School na scam! I hear this phrase a lot of times these days, especially from Nigerian youths. Ask them what they mean, they will tell you that the whole hype about education being the foundation for a productive and profitable future is all lies – that all the talks about schooling being the gate pass to a life of comfort are all made up. As far as they are concerned, Nigerian schools are teaching them things they may never need or use in life. Unfortunately, the society keeps telling them that the road to success in life lies in…
Author: Olabisi Deji-Folutile
Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State stirred up a hornets’ nest when he called on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), to stop giving “preferential scores” to students in Northern Nigeria. The Governor had said it was wrong for the students in the North who sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to get preferential treatment. “The north has always been behind in education, we’ve continuously been the disadvantaged region right from independence even though we’re given preferences, JAMB scores and all that. That has not helped; in fact, it has made our people lazy,” the governor…
Listening to Prof Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board at the 2021 Policy Meeting which held virtually on Tuesday, reaffirms my belief that there is nothing peculiar about Nigeria’s problems. Our challenges are not insurmountable! We only need courageous, sincere and selfless people in leadership positions to tackle them. Those who have been following the story of JAMB in the last five years will acknowledge that the examination body has recorded some positive changes since the professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies took over as its chief executive officer. Paradoxically, Prof Oloyede is the current Secretary…
Not quite long ago, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, quietly withdrew his son, Abubakar Al-Siddique, from Capital School Malali. This was after scoring cheap political point by enrolling him in a public school in 2019. Al-Siddique’s enrolment was characterised with both political and media stunt, with photo ops of him and his father dominating the media space at the time. His withdrawal was, however, hush- hush. But for the prying eyes of the media, the withdrawal would have gone unnoticed. We know that Kaduna has been in the news for the wrong reasons in recent times. Kidnap cases have…
Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, has shown the world Nigeria’s helplessness in dealing with the problem of student abductions by terrorists often referred to as bandits. Between December 2020 and now, more than 1,000 Nigerian students and staff have been kidnapped and held for ransom in the northwest region of the country. Over 500 of this figure were abducted in the last three months and the problem shows no sign of abating. Now, Nwajiuba is pleading with bandits to stop targeting schoolchildren. He has also begged them to free the abducted ones in their custody. He spoke as…
It all started a few months ago when the women group in the Opic Area of the Living Faith Church decided to pay a visit to the Nigerian Correctional Service(NCoS), formerly known as Nigerian Prison Service (NPS). The aim was to extend the love of Christ to the inmates. I had heard so much about the deplorable state of Nigerian prisons and the savage treatments that inmates are often subjected to. The story out there is that it is almost impossible for anyone to go into a Nigerian prison and return as a human being. They say our prisons turn human beings…
Violence against Nigerian students is growing at an alarming rate. Yet, there seems to be no hope of a quick end in sight. Aside the usual reports of mass kidnappings of students from their schools, an anomaly that has become a key part of the narrative in our educational system, students are now being attacked off campuses. This week alone, there are reports of at least three tragic deaths from such attacks. On Monday, a trigger-happy soldier reportedly shot dead Gray Ekpezu, a final year student of medicine and surgery, University of Calabar, Cross River State. Neighbours claimed the student…
This may not be the best of time for some Nigerian higher institutions. While many of them are still struggling to shore up their poor rating in global rankings to boost their academic reputations, negative reports of atrocities perpetrated by their students are denting their image locally. Aware of the responsibility to teach character and academics, many of these institutions try as much as possible to push out the bad eggs in their midst from time to time. However, in spite of their efforts, cases still abound where students do things that paint these institutions in bad light. Unfortunately,…
I got several telephone calls following reports of the N500 cash prize awarded to the best graduating students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka a few days back. According to the news report, the three best graduating students of the federal government-owned institution were asked to share a sum of N1, 500 among themselves. The award was tagged Sir Odumegwu Memorial Prize for the best graduating student. Although the prize sum is N1500, three students had the same 4.63 CGPA, thus making all of them best graduating students, so the university emphasised that the prize money would be shared among…
For the first time in a long while, the Nigerian government suddenly came alive after Twitter deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet on civil war. As many Nigerians were still wondering if the news report was fake or real, Information Minister Lai Mohammed accused the micro-blogging platform of being selective and bias. Shortly after that, government announced the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria. Before people could get out of the shock, government came up with a directive to all broadcast organisations in Nigeria to deactivate their Twitter handles immediately. Before then, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice had said…
