My dear Prof Albert Ayeni, I must confess, I am in love with your
reasoning. I was almost going to compel my stubborn pessimism on this
matter to dissolve into your hindsight just like that, but the hunch
of reality on ground and the tracktable record of the FG operatives
and agencies show sufficient inconsistencies on the part of the
Government that call for caution why some of us celebrate. This is
because it is not yet Uhuru, dear patriot. Going by the report of a
recent study conducted by a sub-committee on Access and Quality which
was constituted by Committee of Vice-Chancellors in Nigeria, among
other revelations, the existing universities (without the additional
9) have 850 academic positions to fill for lack of adequate funds. The
implication of which means that most faculties are over burdened with
excess load and have little time for research. Furthermore, it is
responsible for the reason why, besides normal lectures, the tutorial
classes in which large classes are split into manageable groups for
effective interaction and assignments have long disappeared from most
if not all the universities. Your kind of reasoning which is quite in
order, informed the specialized universities a couple of years ago. It
gave birth to the Federal Universities of Agriculture&Technology
scattered all over our country like somebody suffering from dysentery.
What we got in the end is another story altogether, and to which we
are all living witnesses.
Prof. Ayeni, given the existing structure and the prevalent warped
national psyche, it is hardly possible to have functional university
the type you and many patriots have in mind. We do not have the right
system to make such universities work. The problem is not President
GEJ. No matter how sincere he is, he is surrounded by hounds and
vultures who have a different agenda altogether. Many are determined
to make anything that would prevent them from further looting
possible- electricity, railway system, etc. The President is meeting
various groups and they could only assure him their support if he
plays ball! That is why, my brother. You wonder what sustains some of
the universities in Nigeria? The large-heartedness, magnanimity and
generosity of foreign-based agencies and foundations, as well as
foreign collaborating universities. Right in the University of Ibadan,
for example, before the so much noised about Federal government
intervention, 80% of major academic programs and landmarks were funded
by these agencies and foundations. Prof. Ayeni, a patriot that you
are, I know how many times you were at UI on behalf of Rutgers to
finally ensure the successful take- off of the on-going AGRA project.
Similarly, the MacArthur Foundation's contribution to instituting and
sustaining new programs and centers of excellence at UI alone is not
less than 60% to 70%. It is such efforts by foreign collaborators that
have sustained the nation's premier university of Ibadan, and a few
other sister universities.
By all means, Nigeria is not poor, but the political leaders whether
the military or the civilian never got it right. We do not have a
truly university tradition the kind that exists in the US or Europe.
Ask yourself how much IGR a university like Rutgers or U.Texas
generate annually via Alumni association, consultancy services from
the state government, corporate bodies, and individuals? How much
chairs are endowed and sustained by people that know the value of a
truly university education? That is why some universities in the US,
for example, could afford to assist each of its graduate students with
as much as $3,000 to prepare their proposals, and as much as
$20,000/year for four years, to facilitate each doctoral students
research and fieldwork! Now what do we have in Nigeria? Government
hardly patronizes the universities; some alumni associations often
look up to their universities to donate money to facilitate their
projects; corporate organizations do hardly consult the universities.
Where they do, it is the colleague-specialists in the universities
they consult because it is cheaper than to go through the university
proper channel. Most rich people in Nigeria, except a few
philanthropists, would rather pursue inanities, ride in expensive
cars, build mansions and globe-trot than put their money down to
advance the cause of humanity through research in the universities.
ROOT of the Problem: the Nigerian brand of federalism is strange, it
makes the center too powerful and with too much money to loot, and the
peripheries too weak for self actualization. It is the reverse of what
we used to have when it ran the British parliamentary, system with the
regional governments developing at their chosen pace. We must tackle
that first, we must put the correct structure and system in place. Our
dislocated and corrupted values must be corrected. Nigerians must all
agree as a people that we sincerely choose to live together as a
people with a common destiny which must be pursued and determinedly
protected, not by coercion but by conviction. A people desirous of a
positive change, not by scrambling for the "awuufu" national cake, we
must be ready to bake it together and enjoy equal access to it. On
this I rest my case. Goodluck to all the appointees.
Many thanks, and cheers.
