On the Public Perception of Professors in Nigeria
By Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth
London, England 🇬🇧
Perhaps one of the factors militating against the progress of tertiary institutions in Nigeria is the way universities—and by extension, professors—are perceived by the public. Perception can either win or lose many battles, and in this case, it has not favoured the academy.
Professor Ibidapo-Obe, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, once observed that many Nigerians do not believe solutions to their problems can be found in libraries, laboratories, or workshops. This perception is deeply troubling, as it reflects a loss of confidence in scholarship, research, and intellectual leadership.
There is also the perception academics have of their own colleagues and of the system itself. This is evident in creative and critical works such as Kolera Kolej by Femi Osofisan, The Naked Gods by Vincent Ike, and What It Takes by Lola Akande. These are academics writing openly about the absurdities, contradictions, and failures within their own environment—works that are accessible to the public and reinforce existing scepticism about the academy.
Consider another example: Professor Oyewale tomori (famously the 35th child of his father) once recounted that he had to choose between going to prison and going to school. He chose school. An Ijesha man, perhaps—known for resilience and determination. He later became one of the very few Black members of the United States National Academy of Sciences. Yet, despite this achievement, he publicly declared that Nigerian scientists are irrelevant. That statement alone speaks volumes about the crisis of confidence within the system.
This brings us to a critical question: where are the academics—engineers, scientists, lawyers, social scientists, and scholars of the humanities—when society faces daily, preventable disasters?
• Shipping containers fall from trucks, crushing people to death.
• Petrol tankers explode, sending citizens prematurely to the grave.
• Boats capsize, and passengers drown.
• Markets burn, destroying goods worth trillions of naira.
• Buildings collapse, killing occupants.
• People are electrocuted daily.
• Avoidable road accidents occur with alarming regularity.
• There is poor uptake of health insurance and other forms of risk coverage.
• Nigeria faces a housing deficit of about 28 million homes.
• Over 170 million Nigerians are exposed to unsafe or contaminated water.
• 44 million children are out of school.
• About 7 million babies are born every year, with nearly 60% exposed to neonatal jaundice, resulting in brain damage, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, and visual impairment—a grave humanitarian disaster.
• Nigeria suffers a chronic energy crisis, yet there is a loud silence from the physics community, power engineers, and even the solar energy community. This energy crisis should be their show.
In the face of these realities, the perceived irrelevance of academics is not merely a public misconception; it is reinforced by silence, disengagement, and the failure to translate knowledge into practical solutions for society.
I rest my case.
Signed:
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth
London, England 🇬🇧
Convener, Committee of Concerned Africans for Fixing Electric Power Supply in Africa
On the Public Perception of Professors in Nigeria
By Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth
London, England 🇬🇧
Perhaps one of the factors militating against the progress of tertiary institutions in Nigeria is the way universities—and by extension, professors—are perceived by the public. Perception can either win or lose many battles, and in this case, it has not favoured the academy.
Professor Ibidapo-Obe, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, once observed that many Nigerians do not believe solutions to their problems can be found in libraries, laboratories, or workshops. This perception is deeply troubling, as it reflects a loss of confidence in scholarship, research, and intellectual leadership.
There is also the perception academics have of their own colleagues and of the system itself. This is evident in creative and critical works such as Kolera Kolej by Femi Osofisan, The Naked Gods by Vincent Ike, and What It Takes by Lola Akande. These are academics writing openly about the absurdities, contradictions, and failures within their own environment—works that are accessible to the public and reinforce existing scepticism about the academy.
Consider another example: Professor Oyewale (famously the 35th child of his father) once recounted that he had to choose between going to prison and going to school. He chose school. An Ijesha man, perhaps—known for resilience and determination. He later became one of the very few Black members of the United States National Academy of Sciences. Yet, despite this achievement, he publicly declared that Nigerian scientists are irrelevant. That statement alone speaks volumes about the crisis of confidence within the system.
This brings us to a critical question: where are the academics—engineers, scientists, lawyers, social scientists, and scholars of the humanities—when society faces daily, preventable disasters?
• Shipping containers fall from trucks, crushing people to death.
• Petrol tankers explode, sending citizens prematurely to the grave.
• Boats capsize, and passengers drown.
• Markets burn, destroying goods worth trillions of naira.
• Buildings collapse, killing occupants.
• People are electrocuted daily.
• Avoidable road accidents occur with alarming regularity.
• There is poor uptake of health insurance and other forms of risk coverage.
• Nigeria faces a housing deficit of about 28 million homes.
• Over 170 million Nigerians are exposed to unsafe or contaminated water.
• 44 million children are out of school.
• About 7 million babies are born every year, with nearly 60% exposed to neonatal jaundice, resulting in brain damage, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, and visual impairment—a grave humanitarian disaster.
• Nigeria suffers a chronic energy crisis, yet there is a loud silence from the physics community, power engineers, and even the solar energy community. This energy crisis should be their show.
In the face of these realities, the perceived irrelevance of academics is not merely a public misconception; it is reinforced by silence, disengagement, and the failure to translate knowledge into practical solutions for society.
I rest my case.
Signed:
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth
London, England 🇬🇧
Convener, Committee of Concerned Africans for Fixing Electric Power Supply in Africa
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