THISDAYonline

Omolewa's First Year in the Saddle
The national day, October 1 is only a couple of days away. Bukola Olatunji writes on one more reason to roll out the drums

Exactly one year ago today and in far away Paris, France; Nigeria made history, a history worth celebrating. A history in the person of the Historian and Professor of Adult Education, Michael Omolewa.

On that day, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), was elected President of the 32nd session of the General Conference, the highest decision-making body of the organisation.

During the week preceding that Monday, September 29, the 167th Session of the Executive Board of the organisation had met and by a unanimous proclamation, endorsed Omolewa's candidature as presented by the Nominations Committee. It was the first time in recent history that a sole candidate would be presented for the position.

Before the Executive Board's proclamation, the G77, Commonwealth , Latin American and Caribbean, as well as the European Groups had all joined the African and Asian Groups in the organisation to unanimously endorse Nigeria's candidature.

It was no mean feat. The Presidency of the General Conference will not come to Africa again in the next 15 years. It is certainly not coming to West Africa in the next 60, and is unlikely to come to Nigeria in the next 90 years.

Omolewa's election meant that he directed the affairs of the three-week General Conference of the 190 member countries of the organisation last year and is holding forth until the 33rd Session next year. Nigeria is the first West African country to chair the bi-ennial meeting since 1946 when the organisation was founded.

In his goodwill message, read on his behalf by Omolewa himself, President Olusegun Obasanjo noted that the appointment was "not only an honour, but an obligation to us all to work for a world where the principles and priorities of UNESCO are upheld and promoted", the President stressed: "Let me assure you that the Government of Nigeria will do its utmost to make the term of your presidency a success for the entire international community."

This assurance, Omolewa once said, had emboldened him "to meet Presidents of countries, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Education and Culture in all the regions of the world, promoting the ideals of UNESCO and assisting to give the deserved visibility to the UN organisation that best responds to the genuine needs of the developing world and on whom developing countries look for partnership and support."

Indeed, he has attended the International Conference on Inter cultural Dialogue and Culture of Peace', held in Libreville, Gabon, the Biennale of the Association for the Development in Africa (ADEA) in Mauritius, the International Congress on Inter-religious Dialogue' held in Abuja, also December last year.

He has also been to Yemen, for a conference similar to the one held in Abuja, Tunisia, Dominican Republic for and International Seminar on Slave Trade in the Caribbean, the Vatican City and the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Iran, China, Cuba and Senegal, among others. Only last month, he was in Haiti for the celebration of the bicentenary of the proclamation of the first black state and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition.

These are in line with pushing the agenda of the conference forward - promoting dialogue among civilisations (better understanding amongst peoples), celebrating the abolition of slavery (the freedom of all mankind) and working towards achieving Education for All (EFA).

But perhaps most significant is the assignment that Omolewa has been given by the General Conference to set up an 18-man Ad Hoc Committee to examine the workings of the three organs of UNESCO - the General Conference, the Executive Board (headed by the President, Ambassador Hans-Heinrich Wrede) and the Secretariat (headed by the Director-General, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura).

The 18 members, chosen from the six electoral groups of the organisation chose Omolewa as its chairman and thus gave Africa the opportunity, for the first time in the history of UNESCO to preside over the work aimed at a possible review of the working of a United Nations organisation.

The committee's mandate is to examine the relations between the three organs and recommend the most effective means to strenghten their respective roles, an assignment which Omolewa described as "a great challenge that is most satisfying."

After his election last year, the Director of UNESCO-BREDA, Mr. Armoogum Parsuramen had expressed his confidence "that with your experience, wisdom, your generous heart and dedication, you will serve UNESCO and its noble ideas and will ensure that UNESCO keeps a blossoming in the world. You are a great son of Africa."

The Ambassador of Russia, Mr. Vlamadir Kalamanov also expressed his "satisfaction of your role in the work of General Conference and I am very sure that during your Presidency, we will promote the UNESCO's ideas with African charm."

A Commonwealth Scholar in Jamaica, Mr. Dasmine Kennedy had also told Prof. Omolewa that, "The Lord has established you upon this throne. Be assured that His love and mercy will be with you now and forevermore."

Mr. David Pearson of SIL International also said then, "your enthusiasm is a blessing and a powerful weapon in the fight against illiteracy. May God bless you in your work."

But Omolewa would rather not be celebrated. He would not discuss his achievements in the last one year because, he told THISDAY, "the Hands of the Almighty God move issues and peoples, we should therefore celebrate Him above anything else that is temporary and transitional."

He does not mince words about his faith in and total reliance on God. In his acceptance speech he had said, among other things, "I shall continue to ask the Almighty God for greater wisdom, love and understanding. I am confident that as He leads and inspires me, I shall face the challenges before me with courage and confidence. As our ancients say "the cockroach which must walk in the company of fowls should wear a coat of armour."

A regular phrase in every intervention he has made so far, the latest, perhaps, being the one he made at the 'Adult Learners Week' held in Cape Town, South Africa to celebrate the country's 'Ten Years of Freedom' and the International Literacy Day, is "I thank God ..."

