Open Letter to the President-Elect, Federal Republic of Nigeria -By Abdulrahman Yusuf Maigida

GRANT THESE OUR THREE REQUESTS … e3.8+ Solution

(3 areas of concern that will solve our challenges in education for the next 8 years and beyond)

The very first task of this letter is to glorify God and congratulate our country for a successful process in the political change of baton, as attested to, by the just concluded election in which a candidate has clearly won. Importantly, I congratulate the President-elect – Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Having gone through the analysis of a viral post by Dr. Kesington Steele, linked to‘48 Laws of Power’ a book authored by Robert Greene. Kesington extols the political sagacity, virtues and ambidexterity of the President-Elect, I am left with no other option than believing in the capacity of our incoming president to do things differently and be an accomplished president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. There are intelligent submissions, pertinently made on a number of platforms I belong; bothering on personality and capacity of Asiwaju and his emergence as president-elect for Nigeria. Also, Kunle Awosiyan of Daily dispatch news of March 13, 2023 in his article captioned: ‘How Tinubu’s Victory Confirmed God’s Words Instead of Men’s Words’. With those submissions, I became convinced that God gives power, and to whomsoever He desires. My prayer, therefore, is that God Almighty will direct your thoughts, sayings, actions and ultimately grant our country peace, tolerance, love, prosperity, and to become great again, as a blessed nation of note, amen.

Your Excellency sir, the crux of the matter is that I got an inspiration to write this letter as a result of my concern and love for our dear country – Nigeria and her education system. When I read in the National Daily that you are already forming your government, I thought I should pen down some concerns. Today, our country seems to be undoubtedly overwhelmed by the challenges confronting our university system. We seem to be pretending that everything is fine, but not. Our system requires serious and critical overhauling. However, I take solace in your utmost concern, as expressed in an unprecedented commitment to upgrade education in Nigeria; as expressed in your victory’s acceptance speech. It has been observed and discovered that our education has been beleaguered with a whole lot, resulting from the 3 focal standpoints of entanglements that solutions shall be proffered, to be my own contribution to your administrative success. Just not to be an ingate, I must on behalf of the Nigerian academics thank Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives for his intervention, done with good intention, during the last ASUU-FG cacophony. Having mentioned Nigeria and her education here, as my concern; it therefore means that I shall be adopting the 3^rd stanza of the Nigeria’s former national anthem – “Nigeria We Hail Thee” which the lyrics were written by Lillian Jean Williams (British expatriate) and the music first composed by Frances Berda in 1960;and lasted till 1978, when the new one was adopted. It is upon this that I shall premise this epistle as a very useful reference point.

Former National Anthem of Nigeria – 3^rd Stanza

O God of all creation,

Grant this our one request,

Help us to build a nation

Where no man is oppressed,

And so with peace and plenty

Nigeria may be blessed.

I remember coming across the above former national anthem of Nigeria – Nigeria, We Hail Thee, at a time my mentor, a Kalabari High Chief, Alabo Prof. Anyamebo Kulabibiye-Dokubo Okorosaye-Orubite of blessed memory was ruminating on which title to adopt for his inaugural lecture. He involved me in the search for a suitable title, as his closest mentee. We arrived at choosing – Grant this our one request, as contained in the said anthem. A moment after, I was not too comfortable with the choice of‘one request’, which I bared my mind to him. He alluded with my resentment and immediately, he wrote to the university and quickly modified the title. Finally, he settled for a new one, tagged – ‘Grant This Our New Request’, as the 137^th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Port Harcourt.

Anyway, Nigeria is older than myself. However, what is of interest to me is the 3^rd Stanza around which myself and my late ‘oga’ had wrapped our heads,to whet the repository of knowledge and increase the volume of literature that are heavily pregnant with many solutions to the problems of humanity. The lecture was an academic contribution, calculated to salvage the situations in our national education life. In the said old national anthem, where the Nigerian nation called on God of all creation, to “Grant this our one request” must have been made out of enthusiasm for the envisaged independence or because a foreigner who composed it deliberately put a limitation to how we should sprout developmentally. When at birth, Nigeria had only one request, as indicated therein. The one and no other request may be why we are yet to get it right, amidst all surreptitious needs and new manifestations that we were not conscious of adding in our request then. It is upon this narrative that I have decided not to ask for just one request, but more. Today, I call on God of all creation to grant us all our national requests, for peace, security, love, tolerance, abundance, progress, unity and above all; prosperity and greatness that will make many other nations bow or be at standing ovation; whenever the name Nigeria is mentioned, amen.

As it is important to this letter, after requesting for all our requests to be granted by God; I also ask our incoming president, the President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – Grant These Our Three Requests. Your Excellency sir, the caption of this letter would have been with the use of ‘grant my’, instead of ‘grant our’; but I have the strong conviction, believing that many other Nigerians in the educational clan are in the same spirit and mindset with me. The requests are therefore ours and not only mine, particularly those who share in my thoughts. As an educational historian, I have researched into how we have come to where we are in the country’s educational successes and failures. As a policy expert, I have used the acuity and skills of appraising, critiquing and evaluating the errors of policy formulation which I describe as indigestion and somersaults, as well as the implementation quagmire which I describe as diarrhea. We can look at indigestion and diarrhea and interpret how the sufferer of either of them feels. Also, as a scholar in the discipline of International and Comparative Education, my knowledge horizon has shown that we have not learnt anything of emulation in the global best practices, rather window dressing and playing to the gallery. Before the three requests are highlighted sir, let me put in perspective and identify some of those critical areas which we have been goofing in our educational policy – conceptualization, contextualization and interpretation.

