USA Africa Dialogue Series - 10 points on the ASUU wahala: It is all about the data and communications

Folks,

I must concede as many people keep reminding me, that I am not there in Nigeria and much of what I have been saying is informed by my stay in the West where as an educational administrator, I have everything at my disposal to ensure that every child in the community has access to a free and appropriate public education, in a wholesome and nurturing classroom. I will also concede that in that respect, coming from a different culture, I would be at sea in Nigeria, and with my imported ideas, I would fail. For good reason. There are clearly serious challenges in Nigeria's educational sector that are exacerbated by poor attitudes among labor, management and government. Many of us (largely Diasporans) have strained to offer common-sense suggestions, but have been met with comical retorts. Regardless of where you are, there are certain things that must happen, to maintain an appropriate standard of education. With the current ASUU wahala, all sides appear unwilling or unable to learn anything new and refreshing. No one is willing to accept responsibility, and in my view, ASUU is the worst culprit. These dysfunctions did not start yesterday, they were already manifesting themselves robustly in my time (B.Sc Honors Biochemistry, UniBen, 1979). It is hugely hypocritical for anyone now to suddenly wake up, look around and smell decay. And ASUU, Ikhide has been telling you to clean up something as simple as your website since 2009, not a typo has been touched. What gives Ikhide the confidence that anything will change when you get some more money? The culture of abuse and mediocrity is pervasive. There needs to be a Needs Assessment done in that area. Seriously.

1. It is really all about data and I cannot commend Professor Mobolaji Aluko enough for trying to give us the little he has. But then the latest letter with a few numbers that Bolaji shared only proves at the top level of management, decision making is fueled by lack of useful data and that funding for the university infrastructure is beyond woeful; it is appalling and disgraceful by any standard. Focusing strictly on the decayed infrastructure, inspired by the (lack of) data and transparency that we have witnessed on the ASUU government tug of war, here are some closing thoughts.

1.       There should be an annual Needs Assessment. There is a structural and systemic way to do this. It is called the capital budget and the capital improvement plan which is an annually updated Multi-year strategic plan that, using demographic and revenue projections anticipates an institution's capital needs. This document is typically a volume of data and visioning and implementation prose that is designed with multiple audiences in mind.

 

2.     2. There should also be a facilities maintenance budget in the annual operating budget that funds maintenance workers, supplies, contractual obligations and maintenance equipment (if it is not budgeted out of the capital budget).

 

3.       3. Again, a university is a university anywhere in the world and it must be kept up to acceptable standards. No one is going to cut you slack because you are in Africa, what does that even mean? There should be guidelines: How much should it cost to build a classroom? That is easily attained. In our institution where I work, one classroom costs $500,000. It is expensive I know, but there are code specifications that must be adhered to, technology upgrades that are mandated by law, etc. and of course, labor is prohibitive in the US. I say to ASUU and management: You must know your numbers; how many students are projected to come in next year, the next 10 years? Are the facilities capable of absorbing them? If you don't know these things, you are driving blind. Data. Demographics. Start simple. How many students do we have today? Add a multiplier for each year. In the long run, hire experts in demography.

 

4.        4. Example, we in our school district are faced with capacity issues. In the next several years, 14,000 kids are coming in, most of them elementary school kids (about 12,000). We have done a Needs Assessment and have figured it will cost is $600 million to get the classrooms. We will need to borrow the money by floating bonds. This will cost $50-60 million annually for 20 years. We have a communications plan that includes a a document that breaks everything down and there was a press conference trumpeting this initiative. We will fund some, but we need help from the state. The unions were of course standing with management and politicians at the conference. You need information and mass communication experts. All this beret wearing, comrade calling, hands pumping the air nonsense belongs in the Cold War era. Get an attitude update, while you are at it.

 

5.   5. Competition will force a culture change. There is ample dysfunction on all sides. Clearly ASUU has its challenges, government is clueless, corrupt and inattentive, and management is comically imperial and inattentive. If they all had to compete for attention and resources, if they had to face daily what I face in my job (parents, politicians and others armed with reams of data asking hard questions) they would all sit up.

 

6.     6. Facilities management is expensive. A new building that is not maintained will give you the kinds of horrid pictures in that "Needs assessment." There is no going around this. You will need an army of maintenance workers for every institution, with teams parked in every facility.  A roof leak should not last a day; you are asking for trouble.

 

7.      7. I cannot overemphasize this: The top-down approach, the overly central bureaucracy is killing Nigeria, ASUU, education, health, and pretty much everything that sustains nations. ASUU and university governance and management must be decentralized. I would restructure NUC to be truly independent and robust  (read this good editorial on NUC and ASUU's expose on the TETFUND) and make them truly an office that ensures accountability and oversight.

 

8.       8. Nigeria urgently needs a Marshall plan to restore tertiary institutions (actually all institutions) to acceptable standards. There are huge capacity issues, and near-insurmountable infrastructure (renovation and modernization) issues. We are talking about a huge infusion of cash and a lot of work being done in a fairly short period ot time. That would require expertise and an existing structure and infrastructure that can absorb the build-up. I would not release a penny to the tertiary institutions without a road map to the future that includes structural changes that will make our universities real universities, one that protects staff and students. Doing anything less would be irresponsible.

 

9.     9 Again, this is is about mass communication. Remember, Achebe keeps reminding us, until the lion tells his own story, the hunt will always be glorified by the hunter. In the 21st century, mass communication is cheap. Get a blog, get a Facebook account, get a Twitter account and post what you need to post to as many people as you want. ASUU is blessed with many people I know who are some of the world's best recognized experts at Internet technology and social media. One of them is Dr. Obododinma Oha. I don't know of any scholar that is as good as that man when it comes to using technology and social media for sharing his art and communicating with the world. He is at U.I.  And before you start saying, no light, no water, armed robbers, e gba mi, etc, my blog was created for me by Kola Tubosun, over the phone and on chat he dreamed of it, designed it and created it for me. For free. Ask him. He is in Nigeria in the Lagos-Ibadan axis. We have a lot of resources, we have incredibly gifted people, there is this thing that happens to us once it is not our personal initiative. I will say it ad nauseam: ASUU is losing the PR war because its strategy belongs in the 60's - wear an ill-fitting French suit, call yourself a comrade, make some horrid noises, etc. They are not going to win with such ancient methods. They need to partner with young folks, they need to get rid of patriarchy, gerontocracy and misogyny, and invest in a real PR machine.  That website is their enemy, trust me. It is not helping.

 

10.   10. We know why we should invest in schools and a quality education for the children of our communities. It is about community, it is also about the health and national security of a nation, as has been said here ad nauseam. I must admit I am pessimistic. But can it be done? Yes. In Nigeria? Yes. Look to the prosperity churches in Nigeria. They have everything I have just talked about. Do you know why? They know the meaning of competition. They have functioning and impressive websites. Do you know why? They know the meaning of competition. If they don't compete, they die. Like our universities. Again, imagine how perversely efficient Nigerian prosperity churches are. There is a motivation. Competition to "save souls" because each "saved soul" is dollars. Ka ching! Ka ching! Imagine if the federal government owned the churches. The congregants would be at home half the time! I have said my own. And it is free. I don't need a job from any of you, I have got one. Besides, you can't afford me. Good morning. *rolls back to bed*

 

- Ikhide

 

Stalk my blog at www.xokigbo.com

Follow me on Twitter: @ikhide

Join me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ikhide