Dasylva
On 2/16/11, Albert Ayeni <ayeni982000@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Joe, Brother Dr. Valentine Ojo, Demola Dasylva & Forumites:
>
> The contribution of Demola Dasylva to the ongoing discourse on the newly
> authorized 9 Federal Universities and the misfortune (or fortune) of their
> appointed leaders is compelling. So also are the follow ups by Dr. Valentine
> Ojo and Pastor Joe. I cannot resist adding my two cents based on what I see
> as the Nigerian opportunities vis-a-vis the realities of the 21st Century. I
> will touch on these briefly:
>
> Nigerian Opportunities:
> The state of education in Nigeria is comatose at best and reviving it
> provides tremendous opportunities for public and private interventions. One
> of several opportunities (or interventions) is addressed by the Federal
> Government. The one being addressed currently is to create more Universities
> so more of our citizens may have opportunity to earn a university degree to
> improve themselves and the nation. Demola Dasylva and many of us disagree
> that this option should be a priority considering the current state of so
> many Universities in the country that are best described as glorified high
> schools. We ask, why not improve and expand the existing Universities
> instead of creating new ones? This is a popular argument and I consider it
> fair. In fact it actually ranks very high on my considerations as well. But
> come with me:
>
> In the short run, more Universities will create an avenue for taking a
> significant number of our youths off the street who will enter an academic
> environment and will for sometime (three to five years) be distracted from
> evil machinations of the underworld for lack of nothing else to do. Some of
> us will argue that the quality of the new Universities will not be anything
> worthwhile since the existing ones are nothing but glorified high schools
> and resources are shrinking to meet the needs of all the Universities. The
> admitted youths will graduate and have nothing to do and worsen the
> unemployment and crime situation in the country. The question I ask is how
> do we know this will be the case for the new Universities?
>
> My argument in support of the new Universities is that we must have them so
> they can serve as trail blazers for the old ones. Hitherto, University
> education has not been designed to respond to community needs. The concept
> of the old Universities (which I call the old Education Culture) has been
> to simply teach students and graduate them. This has been our Education
> Culture since Independence. There was little consideration for what the
> student will do after graduating to fend for him/herself and as a good
> citizen contribute positively to the growth of the nation and the world.
> Students were not trained to become self-sufficient, or be highly motivated
> to tap into their own innate capabilities and capacities and take
> responsibility for making a difference in their community. At Independence
> 50+ years ago, the government could virtually guarantee employment for all
> graduates from Nigerian Universities. At that time it was everyone's
> expectation that the Government would offer us a job when we graduated and
> the University curriculum was tailored to this scenario. However, the
> community needs have changed dramatically over time but the Education
> Culture has remained the same since Independence. This is the major reason
> why Nigeria has lagged so far behind in civilization. Most of the common
> everyday things we use today come from outside Nigeria, because our
> Education Culture does not prepare us for self reliance --- using our own
> intellectual property (in which we are richly endowed) to make life better
> for ourselves. The culture of dependence on someone else to solve our
> problems can be seen in every aspect of our lives from the lowest to the
> highest hierarchy in the society. Reason = OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM DOES NOT
> WORK!!!
>
> It is my candid opinion that the new Federal Universities are needed to
> establish a new Education Culture for Nigeria, a culture of self reliance, a
> culture of using a combination of our intellectual property plus the natural
> resources in our environment plus our exposure to other civilizations around
> the world to solve our own peculiar problems in all spheres of life. That is
> the only path we can follow that will guarantee full independence, unity,
> less corruption, peace, development and progress for our country.
>
> Some may ask, why can't the old Universities be given a mandate to adopt the
> modern purpose driven Education Culture to turn things around instead of
> creating new Universities? My answer to this is that a culture that has
> evolved over several decades will be difficult to change in the old
> Universities. The old Universities are manned by personnel at all levels who
> know and have imbibed only the old Education Culture. In a democratic
> dispensation, it is going to be extra hard to change such personnel from
> their old ways of doing things. Posting a young academic esp. from the
> Diaspora to head such old Universities will be a tall challenge for the
> young diasporan in the face of the old establishment that believes only in
> the old Education Culture. It would be battle royal with the old Professors
> and Administrators who will not agree that the Diasporan fellow knows what
> he/she is talking about. Some of the old hands will tell the diasporan the
> history of his birth, his family and why he must accept their views as the
> only way he/she can (and must) operate successfully in Nigeria.
>
> In a new University, the "Diaspora Nigerian VC" has an opportunity to
> establish a fresh vision for purpose driven University education for
> Nigeria. First he does not have an old establishment to deal with, which is
> the greatest obstacle to making the fundamental changes that will be needed
> to re-orientate University Education in Nigeria; second, he/she is expected
> to have access to colleagues around the world with substantial relevant
> experience to advise and also offer service and assistance as necessary to
> advance the vision of the new University Education Nigeria needs.
>
> Realities of the 21st Century:
> Nigeria lags so far behind in humanities, sciences and technology
> development and we need a lot of catching up to do in so many areas in the
> 21st Century. It is the graduates of the Arts, Science and Technology
> universities and polytechnics we shall need to drive most of the basic
> elements of development as we move forward. We shall need them in large
> numbers, so much so that the total of 113 Universities we have (including
> the 9 newly authorized Federal Universities) would be a far cry from the
> number of Universities Nigeria needs to face the 21st Century challenges of
> useful growth and development.
