Fubara urges Nigerians to offer selfless, passionate service to humanity

Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers has charged Nigerians to be selfless and passionate in their service to humanity.

Fubara gave the advice on Wednesday in Port Harcourt during the public presentation of a book entitled “Dr. Christie Toby touching lives, raising leaders,"  authored by Dotun Adekanmbi.

The book is a historical account of Toby, the wife of the former Deputy Governor of the State, Gabriel Toby.

The governor commended Toby for her selflessness and passionate service in education.

“The life of our dear mother to humanity is a remarkable one.

“Everything we have seen and heard today shows the life of a remarkable and exemplary teacher, an educationist, a school proprietor, and a philanthropist.

“One trait that runs through her life, which I recommend to everyone in society, is a trait of passion and selflessness.

“If she is not passionate and selfless in education, she wouldn’t have been what she is in education, as her students are also testifying.

“Her life is what we recommend to Rivers people and society at large, and that’s why the author took time to catalogue her life for upcoming leaders to emulate and better their lives and services to humanity,” he said.

Fubara recommended the book to everyone, saying that the title of the book befits her life of touching, impacting, and raising lives to become good leaders in society.

He said that education, agriculture, infrastructure, and housing had been the cardinal pillars on which his administration would focus and achieve massively.

He said that his administration would always value and prioritise education and also honour heroes in education, which Toby is part of.

The former Supreme Court Justice, Justice Mary Odili (rtd.), the wife of former Gov. Peter Odili, expressed the need for the authorities to revisit the matter of teacher training colleges with a view to establishing them in order to properly harness the potential of the young ones.

Odili, who was the Chairman of the occasion, said that her choice was God’s answer to her prayer to have the chance to call for the review of government policy, which has made the country lose its way in education.

She said that it was providential that she used Toby’s book presentation as a platform to bring to the public domain a missing link in our progress as a people to nurture the present and future generations in the building up of an excellent nation that could hold its own firmly in the community of nations.

Odili, who is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of Rivers State University, expressed displeasure with what she found in the educational system.

She wondered what informed the decision by the education authorities to phase out the teacher training colleges.

She regretted that society was now foisted with some half-baked teachers with very high degrees and academic qualifications without the foundational base to properly teach the young ones.

“This faulty foundation is what has led us to the situation we now found ourselves, where untrained persons are now training our future leaders in all spheres of life.

“Reading through the journey of life, learning, and imparting of today’s honouree, the big tale in this biography showcases the gain of her early training as a teacher from primary school through the teacher training colleges to what she has become today.

“What I have gathered from this book, which the honouree graciously made available to me, has confirmed what I had known from the skill acquisition program the honouree and I embarked on throughout the state,” she said.

Odili said that the skill acquisition centres during the administration of Peter Odili and his deputy, Gabriel Toby, coordinated by those who had passed through the teacher training colleges were handled with the methodology and excellence of those at the top of the teaching profession.

According to her, the difference is clear compared to those handled by other professionals.

She called on the public to read the book to enrich their library and mind when teaching.

The honouree, while unveiling her book, expressed gratitude to her father, husband, and everyone that supported her during the journey of the milestone achieved through education.

She said that her goal was to meaningfully contribute to the growth of education and that she had the passion to mentor other leaders in generations to come.

Toby, who is also the founder of Christie Toby Inclusive Education Centre, said she had navigated challenges, embraced innovation, and celebrated success.

She encouraged teachers to be patient with their students, adding that no child is ineducable.

“It is my hope that the story shared within these pages will serve as a reminder of the positive impacts that education and passion can have on our wards,” she said.