The Problems Identified

For the discussion on these three requests, and its digestibility; it is very excessively necessary to open up on a number of underlying problems that have kept us abased, branded and retrograded our educational system with ridiculing characteristics in the comity of nations, even in the sub-region.

Your Excellency sir, it is so disturbing, worrisome and nauseating that, over the years, we struggled to get it right in our system of education; but efforts to revitalize the system have always been on addressing the effect and not the cause. Some of these, are to me, the errors of:

• Appointing Non-Specialist Professional/Expert orUniversity Academic (Professor) as Minister of Education

To quickly buttress the above sir, we have had a number of education ministers in the past; whose understanding or knowledge of what is traditional to the office was not in conversance, such that they never saw that National Common Entrance Examination is illegal in Nigeria, by the interpretation and analytical provision of the 2004 UBE Act. Also, that five (5) credit passes, since 2014 as requirements for admission into tertiary institution is largely an error to behold. There are 9 other areas in our education practices, bothering on policy and legal complexities, which we are even running afoul the law; including the various Acts, establishing the universities. I shall further on this, as discussions progress.

• Apart from the fact that a specialist is not at the helm, there is another identified mistake which is a new development in our administration of education in Nigeria. This mistake is about keeping one Minister of Education in office for too long a time or throughout the lifespan of an administration of the country. We have suffered the consequences of this uncommon decision by the Chief Executive, to retain one minister for such a length of time. It was even obvious that interloping efforts crept in, a number of times, even in the management of trade disputes; specific to the mandate of Federal Ministry of Education.
• Unitary Education Ministry,Coalescing Tertiary Education with Basic & Post BasicEducation

Merging the affairs of running tertiary education in the same Ministry, with Basic and Post-Basic education remains an age-long error, particularly for a country with diverse and peculiar cultural and socio-economic characteristics. Mixing the issues of higher education, especially the university; with its global requirements of being universitas and lumping it with peculiar issues at the Basic and Post-Basic education levels, calls for serious attention. The administration of national education in amalgamation is burdensome, considering the struggles of the country for development in the different aspects of our existence. More shall be discussed in the subsequent part of this letter.

• Poor Staff Welfare and Erosion of University Academic Culture, its Freedom and Autonomy

Academics in the Nigerian tertiary institutions are poorly paid, consequently the motivation that should get them to be atop of their performance for the country is buried under the whims and caprices of unwilling managers, consequent upon which many of our finest and bests are leaving in droves for greener pastures. Exodus of our medical and other colleagues is alarming. However, those who have chosen to remain are pauperized and be-laboured. No incentives associated with this noble profession again. Sabbatical, vacation, research leave, exchanges and linkages (international collaborations), quality tools and conducive environment are fast disappearing. Autonomy has conferred certain administrative powers on the Senate of the Universities, e.g. opening and closing of the universities, not even the Vice Chancellor’s unilateral decision; but things are changing out of the order, with directives from the above.

As a Letter-writer

I am a letter writer, but this is the first time I am writing an open letter and the second time my letter would be going outside my constituency – university system. My own letters have always been focused on education and nothing more, to sensitize about strategies for development or offer suggestions on how best the system can run; not running down people at the helm or writing to cripple the system or pursuing self-aggrandizement; except when emotion is injected, then the letter sounds radical. May God help our country to be the greatest of our dreams.

The Three Requests

Before a comprehensive discourse with clear justifications, the three requests are:

1. A plea for the discontinuation of appointing‘non-specialist’professional as Minister of Education.

Your Excellency sir, there was no time a Minister of Justice/Attorney General of the Federation was sourced outside the circle of legal practitioners, so also, for the offices of Ministers of Finance, Health, Defence and others. Accountant General, Surveyor General, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Naval Staff, Air Staff, Inspector General of Police etc. were never picked outside their professional families. This is the first unconscious error being committed and injustice done to education by the government, which has been crippling the progress we ought to have made in our national system of education. If we should all be retrospective in this regard, not having the right type of professional as the Minister of Education over the years has kept us where we are. Sir, I shall reveal to you, as already mentioned passively in the foregoing; what damages the appointment of a ‘non-specialist’ professionalas the Minister of Education has caused the country, even those that are bothering on violation of the laws of the land (federation) and a breach of international charters, with which our country remains a signatory.

A specialist professional being advocated for, is the one who must have gone through and experienced the training that places him or her in a more skillful pedestal to initiate, formulate, synthesize, interpret, facilitate, appraise/evaluate, activate and reactivate the development or implementation of policy on education; these are the required skills or understanding which a non-specialist professional may not possess. Few identified non-specialist professionals in the time past were close to the achievement of little, because of full involvement and free hands given to those engaged-experts/specialists who assisted them; but procrastination may not be ruled out, unlike when the initiator of policy is a ‘specialist’professional, in which case; time is saved and the anticipated results are visibly and impressively achieved. If I may mention here the three identified former ministers of education, without prejudices, since our return to Democracy; who had served as Minister of Education and were good initiators of education policies in Nigeria.

