Prof Taoheed Adedoja

The Senate yesterday confirmed the nomination of Prof Taoheed Adedoja as minister.

President Goodluck Jonathan had, in a letter to the Upper Chamber on October 13, sought for the confirmation of the nominee in line with Section 147 (2) of the 1999 Constitution.

The nominee, who is a Commissioner for Education in Oyo State, was grilled by the lawmakers for almost two hours.

Adedoja, who fielded questions ranging from dwindling education performance of students, cross-carpeting by politicians, sports, terrorism, cultism, labour and productivity, security and policing, rising debt profile, almost incurred the wrath of some senators when he claimed that Ladoke Akintola University in Ogbomoso in Oyo State is rated number one in Nigeria by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He challenged the senators to cross-check the position on the internet.

Two senators, James Manager and George Sekibo immediately took up the challenge and browsed the net in the chamber and discovered that global rating showed that University of Benin is number one in Nigeria and followed by University of Ilorin.

They brought their findings to the notice of the Senate President David Mark, who checked the internet by himself and said that apart from local rating, something should be done about Nigeria’s international rating.

“If you go through the internet, the first Nigerian university on the global rating is on six hundred and something. That is where we are in the world rating. So, it is not what the NUC is saying. Because you referred us to the net and that is what the net is saying” , Mark stated.

But after he was asked to take a ‘bow and go’ at the end of the screening, many senators through voice votes supported his confirmation for the ministerial job.

Fielding questions on the poor performances of NECO and WAEC candidates, Adedoja said: “Failures in NECO and WAEC examinations is as a result of the neglect in reviewing the education policy. Schools have been closed 71 times due to strikes and other factors. How do you expect good result?”.

“All of us have responsibility for the declining education in Nigeria in the past 10 years. Nothing is wrong with education policy ’’.

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