Where is the hope if Minister of Education consistently commits Grammatical Blunders?
donne4real | November 17, 2007
This is utterly shameful and the height of disappointment. The Minister of Education, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu represented the President, President Yar’Adua at the University of Ibadan graduation ceremony. And his English was deadly. He could not pronounce nostalgia, muddled up unemployment and underemployment and said that the President was ‘unavoidable’ absent.
This is a serious and extremely shameful situation. Here is the report from Tribune Newspapers:
THE congregation present at the Convocation and 59th Foundation Day ceremony of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, yesterday, expressed shock at the way the representative of the visitor to the university, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu, faltered through President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s speech.
Dr. Aja-Nwachukwu, who is the Minister of Education, apologised on behalf of President Yar’Adua, who was ‘unavoidable’ absent at which the congregation shifted uneasily on their seats, while shuffling their legs.
A sizeable number of the congregation were visibly angry with the minister, who found it difficult to pronounce ‘nostalgia’, muddled up ‘unemployment’ and ‘under-employment’ and thanked everybody for ‘listen’ to the address.
Reacting to the manner in which the address was presented, an Igbo man, who refused to disclose his name, said he was annoyed because Dr. Aja-Nwachukwu was the Minister of Education.
“If the minister of education could muddle up English Language like that, then what is the future of education in this country?”
“I was thoroughly embarrassed, how on earth could the minister of education read through a speech like that. I am sorry for this nation,” said another woman, who also requested that her name should not be published, even as she shook her head as a sign of pity for the nation.
A student of the institution, who simply called his name Victor, rose in defence of the minister, who is an Alumnus of the premier university, “I guess he was crowd-shy. You know some people are like that. They lose confidence when they are in the midst of a crowd.”
Another man, Mr. Timothy Ajakaye, only advised that lectures, trainings and seminars on speech presentation and communication generally, should be organised for all holders of public offices on assuming office.