By my own assessment and standard of estimation, as an education policy expert,we had the likes of Prof. Tunde Adeniran (midwifing the universalization of primary and junior secondary education – UBE, the birth of private and national open universities, and famous for his ban on satellite campuses of higher institutions across Nigeria );Dr. Obiageli (Oby)Ezekwezili (finest policies for reforms in our education, covering wide range areas; but too drastic in approach and many of such were put forward to be achieved the same time. However, Dr. Oby’s efforts became the foundations for her successors), and Prof. Ruqqayatu Rufa’i (compensatory education and the need for early-childhood education which is even a global trend, including but not limited to revitalisation of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE); introduction, development and adoption of National Vocational Qualification Framework (NVQF), to include Manufacturing, Agriculture, Hotel and Management, Information and Communication Technology, Transportation and Construction etc.). The Guardian 6^th June, 2019 also has its own evaluation on who the cap fits as the Nigeria’s best education minister in 20 years.

• Discontinuation of running education as single and a holistic Federal Ministry of Education.

Your Excellency – Mr. President-elect sir, it will do us much good, if we unbundle and bifurcate the Federal Ministry of Education. To separate and proliferate different ministries for Higher/Tertiary Education on one hand and on the other, Basic & Post-Basic Education. The requirements of higher education administration are not the same with those of other levels below it. The sophistication that characterizes higher education demands that the Federal Ministry of Education be unbundled. Everything that happens at the Basic and Post-Basic levels is important and required exclusive attention; as anything that is wrong from those levels have its effects suffered at the higher level, therefore require a seasoned educational administrator who may not necessarily be a university professor at the saddle. The peculiarity of everything about higher education also requires giving it exclusive and undivided attention too.

In Nigeria, we pretend that everything is okay, but they are not. Many states of the Federation have started realizing the need to accord special attention to their education, for optimal benefit of what education can offer in the cause of development. The first step these states have taken, which is the right step and which has started yielding results; is the bifurcation of the Ministry of Education, where tertiary or higher education have been separated from Basic and Post-Basic (Senior Secondary) schools. This great realization has made many states to come up with Ministry of Basic and Post Basic Education and having Ministry of Higher Education or Ministry of Tertiary Education, appendaged in some, with Research, Professional, Science, Technology, so as to accommodate other aspects of tertiary/higher education concerns; such as we have in Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Borno, Delta, Kano, Kebbi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba States etc. At the international level, same realization of the need to unbundled their Ministries of Education has seen countries like: Benin Republic, Botswana, Cyprus, Egypt, Gambia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirate, Zimbabwe and others to be proactive and adopt bifurcation where administration of education in these countries are superintended over by two different ministers. Note that in Italy, there are two different ministries for education and Minister for University and Research and Minister for Public Education. This idea has started solving problems in Botswana, Cyprus, Egypt, Malaysia, South Africa, UAE; to extent that they are now countries of higher education pilgrimage.

Your Excellency sir, most of the Nigerian problems can be solved from the efforts and activities of the universities. For instance, the security challenges in the country can be mitigated and abated; if all universities are supported to mount academic programmes in or evolve centres/institutes for criminology and security studies, as well as strengthening the existing ones. This is the capacity; I know of the universities, making it imperative to unbundle the Ministry. My understanding of the current system as it is, does not agree with a singular Ministry of Education. Our education, as earlier remarked, is overwhelmed with challenges and bifurcation of the ministry is one aspect believed to be antidotal. It must be noted, if I am correct, Federal Ministry of Education has the largest number of departments, agencies or parastatals among all the Nigerian ministries. Tertiary education is a potential ground to stimulate the growth and development of our country. This has to be professionally and distinctly explored, being a raison d’être of the call for this detachment.

• Promote the Welfare of Universities’Personnel and Salvage the Eroding Cultures of the University System

Your Excellency sir, motivation is an antidote to productivity and quality outputs. Sir, I must commend your resolve to prioritize education in Nigeria, may be, for the first time; to be unprecedentedly experienced, as unambiguously exemplified in your victory’s acceptance speech. If it happens as envisaged, we shall glorify God for getting it right. Sir, your antecedents have proven to us that you are a man of your words. May God help you to achieve what seemed to be elusive over the years, under the previous governments. Your Excellency sir, you are quite aware of this, there is no need expending so much energies in passing across to you the messages of how poorly the universities’ academics are paid, especially in the Nigerian federal universities. The summation of what a professor earns in 2 to 3 months is what his student, a fresh graduate starts with in the private sector, as it is even the case in some public establishments with hidden packages for their staff. We have been so pauperized in the academia that the phenomenon of brain-drain resonates in the mind of every academic, to search greener pastures, even in the sub-region of our continent. If you consider what an Army General takes home monthly, it can pay about 3 university professors. Your Excellency sir, I am not just sure, but confident that you and your assiduous and articulate team are going to reverse this trend.

Another similar, but terrible experience in the university system is the erosion in our own, the globally cherished academic cultures, which make the universities to be seen, recognized and identified as Ivory Tower. These have been so bastardized in Nigeria, over the years. The era of Nigerian academic going on vacation has long gone. There are no adequate number of staff in the system and those on ground are working like donkeys, with nothing appreciable to commensurate the quantum of work being done. In this regard, there is even no replacement for retired or deceased staff; how much more of the new recruitment. The tradition of Nigerian academics going on sabbatical or foreign academics coming to Nigeria (as a global convention) has vanished, in the face of IPPIS; not recognizing the culture or peculiarity of the universities. In the last 17 years, I have never gone on any vacation or sabbatical, just as it is also the case for many other colleagues – so pathetic and pitiable. Academic cultures of bringing in foreign staff and students into the Nigerian universities, including fellowships which were the beauties of attending or working in the Nigerian universities are now in the oblivion. We used to have students and staff from foreign countries in our own university’s days, but no more. Now in deep thought and having my head shaken as I write this now, thatall these have all disappeared in the Nigerian university’s system.

It is also a passionate appeal here, Your Excellency, that universities should be allowed under the academic freedom and university autonomy to recruit more academic staff, to augment the strength of our universities. Your Excellency sir, it should be noted that more than a decade ago, the universities have been running with inadequate number of staff. In my own university and specifically in my department, where we teach general foundations’ courses to the larger faculty students of about 1000 or a little more in each level. We lost 4 academic staff to the cold hands of death, two of which were professors and another 4 professors retired; with no replacement in the last 12 years. This is how precarious and pathetic the situations are, even more worrisome in some other universities. I think it is not an exaggeration, if I solemnly plead that a state of emergency be declared in the University education; for the country to fully reap the quality of what is inherent in the Nigerian academics and what the system can produce for the greatness of this country. Nigerians, trained in Nigeria are breaking new grounds abroad. Recently, Prof. Saheed Aderinto, a University of Ibadan trained historian now dazzles in the US, and globally celebrated for his stuff. I recall that the outgoing President has officially congratulated him for this feat, as he won the largest price money award in the history of humanity. Many other Nigerian academics are winning laurels and outclassing, to the credit or glory of our country. As it is a Yoruba parable – it is at home that a hen is despised, but outside, a distinguished.

Issues in Perspectives

Appointment of non-specialist professional, that is, a university professor into the ministerial position for education has been one of the main reasons why our tertiary education is still where it is today – nose diving. I have practical evidences to copiously justify this affirmation. Our education, with superbly sophisticated human resources would have brought sustainable advancement in the overall education characteristics of Nigeria, even tamed the incidences of trade disputes from rearing its head, if the country had considered a seasoned and experienced academic at the helm of affairs. I don’t blame in any way, all the former Ministers of Education and the current occupier of the position who is now rounding off. If I should reiterate, as naturally occurring to me; it was never the appointed officer that is at faults, but an agelong attitude of politicizing education sector and the condescending disposition to what is considered elsewhere in the world, as the Ivory Tower. The outright neglect of the sector has brought us to where we are.

To flash back, the last strike spanning 8 months was even avoidable, but the managers at the centre stage, who were expected to show understanding and be conscious of the system, as well as the current state of affairs in the country; were rather at home and very comfortable, flexing muscles with the already impoverished and psychologically tormented academics. I would have even blamed less, the current education minister; if he had ab initio taken up the matter of that strike himself, but he allowed some sorts of interloping to reign and the process hijacked. Again, thanks to the good intention of the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, who waded in at the top level, but he was still frustrated. However, he is eulogized for his good intentions.

In view of the above, education sector, particularly higher education, requires an insider who understands the system and how it works. It is very important to mention that we need a Minister of Education from amongst the Nigerian academics, there are still large number of experienced, seasoned and articulate Professors in the Nigerian universities – North and South. An insider understands the system in and out, abreast of the needs of staffers, with good knowledge of their capabilities. An insider will even be able appeal to the sensibility of both the academic and non-academic/administrative staff in our tertiary institutions, anytime of inevitable misunderstanding. I must bring to the fore, the dehumanizing treatment that has always been meted out to the academics anytime they got tired of persistent, but non-fulfilled promises by the government. Most painful is the salary stoppage anytime there is breakdown of negotiation and discussion which the only language known to be understood by the government is foisted on the academics and resorted to, I mean strike.

During the last strike, in which salaries were stopped; many brilliant Nigerian academics and a large number of administrative staff died, either of hunger or inability to procure their regular drugs(medication). Another painful thing that happened to many of religious faithful (both ways) who despite the imposed hunger, continued to observe the spiritual fast(Ramadan and Lent)without salary, even celebrated the religious festivities dry. Yet, the managers are our Christian and Muslim brethren.  I believe strongly that if an insider, one of us is at the helm, he/she would not have allowed his/her colleagues to be dying or becoming penurious, simply because of agitating and sacrificing for a better system to which we can all become proud of. Your Excellency sir, choose from among a long serving university professors with abundant experiences in the university education will serve the system with sustainable peace achieved.

Notwithstanding, one thing for which the current Minister of Education is commended was his recent open declaration or confession that he has failed as a minister. I commend him for his courage, boldness, self-evaluation and frankness in that submission. The minister is therefore not to be blamed, but the concern I have is, not matching words with action. However, the sincerity of such lamentations of the minister that was not followed with stepping down(resigning), to pave way for the appointment of a specialist professional and experienced university Professor; is the only blame I can heap on our Honourable Minister. Should I even say or advice that taking path of honour should be a culture in this republic of ours, by the public officers; when it seems  that things are not going as anticipated. To me, resigning from a position is more honourable and it is a demonstration of believing in self-dignity, patriotism and love for one’s country. For the declarative submission of the Honourable Minister, not achieving as expected in the office; he is sincerely commended for the good intentions to make difference from the beginning, but remained elusive along the line; for reason that one may not immediately arrive at. Keeping one individual as Education Minister for such a length of time was part of why the minister became exceedingly overwhelmed.

Your Excellency, let me make it clear here sir, continued appointment ofa ‘non-specialist’ professional, either at the Federal, State or at any level, to superintend over education in this country is wholly responsible for our woes in the sector. The manifestation will continue to lace our education with things (crises) to be worried about, ceaselessly becoming our biggest concerns and conundrum to the theory and practice of education in Nigeria.

If I may continue to pontificate on this discerning issue, from the foregoing; revealing why hitherto, we are not getting it right in our system of education, then a lot of odds have been known to assume the clogs in the wheels of our country’s educational advancement. In this regard, there are more than 9 other observations I have, as earlier mentioned, but considered not good to be brought to the open in a letter like this, where the system has derailed and superintendents of our education system have miscued, bothering on either policy incredulousness, somersaults or mis-interpretation. Resulting from efforts in the review and analysis of our education policy, theory and practice, I have a lot of concerns for some due amendments which ought to have been proactively made in the Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), and NECO, National Universities Commission, JAMB, National Commission for Nomadic Education; NERDC – curriculum and apprehension for graduates’ unemployability, so also, in the political intervention – provostship, rectorship and vice chancellorship appointments for Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and Universities respectively. The Federal Polytechnic Offa is a case in perspective.  It is very disturbing too, that many schools, particularly the private ones, derive joy in adopting foreign curriculum in the Nigerian schools. This is why government should go back to the university system and appoint a long serving and experienced professor, who has seen it all, the choice may be from ex-Vice Chancellors (retired or still in the system). to be in charge of education in Nigeria.Your Excellency sir, we have them in large number in our universities.

Serving Professors in our universities have been attending workshops and delivering papers at conferences. Professors have been members of universities’ Senate, engaging in robust academic policy discussions, constructive arguments, formulating and monitoring policies’ implementations, and they have been serving or have served in various committees to promote and better their own university system at that micro-level. Universities’ professors have gained inter-universities’ experiences and understanding of peculiar policies and situations in other universities through their deployment for NUC’s accreditation exercises. Members of the university Senate are seasoned academics who understand and can best manage the psychology of the youth (students) and act in-loco-parentis. Academics are from time to time outside their home institutions to have the feel of the academic cultures of other universities, home and abroad, thereby giving and increasing their broad-based knowledge of educational dynamics and multiculturalism. This is done through sabbaticals and fellowships; placing them at bigger advantage of becoming experienced administrators. May be on a lighter mood, the academic Senate of more than 200 Nigerian Universities are far larger and more than the total membership of only one political Senate of Nigeria.

Your Excellency sir, if the choice of whom to choose is from amongst our super academics, who have, though retired, but not tired in both mental and physical capacity. Today, we have and still celebrating the likes of Emeritus Prof. PAI Obanya (a grand sage of education in Africa and an International Education Strategist), Emeritus Prof. UMO Ivowi,  Emeritus E. J. Alagoa, Emeritus Prof. Michael Omolewa (former Nigeria’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO and the 32^nd President of the General Conference of UNESCO), Emeritus Prof. Otonti Nduka, Emeritus Prof. Munzali Jibril, Emeritus Boniface Egboka, Prof. Akpan Otu, Prof. Joshua Aisiku,Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Prof. Ebi-AwotuaEfebo, Prof. Peter Okebukola, Prof. Oba Abdulraheem, Prof. Omatseye, Prof. Israel Osokoya,Prof. Garba Azare, Prof. Aliyu Dauda, Prof. Olu Obafemi, Prof. Alice Jekayinfa, Prof. Ben Eheazu, Prof. Daud Noibi, Prof. Gabriella Nwaozuzu, Prof. JohnEnaowho, Prof. Rahmon Bello, Prof. J.D. Okoh, Prof. Duro Oni, Prof. Aladejana, Prof. A. Y. Abdulkareem, Prof. Abdullah Uba Adamu, Prof. J. M. Ebong, Prof. O. Obiyemi, Prof. Elizabeth Okeke, these are the ones I know. There are many othersnot listed here; but they have been good representatives of the academiain thehistory of Nigeria’s tertiary education.