News of the release of the 27 kidnapped students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State, no doubt, calls for celebration. These students spent 50 good days in the camp of their captors. We saw them being beaten and assaulted in a trending video released by their kidnappers. It doesn’t matter if two of the 29 students said to be in the bandits’ enclave after their abduction on March 11, 2021 are yet to be accounted for. As sad as this is, it seems to be of little relevance now. Apparently, the wave of euphoria around the…
The way Nigerian leaders talk about cows and goats gives one the impression that these animals are far higher in value than the average citizen. Discourse on cattle is so much elevated above any meaningful discussion on education, technology or development in general. From the look of things, it seems Nigeria’s 18.4 million cattle, its 43.4 million sheep, 76 million goats and 7.5 million pigs are of far more importance than its 10.5million out of school children and hundreds of others in kidnappers’ dens. Somehow, these animals have continued to be objects of national focus in the last five years…
For more than five weeks now, Lagos State University, Ojo, has been in darkness. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) reportedly cut off power supply to the institution because of N29m electricity bill that the chairman of the university’s governing council considers to be too high. Although the council gives the impression that it is not paying because the bill is outrageous, to an average worker in LASU, the university is broke. It was lamentation galore the last time I visited LASU, a university whose sobriquet is “Citadel of learning that produces professionals and great students.” It is impossible…
If religiosity is the way to economic power and technological advancement, Nigeria would have been an Eldorado by now. Many Nigerians are extremely adept at being sanctimonious. They would rather fight for God than love fellow citizens. Some even kill for God to prove their right standing with their Maker. Never mind that religion doesn’t stop these people, especially the political elite among them, from stealing and looting the nation’s commonwealth. Converting state money to personal funds is not a sin; they don’t care if all the schoolchildren in the country live and die in the enclaves of terrorists so…
Again, Nigeria’s 72-year-old University of Ibadan was ranked among the top universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2021. This time around, the premier university advanced from its previous position of one of the top 600 to the 401-500 range. What this means is that UI is in the same league with institutions like Aston University, Bournemouth University, both in the UK, University of Connecticut, US, Durban University of Technology, South Africa, Georgia State University, University of Florida, Iowa State University-all in the US, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia and Tongii University China to mention…
School should be a fun place – an environment filled with wonder and adventure. Ordinarily, every child should look forward to being in school. The experience should be magical. But quite unfortunately, for millions of Nigerian children, especially those in the Northern part of the country, school has become synonymous with torture. One only needs to look at the expression on the faces of the students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, in Zamfara State after their release from their abductors on Tuesday to understand how torturous schooling has become for these kids. Their looks depict fear, shock, agony and…
A lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN) has been in the news for the wrong reasons since the beginning of the week. Unlike some serious-minded dons in citadels of learning across the world who have been trying to find solutions to world’s diverse challenges, Dr. Chigozie Odum of the Department of Archaeology and Tourism, has reportedly chosen another vocation for himself. He has been allegedly busy with the task of sexually molesting and impregnating his own students. Unconfirmed reports claim he has so far impregnated four of his students although only one has officially lodged a complaint to…
A few days ago, precisely, January 28, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace released a damning report on Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) in West Africa. The report claims these people especially in Nigeria and Ghana are stealing their countries’ money to send their children abroad to study. Unfortunately, despite the sweeping indictment of Nigerian politicians and civil servants, the report is yet to attract the attention of the Nigerian public. Aside the few mentions in the media, it hasn’t really been an issue of public discourse. Perhaps we are too overwhelmed by too many problems. That’s quite understandable. Nigeria at…
We have heard a lot of talks around the activities of kid bandits and the menace of the Almajiris in the northern part of Nigeria but we seem to be paying little attention to the monster of child cultism that is fast growing in Nigeria’s primary and secondary schools. Yet, at the rate this malaise is going, especially in the southern part of the country, we don’t need a soothsayer to tell us that it’s a time bomb. If we love ourselves, this is the time to start doing something about this problem. Everybody should also be involved – parents,…
This is the moment of truth for both Nigeria and managers of its public-funded institutions. Right now, the country is between the devil and the deep blue sea on this issue of school reopening. COVID-19 is on the rampage again and this second wave is proving to be more fatal. Yet, amidst this deadly scourge is the pressure on vice chancellors to reopen their institutions for learning again. This is understandable as public universities have been shut for almost a year now. Students have become restless. Many of them are tired of staying at home and are eager to return…
Those who took time to see the video where 16-year-old Barakat Melojuekun and her father, Adesola, pleaded with Nigerians to forget the allegation of sexual harassment levelled against the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Abiodun Abdul Balogun, would notice a common phrase in their speeches. Both father and daughter said they just realised “few misconceptions and misunderstanding” and would therefore “want Nigerians to please allow this matter to rest.” For the benefit of those who didn’t see the video, let me just recap. After introducing herself, Barakat said: “You can recall that I was the young lady in a viral…
In a rare admission of incompetence, Nigeria’s Education Minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu, a few days ago gave a damning report on the quality of graduates produced by the country’s higher institutions. According to the minister, many of these graduates can neither read nor write. The minister spoke in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, during the inauguration of some completed school projects in the state. Represented by the Director of Tertiary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Hajia Rakiya Gambo Iliyasu, the minister reportedly said: “Some graduates of tertiary institutions across the country cannot read or write applications.” He further…
I almost lost my job as editor of a national newspaper in this country three years ago for publishing an interview on one self-acclaimed Professor Chris Imafidon, who claimed to lecture at Oxford University (Keble College), in the United Kingdom. Imafidon was in Nigeria to deliver the 33rd convocation lecture of the University of Ilorin in October 2017. Apparently, Unilorin was convinced that it caught a big fish in Imafidon and flaunted this on its website. The institution boasted as being the only Nigerian university that brought a professor of Imafidon’s status back home for the first time in 30…
Left to our 19 Northern States’ governors and Nigeria’s Education Minister Adamu Adamu, the over 1.5 million candidates that sat this year’s West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) would have probably waited for another year before taking the exam. We owe the West African Examination Council (WAEC) thanks for sticking to its timetable in the face of intimidation and harassment. Some people in government had threatened that Nigeria would use its financial power in the regional body to keep the exam body in line, that also didn’t work. People like Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde should also be commended…
The Yoruba have a saying that could literally be interpreted thus: “When a child is confronted with something bigger than him, he frets.” This probably captures the response of Nigerian leaders to the ongoing #ENDSARS protests across the country. This is perhaps the first time in a long while that Nigeria is witnessing a spontaneous protest orchestrated by the youths across the nation. It’s little wonder then that our governors, lawmakers and literally everyone that matters in power have become jittery. Now, all of them are telling us that the right to protest is guaranteed in Nigeria’s constitution. They are…
Sequel to the trending reports on Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who gifted the winner of BBNaija 2020, Laycon, with a house and a cash sum of N5m, I decided to do a brief research on what best-graduating students in our tertiary institutions, especially the public ones, have been getting for their outstanding academic performances and I was able to come up with these few prizes, some shocking, I must admit. But for the picture of Best Somadina published in a reputable online newspaper, holding on to his prize of a tuber of yam and a fowl, nothing could have…
As Nigeria marks its 60th anniversary, I just can’t help but ponder on the inherent complexities and contradictions in its system. Some things appear so contradictory in this country that oftentimes, one is forced to wonder until the person probably becomes “a wonder.” Now, let me start with this example. How do you explain a situation where government officials mount a roadblock on terribly bad roads that are sure to reduce the value of any motor vehicle, no matter its state of fitness, and ask you to present your own vehicle’s certificate of roadworthiness? The other time Vehicle Inspection Officers…
If only Nigerians are fully aware of the damage being done to the nation’s tertiary education sector, especially its universities, with this impasse in negotiations between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, perhaps there would have been a concerted approach to resolving the problem. Right now, Nigerian public universities are in a very delicate shape and require careful handling so that they don’t crumble into pieces. In fact, this current stalemate may usher in the total demise of our public university system if nothing is done, and urgently too. For those that can still remember the…
Sometimes when you hear certain things about Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions, you cannot help but weep for this country. You just keep asking yourself how things got so degenerated and why helps seem far away. That was exactly the anguish I suffered reading the story of the Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Emeka Obe, and his team that had to contribute N300,000 to fund a research project in the university. Members of the Faculty’s Auto Service Centre led by Engineer Nwakile were able to produce a contactless digital hand-cleaning machine that could help in preventing the…
I am eager to see how the current impasse between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will be resolved. Will government adopt the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as being proposed by the academic body or stick to its own Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) which it has said is fraud-proof? Or will ASUU eventually change its mind on IPPIS and agree to its use? After all, the Federal Government has been paying lecturers through the platform for some months now despite the union’s opposition to its adoption. As it is, there is…
