On the 21st of June, 2024 when I was contacted by this institution to deliver a lecture commemorating the completion of the tenure of the erudite Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’ Allah as a Vice Chancellor, I was a bit reluctant considering my schedule as the Hon. Attorney-General of Ondo State and Commissioner for Justice, but a witness within me propelled me considering the pedigree of the Honoree and most importantly his contribution to academic excellence in Nigeria and across the globe.
It is of necessity to state that the tenure of the Honoree recorded no interruption in the academic calendar of this great citadel of learning. This is in large part due to the Honoree’s very strong beliefs that academic quality would be enhanced if there is stability in the system and that particularly, higher institutions should be problem solvers to Nigerian governments and should be the engine room for developmental programs. This is why the honoree have to his credit the legacy: AbdulRasheed Na’ Allah Entrepreneurship Development Foundation which was inaugurated on the 23rd of September, 2023.
Again, I was given the privilege possibly to adjust the topic provided for today’s auspicious occasion which is ‘Sustainability of Academic Institutions in Nigeria’. I see no justification in modifying the suggested topic for the lecture noting that it emanated from great academic minds and the topic is a reflection of what should be the focus of our academic discuss in Nigeria today and I will therefore, within the limit of my time paraphrase the topic as provided.
SUSTAINABILITY OF ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA.
To place the topic in proper perspective, I consider it very necessary to start this discussion by stating that academic sustainability is related to incorporating sustainability principles and practices into educational establishments and the fundamental operations and functions in academic institutions.
In many developed nations, higher educational institutions are sustained through their teachings, research work, operations, practices, regulations and laws. This lecture will appraise the current status of sustainability in Nigerian institutions of higher learning.
I believe it is appropriate for us to delve a bit into the beginnings of higher learning in Nigeria. I believe that it is only through an evaluation of the past and the present that we can step into the future.
Higher education within the shores of Nigeria began in 1948 when the University College, Ibadan was established as a College of the University of London in a special relationship scheme. The University later became a full-fledged university in 1962. Thus began the establishment of citadels of higher learning in the country. The creation of the premiere university was followed by the creation of the second generation of universities from 1960-1962.
Since then, the Federal Government, States of the federation and private individuals have all contributed to the now enormous pool of universities.
In the early days of the Nigerian university system, colonial era structures still in place ensured that Nigerian universities could hold their heads high among world universities. However, matters have gradually deteriorated as a result of a lot of factors.
These factors are largely entwined with the general problems of the Nigerian nation and have posed a great challenge to the sustainability of Nigerian academic institutions.
In this lecture, I shall approach this topic through a problem-solution based approach. I shall discuss the challenges to the sustainability of our academic institutions, and then I shall enumerate my proposed solution to these challenges.
PROBLEMS BEDEVILING SUSTAINABILITY OF ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA
1. Poor Leadership: one of the indisputable problems facing Nigerian institutions is the poor caliber of administrators. Appointment to top management posts are very often not by merit, and it is not unusual for due process to be thrown in the bin. Many administrators are appointed by politicians without any regard for merit – administrators are very often stooges to powerful politicians who have put them there. While it is disturbing that most university administrators are stooges of some politicians, it is more disheartening that some administrators have no business being administrators at all. The lack of competence that is so often a result of nepotistic appointments is a bane to the sustainability of our academic institutions. No wonder the pedigree and administrative tactics of the honoree Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’ Allah changed the paradigm positively in the university of Abuja. Hopefully, this would be sustained.
2. Lack of Sound Strategic Planning: Many Nigerian universities do not have plans covering the unit level, the department level and other sectors of the institution. There is no driving mission, no vision, and no goal at all from the topmost level to the lowest. Most universities are not coordinated because there is no strategic plan guiding their activities. The lack of goals means there is no direction or drive. Lack of strategic planning in areas such as curriculum development, university infrastructural development, finance management means the institutions do not plan their activities properly. Curricula get old and become outdated, meaning graduates are not equipped with the skills needed for today’s world, funding becomes an ever re-emerging problem and the infrastructure collapses or becomes outdated. Even where there are long term strategies set out by their forbears, administrators mostly do not follow this strategy. They instead form their own strategy, leading to a lack of uniformity of purpose between succeeding administrations. The impact of this is profound on the products on the institutions.
3. Lack of Research: The poor attitude of successive governments at different levels towards the funding of research activities is another problem facing Nigerian institutions. Research programs in Nigerian institutions are given far less attention than in most other countries. One of the functions of academic institutions is engagement in research activities with a view to solving social, economic and political challenges affecting the nation through findings. Due to the lack of proper funding for research, many young researchers are discouraged from carrying on, and instead find greener pasture in other activities, or go abroad to find greener pasture.
4. Inadequate Infrastructure: Most Nigerian academic institutions face an infrastructural deficit that has affected productivity in many ways. Infrastructural facilities and laboratory equipment in most Nigerian institutions are not in good condition, with many having become outdated and out of place in the modern world. Today, students are forced to learn in dilapidated buildings, forced to use outdated equipment in outdated laboratories and endure an ever worsening learning environment. The current infrastructural situation in most Nigerian institutions is sickening and runs short of an ideal in an academic environment. Every year, thousands of young scholars travel out to carry out research work on their thesis or research work. Physics, Chemistry, Biology and computer labs in most Nigerian institutions are ages-old and dilapidated where they exist at all.