The above listed scholars (professors)have tirelessly rescued and still rescuing Nigerian education from crumbling, and specifically salvaging the Nigerian tertiary education in the last decades. Many of these scholars are Fellows of their respective professional Academies, consultants to International Multilateral Organisations and a number of them served meritoriously in the highest leadership capacities before bowing out of the university system. Note that many of them were recalled and still retained as emeriti professors. They have recorded a number of break-throughs, conducted cutting edge researches; having to their credits, patents and other intellectual properties, including books that are contributing to knowledge and adding to the repositories of what the country can profit from, if recognition is accorded.

Arguments may erupt, however, that these retired professors are now old to be appointed as minister in charge of education, but there are those big-time professors serving and renowned in the Nigerian universities now. Those of them, whom we can attest to their capacity for leadership and understanding of the system that produced them and still in them. I vouch that the crop of these scholars and experts will quickly turn around things for better. However, I strongly believe that our older and retired big ‘ogas’ are still cerebral; their brains have not ceased to be optimally at work. If age becomes an issue for them not to be recognized for the position, can’t these intelligentsias be constituted as a think-tank or strategists for better education in Nigeria, just like we have Presidential Economic Team constituted? Education will solve our economic problems and others. These erudite scholars in their entire academic lives have researched, written a lot and published large volumes that suggest how things can get better for the system, but no one cares to look in their direction. They have been muscled out or away from where they can have their impact strongly felt.

With the quantum of work done, energies expended, resources committed, and what have you, why would the Nigerian erudite scholars (Professors)be disregarded or not avail the opportunity for the office of Education Minister in our dear country, with their experience over the years in the system; especially the robust academic policies and programmes discussions, debates, suggestions and break-evens in their various universities, the wealth of experience which they can bring to bear, as superintendent of Nigerian education?

My Observations and Suggestions

I am not commissioned to do this, but whatever that concerns education; keeping mute is a heavenly crime, therefore the echoes of these renditions. First, the Federal Ministry of Education should be unbundled. It will do the country good, if considered – proliferation of an independent Ministry of Tertiary Education is the very right step to get things done seamlessly and potentially for the achievement of good fortune in the country’s tertiary education. Lumping the affairs of primary and post-primary education with the tertiary education is the cankerworm that remains a clog in the wheels of our country’s tertiary education progress and development.

Thrown Challenges: We should be bothered, so seriously about the exodus of Nigerians trooping to foreign countries, even the neighbouring Ghana for university education. We should strive to have a minister that can squarely reverse the movement of Nigerians to foreign land for higher education, with its trailing consequence of capital flight and indirect contribution to the economic growth of their host countries. At a time last year, during the strike that lasted 8 months in 2022, Nigerian Universities were challenged on a national TV programme by some Ministers; to start attracting foreign students, for increased internal revenue generation. We should ask the challengers, if there is anything attractive, in their sincere assessment, in equipment and facilities, state of the art equipment, hi-tech functional facilities, mouth-watering welfare packages and conducive atmosphere to attract foreign students and lecturers to our universities in Nigeria? Our African neighbours considered education their own priority in all ramifications. For them to get things right and enjoy the kind of patronage of foreign students in their countries, they heavily invested in their education system, consequently attracting foreign students and lecturers.

‘Japa’ Syndrome: Also, the concern of everyone on ‘japa’ syndrome or educational pilgrimage does not seem to bother some government officials.  If anyone, particularly among the elites or political class, says there is nothing wrong with Nigerians jetting out of the country for education; such an individual is not ready or prepared to see our dear Nigeria getting it right or educationally progress, when it matters most – to having the right type of equipment and facilities, as well as motivated staff that will drive the process of re-engineering our return to educational glory; consequently, having our prospective students retained at home, at least for their first degree.

Visitation Panel: As important as it would have been to guide any Government in changing the face of Nigerian tertiary institutions for better management and sanity to be restored, isa cursory look into the reports of the visitation panels and the release of their various white papers which no pronouncement has been made, since 2020; except when the current minister was asked and the response was given that: “government will release the white papers when it likes”. On release of white papers, which is part of the administrative prerogatives of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to be assertive and decisive in the maintenance of decorum, including financial rationality in our tertiary institutions. Releasing white paper does not go with any financial involvement and does not require a hard stance. I think in the first instance, ASUU has to be copiously commended for getting the Government to constitute the various panels for the tasks, after her long agitation and insistence. Unfortunately, the exercise has become meaningless, waste of national resources and of no progressive consequence, if the white papers are allowed to remain in the dungeon of our education ministry; now three years running after the exercise was concluded.

Justification for the Appointment of University’s Academic Professor as Minister of Education

It does not speak too well of our national education system that a non-specialist, though a professional from another field or outside the university system is appointed education minister dishing out directives to all intelligent, scholarly celebrated and erudite professors who are renowned across the globe for their erudition and advancement of knowledge. In the academia and the larger society, including global community, professors are respected and never belittled. It should be noted that even in the university system, appointment into positions is only for professors. Any of such positions occupied by a non-professor is in the acting capacity, even as a Ph.D holder. Education minister should be a professor. I plead for the understanding of all Ministers of Education in the past, who were not holders of Ph.D or professors that this is not to slight them, they are already senior citizens and they did not appoint themselves. They tried their best to make some levels of impact, but higher education and education in general should be highly treated and not less. This is just calling attention on correction. May all our past Ministers of Education remain more blessed.

