orientation.
• G – Factor Principle.
• Authentic parenthood.

In communicating our Value Based Education (VBE) to the above mentioned, CAEMI forms Anti-Examination Malpractice Clubs in all our Schools.

The objectives in the formation of these clubs are to drive down these subjects on Value Based Education thereby creating awareness on the fight against Examination Malpractice within the School System.
These Clubs hold once every week, and the subjects to be studied shall be that of values and ethics.

This strategy is a tripartite one in which we interact directly with students, teachers and the parents through (PTA Meetings) over a period of nine months i.e. one academic year. Monitoring and evaluation of components form parts of the arrangement in order to measure set objectives.

We want to use this forum to inform the general public that we are starting our Nationwide Campaign on Anti Examination Malpractice and re-introduction of Value Based Education tomorrow, the 28th day of May, 2013 with the FCT. This pilot project is in collaboration with Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB). We randomly selected six public schools (one each from the six Area Councils) in the FCT. Our first point of call is Government Junior Secondary School Garki, Abuja.

Our activity in the school include workshop, free distribution of our book (Sour Tale of Exam Expo) and establishment of Anti Examination Malpractice Club

We hereby call on well meaning Nigerians and organizations to support this initiative so that this campaign will get to the grass root. This is one of the ways to eradicate corruption in our dear country by instilling good values like honesty, integrity, hard work, excellence, fear of God, patriotism, respect for constituted authority, dedication, value for human life etc. We in CAEMI strongly believe in transformation of Nigeria.


Thank you.
Prince Chibuike Echem
The Founder / National Coordinator
CAEMI

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Governor Rotimi Amaechi defeats Jang to return as Governors’ Forum Chairman

PHOTO SOURCE: DailyPost-Nigeria

Contrary to the expectation of the public that Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State may not return as the Chairman of the Governor’s forum, due to the ongoing political tussle with President Jonathan, the Rivers state Governor has again been re-elected as the chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum, defeating his opponent, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State by 3 votes.

Mr. Amaechi won 19 votes from the 35 governors present, while Mr. Jang, a late entrant to the competition garnered 16 votes. The governor of Gombe state was absent.

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Samsong, Chris Morgan, others storm Fred James Album launch

The most anticipated Album launch of one of Nigeria’s finest gospel artistes, Fred James, is finally here.

 Fred James, who is also known for his vocal prowess as a public speaker and youth enthusiast will be launching his debut album in Abuja on Sunday, May 26 2013. 

The Launch tagged” outlive concert” promises to parade great gospel artistes in the music industry to include Mfreke Umoh, MadMo, Samsong , Chris Morgan and many more.  The event will hold at Livingword Ministries Auditorium ,1st Avenue Gwarimpa by Fidelity bank.

Also expected to grace the event, are Abuja Nollywood stars and other big celebrities in the entertainment industry.

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CHARLYBOY AND NUC MASS SENSITIZATION ACROSS NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY (VIDEO)

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Varied opinions about the Charlyboy brand (Video)

Watch video now...

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MattMax sets to direct Big Dada’s King Kong VIDEO

 South African based Hip-hop star, Big Dada has said that the music industry in Nigeria is undoubtedly one of the biggest in the world. Dada who returned to Nigeria to begin the shootings of his hit track, titled, King Kong, featuring T-Cross and Oral Cool this Friday, has lauded the effort of young Nigerians who despite the unfavorable environment have continued to excel.

Contrary to people’s expectation that  the fast growing rapper would move his crew to South Africa for his ongoing video project,  the Bosses Boss affirmed that Nigeria is a beautiful place, with all the talents to conclude work on his video. He said that being a patriotic Nigerian, it becomes necessary to return to the country to work with creative hands in the industry. He also affirmed that Nigeria has the largest entertainment market in Africa and second to the United States in the world, believing that despite the competition in the country, originality would sell any determined artiste to the world. According to Dada, South Africa may be a beautiful place to shoot one’s video, yet it cannot compete with Nigeria in the entertainment business. “ I live in South Africa, I do music there, but you can’t ignore Nigeria when it comes to the real entertainment business in the world. South Africa is still a baby compared to Nigeria in this business. I’m proud to be a Nigerian,” Dada said.

Presently, Dada’s hit track, King Kong is enjoying airplay on different radio stations across the country and in South Africa. Dada will commence his video project on Friday, and will be directed by Matt Max, a renowned video director who directed Olamide’s ‘Stupid love’, Dona Divas’ Gaga, and a host of others.

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Charlyboy: The gothic me

The gothic mind is a limitless mind but you may choose to refer to me as creepy and weird. Why don’t you call me an individual with no particular direction? I’m here, far from you because the society has a limited philosophy and ideology. I stand afar from the scene because; I wouldn’t want to be limited by its inability to get out of the box. I want to remain outside of that limited-tiny box. Your world is too small for me to exist. I need a better space, even beyond the horizon. FREEDOM! Yes, freedom is all I seek, to simply break out of societal constriction. I’m unwaveringly flying like an urufia bird; you don’t know that name, because you are not free.

To start the story of my freedom, you must know this. Simply put, the society is a group of people with collective interest, though this could vary from community to community. However, every society must have collective ideas on morality, ethics and politics. Lord Devlin said, “the bonds which holds a society together are not physical but invisible bonds of common thought. If the bonds of a society were too far relaxed, members would drift apart. A common, morality is part of the bondage. The bondage is part of the price of the society; and mankind which needs society, must pay its price.”

But far from it, the Australian Values Study Section 35 submits, “one of the greatest problems of our time however, is that elites in politics, society, media and even in some religious organizations have turned their backs on the traditional conceptions of right and wrong. Some have done so deliberately- others support ideas and causes which have (for them) the unintended effect of undermining values to which they are committed.”

My fear however in this article as relatively tied to the above values study, is that if the institutors of these values and laws break them every now and then, how can other members of the society adhere or stay committed to these values and laws? A question, we can’t discard in this our “yarn”

 Based on the Judeo-Christian section 18:2, “people have to feel connected to a shared moral community. There is a yearning for morality that invariably is genetic-and far too many of us in this society have a hole in our souls because, day to day, it just isn’t there.”

Though laws and values are necessary factors in the society to help curtail anarchy, how do we justify that these common laws and values instituted by some cabal in the society are actually what truly defines one as living right or wrong? And how those following a particular trend or pattern determine your being right or wrong?

The society gave a structure of how life should be lived so there would be order, it didn’t state that we all must use the same pattern to arrive at what we all term as moral.

In every society, there are a set of people who stand out, regardless of any situation, they like to be referred to as the free thinkers or the gothic minds. Goths are mostly individuals who live their lives the way they want to, not conforming to a particular style; the way most people are subjected or told to live their lives. They are a group of people who listen and make up their own minds rather than accept the moral rules of the society because they are told to do so. Because many people are conformed to one style of living, these free thinkers are often rejected in the society. Many people have developed a misconception of who goths are, a lot of people term them as satanic or cultists because of their mode of dressing or approach to certain things in life. Fundamentally speaking, these are not true. Being different, taking another pattern, living their lives regardless of what others think does not make this free thinkers immoral or devoid of values. They only do what they do, the way they know how to do it. Goths have open mind and that’s what makes them unique and exceptional, they’ve refused to have enclosed minds like every other person in the society. These people are intelligent, they see beyond what ordinary eyes can see. Being a goth does not require any specific qualification, goths all have different interest, hobbies, fashion sense, religion, different occupation such as doctors, lawyers, tradesmen, even down to the common man. Their life style may vary, but their exceptional way of reasoning, their free way of thinking makes them stand out. Believably true, most goths have a high level of intelligent quotient. Because their thinking is quite deep, the public see them as weird, but that’s the beautiful path of being a goth. There are never afraid of coming out openly about who they really are or how they feel. Sadly, Undisputable is the fact that goths are people like everyone else even though they are distinct. Can the society freely express what bothers it without having some gothic traits? How can we ask political leaders questions when we conceal our thoughts in pretense? I express myself, and I ask question, because I want to be free at all time.

The brand, my brand has survived the test of time, because of its eccentricity and its ability to reason outside the box, process and analyze anything it hears or sees (Politics or whatever). Many have misconstrued who I’m, ‘but I no send una’. Some people are against why I act young, dress young or look young. Is there any rule that we must act certain ways when we get to certain age and what makes people think acting old when you are old justifies your being morally upright? Being different, doesn’t make anyone demonic. The fact is that even people, who might be demonic, do not go for a public display of it. Why is my supposed demonic power always in the glare of the public?

 Being free minded and distinct has made me to ask certain pressing questions, ordinary people cannot ask, making my brand an invaluable material that continues to be of  befit to our nation, our youth.

