NIGERIA’S MUSHROOMING PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

Eight years as Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, has entered the records as the nation’s longest serving person in that SRUWIROLR 7KH VLJQLÀFDQFH RI WKH DWWDLQPHQW on its own, cannot be wished away. But his general achievements are in the open and are subject to assessments. Be sure that much of WKDW ZRQ·W EH ÁDWWHULQJ 0RVW PHPEHUV RI our university unions, for instance, even with their own obvious missteps, are poised never to remember him for good. I respect him on at least one ground: The accountant turned education policy maker is a realist. He confessed some months ago that he was worried about his inability to accomplish a lot in his cabinet VHDW 2I FRXUVH VRPH $FDGHPLF 6WDͿ 8QLRQ RI 8QLYHUVLWLHV $688 IXQFWLRQDULHV VDZ DQ opportunity to promptly call for his sack for what they viewed as his admission of failure. That reaction wasn’t particularly unexpected at the time as the various university stakeholders ZHUH HQPHVKHG LQ FRQÁLFWV DQG VWULNHV QRW smiling at all.

One other thing I have observed about Adamu is his sensitivity to legacies. At GLͿHUHQW IRUD KH PDNHV UHIHUHQFHV WR WKH ministry’s strides under his watch and their potential places in posterity with a sense of pride. Like the day he announced the return of history to the basic education curriculum late last year. Last Tuesday, yet another chance RͿHUHG LWVHOI WR KLP GXULQJ WKH SUHVHQWDWLRQ of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic 6WDQGDUGV &&0$6 %RRN 6HULHV IRU 1LJHULDQ universities and a book written in his honour. A day before, the minister had broken the news of the government’s approval of more private universities. The Executive Secretary of the 1DWLRQDO 8QLYHUVLWLHV &RPPLVVLRQ 18& Prof. Rasheed Abubakar, was dramatic in his praise: “As at yesterday morning, there were

SULYDWH XQLYHUVLWLHV LQ WKH FRXQWU\ DV RI \HVWHUGD\ HYHQLQJ WKH QXPEHU KDG ULVHQ WR private universities in the country. That is, of the

SULYDWH XQLYHUVLWLHV LQ 1LJHULD RU SHU cent came during Adamu Adamu as Minister of Education.” When reporters wanted to know the rationale behind what seemed to be the prioritisation of quantity in the face of the obvious shortcomings in the sector, Adamu declared, “We need more universities. The existence of the many universities should not deter the creation of new ones. Besides, these are private universities!”

A round of applause for the former QHZVSDSHU HGLWRU DQG FROXPQLVW ´1RW VR IDVW µ I can hear someone screaming back. Less than two weeks to the end of this administration, its desire to leave positive thoughts behind in WKH PLQGV RI 1LJHULDQV KDV WDNHQ GL]]\LQJ FUD]\ GLPHQVLRQV $ TXLFN GLJUHVVLRQ KHUH The Ministry of Aviation has been working on a functional national carrier for years without any visible fruition. The minister, Hadi Sirika, recently assured a bewildered nation to H[SHFW ÁLJKWV WR FRPPHQFH EHIRUH 0D\ The people of this country are, of course, no strangers to living dangerously but even the die-hard optimists and friends of the policies of government among us are now convinced WKDW WKH UXVK WR ODXQFK 1LJHULD $LU LV VHQVHOHVV

Enlisting more privately-owned tertiary institutions comes with burdens that mustn’t be pampered, warns if not insane. The lines between ego, personal DPELWLRQV DQG EHQHÀFLDO JHQHUDO LQWHUHVWV DUH getting worryingly blurred.

Back to the licensing of more individuals and private organisations to establish and run their own universities. The reasons the education helmsman gave for these massive, last-minute endorsements are correct, by half. And until the questions begging for answers in the other half are addressed by the incoming government, we’re set to witness a further rubbishing of a critical segment of our national life. The privatisation and liberalisation of some aspects of the economy like energy, broadcasting and telecommunication have resulted in higher productivity and growth. That puts the people on notice that with the SURSHU SURVHFXWLRQ RI LGHQWLÀDEOH JRDOV PRUH gains await the country elsewhere, including tertiary education.