So many things happening in education as costly errors, expected to have been corrected, but still being chewed and wrongly digested nationally. There are so many policies negligence and grandstanding that anyone in charge should have committedly attuned, to avoid potentially detrimental and embarrassing litigations in the trail. There are some that are very embarrassing to us, particularly for those who know or understand the consequences of lack of policy implementation, or haphazard implementation and operating against the laws.

A tip of the iceberg is that National Common Entrance Examination is illegal for pupils who are transiting from primary to junior secondary, deriving from the Child rights Act, domesticated in Nigeria and captured in UBE Act of 2004, negating the provision of the National Examination Council (NECO) Act, 2002. This is not the only error in the education policy implementation in Nigeria, there are so many identified areas of concerns which we have been critically advocating for and against in our academic publications, but no government even takes interest in what Nigerian scholars do or have done, with all its potentialities of redressing the not too good situations in the system; which are begging for proactive attention. Are Nigerians also aware that 5 credits requirements for admission into tertiary institutions ceased to be correct since 2014? It is only ‘specialist’ professional who can understand these things and we have in the universities many of our big-time professors, for whom some of us have respect and tremendously benefitted from. They are potential salvors.

Sadly too, I hear people referring numerically to Nigerian education system as 9-3-4. It is only a seasoned academic who can understand and interpret our system. It has to be made crystal clear that there is nothing like 9-3-4, but 6-3-3-4. However, it has even silently become 1-6-3-3-4 as reflected in what I describe as the Bible or Qur’an of Nigerian education, that is, the National Policy on Education (NPE) document. Kindly note again, that UBE is 6 years primary and 3 years junior secondary, with each having a separate school administration and administrative head under the law establishing the scheme. Also, a year pre-primary is policy backed, which explains the 1-6-3-3-4. Officially, our system is still 6-3-3-4, because the one year identified as pre-primary is considered integral to the primary, not under a different administration, as enshrined in the NPE, unless amendment has to be made. It must be cleared too, there is nothing like Basic 1, Basic 2, and like that to Basic 9. Primary school remains primary for 6 years (Primaries 1 to 6) and Junior Secondary remains as such for 3 years (JSS 1 to 3). University Professor as a Minister of Education, would have been able to address head-on, this misnomer.

Further justification here, for making a professor or an academics from our universities a Minister of Education is that this has been a convention or tradition, but occasionally distorted when it became a political settlement, bringing in professionals, but not specialists who are familiar with educational administration. The decision that saw and still seeing the country’s education beclouded with unresolved crisis. As earlier maintained, I am believing and confident that Your Excellency will do things differently and allow round peg in the round hole. Table below shows the historical trend of past Ministers of Education, professional areas and under which regime they served, and what they were able to uniquely achieve; thus:

Table 1: Past Ministers of Education in Nigeria and Other Characteristics

In the return to civilian rule and democratic dispensation, different Ministers of Education served under different presidents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, such as:

President Olusegun Obasanjo, 1999 – 2007

• Prof. Tunde Adeniran, an academic from the university of Ibadan. Minister of Education from 1999 to 2001.
• Prof. Abraham Babalola Borishade, an academic from the Obafemi Awolowo University from 2001 to 2003.
• Prof. Fabian Ngozichukwu Chinedum Osuji, an academic at the University of Ibadan, Imo State University and St. John’s University, New York (CUNY) USA. He served as Minister of Education from 2003 to 2005.
• Prof. Chinwe Obaji of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Imo State. An academic who served from 2005 to 2006
• Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, although she was not a university academic, but had good knowledge of what the office requires. She served as Minister of Education from 2006 to 2007

President Umar Musa Yar’adua, 2007 – 2010

• Dr. Igwe Aja Nwachukwu served as Minister of Education from June 2007 to December 2008. A son of the first indigenous Minister of Education in Nigeria.  He was an academic, lectured at different times in Abia State University and Ebonyi State University.

President Umar Musa Yar’adua-Goodluck Jonathan, 2007 – 2011

• Dr. Sam Egwu of Enugu State University of Technology became a Minister of Education and served from December 2008 to March 2010.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, 2011 – 2015

• Prof. RuqqayatRufa’i of Bayero University, Kano was the Minister of Education from 2010 to 2013.
• Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, formerly a school principal and former Governor of Kano; State was appointed Minister of Education, Federal Republic of Nigeria and served from 2014 to 2015.

President Muhammad Buhari, current administration; 2015 – 2023.

• Mallam Adamu Adamu, an accountant and journalist, was appointed since 2015 and serving out the entire lifespan of this government. This is not too good a practice.

The reason for chronicling the patterns and trends in the appointment, statuses of personalities involved, professional areas or disciplines, and the disposition of the different regimes in the appointment of Ministers of Education; is to take a recourse to history. Your Excellency sir, appointment of academics or university professors was consistent, except in few instances, whether under the military or civilian, that appointment was made outside the universities. Dynamism was brought into the appointment, sampling the capacities of the different individuals, to bring to the fore, the educational and administrative skills of making difference in the administration of education in Nigeria.

