Opinion

In Defence of a MAAUN Lecturer-Egbetekun

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<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"ozdtPfDh" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By Abdulmajid Egbetekun<&sol;p><div class&equals;"JymZ6epr" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>There is a popular saying that goes&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;If you think education is expensive&comma; try ignorance&period;” Having travelled across several countries in Asia and Europe as an African&comma; I can confidently say that Nigeria remains one of the few places in the world where quality education is still affordable&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>What prompted this write-up was a recent incident involving a lecturer at the Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria &lpar;MAAUN&rpar; and a parent who verbally assaulted the lecturer after entering an examination hall — an act that clearly violates the rules and regulations governing universities&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Over time&comma; MAAUN has been unfairly dragged through the media by certain individuals who&comma; in my opinion&comma; are doing so for personal and selfish reasons&comma; primarily to blackmail and tarnish the image of the institution&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"w2bCQknN" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>The latest issue concerns a royal title holder who verbally attacked a lecturer for refusing to allow his daughter into an examination hall due to her failure to pay tuition fees on time&period; This incident has generated a lot of discussion&comma; especially after a video of the encounter surfaced online&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>However&comma; based on my personal investigation&comma; the circulating video was misleading and selectively edited to exclude the parent’s initial misconduct — the very behavior that provoked the lecturer’s reaction&period; The royal father disrupted an ongoing examination&comma; causing unnecessary disturbance&period; Unfortunately&comma; due to the growing culture of social media sensationalism&comma; some students at the scene recorded and circulated the video to generate public sympathy for the wrong party&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>In the video&comma; one of the students could be heard shouting&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;We are paying money&excl;” — a statement that reflects poor character and a lack of understanding of how universities operate&period; It is important to note that universities across the world award degrees based on both learning and character&period; Sadly&comma; the behavior displayed by that student fell far below the expected standard of moral conduct and respect&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>From reliable sources&comma; the lecturer in question is a foreign-trained academic from Russia&comma; known for his professionalism and commitment to duty&period; He reportedly explained the situation respectfully to the royal father&comma; clarifying that his daughter’s tuition was paid too late to permit her participation in that particular examination&period; Rather than accept responsibility&comma; the parent resorted to aggression&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This situation calls for reflection and corrective measures&period; I strongly urge the management of MAAUN to establish a Parents’ Association&comma; which will serve as a formal channel through which parents can address concerns or grievances directly with the university management&comma; rather than resorting to disruptive or public actions&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Furthermore&comma; MAAUN must stand firmly by its lecturers&period; The integrity of any academic institution lies in its ability to protect and empower its staff to perform their duties without fear of intimidation or harassment&period; Lecturers should be given maximum institutional support and legal protection when enforcing academic policies&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The student who disrespected the lecturer should be referred to a disciplinary panel to face appropriate sanctions&comma; as a deterrent to others&period; Likewise&comma; the royal father should be cautioned&period; If investigations confirm his role in sponsoring the online smear campaign against the university&comma; it would only be proper for him to withdraw his children from MAAUN&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It is disappointing that someone of royal status would behave in such a manner&period; True royalty is defined by humility&comma; discipline&comma; and respect for due process&comma; not arrogance or media showmanship&period; Being a royal title holder in the 21st century should be about embodying leadership and wisdom — not abusing privilege&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>I also appeal to parents to take a more active role in instilling respect&comma; discipline&comma; and moral values in their children&period; Educating a child goes beyond paying school fees&semi; it includes teaching them to respect lecturers&comma; elders&comma; and authority figures&period; Character formation begins at home&comma; and parents must lead by example&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Finally&comma; I call on MAAUN’s management to continue prioritizing academic standards&comma; staff welfare&comma; and ethical discipline&period; The university’s contributions to education&comma; human capital development&comma; and the Nigerian economy are remarkable and must be protected from any attempt to discredit its reputation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>MAAUN is an institution of excellence that deserves to be celebrated&comma; not maligned&period; It is our collective responsibility — as parents&comma; students&comma; and members of society — to defend the truth&comma; uphold discipline&comma; and preserve the integrity of this great citadel of learning&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Abdulmajid Egbetekun is a PhD Student from the University of Liverpool<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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