 The reasons our society has seized to grow are because, a lsot of Nigerian youth are docile, they accept everything they are told and swallow hook line and sinker, and they can’t sit up and make decisions for themselves. They are so afraid to ask questions even though everything is obviously going wrong.

The society is being raped by the government, but no one is aggressively asking questions. The youth have allowed their fates to be tied to leaders who in a free world do not exist. If only Nigerian youth could imbibe exceptional minds like the gothic minds and refuse to be subjected to frivolous societal rules. If only they knew, they can succeed with just freedom on their palm. Our society currently needs people who wouldn’t just settle for anything. People with the ability to decide for themselves what is true and what’s not. We need people with independent minds, despite the societal cord that ties everyone together.

But it is quite pathetic that intelligent and reasonable people have out of fear committed this nation into the hands of miscreants and misfits. The gurus at home and in diaspora should come return in search of freedom. The most sorry part, is how these evil perpetrators often meet to scheme new ideas while those who should be at the helm of affairs are nowhere to be found.

For a better society, people need to take responsibility, as it is the foundation of any leadership. When people run away from what they should do and lose hope to power mongers, then things might never change. We all must be willing to participate, only then can we push out leaders who are only in power to protect their own interest, and not for the freedom of the rest of us.

Also, there needs to be attitudinal change. Things need to revolve. Our youth need to think aggressively (not negatively). There is no need to be paralyzed with fear.

In this journey and quest for freedom, brainteasers need to come together and form alliance. There is a need for networking amongst like minds, to draw a plan and strategize on how this nation can properly run. Structures should be set up to automatically work against any bad governance or leadership. I Advocate for gothism, even as I remain gothic. This is my plea, a plea from the heart. Fight for your freedom today.

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Bellota Coutoure officially opens in Abuja

As Abuja fashion industry continues to expand, unbelievable innovations are beginning to take shape. Recently, the Capital City is beginning to have flashes of Fashion showrooms and event that have contributed greatly to red carpet events in Abuja.

It is with this growing transformation of the fashion industry in the FCT that Bellota Coutoure has officially announced its entry into the Abuja fashion market on   May 18, 2013 when it will lunch its world class fashion showroom in Abuja. The lunch which will be holding at DBM plaza , Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2 will feature its latest collection, the Designer behind the label, Ehinomen Ewalefoh popularly known as Ehis and other great heavyweight in the Entertainment Industry.

In an effort to follow her dream of transforming the Fashion Industry in Nigeria, Ehis abandoned her Degree which she obtained in physics from Ambrose Alli University, and embarked on a course in Milan, Italy and got her training at the Milan Fashion Campu, hence becoming one of few  Nigeria- Italian Fashion Designer who now designs for Nollywood stars, Musicians, Comedians and other people who crave for quality.

The event is expected to host most Nollywood stars, Abuja based musicians, and other entertainers.

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Actor/MC, Collins Adeyemi unveils life-saving book

Nigeria’s renowned Master of ceremony cum Actor, the CEO of C.A Diversify, Mr. Collins Adeyemi is set to unveil an inspirational book that will set a new record in the field of marketing Communication. The Abuja based Master of ceremony, well known for his eloquence, stage command and Charisma has seen the need to enlighten the public on the art of communication.

According to Collins, the essence is to give the younger generation of Nigerian youth a new direction to follow. The book that captures his personal experience as a communicator reveals some of the benefits of communication in a modern society where audience reception is key in social gathering.   Mr. Collins had affirmed that even though, he had studied Performing Arts against the school’s intention to study Law, he has continued to run the business of human management through the stage medium as an MC.

He said “.  It is, perhaps, not entirely an accident that I read Performing Arts in the university. It becomes pertinent to disclose at this point that, as a result of my performance in my Advanced Level papers, prior to my entry into university, spirited attempts were made by the university to convince me to opt for Law instead. With the wisdom of hindsight, however, I believe that at the subterranean level of thinking at least, I had always known I was molded more in the form of a performing artist. Admittedly, even at that stage in my evolution, it was not immediately clear to me if I was heading for life as a movie actor or a stage performer. What, in retrospect, was dimly defined in my mind was that I craved to hold audiences enraptured in whatever role destiny chose to fit me into.

The official book launch that has been scheduled for May 7, 2013 is expected to hold at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja by 6pm.

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