WE HAVE WEAK INSTITUTIONS, WHERE INDIVIDUALS ARE STRONGER THAN OUR INSTITUTIONS; THAT IS A PROBLEM IN NIGERIA - INTERVIEW WITH PROF. EMMANUEL AGBA, FORMER VICE-CHANCELOR UNIVERSITY OF MKAR, BENUE STATE.

Professor Agba was born on the 20th day of July 1962 at Mbagen, Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physics in the year 1984. He took a special interest in Physics and obtained a Masters degree in Biophysics in the year 1990. He completed his Ph.D in Medical Physics in the year 1999; all three degrees from the University of Benin, Nigeria. He became a Professor in the Department of Physics, Benue State University, Makurdi in the year 2008.   

His academic work experience began in 1987 as the Physics Experiments Demonstrator in the Department of Physics; University of Benin. Between November 1988 and September 1989, he was a Lecturer II in Physics at ICS, Mkar, Benue State. Between 1989 and 1992, he was a Lecturer I and thereafter Senior Lecturer in Physics at the College of Education, Katsina-Ala, Benue State. He joined the employment of the Benue State University, Makurdi as a Lecturer II in the year 1992. He rose through the ranks and became the Dean, Faculty of Science of the School, a position he held from 2008 to 2011.

Prof also had experience as a Part-Time Senior Lecturer, the Department of Physics, University of Agriculture, Makurdi between 2005 and 2008. He was a Visiting Professor in the School between 2008 and 2014. He was the Pioneer Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mkar, in Benue State between December 2005 and December 2006. He later emerged as the Vice-Chancellor of the Institution in 2011, an Office he held till 2016.

Beyond being an Academic, Professor Agba has held various administrative positions. He has been given numerous Awards and Scholarships. He paved the way as the first Ph.D graduate in Physics, University of Benin in the year 1999. He is a Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Physics (FNIP), Member, International Radiation Physics Society (MIRPS), Member, Research Board of Advisors, American Biographical Institute, Inc., USA. He is also an Associate Member, Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM).

Prof. Agba has scores of published Articles in respected Journals, Conference Papers and Books to his credit. In his experience as an Academic, he has supervised well over a hundred Academic Researches, at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels.

In the Church of God, Prof. Agba has been of great Service. He holds various positions in the church. He is an Elder of the NKST Church, Low level, Makurdi from 2001-2005 and from 2017 to date. He is a Patron to the English Choir, as well the Sunday School of the same church from 2008 till date. He has been a mentor to Youth, urging them to be responsible Citizens of Nigeria from 2000 till date.

On the family scene, Prof is married to Mrs Mbanan Hemen Agba, and their marriage is blessed with three boys: Israel, Paul and Timothy.

 

Our Editor met with Prof recently to have his thoughts on education and the church. Please enjoy the excerpts.

CD: We would like to have a glimpse of your background, academic experience and career history, Sir.

PROF AGBA: My name is Prof. Emmanuel Hemen Agba. I am a professor of Physics and a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Physics. I was born to the family of Evangelist Daniel Agba in Benue State. I had my Primary and Secondary education in Benue State and I graduated in 1979 with division one in WASCE. I attended the University of Benin, Benin- City for my first, second and third degrees where I graduated with B Sc Honours in Applied Physics, M. Sc Physics and Ph.D Physics in 1984, 1990 and 1999 respectively.. I have been a lecturer for the past 26 years.  I rose through the ranks and was promoted to the rank of Professor of Physics in 2008. I served as the Head of Department of Physics and Dean of Science, Benue state University, Makurdi. I also served as the Director of Academic Planning, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mkar; Mkar, Benue State from 2011-2016. I was the second Vice-Chancellor of the University. All my life has been around University as a lecturer and administrator. I have also held positions of responsibility as an Elder in the Church, the Universal Reformed Christian Church (NKST church) with Headquarters at Mkar, near Gboko in Benue State.

 

CD: How do you assess the impact of the church's contribution to the educational sector, having in mind the moral decadence that has spread over all the spheres of our nation today?

PROF AGBA: I would say the Church had done well in the past, in most of the states I know. Particularly in the middle belt and southern part of the country, the church had done a lot of good work. They had planted churches and established schools. The Primary and Secondary Schools I attended are church-based. The dwindling fortunes of the impact of churches started when the government took over schools. If I could recall, in those days, there was a lot of quality in the discipline and in the quality of teachers; they were people of integrity. But the eroding control of the church leadership, particularly in supervision, has impacted negatively, however, I think hope is not yet lost. The church should be conscious of their role, being the light of the world. The impact has been a bit good, but a lot still needs to be done in terms of the management of the schools. The church had a very clear mandate in running their schools, but now the management of the schools are not mission-oriented, the church needs to wake up.

 

CD: Almost everywhere we have gone to, we have been hearing the same thing about the government taking over the schools, more or less directly linking it to the level of corruption and all manner of vices that are ravaging the country now. What do you suggest the church can do in the face of this?