Next to God, is President Obasanjo whom he said set the ball rolling by visiting UNESCO in March, 1999, soon after his election in February. It was a clear indication of his intention to enlist the organisation as one of the principal partners and collaborators in one the arduous tasks of his administration - the restoration of education to its pride of place.

During the visit, Obasanjo and Matsuura established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which gave birth to the Committee on the Special Cooperation between the country and the organisation.

At its 30th Session in October/November 1999, UNESCO had approved Resolution 56 by which it reinforced its cooperation with the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Education, Science and Technology, Culture and Communication.

Matsuura also invited Obasanjo to address the 31st Session of the General Conference in 2001, the first by any Nigerian leader since independence.

Nigeria went on to be Member of the Executive Board for two biennia (2000 - 2001, and 2002 - 2003). During this period, it served as a Member of the Group of Experts on Financial and Administrative Matters of the Finance and Administrative Commission and was elected Chair of the Executive Board's Committees on Non-Governmental organisations. The country was later elected into seven other inter-governmental bodies of UNESCO, some as Vice-President representing Africa in their Bureau.

The latest of these are its election as Vice Chairperson (for Africa) on the Intergovernmental Hydrology programme (IHP) and also member of the Drafting Committee in the Draft Convention on the promotion of cultural diversity. The Nigerian delegation to the IHP meeting was led by the Minister of State for Water Resources, Engr. Bashir Awotorebo, while the Special Adviser to Mr. President on Culture, Professor Wande Abimbola led the delegation to the meeting on Cultural Diversity.

Apart from its membership of 11 other regional and other groups in the organisation, Nigeria also chaired the Education Commission at the 31st Session of the General Conference, presided over the 46th Session of the UNESCO International Conference on Education (ICE) in Geneva in 2002 and crowned this with the Presidency of the 32nd General Session.

This it won, not without whispering campaign and quiet diplomacy as secretary of the African Group, held by the Deputy Permanent Delegate of Nigeria at the time. Nigeria was not the only African country that was interested in the position. The Permanent Delegation of the country to UNESCO worked round the clock and to its bones to achieve all these, Omolewa recognised Obasanjo's leadership roles in the Commonwealth, the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and recently, the African Union as a boost, not only for the country's image, but also for his work at UNESCO.

He also acknowledged the cooperation of past and current Ministers of Education, Professors Tunde Adeniran, Babalola Borisade and Fabian Osuji, the latter, " who has encouraged my work, supported my initiatives and ensured that President Obasanjo's vision for my office is translated to reality."

The same way he celebrated the contributions of his predecessors when he was appointed last year - Ambassadors Judith Sefi Attah (first Nigerian Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, described as the Trailblazer), Yahaya Aliu (The first Nigerian Chairman of the Executive Board) and Emmanuel Akinluyi (The visionary) who handed over to him in 1999, Omolewa made particular mention of the interventions of the likes of Professors J. F. Ade Ajayi, A. B. O. O. Oyediran and B. O. Oloruntimehin, as well as the late Professors S. H. O. Tomori and Ajibola Taylor. He did not leave out "the cooperation I have received from the diplomats in UNESCO especially the Director-General Koichiro Matsuura, the former President Ahmad Jalali and former leaders of the Africa Group, the Ambassadors of Congo, Benin, South Africa and Senegal.

Perhaps what Nigerians want to hear is, "of what benefit is this position and all these activities to the common man?" Apart from those already mentioned, which spill over to "the common man" in the long run, they have translated to some gains such as 18 Fellowships awarded to Nigerians by UNESCO from 2000 to 2004. About 12 participation programmes are also being considered for approval in the 2004 - 2005 biennium.

But Omolewa sees beyond these. He insists that he belongs to the whole of Africa. If Nigeria benefits from Africa's benefit, it is well and good. He is driven by the passion to move Africa forward. During the celebration of the Adult Learner's Week in Cape Town recently, he had lamented that, "one of the constraints for development in Africa is illiteracy. A large number of illiterates are not able to participate in the process of dialogue that is democracy. In fact, there are shortfalls in every walk of African life - there is a lack of qualified people in the offices, on construction sites, in the factories and in the boardrooms. This must cease to be our reality.

"Without providing children with the opportunity to learn", he went further, "we deny them a basic and fundamental right and freedom - but, more so, we loose the opportunity to provide a person with the skills necessary to participate fully and actively in a society that is incessantly becoming increasingly complex. Through our efforts at promoting Education for All, UNESCO, with and through its Member States, is poised to ensure that the fundamental right to basic education is not denied."

So Omolewa attends as many meetings as he can, he said, to see how more schools can be built for African children, how more teachers can be trained to teach them, how the continent can successfully combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS and how Africans and indeed Member countries of the organisation can live in peace with themselves and their neighbours.

His mandate, he once told THISDAY, "is to project the image of UNESCO and draw attention to the important work of the organisation in building the defences of peace in the minds of the people, through education, science and technology, culture and communication as mandated by the Constitution that set UNESCO up in 1945."

THIS DAY sought the views of some of Omolewa's colleagues on the last one year via the electronic mail.

