THE CALL
CENTRE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LITERACY & LEADERSHIP (CALL)
No 35 Marcus Garvey Street, New Haven, Enugwu. Email:call6thmay@gmail.com Tel: 08053636627
Motto:“Enhancing Readership, Advancing Leadership”
The Centre for the Advancement of Literacy & Leadership (CALL) is a civil society organization that has a two pronged manifesto of promoting literacy and leadership among Nigerians, especially the younger generation.
CALL is geared towards elevating the standard of Nigerian education by enhancing the scope, the content and the quality of her literacy & literature. Education is the bedrock of the success of any country, in all ramifications. As such, the quality of manpower available in a country depends on the quality of education available in that country. Education includes the inculcation of those ethics and ethos that facilitate good governance and societal advancement. Consequently, education is meant, not just to make people literate but also to make them better citizens by inculcating leadership skills and sound values in them. With proper leadership training, corruption and bad governance will become history in Nigeria. CALL believes the time has come for Nigeria to experience an ideological renaissance which will render the present unpatriotic perception of public office as a means to self aggrandizement, rather than a call to service obsolete.
CALL is therefore saddled with the dual responsibility of enhancing the literacy level and as well providing germane leadership training to Nigerians, especially those under the age of 50. Our motto; Enhancing Readership, Advancing Leadership eloquently attests to the fact that well read (educated) people are better equipped to provide leadership, at any level. To earn the respect of those you lead, you must either be intellectually ahead of them or at least intellectually at par with the best brains among them. For students and young people, acquiring readership/ writership skills prepare them for leadership. That is the essence of W. Fusselman’s popular saying; “A reader today, a leader tomorrow”. Indeed, the CALL Agenda is a 3 Point Agenda;
*Literacy/ Literature *Leadership/Civic Education *Societal Advocacy/Good Governance
1, LITERACY/LITERATURE:
Whereas Literacy is merely the ability to read and write, Literature entails creative writing i.e. writings that are valued as works of art. They are complementary. Only a literate person can embark on creative writing and literacy can only be sustained by works of literature. Therefore, CALL is interested in mass literacy so as to enhance the literacy level of Nigerians since only a literate society can appreciate literature. On the other hand, CALL is also interested in nurturing literary skills among Nigerians especially the younger generation since literature is a potent means of transmitting societal norms and values from one generation to the other.
2, LEADERSHIP/ CIVIC EDUCATION:
“The youths are leaders of tomorrow” is the old saying. CALL however preaches that “the youths are leaders of tomorrow, starting from today”. As such, the youths are also today’s leaders. Merely seeing themselves as tomorrow’s leaders breeds complacency among today’s youths. Believing that they have no leadership role to play today may result in anti social vices and peer pressure. To avoid this, CALL strives to make the youths to be responsible and to regard themselves as leaders, starting from today. Every responsible citizen is a leader since being a good leader implies being a good (responsible) follower. Nevertheless, there are different levels of responsibility and leadership depending on our age and status. For instance, a secondary school student is expected to show leadership by being a responsible student and not by being a Governor or a Senator. By so doing, he facilitates the work of the Government.
Man is born with different traits and leadership potentials. However, leadership is enhanced through grooming and responsible followership. Indeed, leadership is an inborn consciousness to impart positive values to others and to impact on the society or community positively. The community may be your family, your neighborhood, your school, your church/ mosque, your office, your town, etc. Nnamdi Azikiwe, for instance had always been a leader right from his days as a student/ youth. That was why at a relatively young age, he conceptualized the vision of a renascent Africa. This made him the torch that lit up the face of Africa with the splendor of nationalism and the fervor for independence. A youth that sees himself as a leader will realize that his actions/ inactions invariably affects the societal ecosystem either positively or negatively. As such, he becomes compelled to act with a greater sense of responsibility. Such a responsible (re-branded) youth will not want to engage in cultism, political thuggery, internet scam, prostitution, etc. Realizing that others are looking up to him/her, he/she will prefer to work hard and protect his/her integrity and the image of his/her country-Nigeria. Re-branding as is being preached by the Government today is what CALL is imparting to the youths through Leadership/Civic Education.
3, SOCIETAL ADVOCACY/GOOD GOVERNANCE:
Being committed to societal advancement and good governance, CALL shall also be engaged in societal advocacy by partnering with Government agencies in the implementation of people oriented Government policies. The essence of providing literacy and leadership training is to ensure good governance and societal advancement. “A democracy is truly participatory when ordinary citizens can make inputs into the process of governance”. As such, CALL intends working with relevant Government agencies towards ensuring that Government policies, at all levels are structured in such a way to have optimal positive impact on the citizenry and ensure societal advancement. Also, CALL shall through constructive dialogue make known its views on Government policies perceived not to be in the best interest of the masses by offering detailed analysis on the social impact of such policies. This advocacy shall also focus on family values (family oriented governance), environmental rights, rights of disadvantaged persons, social re-engineering, anti corruption, etc.