PROF AGBA: I think Government must have to partner. The primary responsibility of the government is to provide basic services: education, health, security and so on. When a church builds schools, the government should be able to give them grants because they are helping the government. The church should be conscious of the quality of what goes in there: who is the Principal; who are the teachers? The management of the school matters. If we approach life from that context, a lot of these issues will be addressed. The government and the church must be seen to be complementing each other, but then, what goes in there, the church should have a hand. If we do that, we will have a robust system of what the school should be doing, i.e. producing people who are cultured, mannered and educated, all around.

 

CD: Some other schools of thought have also added to the reasons for this failure so to say in the education sector and what they said is that, when the missionaries brought in their schools, they were quite affordable. But the schools we have these days, some of the people who even contributed to establishing the schools are not able to afford the cost of sending their wards to the schools. Do you support this idea in any way?

PROF AGBA: You see, someone has to pay for the running of the school; for the infrastructure, even the staff of the school also have to be paid. If the church does not have the funds to build schools, to recruit staff, mind you, when you have a school, you have what we call the running cost. The fees must not be so high that a lot of people cannot afford, but somebody has to pay for the running cost and the other costs, education is not cheap.

But if we are talking about the poor or not financially buoyant people, there can be a Scholarship Scheme where the indigent ones can take advantage of. But to say it should be free because they are church-based Institutions, I don’t think it is fair, because people who are in church are not poor people. A child of God is blessed. We must not see the people in the church as poor people. But having said that, the government has a role to play, to intervene. When a school is set up by the church, a lot of things go into it: income tax and ground rent is paid to the government, and buildings and running costs as well as salaries and allowances must be taken care of.  If you want to maintain quality staff, you must pay them well. These really cost a lot of funds, so charging reasonable fees is okay. And moreso, it is also a mission field of the church, because students and staff will be exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The most important thing to do really is to find a meeting point, where the church has to provide affordable education and the people who bring their wards to the schools must also know that they have to bear the cost. If it is not too high, I do not think there will be an issue. Even if you charge low fees, some people will still not be able to pay it. However, there is a need to have a Scholarship Scheme for the indigent, so that those of them who are brilliant and whose parents cannot afford the fees as we did at the University of Mkar, could be given scholarships. If that is done, the issue of access to such schools by the members of the church could be addressed.

 

CD: Considering the place of discipline in God’s agenda for man’s salvation, discipline on the part of the individual and discipline on the part of the church, how will you describe the role and posture of the church today, with regards to the attitude of leadership towards its erring members, especially those in Public Service?

PROF AGBA: Ordinarily, if one is a Christian, wherever you find yourself, the light of Christ will be there, because we are the light of the world, as well as the salt of the earth. So, if a Christian has failed in his role to be the light of the world, the Bible says he is to be trampled upon. Thus, the church must go back to the basics of teaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ, in the Bible. If one believes in Jesus Christ, then by his fruits you will know him. A lot of people are in the church, but it is not everybody who is a member of the church is a true child of God. When you talk of a child of God, he is somebody who believes in Jesus Christ as the Lord of his life; he is conscious of the fact that he has been redeemed and that means the spirit of Jesus Christ has taken over the life of such a person. It is the Spirit of Jesus and the love of God that guides him. By that, the issue of discipline will not be there at all, because those who are led by the Spirit of God, are the children of God. The church must emphasise the teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ and discipleship, because the mandate of the church really, is to go out there and make disciples for Jesus. So, the problem I see is lack of discipleship. Just preaching the word of God, and sharing the good news alone will not produce all of the desired result.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, you are always at the feet of Christ. So, this issue of discipline can be seen within the context of lack of discipleship. What the churches ought to be doing is to focus on discipleship; that is the great Commission. Jesus Christ instructed us to go into the World and make disciples. In discipleship, you will explain the process of salvation and the agony of Jesus Christ on the cross, his going to hell to conquer death once and for all, which is why we can approach the throne of grace, because our sins have been paid for and of course sanctification. That is the greatest thing that has been done for mankind. Any person who is a disciple has his identity in Christ.

The issue of discipline is the issue of flesh, and nobody can control flesh. But discipleship is all about the Word and Spirit of God controlling us. They help change us and transform our spirit from the Adamic spirit into the Spirit of Jesus; that is how we are born again and alive. The issue is that we don’t allow the Spirit of Jesus to transform us. That is only achieved through discipleship, becoming more and like Christ, daily.

 

CD:  When we look at what we are witnessing in this generation, with the advent of the proliferation of churches, it seems the truth about Jesus Christ has actually been relegated and attention diverted to other things. That is one of the reasons why things happen and there is no voice to address them. What do you think is responsible for it?

PROF AGBA: We have to be conscious of the fact that we are in the end times and Christ has said it all: In the last days, so many people will come in my name, claiming that they are this and that. Most people will know about the death of Jesus and they will deny the essence of the death of Jesus Christ. So, these things are consistent. It is not all who call on the name of Jesus who are children of God. The important thing for the church leadership is to do the will of God at all times. Preach the gospel, in season and out of season; and then continue with discipleship. Jesus says in His words, all those who God has given to him will come to him. He says: I stand at the door knocking, whoever will open the door, I will come in and dine with him or her. How do you open this door? Confess your sins, accept Jesus Christ as your saviour and believe in your heart. If you believe in something, you will take it to heart; you know that it is true. He who comes to God must first believe that He is just, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. The church must continue to do what it is supposed to be doing, Mission.