President of the 31st General Conference and Ambassador of Iran, Mr. Ahmad Jalali honoured Omolewa by putting on our traditional Babanriga moments before handing over to him a year ago. In his response on Monday, he said,

"His Excellency, Ambassador Michael Omolewa has caused me not to have any regrets on leaving the position of President of the General Conference of UNESCO, as it has been passed on to one who is able to conduct it far better than myself.

It is not only his diplomatic skills but also his intellectual

capacity as a scholar which make him so fit for this high position, as he is well capable of manifesting his multi-faceted capacities in the service of UNESCO's ideals, and I am very glad to see this asset from Africa benefiting the whole of UNESCO at the dawn of the twenty-first century."

The Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO, Mr. Teiichi Sato said, "he has displayed particular skills and devotion in presiding over and steering the 32nd Session of the General Conference which was widely acclaimed as the most successful General Conference in the history of UNESCO. Ambassador Omolewa was also instrumental in organising the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Relations between the Three Organs of UNESCO to which he was elected Chairperson. My Government looks forward to a fruitful outcome of discussions from this Group and wish him all the best for another fruitful year in this and other endeavours that he oversees"

Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of China to UNESCO, Mr. Xuezhong Zhang also had this to say: "A year ago, I on behalf of China strongly supported my dear friend, Michael as the candidate for the position of the president of the 32nd Session of the General Conference of UNESCO. As a matter of fact, Professor Omolewa was elected unanimously because of his outstanding performance as Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO. He successfully conducted the proceedings of the 32nd Session of the General Conference, which won every delegates' deepest appreciation. As soon as the General Conference concluded, he began to contact the permanent Delegations to discuss on the improvement of the working methods of the three organs of the Organisation. He also called meetings to discuss on the dialogue among civilisations. He has been involved with programmes in all fields of UNESCO's competence. He has been devoting himself to the promotion of Education for All, the cooperation in scientific programmes and the protection of world heritage, etc. At the invitation of the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee, Professor Omolewa took part in the 28th Session of the World Heritage Committee, which was held in Suzhou, China and made a very eloquent and encouraging statement at the opening session. I must say that Professor Omolewa is indeed an outstanding and unique president in the history of UNESCO for he is not only an outstanding diplomat but also an outstanding professional permanent delegate and of course an outstanding son of Nigeria and Africa. My best wishes to my dear friend Michael and to Nigeria."

Representative of the Holy See, Mr. Francesco Follo also appreciated "the direction and mediation of the assembly during the last General Conference directed by His Excellency Mr. Michael Omolewa and during this year."

He added that, " with the precious efforts made by this skilful diplomat to coordinate meetings, there were significant possibilities to increase the level of the talks and decisions with special regards to AIDS plague, the education and the economical improvement of developing countries."

He observed that the relationship between the Holy See and the UNESCO culminated with the visit of 34 Ambassadors, led by Omolewa, to the Vatican City, where they met the Pope John Paul II, last May

Indeed, the 32nd Session had a record number of 3, 580 participants, including five Heads of State, three Vice Presidents, a First Lady and 299 ministers. The United States of America was led by the First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush, Special Envoy for the UN Decade for Literacy, a UNESCO programme, 19 years after it walked out of the organisation. So did Timor-Leste, bringing the number of members to 190 countries.

The return of America means more money for the organisation. A real-growth budget of $610 million was adopted for 2004 - 2005. That, in fact was a major achievement of the conference.

Also very significant was the adoption of five standard setting instruments, including the International Convention on the Preservation of the Intangible Cultural heritage and the International Declaration of Human Genetic Data.

What the first means is that oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage, the performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events as well as knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe and traditional craftsmanship, now have an international legal instrument to safeguard them through cooperation.

The second, on the other hand means, among other provisions, that every effort should be made to ensure that human genetic data and human preteomic data are not used for purposes that discriminate in a way that is intended to infringe, or has the effect of infringing human rights, fundamental freedoms of human dignity of an individual or for purposes that lead to the stigmatisation of an individual, a family, or a group or communities. The President joined the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura to sign these conventions.

Matsuura described the session as remarkable due to the importance of the subjects handled and the spirit in which it took place.

Omolewa, who speaks English and French Languages fluently, read African History and History of Europe at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of Ibadan (UI) between 1964 and 1973. During this period, he won both the Federal Government and University of Ibadan Scholarships.

His venture into adult education was purely accidental as UI offered him a job to teach history of adult education. But Omolewa will always thank God for that opportunity. In 1985, he got the J. Roby Kidd Special Citation for 'a significant and innovative contribution to Adult Education' by the International Council for Adult Education, Argentina.

Winner of many awards and fellowships, Omolewa who is listed in five 'Who's who' formed the University Village Association (UNIVA), where he and his colleague at UI used to go to the villages around the university to teach adult learners. They ran literacy classes, established income generating, primary healthcare and civic education programmes For this integrated development project, his department won UNESCO prize in 1999. There was no stopping the former consultant to the UNDP, UNICEF, British Council and USAID/CEDPA after this. He had only been in UNESCO for four years when he was appointed President of the General Conference last year.