5. Poor Teaching: With the national population ever increasing, the number of persons vying for and gaining admission into Nigerian institutions is ever increasing. This means an ever-increasing pressure on university personnel. Unfortunately, this has not translated into a corresponding increase in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff. As a result, the pressure on the staff is ever increasing, and teaching has become less effective.
6. Poor Funding: Successive Nigerian government have continuously paid lip service to funding for educational institutions. Poor funding has continued to hamper the growth and continued sustainability of educational institutions in Nigeria. While successive governments continue to lament the lack of funding faced by educational institutions, they only complain, and have continuously left much to be desired in their funding of education.
7. Poor Recognition of Nigerian Institutions outside Nigeria: Majority of Nigerian academic institutions are not well known in other parts of the globe. This is because of the lack of involvement in collaborative research with foreign institutions. Only few Nigerian Universities are recognized outside the shores of Nigeria. It used to be that scholars from other continents visited Nigeria for studies, but those days are sadly, far behind us.
8. Academic Corruption and Fraud: It is disheartening that it is hard for a discussion about anything Nigerian to end without at least one mention of corruption. The corruption that pervades almost all aspect of the Nigerian society has not spared academic institutions. In 2013, Transparency International reported that about 30% of Nigerians surveyed said they had paid a bribe in the educational sector. This corruption ranges from requiring ‘long leg’ for facilitating admission, to bribing lecturers for grades, to sex-for mark scandals.
The National Youth Service Corps at a time did reveal that some Nigerian tertiary institutions do sell their certificates. Recently, a Nigerian university was found to be sending students to the Nigerian Law School when the students had not spent the required number of years to qualify for admission into that institution. While the erring university was sanctioned, the trend is really disturbing, as the so called ‘ivory towers’ appear to be daily losing all the sanctity hitherto associated with them.
WAYS TO ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY OF ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA
Having considered the problems facing academic institutions, it is appropriate to propose solutions to this threats to sustainable academic institutions.
1. Provision of Effective Leadership: Nigerian institutions need effective leadership to navigate the challenges facing them. Leaders of Nigerian universities must be those with integrity, knowledge and persons who practice modern management leadership styles. Leaders of educational institutions must be visionary and dynamic. The performance of the administrator should be sustained through the proper utilization of material and human resources in the achievement of institutional goals and objectives. The sustainability of academic institutions in Nigeria depends largely on the caliber of people at the helm of affairs at these institutions. It would therefore be counter-productive to continue to allow corruption and nepotism to dictate appointments into leadership positions in academic institutions.
2. Provision of Quality Teaching and Learning: The National Universities Commission must ensure that all the set requisite benchmark designed for universities to achieve the standard in the quality of teaching and learning are to be complied with. The Commission must become more vigilant and ensure every defaulting institution is appropriately sanctioned to deter others from falling below standard.
3. Fighting Academic Corruption: Academic institutions and enjoined to set themselves apart and become examples of what zero-corruption means. All forms of corruption and fraudulent practices in the system must be brought to be barest minimum. An holistic fight against corruption and nepotism in the Nigerian educational system is vital if our institutions are to be sustained.
4. Improvement of Research: Nigerian institutions must increase their capacity for research. Regulatory bodies should come up with policies that would mandate Nigerian institutions to carry out research work. A minimum benchmark should be set for institutions. Every Nigerian university for example, should be required to publish a certain number of journals, or a certain number of collaboration between its researchers and foreign researchers. There should be deliberate attempts to make research work the center of activity for institutions in Nigeria. In other climes, research constitutes a major avenue for funding of institutions of learning. In Nigeria, the bright minds are available to conduct required research. All that is needed is a conducive environment and the appropriate resources and incentives.
5. Rebranding of Nigerian Institutions: Many foreign institutions have advertisement agencies promoting them in Nigeria. Nigerian institutions should have similar bodies outside the shores of Nigeria to attract enrollment by foreigners. This will ensure that Nigerian institutions are portrayed in a good light outside the shores of Nigeria. The current status quo, where Nigerian universities are not known in most parts of the world, is the reason most of the time, Nigerian institutions are not favourably ranked in world rankings of educational institutions.
6. Provision of Adequate Infrastructure Facilities: It is imperative that Nigerian institutions of learning, especially publicly owned institutions are provided adequate infrastructural facilities. There must be adequate provisions of physical resources appropriate to each course of study being offered and the quality and adequacy of classrooms, library holding recent books and periodicals and other learning resources, well-equipped laboratories and information technology providers should be assessed at regular intervals. The budgetary allocation must be adequate for the recurrent cost of materials for teaching. Internal sources of revenue generation should be intensified.
CONCLUSION
Academic institutions constitute the foundation upon which every nation is built. The current state of the nation which has graduates unable to defend their certificates is due in large part to several problems which have been enumerated earlier. However, the challenges are by no means insurmountable. A deliberate commitment by all stakeholders involved is required if the bright days of Nigerian academic institutions is to come back. It is important that we sustain the relevance of the institutions by making sure persons graduating have the required attributes to make a better living for themselves and positively impact the society. Research work should be geared towards societal problems with a view to finding solutions to them. Governments at all levels should ensure educational institutions are adequately funded. All efforts should be made to sanitize the university system, as corruption cannot be allowed to eat any deeper into the fabric of the educational system. Nigerian institutions should ensure that collaborations between their researchers and foreign researchers are encouraged. These steps will ensure Nigerian institutions of learning take their rightful place among institutions around the world and be sustained.
Dr Olukayode Ajulo, OON, SAN is the Attorney General of Ondo State & Commissioner for Justice.
