Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara has pledged to use about N300 million realised from the proceeds of his biography to cater for the needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), widows, orphans and indigent students.
A statement by Dogara’s Special Adviser on Media Turaki Hassan, which was distributed to reporters in Bauchi, said the former speaker made this known in Abuja during the President’s Inter-Secondary Schools debate.
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He said the money was realised in December 2017 during his 50th birthday anniversary.
“At my 50th birthday event, I promised that all funds generated from my biography launch will go to charity. I am happy to report that I have kept my word.
“About N300 million of my biography proceeds have been invested in education and to provision of palliatives to internally displaced persons.
“Right now, we have students studying abroad and thousands in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Most of these students are from indigent families who cannot afford the cost of educating their wards at any level.
“We have sent interventions to so many IDP camps across the North East and we are still trudging ahead with God’s help.”
Dogara added that “I remember when growing up as a young man then the best gift my father gave me was a transistor radio because even our local government headquarters, Tafawa Balewa had no electricity, so one couldn’t talk about owning a TV set.
“I used it to listen to educational programmes and one popular programme then was schools challenge. It was about school debate and quiz competition.
“That was how I knew the importance of debate and public speaking to anyone who would aspire to be a leader in the future as young students were being encouraged to clearly communicate their thoughts.”
Dogara stressed the importance of debate saying “We cannot allow debate to diminish in a democracy and hope that we can make progress. Equipping our youth with debate skills is the beginning of our journey to a healthy and advanced democracy.
“One thing I know is that effective leaders are always effective communicators. How can one be an effective leader if he/she cannot articulate your thoughts and communicate it clearly?” he asks.
The lawmaker said “Education is everything. Without education, no nation can move forward. It is said that if you think education is expensive try ignorance. In Nigeria today the problem is not knowledge.
“As a people, we have embraced knowledge as a capital. But the problem is that knowledge gives you just information which if you fail to process and apply in practical terms then you are not a wise person. That has been the dividing line in this country.
“The fact is that we know so much but we are not willing to put the right things we know to practice. I have thought this through and have come to realise that knowing is one part of wisdom but knowledge on it’s own is not enough. You are not wise because you know the right things, you are only wise because you do the right things you know”.