 

CD:  There is a perception that the church itself is not doing what it is meant to be doing and that is why we have these hiccups. We heard of some convictions recently on anti-corruption trials involving Rev. Jolie Iyameh, and Senator Joshua Dariye, who we even learnt was an FCS Official in his School days. When these people were in power, the church was all around them. Was the church not doing what it should do that led them to the state they found themselves?

PROF AGBA: In Christendom, like any human society, we have the good and the bad ones. So the basic role of the church is to reconcile the world unto God through Jesus Christ. The church must also live up to its own calling. I am appealing to all the leaders of churches, they must live up to their calling, so as to provide the needed guide. The church is the body of Christ here on earth. Their role is to receive from God and then pass it on.  The church is consistent; Christ is the head of the church. Where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus Christ, He is there to answer them. The issue is we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, the Bible says, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and seek my face; I God in heaven will hear them and heal their land. So the church has the key, whatever it binds on earth is bound in heaven. The problem I see is that the church is not conscious of who they are, their identity. Christ has told us that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given out to Him and He has transferred that to the church. Luke 10 v 19 says we have been given authority to trample upon scorpions and serpents and on all the power of the enemy. The Scripture also says that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, of things on earth, and of things underneath the earth. In most cases, the church does not really appreciate their identity in Christ.

 

CD: One other issue that we see is confronting mostly the youth of today, is this issue of unemployment, which is directly linked to one of the reasons of the rising spate of corruption and vices that bedevil our society. As an Academic sir, do you think the Educational Curriculum as we have it in the country now, is suitable to combat the challenges of the day as regards the after-school engagements of graduates?

PROF AGBA: I will say Yes and No. Yes, in the sense that, the idea of going to school is to acquire knowledge. Knowledge is power; you go to school to be informed about yourself, about the social and physical environments. With the knowledge acquired, you should be able to figure out what to do. I will also say No, in the sense that, the current system, the curriculum we have now, is not conscious of meeting the social needs and responsibilities of the students on graduation. Knowledge alone is of no use, if you do not have the capacity to apply it. Thus, a student must know what to do with the knowledge acquired. The application of knowledge to handle challenges and solve problems is what defines a wise and educated man. The Bible says, my people are perishing because of lack of knowledge. Being born again (Christian) is not enough; you must demonstrate your sonship in Christ. Faith without work is dead; you must put your faith into action. If you know the Bible and you cannot put it to use, it is of no effect. It is evident that you believe in the word of God, only when you put the Word to use or effect.

 

CD: Let us assume that by divine providence you got appointed as the Minister of Education in Nigeria today, what will be the thrust of your activities in office?

PROF AGBA: My major thrust will be in quality assurance. I will ensure that Quality assurance is taken to the next level. It is about processes, who are the teachers, how are they produced, who are being taught, what are the facilities that are available to them, who gets into the school? The process that gives rise to the product has to be observed and monitored from the onset. It is not just about funding. You could have Institutions that are well-funded and are yet not producing the desired results. Funding must be there, but it must go hand in hand with quality assurance. First of all, you must emphasise quality assurance, after that you go into quality control, which is to assess the process.  Quality assurance ensures that the person who is occupying a position is qualified, so that he or she has the capacity to do the job well. In summary, I will lay emphasis on quality assurance, funding and quality control, in that respective order. The funding will facilitate quality control, but funding without first having quality assurance will not produce the expected results.

 

CD: Recently, since the emergence of our nascent democracy, we have had instances where the education qualifications of our leaders have been in question, such as the President himself, who was rumoured not to have had the School Certificate, the immediate Minister of Finance who resigned due to the NYSC Certificate scandal. Do you think this has in any way contributed to the state of the nation?

PROF AGBA: You cannot give what you do not have. There are fundamental things which must be addressed. Our Systems, our Institutions must be allowed to work, they must be developed and nurtured. A case where Individuals are stronger than the Institutions, that is a problem for the society. Our Institutions should be established in such a way that nobody in the country should be bigger than them. The point being made is that our Institutions are too weak. That is why we have all manner of issues. When Institutions are allowed to be stronger than Individuals, everything will fall in line. That takes us back to quality assurance; where once our processes are working well – which can only be achieved when we have strong Institutions.

CD: On a lighter note, what do you do to relax?

PROF AGBA: I am a family man, married to the most adorable woman in the world, by name, Mbanan Hemen Agba; and blessed with three lovely children. I spend a lot of time at home with my family. I also read and partake in some sports. When I was younger, I played soccer, but now I just watch (laughs). I also enjoy talking to good friends, few of them though. I also feel good when I preach, it gives me joy to preach the word of God. I like to wait on God, whenever I am opportune to preach. Whatever we do unto God, is really for our own good.

CD: Thank you for your time sir.

By:Prof Emmanuel Agba with Countdown.