Thankfully, we’ve come a long way in this regard too. Since Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, Esama of Benin, founded Igbinedion 8QLYHUVLW\ 2NDGD (GR 6WDWH LQ WKH VXE sector has shown the capacity to augment the HͿRUWV RI WKH IHGHUDO DQG VWDWH JRYHUQPHQWV WR provide university education for its teeming youth population. Today, institutions like %DEFRFN8QLYHUVLW\ ,OLVKDQ 5HPR 2JXQ6WDWH 0DGRQQD 8QLYHUVLW\ 2NLMD $QDPEUD 6WDWH %RZHQ 8QLYHUVLW\ ,ZR 2VXQ 6WDWH &RYHQDQW 8QLYHUVLW\ 2WD 2JXQ 6WDWH $PHULFDQ 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 1LJHULD

Most probably, the number of applications received is responsible for this, and not any clannish need for regional balancing. In our clime when politics is read into virtually every move, making this distinction isn’t out of joint at all.

1R GRXEW SULYDWH XQLYHUVLWLHV DUH PDNLQJ D KXJH GLͿHUHQFH LQ DWWHPSWLQJ WR ÀOO WKH YDFXXP XQÀOOHG E\ WKH GHFDGHV ROG LQYHVWPHQWV DQG LQWHUYHQWLRQV RI WKH ÀUVW WZR WLHUV RI JRYHUQPHQW 1LJHULD·V HYHU ULVLQJ population, like in other parts of the world, has consequences, many times unfavourable. Admitting eligible young people into universities has been a major problem for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board -$0% SDUHQWV DQG JXDUGLDQV DQG DOVR the prospective candidates. The cumulative RXWFRPHV RI WKLV ORJMDP DUH HQRUPRXV 8S WR WKLV PRPHQW -$0% KDUGO\ VDWLVÀHV percent of the applicants. The necessity for non-governmental involvement in salvaging this situation is, therefore, not in contention.

The problems inherent in what seems OLNH DQ RYHU VLPSOLÀFDWLRQ RI D QDWLRQDO emergency shouldn’t be overlooked, either. 6XFFHVVLYH DGPLQLVWUDWLRQV LQ 1LJHULD have a record of throwing issues and programmes open, welcoming interested parties as partners in progress, only to get feeble at the points of implementation DQG UHJXODWLRQ +RZ HTXLSSHG LV 18& LQ policing the existing apex centres of learning? And to what extent has it dispensed that responsibility creditably? So, escalating its tentacles without the adequate evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses could even be self-defeating in the end. Only in December ODVW \HDU 18& UDLVHG DQ DODUP DERXW WKH over-ambition of some lecturers, especially in private universities, to be called professors. 7KH HͿHFWV RI WKDW SKHQRPHQRQ RQ WKH RYHUDOO work climate of these institutions are better imagined. I doubt if some of the public ones can exonerate themselves in this matter. The FRPPLVVLRQ PD\ ZLVK WR WHOO 1LJHULDQV WKH monitoring structures it has put in place as safeguards for healthy academic operations. 7KLV PD\ DFWXDOO\ FRQÀUP WKH IHDUV LQ VRPH quarters that some of the private universities may become homes to half-baked or pseudo intellectuals. Perhaps, it’s better to overlook how these upcoming ivory towers hope to ÀOO WKHLU IDFXOW\ DQG VNLOOHG QRQ DFDGHPLF positions soon.

The hurdles even go way beyond that. If governments, being highest spenders, are struggling with funding, what’s the fate of these fresh private entrants? Some of them are well-known business hubs where the sole consideration is money. Such environments can’t be trusted to encourage optimal intellectual pursuits. Some time ago, desperate calls started coming from various angles for them to be given access to the 7HUWLDU\ (GXFDWLRQ 7UXVW )XQG 7(7)81' meant for public universities. That’s not a good sign.

The level of improvements in their ability to deliver and sustain outstanding quality in the midst of the cacophony of systemic and atmospheric challenges in Nigeria is a wonder to pessimists and cynics. But we mustn’t ignore the loopholes that have come with bearing disproportionate weights