>
> I expect the new Federal Universities to serve as the pivot of purpose
> driven education for Nigeria in the 21st Century. The types of degree
> programs they promote must directly address our most pressing problems as a
> nation, starting with those directly relevant to the communities around
> them. When the Universities address people's problems, the funding will
> come. We must remind ourselves that there is no where on our planet where
> productive University Education is funded exclusively by government. It is
> Unrealistic and impossible. University Education is jointly funded by the
> public and the private sectors. If any of the new VCs appointed for the 9
> new Federal Universities is hoping to accomplish much by depending on
> government subvention alone, I would like to use this opportunity to appeal
> to such VC not to accept the appointment. If he accepts the appointment with
> this assumption in mind, such VC has failed already, because he will never
> make a headway by depending on Government funding alone. Gone are those
> days!!!. In addition to what they receive from the government, the new VCs
> must be aggressively proactive in looking for and finding money to run their
> academic, research and service programs effectively.
>
> I know that my dear brother Bolaji Aluko, more than anyone else, is fully
> aware of the challenge of University Education in Nigeria today. He knows we
> expect him to establish an outstanding University with all the elements of a
> productive and purpose driven institution that will make a difference, first
> in Otueke and surrounding communities, and second in our nation as a whole.
>
> So, contrary to the condolence wishes sent by Demola, my wishes for Bolaji
> are a brilliant success marked by an award winning accomplishment of
> establishing the best University in the history of Nigeria.
>
> Be blessed, Albert
>
>
>
>
>
>
> CC: AfricanTalk@yahoogroups.com; Participants.Group@mango.metrocast.net;
> toyin.falola@mail.utexas.edu; a.dasylva@ibadanculturalstudiesgroup.org;
> alukome@gmail.com; NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com;
> NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com; igboworldforum@yahoogroups.com;
> OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com
> To: valojo@md.metrocast.net
> From: topcrestt@yahoo.com
> Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:57:42 +0100
> Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Re: Government appoints vice-chancellors for new
> federal universities, Prof. Aluko, my condolences!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Oga Val
> Mr Falola's fears are understandable.
> However at what point does a patriot engage the Nigerian system in order to
> make a difference no matter how small?
> How effective is it to continuously stand by the side and proffer solutions
> that are not heeded?
> We may not be able to crack this Nigerian system all at once. My involvement
> with the coalition of opposition parties in the last one year seems to bear
> that out for me personally. We may have to tackle this elephant one trunk
> at a time.
> I personally support Prof Aluko taking this position. I hope he will make a
> difference. Failure caused by paralysis induced by fear should not be an
> option.
> Joe
>
> Sent from my Iphone
>
> On 16 Feb 2011, at 16:44, "Dr. Valentine Ojo" <valojo@md.metrocast.net>
> wrote:
>
> If any serious and worthwhile comments have been made on the recently
> announced appointment of Dr. Bolaji Aluko as the first VC of the yet to be
> established Federal University, Otueke, Bayelsa State, these must be among
> them.
>
>
>
> And Bolaji may do well to listen up...not all that glitters is gold!
>
>
>
> And remember the famous Trojan saying:
>
>
>
> "I fear the Greeks, even when they bring a 'gift'!"
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>
>>> From: Toyin Falola <toyin.falola@mail.utexas.edu>
>
>
>
>>> Date: Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 5:11 AM
>
>>> Subject: Fwd: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Government appoints vice
>
>>> chancellors for new federal universities, Prof. Aluko, my condolences!
>
>>> To: USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
>
>
>
>>> From: a.dasylva@ibadanculturalstudiesgroup.org
>
>>> Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:36:44 +0000
>
>
>
>>>
>
>>> Dear Prof. Aluko,
>
>>>
>
>>> I am genuinely worried at your recent appointment as one of the VCs for
>
>>> the
>
>>> newly created federal universities, and disturbed by the avalanche of
>
>
>
>>> congratulatory messages from colleagues,friends and well wishers. No
>
>>> doubt,you eminently qualify but that is not the issue. I see a deliberate
>
>>> distraction by political schemers of the ruling party playing on the
>
>
>
>>> naivity of the citizenry.
>
>
>
>>> Have you sat down to weigh the implications of such political abracadabra
>
>>> the power of pronouncing 9 universities into existence as if they were 9
>
>
>
>>> bottles of beer? I wonder where colleagues kept their memory and simply
>
>>> jumped at celebrating a cleverly orchestrated Trojan horse or Greek gift.
>
>
>
>>> On Federal appointments: Tai Solarin of the blessed memory and the
>>> People's
>
>
>
>>> Bank, Wole Soyinka and the Federal Road Safety Commission, Prof Sam Aluko
>
>>> and the National Economic Intelligence Committee,etc., and most recently,
>
>>> Prof. Jega and INEC. The story has been the same, frustration for lack of
>
>
>
>>> tools to work with, for lack of the right people to work, undue
>
>>> interference from Government, etc. The first three were deliberately
>>> nearly disgraced
>
>>> out of office. It was their pedigree and good reputation they had built
>>> for
>
>
>
>>> themselves over the years, their dedication and passion for their beloved
>
>>> nation that bailed them out!
