WORLD TEACHERS DAY: MINISTER RAMATU AS 21st CENTURY TEACHER

By:

Farouk Ozigi Onimisi 

Lastborn of Team Ramatu

When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass, His purposes. Of all public figures and benefactors of mankind, no one is loved by history more than the literary patron/teacher.

Napoleon was just a general of forgotten battles compared with the queen who paid for Shakespeare's meals and beer in the tavern. The statesman who in his time freed the slaves, has a few enemies in posterity, whereas the literary patron and teacher has none. 

We thank Gaius Maecenas for the nobility of soul we attribute to Virgil; but he isn’t blamed for the selfishness and egocentricity that the poet possessed. The patron creates 'literature through altruism,' something not even the greatest genius can do with a pen. 

For Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, she is a first class 21st century teacher cum nation builder. She ensured on-the-job learning by working in open offices that allows her to observe employees, project accessibility, and encourage frequent conversations. She makes a point of maintaining open-door policies and spends lots of time circulating among her staff, resulting into offering lessons on the spur of the moment.

Great leaders don’t wait for the “perfect” opening. They create teaching moments—often by taking protégés out of the office environment to more-relaxed settings or unusual places.

No matter when or where they chose to teach their lessons, Dr. Ramatu as a great leader is smart enough not to pompously pontificate or pummel employees with too much information. She deployed these more-nuanced techniques: customised instruction, questions and modeling.

Ultimately, Ramatu understands that even a little bit of high-quality, one-on-one teaching can yield great dividends. As FCT Amazon, she commands her employees’ attention, and the lessons she imparted have been much more relevant, better-timed, and more personalised than content delivered in traditional leadership-training programmes, all responsible for her achievements today in the Federal Capital Territory Administration, a rare gem and purity of then Victorian age.

The White Princess Ramatu embraces totally, the role of teacher; she built loyalty, turbocharge her team’s development, and drive superior business performance. Apparently, teaching is not merely an “extra” for good managers; it’s an integral responsibility. If you’re not teaching, you’re not really leading. For the Onyize of Ebiraland, she is acceptable as 21st century Nigerian Teacher. 

 Farouk Ozigi Onimisi is the author of A STORY OF THE WHITE PRINCESS (Biography of Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu).