Opinion

University Education in Nigeria and the dying system

Published

4 years ago

July 14, 2020

Nuraddeen Danjuma, PhD

Introduction

Despite ASUU’s struggle and the popular saying that Education is a key to success according to Nelson Mandela and University education in Nigeria is in its trying moment, no doubt about that.

If you see injustice and say nothing, you have taken the side of the oppressor – Desmund Tutu, South Africa Anglican Archbishop.

In Isiah 1:17, it is said “learn to do good, seek justice, reprove the ruthless; defend the orphan and plead for the widow”.

As a concerned academic and a believer of faith, one only medium I have to express my humble opinion on the attempted murder of public universities is my pen.

This very piece is a wakeup call to leaders of Nigeria and all stakeholders to prevent the total collapse of Nigerian Universities as knowledge is the pillar of sustainable development and a passport to better days.

For tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today and only adequate planning and investment in education can yield positive change and promising tomorrow. Nelson Mandela said “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

In September 2015, 193 member states of the United Nations adopted a plan for achieving a better future for all. This was to fashion out a path to end extreme poverty, fight inequality, and injustice in a sustainable manner.

The heart of the plan was setting up Agenda 2030 which has 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Of those, quality education is no.

This was in order to attain inclusive and quality education which is one most powerful vehicle for sustainable development. Nigeria is a party to these commitments and has been working hard to ensure she achieves its mandates.

FUD ranked No.1 University in Nigeria,21st in Africa – Scimago, Spain.

In pursuance of that, President Buhari has exemplified his commitment to quality education just like his predecessors. In his recent presentation during a virtual Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19, June 17th, 2020, said

”I seize this opportunity to reiterate the need for this summit to put humanity at the center of our vision for common prosperity.

New Emirates:so-called Kano elders tried to frustrate the process- Ganduje

”We must learn lessons and share knowledge from research, as we develop more creative, responsive and humane health systems, improve crisis management protocols and support each other in the battle against COVID-19’’ (Thisday newspaper, 18th June, 2020). I salute his resolute and desire for knowledge and good Nigeria. However, in Hausa we say “akwai sauran rina a kaba” …. (We are not out of the woods yet). The secret to quality education lies in the words of Fela Kuti who said “if it is not fit to live in, then our job is to make it fit”.

University Education in Nigeria

In Nigeria as in other parts of the World, universities remain centers of teaching and research as well as hubs of knowledge, development, and social change. They also are machines for the hatching of highly skilled manpower for sustainable growth. In Nigeria, a move to start university education began with the commissioning of the Ashby Commission in 1959 with a view to conducting an investigation into Nigeria’s needs in tertiary education.

The commission recommended the establishment of ‘autonomous and independent’ universities in Lagos (the capital city then) and one each the north, east, and west of the country.

In pursuance to that, the University of Ibadan, (then University College, London) was founded in 1948 (and became a full-fledged independent university in early 1963), the University of Nigeria Nsukka in 1960 and Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1962.

Between then and 2019, the number of universities grew to 162 and evidently not in tandem with the resources allocated to finance these institutions.

Hence most of these institutions are in a dilapidated state. What has the government done in terms of quality control commensurate to the growing number of universities in the country?. Virtually nothing, the following excerpt provides an overview more Nigerian leaving the country to USA, Europe, Asia or even Africa for quality education.

According to data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS), the number of Nigerian students abroad increased by 164 percent between 2005 and 2015 from 26,997 to 71,351.

The report also indicated that Nigerian students are currently the 14th largest group among foreign students in the United States, and contributed an estimated USD $324 million to the country’s economy in 2015/16.

Malaysia, as per UIS, has about 4,943 Nigerians in 2015 in various fields of study, making the country the fourth most popular destination country of Nigerians. Saudi Arabia is increasingly attracting Nigerian students. In 2015 the country hosted 1,915 students from Nigeria.

According to World Education News (2017), most of Nigeria’s public universities are in a deteriorating condition. The country’s institutions and lecture halls were reportedly severely overcrowded which is often why Nigerian Universities are in a state of decay.

Nigeria had one of the worst lecturer-to-student ratios in the world. The University of Abuja and Lagos State University, for example, reportedly had lecturer to student ratios as high as 1:122 and 1:114 respectively.

(International Organization for Migration, 2014). The most obvious reason for this deficit and low carrying capacity of Nigerian Universities is inadequate funding and lack of adequate planning.

Isaac Adebayo Adeyemi, Professor, Nigerian Academy of Science contended that “it is clear that the national budget of 6% to 7% to the education sector (lower than most other African countries which range between 11% and 30%) can’t do justice to the needs of these institutions.”

If Nigeria is going to out-grow its mates, the country needs to fund its education sector adequately and with the interest of national development at heart.

Thus, since 1978, the centrality of quality education in ASUU’s impasse with FG is crystal clear but yet to be recognized for selfish reasons. Specifically, ASUU is struggling for:

University Autonomy

Universities have always needed patrons and at various times the church, dukes, merchants, or philanthropists among others funded universities and have expected suitable behavior in response—correct doctrine, political policies, laissez-faire values, or charitable support (Anderson and Johnson, 1998).

In recent years, signs are governments are interfering in university affairs thereby affecting the effective system in totality. The IPPIS is a concrete case in Nigeria of infringing in the university’s autonomy.

Universities’ autonomy has four main dimensions: academic, organizational, financial, and staff. Thus, ASUU needs to thread with caution, respect limits, and learn from colleagues in other countries. A classical example might help ASUU NEC during negotiation.

In the United Kingdom, the government has no power to intervene in standards (except for teacher education) but the national committee of inquiry into higher education has recommended that it be a condition of public funding of universities that they adhere to an approved code of practice of quality assurance in this area (Richardson, & Fielden, 1997- Measuring the Grip of the State: the relationship between governments and universities in selected Commonwealth countries).

Double Standards in Payment

Sincerely there is a double standard in the mode of payment of salaries in Nigeria and this is tribalism. Religiously, tribalism is frowned at and prohibited.

Prophet Muhammad said “laisa minna man da’a ala asabiyyatin, wa laisa minna man qatala ala asabiyyatin, wa laisa minna man mata ala asabiyyatin” (he is not with us the one who sued for tribalism, he is not with us the one who fight for tribalism, he is not with the who died for tribalism).

The policy of allowing some agency to collate funds, chop what they want to, and remit the rest is tribalism. By the way, the bible in Proverbs 11:4 says “riches do not profit in the day of the wrath, but righteousness delivers from death”.

The idea of forcing some workers into IPPIS and implementing GIFMIS to pay the ‘el Ninos’ (children of God) is tribalism. In my opinion, it is a double standard.

Can the OAGF explain otherwise?. Sincerely is this not acceptable in a democracy. How much are you paying us after all comparatively that you can’t sleep peacefully?.

The Hausa people say “wanda yaje farauta ya kashe bera zaiyi tsammanin yayi kokari, sai yaga wanda ya kashe giwa ya gano baiyi komi ba” (literally, a hunter who killed rat only boast his/her courage before seeing another who kills an elephant).

Find out about the university salaries of other countries and see how much academics are paid without selfishness. However, ASUU should clean its house and remove the skeletons in its cupboards (we are not infallible after all). The bad eggs that receive salaries and dodge work should be corrected. Those breaching NUC rules of visiting in more than two universities should be stopped. “Dan kuka ya daina janyo wa babarsa jifa” a Hausa adage (English: ours must stop attracting us blames and allegations).

Decayed Infrastructure in Public Universities

Infrastructure; the physical components of interrelated systems providing commodities and services essential to enable, sustain, or enhance societal living conditions is critical to university progress. Hence infrastructure should be taken seriously. In the university, infrastructure includes classrooms, office accommodations, laboratories, roads, electricity and water, health facilities, among others. The decay of infrastructure is horrible and not to talk about in most Nigerian universities. It one major factor that contributed to slow development in universities. ASUU is struggling for better infrastructure in Nigeria universities for their critical role in the growth and development of learning especially education, science, and technology.

Commercialization of Public Universities

The introduction of tuition at this is time is worrisome because it’ll affect students’ participation in higher education. It can affect the lower socio-economic groups by increasing the number of school leavers in such families. Research have shown that a significantly higher proportion of young people from the lowest socioeconomic groups have traditionally entered higher education in Scotland than in England and Wales (Forsyth and Furlong, 2000 – socioeconomic disadvantage and access to higher education). Henceforth, on this matter, ASUU should thread with caution and allow the public to do the struggle.

What ASUU SHOULD DO?

As a matter of fact, ASUU should do the following to maintain relevance.

Re-position its modus operandi

Our modus operandi is 42 years old. It is about descending, thus there is the need to check its blood pressure, sugar level, eyesight, and others.

Check In-house

Like any other system, ASUU members have their grievances. This is clear and demonstrated by many colleagues and especially the breakaway group named Congress of University Academics (CONUA). ASUU should mend fences with all breakaway groups. And all breakaway groups should sheath swords and reconcile with the great union that is greater than any member, no matter how ‘big’. ASUU should check sharp practices (known and alleged) among members, revert to old days of modest life, and put forward the welfare of members above anything. It’s time we framed every question – every issue – not in terms of what’s in it for me but what’s in it for all of us (Senator John Kerry).

Conduct Needs Assessment before entering any Negotiation

“When we think we know people inside out and we think we know what’s best for them we should try to remember we don’t even know what’s best for ourselves” – Hayley Williams.

Nigeria Universities and Potential Peg-leg Scholarship

In my opinion, Nigerian Universities are gradually becoming homes of peg-leg scholarship due to the following reasons:

Brain drain

Sincerely, a lot of lecturers are going voluntarily or otherwise. Most of them are trained ones. So how many will remain to sustain scholarship?. FG- Is this the legacy you want to leave?.

Collapse of mentoring

Connected to brain drain, is mentoring which I feel is on its ‘dying bed’. Now that many senior colleagues are exiting as a result of ‘no contract, sabbatical, or visiting as well as death’ who will mentor who?. The Hausa say “yaro baya goya yaro sai dai ya rungumeshi su fadi” (a child does not support a child but embraces him/her to fall).

Increasing chances of a faceoff between unions and universities management

The potential faceoff between universities management and unions over issues relating to allowances – responsibility, hazard, over time, call, etc scrapped by IPPIS is inevitable. The only question is why should the salaries and wages laws favor some and kill some?. How much do the laws give political office holders for ‘sitting quietly in well-furnished accommodation or just passing bills?’

Conclusion

In conclusion, both ASUU and FG should look beyond sentiments and know that above any other thing in Nigeria. Howard Baker said “the most difficult thing in any negotiation, almost, is making sure that you strip emotion and deal with the facts. And there was a considerable challenge to that here and understandably so. The negotiations must address all aspects, both peace, and withdrawals (Yitzhak Rabin). Therefore we don’t need EEA – oyya go back to classes. We expect a better package like that of NNPC, CBN, NIRSAL, DMO, FIRS, NDIC, NPA, DPR, NCC, PENCOM, and many others that are not so-called ‘revenue-generating agencies’. At least we too work for the temple, so we deserve to eat ‘nutritiously’ from the temple. According to Martin Luther King Jr. “The time is always right to do something right”.

Nuraddeen Danjuma, Ph.D. wrote from Bayero University Bayero University Kano

Related Topics:Collapse Dying Education University

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Forte GCC Sets New Standards in Engineering, Construction, and Real Estate-Adnan

Published

23 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

Forte GCC raises the bar in engineering, construction, and real estate with groundbreaking standards, by Adnan Mukhtar

In a move that is set to revolutionize the engineering, construction, and real estate sectors, Forte GCC Innovative Solutions Limited has announced its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and excellence.

Since its inception in 2019, the company has established itself as a trailblazer in the industry, with a team of dedicated professionals and a vision to harness the power of technology to craft a smarter, more efficient world.

The company’s mission and vision is to elevate services through continuous research and innovation and to become a frontrunner in engineering consultancy, construction, and real estate sectors.

Led by Engr. Khalil Sagir Koki, a seasoned engineer and project manager with a proven track record of delivering complex projects, the company’s management team boasts a diverse range of expertise and experience. Engr Khalil has a Masters of Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Surrey and a Master’s of Science in Engineering Construction Management from the University of East London. Engr. Koki is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Institute of Civil Engineers UK, the Institute of Highways Engineers UK, and the Association for Project Management UK, and has attained the APM Project Fundamental Qualification from the Association for Project Management. He also holds a Construction Project Management certification from the Colombian University of New York.

Other members of the management team include Engr. Emmanuel Adetokumbo, a COREN-registered engineer with over a decade of experience in building and infrastructure projects; Muhammad Gazzali Ado, a seasoned finance professional with experience in accounting, taxation, and financial management; and Mrs Misriyya Imam Hassan, a management expert with a degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Sharjah and an MSc from the University of Leicester.

The company’s recent achievements include the successful completion of Laurat Terraces, its inaugural real estate development project in Katampe District, and the commencement of two new estates, Misriyya Terraces and Guildford Terraces, in Katampe District.

With its commitment to safety, ownership, integrity, passion, and teamwork, Forte GCC Innovative Solutions Limited is set to deliver unparalleled results and shape the future of Engineering, Construction, and Real Estate in Nigeria and beyond.

Opinion

Ahmad Abdulkadir Firdaus :A Successful Business Man And Philanthropist

Published

7 days ago

May 8, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

Abdulkadir Ahmad Firadusi

By AbdurRaheem Sa’ad Dembo

The fascinating story of Ilorin born businessman but resident in Kano, Ahmad Abdulkadir Firdaus is the one filled with a rare commitment and tenacious disposition. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Aquarich Integrated Services, Hydro Blue Water and Habidaus Global Concept in Kano. Indeed, no businessman or an entrepreneur would ever tell you it is easy to be in business or self employed but he has been making remarkable progress against all odds.

It interests me to write about him because I have been in the know of how he has positively metamorphosed from being an employee to become an employer of labour in the commercial city of Kano. Firdaus story is not a fairy tale as those who know him can attest to his growth in the Kano business community.

Sincerely, it is through observation of him I got to know practically that you don’t invest in a business if you don’t have time to monitor it, otherwise you would be feeding the greedy and glutton among your workers inadvertently, and before you know it, the business has collapsed. They don’t want to know how you come about the capital for the business but they would be ready to drain the resources to comatose, since no one would be around to have critical monitoring of their activities.

Successful businessmen do have challenges and that of Firdaus is no exception, especially given the current stifling inflation in the country. You must have the courage and sagacity to pull through in business with sincerity and promptness.

There was a time I visited Kano, precisely February, 2022 to attend the 40th Anniversary of Mass Communication Department in Bayero University, Kano, my alma mater. I observed him in the office and I discovered that he has full grasp of what it entails to run a business. He is an economist, so one shouldn’t expect less from him.

He is very strict but pragmatic. His strictness cannot be likened to nefariousness but proper way of doing things. He doesn’t cut corners. He will never bargain for substandard products.

As an entrepreneur you have a goal, but it should be predicated on your customers satisfaction. Without them your business will face retardation and sluggishness. That is why when you agree on a day and date for the supply of goods, do not renege. Customers develop confidence in someone based on their experience over time. If their experience is positive you are in for a good time with them.

Discipline as a core value in any setting, be it political, social or economic, will help anyone to grow; especially in business, financial discipline is key. To the best of my knowledge, Firdaus has it and his prudence is a great deal of idea.

*My relationship with Firdaus*

We are both from Ilorin but we didn’t know each other until we met in Bayero University, Kano. Although we gained admission the same time, he was a year ahead of me because his was a direct entry. Since graduation, the relationship has been sustained till today; alhamdulillahi! He is a thorough person, he neither receives ideas and/or opinions nor treat issues dogmatically. It takes a sound and convincing explanation of a subject matter to get him on the same page with one.

Our good friends, they say, are our lives. At one’s lowest hour, one must have that one person in whom to confide. This is reminiscent of Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter in which it is said “confiding in others always pain”.

Our relationship has transformed beyond friendship, it is now a familial bond. I can remember when I attended his wedding in Kaduna in the year
2009 and he reciprocated by attending my wedding in Ilorin together with his wife, an epitome of a good wife.

He is based in Kano but his door is always open to visitors. You can’t visit his family without giving a good account of their hospitality and humility. Great men are synonymous with humility and that has been my conviction over the years.

*His Philanthropic Activities*

He is a finest gentleman with a kind heart and generous disposition.He does not have a Foundation through which he reaches out to the less privileged because he believes giving to people is a personal thing and does not require publicity. His argument has been that he is doing it for the sake of Allah, not for people to praise him, and that getting a reward for doing good is preregative of Almighty Allah.

This is unlike politicians; there is no way they can keep in secrecy if they render assistance. If they don’t say it out, oppositions would use that against them, that they have neglected the people after gaining their mandates. So it is easy for him to do it in his own way, because he is not a politician.

There are cases of where he has helped and those people would be the one to tell me much later. If he helps you the third person would not hear about it. Emphatically, he has been kind to me as well.

Ahmad Abdulkadir Firdaus does not allow his busy schedules to deprive him of the opportunity to reach out to people through associations. He is currently the Vice President II of Bayero University Kano Alumni Association, the national body. He is also the Vice Chairman of Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Kano Branch. He is a Patron of Ilorin Emirate Students Union, BUK Chapter.

He is a detribalized Nigerian; his hand of fellowship spreads beyond his tribes and associates.

*His business sojourn*

Firdaus joined Royal United Nigeria Limited in Lagos State in 2007. He was later transferred to Kano office where he rose from the position of Accounts Assistant to become Regional Manager, North. In his words “I joined Royal United Nigeria Limited in 2007 through my Guardian, Dr. Abdullahi Jibril Oyekan”

Ahmed Abdulkadir Firdaus was born to the family of Alfa Ahmad and Hajia Halima of Ile Machine, Oju Ekun Oke, Adangba, Ilorin and grew up at Sebutu compound, Ilorin. He had his primary and part of secondary school education in Ilorin before proceeding to Lagos where he completed it. He is happily married with kids.

Below are his Educational background, Awards, and excerpts of the interview with him.

*Academic Qualification

In 2005 he bagged B.Sc. Economics from Bayero University, Kano with second class upper. He also obtained Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2011 from the same institution. In 2006 he obtained Proficiency Certificate in Management and graduate member from the Nigerian institute of Management.
He became an Associate member , Institute of Chartered Economists in Nigeria (2006).

*Awards

Award of Excellence by Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, IEDPU Northern Zone, 2023

Award of Excellence by BUK Alumni, Ilorin Emirate chapter, 2023

Award of Excellence by An-nur Islamic Organization, BUK, 2021

Award of Excellence by Ilorin -Ifelodun Social Group, Kano, 2021

Markazul Ulum Wal Maharif Islamic School Dei Dei, Abuja, 2020

Award of Excellence by National Association of Kwara State Students, BUK Chapter, 2019

Award of Excellence by Ilorin Emirate Youth Development Association, Kano, 2019

Award of Excellence by Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2016

Certificate of Merit by National Youth Service Corps, Corps Welfare Association, Giginya Barracks, Sokoto, 2007

Merit Award (Chairman Fundraising) by Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2005

Merit Award (Financial Secretary) by Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2005

Merit Award (Member Fundraising) by Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2004

Merit Award by Markaz Agege Alumni Association, BUK, 2003/2004

Al-Adabiyya Alumni Association, BUK, 2003/2004

Merit Award (Active member) Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2002

*Interview Session*

What do you sell?

I sell different types/brands/sizes of Tyres and TableWater (HYDRO BLUE)

What could be the catalyst for your success in the business world?

Determination, patience, and passion can drive a business growth.

Nigerian economic challenges are enormous, but I always tell myself that if Dangote can do it, I can equally do with determination.

What advice do you have for upcoming entrepreneurs?

Business requires pragmatism, goal-oriented, and target. Including the culture of discipline

At the early stage of business, they must be available (full participation), adopt austere approach, have some level of accounting knowledge, and financial discipline.

They should understand that there is no shortcut to success; Rome was not built in a day.

Is it always rosy for your kind of business?

Not at all, like the Yoruba would say, a person that knows the day he would make plenty of sales might know the day of his death. Is just a saying nobody knows when he or she will die. No one can determine the day he or she will make enormous sales. However, business is unpredictable, most especially in the face of the current inflation that has influenced price instability.

It is obvious that even in the business world there are challenges but your ability to cope with its complexity and dynamism will determine how far you would go. This doesn’t rule out the significance of prayers as you weather the storm gradually. Our young men and women should cultivate the habit of sincerity and patience. Nothing good, they say, comes so easy. Get-rich-quick syndrome can’t be a way out of poverty but the road to doom. Patience is key to every facets of our lives just as Hausa saying “Hakuri maganin zaman duniyan”. Meaning patience is the key to successful life.

Firdaus, as a businessman is an example of those who would do their businesses diligently and would not surcharge the people.

He is in Kano, doing his business with utmost standard and excellent customer relations. Please patronise him for a life changing experience.

abdurraheemsaaddembo@gmail.com

Opinion

Exposing the fraud in NASS budget-Jaafar Jaafar

Published

2 weeks ago

May 2, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

By Jaafar Jaafar

In an unprecedented budget fraud, the National Assembly has appropriated N370 billion on running costs, contingency, vague and duplicated projects for the Senate and House of Representatives in the 2024 Appropriation Act.

I’m not talking about the hundreds of billions of naira padded in other ministries, departments and agency, but what they budgeted for their welfare and running of the National Assembly.

In the N370 billion NASS budget, the lawmakers duplicated projects and created new, unnecessary projects that increased the budget from N170billion in 2023 to N370 billion this year.

In budget (under Statutory Transfers ), the NASS budgeted 36,727,409,155 for the National Assembly Office; N49,144,916,519 for the Senate; N78,624,487169 for the House of Representatives; N12,325,901,366 for the National Assembly Service Commission and; N20,388,339,573 for Legislative Aides.

A senator recently told me that each of them (and members of the House of Reps) is entitled to five aides, while the four presiding officers (Senate President, Speaker and their deputies) have at least 3,000 aides. In total, you are talking about over 5,000 aides!

Despite the foregoing, the NASS budgeted N30,807,475,470 for “General Services” and N15billion as “Service-Wide Vote” – known in administrative parlance as “contingency” or “security vote”. The NASS never had anything like service-wide vote in the past as “service-wide vote” is always exclusive to the Executive arm. Insiders said this is a clear case of budget padding as the purpose for the huge appropriations are vague.

Even the retired clerks and perm secs (despite receiving their pensions) are not left out in this public funds buffet as they got N1.2billion padded for them.

Apart from padding the intangibles, the NASS will spend N4billion to build recreation center; about N6billion to furnish committee rooms for the two chambers and; another N6billion to build car parks for senators and members (don’t ask me whether they lack any parking space).

And despite this, the lawmakers padded N30 billion in the FCDA budget for “Completion of NASS Chambers” and N20billion for “completion of NASS Service Commission”! In the same budget, the lawmakers set aside another N10billion (under NASS budget) for the completion of National Assembly Service Commission building! How did this happen? No be juju be dis?

Still hungry to devour public resources, the avaricious parliamentarians budgeted another N3billion for the “Upgrade of NASS Key Infrastructures”. How come? What about the N30billion budgeted for “Completion of NASS Chambers”?

NASS Library Complex, named after President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, got N12billion as take-off grant and another N3billion for purchase of books.

Like other institutions under NASS, the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies got N9billion without clearly stating how or where the resources will apply to. The same institute also got another N4.5billion (is this ‘jara’?) for completion of its headquarters.

Despite the dedicated powerline and powerful generators backing up power supply in the National Assembly, the lawmakers budgeted N4billion to install solar power system. I guess this will give them a reason to pad billions for the purchase of batteries every year.

The committee that superintended this butchery of public resources, the Appropriations Committees of the Senate and the House of Reps, got N200m each for a job well done.