2013 PROGRAM OUTLINE
1. STUDENTS’ MENTORSHIP PROJECT
Preamble: One of the basic challenges of Nigerian youths and students today is the lack of mentorship by people of the older generation that they can regard as role models. If properly mentored, the youths will be less liable to fall prey to peer pressure, thereby resulting in a prevalence of vices among them. The youths/students are being enjoined, not only to dream but also to take concrete steps towards living their dreams. “A life with dreams is a life without vision and a life without vision is a life without hope”
Most great men are those who dreamt dreams as youths and had mentors who enabled them to gear their youth energy in optimal productivity.Nowadays, most students gain admission into tertiary institutions and even graduate without being sure of their career. The common thing today is for students to go to the university just to become graduates. After all, as they say, “The course you study does not matter in getting a job; all that matters is who you know”. There is need to change that psyche. Evidently, this mindset has resulted in a decline in national productivity since people work just to earn salaries rather than to add value to the organization or company employing them. This psyche needs to be reversed, if Nigeria must get back to productive ways.
Goals & Objectives:
1. To make them to choose a career early enough, at least, before graduation from secondary school
2. To make the students to have mentors to look up to in their quest to pursue a career
3. To change the attitude to work of Nigerians by making them to become career oriented
4. To make them to become responsible students/ youths
5. To inculcate in them worthwhile ideals of honesty, diligence and patriotism.
Target audience: Senior Secondary School Students and undergraduates
2. SAVE THE BEGGARS CAMPAIGN
Preamble: Street begging unnecessarily exposes the beggars themselves, especially the women and children among them to dangers such as sexual abuse, child abuse and a high risk of contacting various diseases owing to their living under poor sanitary conditions, oftentimes with little or no shelter from the sun and the rain. Moreover, street begging is unnecessary in Enugu since the State Government has a rehabilitation centre where the basic needs of the beggars are met while they are being rehabilitated for re-integration into the society. In line with her commitment to social justice, CALL is keen on ensuring that the rehabilitees are re-integrated into the society without stigmatization.
Goals & Objectives:
1. To take the beggars off the streets, to the Enugu Rehabilitation Centre where they will be duly rehabilitated for re-integration into the society.
- To encourage people to support the upkeep of the Enugu Rehabilitation Centre as a way of transforming the lives of the physically challenged, by donating to the centre, the alms they would have given to the beggars thereby enabling people to be charitable without promoting street begging.
- To get the Enugu State Government to enact a law proscribing street begging.
- To educate people on the need to be supportive of physically challenged persons, without seeing them as disabled and liabilities.
Target audience: Street beggars.
3. PUBLIC PARTICIPATORY PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION BILL
Preamble: The Public Participatory Project Implementation (PPPI) bill aims at enacting a law which makes it mandatory for Government at all levels to engage civil society organizations in monitoring the process of award and execution of contracts for infrastructural projects in order to ensure transparency and accountability since Nigerians have greater faith in civil society organizations than they have in the politicians who run the Government.
In Nigeria, corruption has been the main cause of under development. In spite of being one of the richest countries in Africa, Nigeria has a very low level of industrialization and infrastructure. Oftentimes, projects are budgeted for, contracts awarded and funds released without having such projects duly executed. Unlike other attempts at fighting corruption in Nigeria, PPPI focuses on preventing corruption rather than curing it by punishing corrupt Government officials. Nigeria’s inefficient judicial system and the immunity clause for some Government officials such as Presidents and Governors have made the Anti Corruption crusade an uphill task. Moreover, time is an irretrievable commodity. As such, even if all the stolen money is recovered; the adverse effects on the society including loss of lives occasioned by lack of health facilities and good roads cannot be reversed.
Goals & Objectives:
1. To ensure transparent execution of infrastructural projects in Nigeria.
2. To curb corruption by ensuring that due process is observed in the award/execution of Government projects.
3. To fast track Nigeria’s development so as to usher Nigeria into the comity of nations where democracy, transparency and the rule of law are truly observed.
4. To ensure that those aspiring for political office do so out of a genuine desire to serve rather than the present scenario where most Nigerians see political office as a means of corrupt enrichment.
BRIEF PROFILE OF MEMBERS OF THE CALL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
1. Prof Ben Obumselu is the Chairman, CALL Board of Trustees. He is a Professor emeritus of Modern Classics and a former Deputy President General, Ohaneze Ndigbo. He was the founder of the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS), the precursor of present day National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). During his days as a lecturer, he lectured in different Nigerian universities including University of Ibadan (his alma mater), Imo State University, Owerri, etc. He also lectured overseas in the University of Harare, Zimbabwe. He is presently a visiting professor at Paul University, Awka. Prof Obumselu has a great passion for mentoring youths. Accordingly, he has continually devoted much of his time to counseling and motivating youth leaders owing to his unshaken belief that the youth should be entrusted with leadership, if Nigeria is to move forward.
2. Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin is the National Coordinator Campaign for Democracy as well as the Executive President, Women Arise - an NGO committed to women empowerment. She traversed courageously where men feared to tread. She cut her teeth in activism as the Secretary of Women in Nigeria (WIN), Kwara State from 1988 – 1991 and the Coordinator of Women in Nigeria (WIN), Kwara State branch 1991 – 1996; Chairperson, Rethink Nigeria (1987 – 1992) and Chairperson, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Kwara State branch (1990 – 1996).Her foray into human rights activism was at a period when the Babangida dictatorship was baring its fangs and locking up critical voices. She became one of the targets of the administration as she was arrested and detained for not less than seventeen times at different locations: Police Headquarters Ilorin; SSS Headquarters Ilorin; SSS HQ Maitama Abuja; Panti Police Station Lagos; Kirikiri Prisons in Lagos. In March, 2011, the United Nations Nigeria gave her an award as the“Hero of Democracy and Good Governance”.
3. Dr. Mrs. Uju Agomoh is the Executive Director of PRAWA (Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Association), an international organization with continental initiatives in several African countries. She is a member of the following organizations: The African Security Sector Network, Association for Security Sector Education She served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria and was the Commission’s Special Rapporteur on Police, Prisons and Centers of Detention (2001 - 2008) and member, Presidential committee on Prerogative of mercy Committee of Nigeria (2006 - Oct 2009). Her academic qualifications include B.Sc. Psychology, M.Sc. Clinical Psychology, M.Sc. Sociology: Deviant Behaviour, M.Phil. Criminology, PhD Criminology/Prison Studies, LLB Law and BL from the University of Cambridge, University of London (Queenmary and Westfield) UK and three Nigerian Universities.
4. Denja Abdullahi is presently the National Vice president, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). He is also the Deputy Director, Festivals & Performing Arts, National Council for Arts& Culture, Abuja. He is a prolific writer and poet with many published works to his credit. Denja Abdullahi is a poet, literary essayist and culture administrator. He has been writing poetry for over 20 years, since his days as a student of English and literature in the University of Jos Nigeria. His poems and other literary pieces have appeared in anthologies and in several other newspapers, journals and magazines. His first published poetic volume Mairogo: A buffoon’s poetic journey around Northern Nigeria (2001) received honorable mention for the prestigious ANA/Cadbury 2001 Poetry Prize.
5. Comrade Emma Onwubiko is the National Coordinator Human Right Writers Association (HURIWA). He was educated at Abia State University, Uturu, Claretian Seminary, Owerri and Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos. He is a foremost human rights crusader who has been at the forefront of so many struggles against Anti people Government policies such as the recent Anti Fuel Subsidy protests. HURIWA partners with the following organizations in pursuit of its goals; National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Public Complaints Commission (PCC), Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Ministry of Justice, etc.
6. Mazi Ikechukwu Bismarck Oji (B.Eng.) is the Executive Director of CALL. Mazi is an Electrical/ Electronics Engineer by education, a poet/ writer by birth and a political activist by vocation. He was member,1st World Igbo Day Organizing Committee (2000),Co-Founder/Founding National Secretary, National Union of Enugu State Students (NUESS) (1998-2000), Founder/ National Coordinator, Confederation of Igbo Students (CIS) (2000-2002), Acting National chairman, Ohaneze Youth Wing (2006-2008), House of Assembly candidate (LP) for Aninri Constituency in the 2007 House of Assembly Election, Acting Chairman, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Enugu State Branch (February-July,2011) He started his career in activism in 1994 during his student days at the Enugu State University of Science & Technology (ESUT) where he was the Director of Socials & Welfare of the Students’ Union Government from 1997-1998 and a university athlete representing ESUT at various competitions such as BUK 1997 NUGA Games.
Mazi Ikechukwu Bismarck Oji (B.Eng.)
Executive Director