>
>
>
>>> Jega's is still a question of time, and that is almost predictable,
>>> except
>
>
>
>>> there is a divine intervention. The case of stolen DCMs, registration
>
>>> manipulations and other desperate moves by the do-or-die politicians are
>
>>> mere tip of the iceberg. Sufficient to remind Jega that being an academic
>
>
>
>>> or a former President of ASUU does not make him a magician that is
>>> capable of
>
>>> running an efficient INEC given the existing structure he met on ground.
>
>
>
>>> Prof Aluko, you are more or less a moving encyclopedia of information on
>
>
>
>>> Nigeria and as such possesses an impressive knowledge on how Nigeria has
>
>>> continued to be misruled by the current ruling Party,so I actually
>>> thought
>
>>> that you would turn down the offer on the grounds that
>
>
>
>
>
>>> (1) creating a Federal university in every State of Nigeria is the least
>
>>> of options to cater for many of our youth seeking university admission,
>
>
>
>>> (2) existing Federal universities could be better funded, expanded, and
>
>
>
>>> equipped to accommodate more students,
>
>
>
>>> (3)the so called money given to establish each new university is
>
>>> inadequate to develop a world class Faculty of Science. Besides, don't be
>>> deceived as
>
>
>
>>> contractors appointed by the same government agents are already laying
>
>>> ambush to pounce on the money so that less than a third of the money will
>
>>> finally end up doing the work on the site. If the project finally
>
>
>
>>> fails,guess who will carry the blame? You of course. That is the
>>> tradition
>
>>> here. I think well meaning Nigerians should insist that Federal govt
>
>>> should be concerned more with making all our redundant refineries work,
>>> repair
>
>
>
>>> our road network, make the trains move on our railways again, and find
>
>>> permanent solution to electricity generation and distribution
>
>
>
>>> (4) FG should create employment opportunities for our youth. Alas, a
>
>
>
>>> nation without visionary leadership perishes. The well wishers,no
>>> doubt,may have
>
>>> had good intentions,but it also puts a question mark on the fragile
>
>>> principle of followership. How come suddenly we all forgot to remind
>
>
>
>>> ourselves that most Nigerian universities have severally been described
>>> as
>
>>> 'glorified secondary schools'!
>
>
>
>>> The same proprietor-government of the Federal Universities no sooner than
>
>
>
>>> it announced the creation of additional 9, that President Jonathan
>
>>> suddenly turned a super hero, Ikole people were at war in the course of
>>> which lives
>
>>> were,as usual,wasted!
>
>
>
>
>
>>> A country where every house is its own local government - must produce
>>> its
>
>>> own water by bore hole or buy 'pure water', must generate its own
>
>>> electricity, construct its own road, provide its own security
>>> "vigilantes",
>
>
>
>>> will find it very hard to convince discerning minds that creating
>
>>> additional 9 Federal universities is capable of solving all the problems
>>> highlighted
>
>>> above or remove the pathological greed in most if not all the serving
>
>
>
>>> politicians in Nigeria.
>
>
>
>>> My fear with your kind of appointment has always been that when good
>
>>> people like you accept FG's Greek gift, you not only end up being messed
>>> up, your
>
>
>
>>> credibility is all they need to legitimize the many crimes they are
>
>>> committing on daily basis against all Nigerians who do not belong to the
>
>>> ruling class.
>
>
>
>>> So my dear brother Bolaji, I love you so much, but as things are right
>
>
>
>>> now, my condolences.
>
>>>
>
>>> Demola Dasylva
>
>>>
>
>>> Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
>
>>>
>
>>> --
>
>>> Toyin Falola
>
>>> Department of History
>
>
>
>>> The University of Texas at Austin
>
>>> 1 University Station
>
>>> Austin, TX 78712-0220
>
>>> USA
>
>>> 512 475 7224
>
>>> 512 475 7222 (fax)
>
>>> http://www.toyinfalola.com/
>
>
>
>>> www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa
>
>>> http://groups.google.com/group/yorubaaffairs
>
>
>
>>> http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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--
Ademola Omobewaji DASYLVA,PhD
Professor of African Literature & Oral Literature
Department of English,
Co-coordinator, Ibadan Cultural Studies Group,
Room 68, Faculty of Arts,
University of Ibadan,
Ibadan, Nigeria.
Mobile: +234 (0)802 350 4755
+234 (0)706 226 4090
E-mail: a.dasylva@ibadanculturalstudiesgroup.org
a.dasylva@mail.ui.edu.ng
dasylvang@yahoo.com
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