Exposé

To what extent do the managers of education, not in academic know that the National Common Entrance Examination (NCCE) conducted by National Examinations Council (NECO) is illegal, or mildly put; against the law? Going by the interpretation of the enabling Act of the Parliament – UBE Act; 2004 on Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education, therein;

Part I: Section 2(1) spelt as compulsory education with its interpretation in Section 15(1) that: …in this Act- “Basic education means early childhood care and education and nine years of formal schooling”. Section 2(2) compels the parents to get their children attend both primary and junior secondary. Section 2(4) a, b, & c prescribe the punishments in fines and jail terms for violators of 2(2).

As a matter of emphasis, section 4(1) reiterate that every parent shall ensure that his child receives full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude by regular attendance at school.

By the interpretation of this Act which recognizes 9 years of compulsory schooling of primary and junior secondary. Any exam given at the end of the primary school, stalling the transition into junior secondary for any child considered not to have passed, is against the law.

NECO as the examining body for the National Common Entrance Examination should note that the provision in the National Examinations Council (NECO) Act 2002, No. 1. Part II, Section 7e – j; on the functions and power of the Council, thus:

(e)    developing, administering and conducting aptitude tests for all candidates into Federal Government colleges and other allied institutions;

(f)      monitoring, collecting and keeping records of continuous assessment in all Federal Government colleges and other allied institutions and in the Suleja Academy toward the award of the Junior and Secondary School Certificates;

(g)    the general control of the conduct of the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examinations in all Federal Government colleges, and other allied institutions and in the Suleja Academy;

(h)    the general control of the conduct of the internal and external Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations in Nigeria without prejudice to the existing powers and functions of the West African Examination Council;

(i)      conducting a Standard National Assessment of Educational Performance at junior and senior secondary school levels;

(j)      conducting researches leading to national improvement of testing and examination procedures at junior and senior secondary school levels;

No mention of National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) in the Act establishing NECO, whereas, the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is not even captured as such in Part II, Section 7(g). The sub-section (g) has it as Junior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (JSSCE). However, the 2014 edition of the National Policy on Education has taken care of the JSS 3 exams as BECE.

Also, section 7(h) clearly mentions Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE). Sufficiently too, 7(i) & (j) identified junior and senior secondary schools in the required operation of this national examining body.

Note: If at all, the examining body wants to hide under section 7e, it may be an aberration, because the law of 2002 (NECO Act) cannot supercede the one of 2004 (UBE Act). The most current law is the UBE law. The two laws are Acts of Parliament and may, in my own opinion require amendment, to strike a balance.

Corroborating Verdict

The logic in this is that UBE is a compulsory education and continuous for 9 unbroken years; but many of the families are denied this right that the law has granted them. The law makers on oversight functions should also begin to initiate process, whether repealing or amending the UBE Act.  UBE is a 9-year continuous schooling under the law. Why must a child be subjected to selection examination for junior secondary education? What happens to any child who fails the Common Entrance Examination after the six years of primary education? This means that many Nigerian families must have been victims of the denial, orchestrated by their inability to pass the National Common Entrance examination. Any of such examinations at the state level are under the same declaration of illegality.

Equally, the requirement for admission into tertiary institutions, particularly the universities is not accurately captured as the policy enshrines. 5 credits passes are antagonistic to the policy provision and the curriculum dictate of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC). In Nigeria of today, only 4 subjects are core cross-cutting (compulsory), that is, English Studies, General Mathematics, Civic Education and one from among the Entrepreneurship subjects. Currently in practice is 5 Ordinary Level credit passes requirement translating to the addition of only one subject to the 4 cross-cutting compulsory subjects. For instance, adding Chemistry to the compulsory 4, has not given the candidate subjects combination to study any science course in our universities. What this means is that in the category of the specialization two of Chemistry, Biology and Physics can give a combination. If this happens, 4 + 2 shall be six, that is, 6 six credit passes are the minimum subjects’ requirement.

Stalling the incessant and endless application for tertiary institutions (proliferation and eventual licensing) for operation, particularly the private investors whose target was to make profits. It is even crystal clear that fortunate Nigerians have seen the establishment of tertiary institutions, particularly the universities; as a veritable ground for investment. Today, there are 49 Federal, 59 State and 111 private universities. Investment should focus elsewhere, not tertiary education, as it amounts to bastardizing tertiary education. Many of our private universities are owned by serving and ex-politicians – presidents, governors, senators, House of Rep members, government appointees and others. This may not be a bad idea to increase the number f universities, but the frequency of establishment, low performance, quality concerns for the sharp practices in many of these private schools producing 215 first class students out of 1580graduands. How would the public universities survive when the policy formulators and implementers are already players in the university education as investors? Some states’ governors even claimed that universities established them in the states are under the Public-Private Partnership arrangements. Who are the private partners? The answer to this becomes more manifest when they finish their tenure as governor and the list of board members has the ex-governor’s name. For as long as this is what plays out, the fate of public university education will continue to be perennially epileptic or suffer natural death.

Salvaging the Situations

1. Declaring state of emergency in the tertiary education.
2. Implementation of Policy – Laudable policies, but not implemented
3. Increase budgetary allocation to education.
4. International education and migration policy. Stemming brain drain for brain and grain gain.  Foreign incomes from job migration.
5. Senior and experienced University Professor to be appointed education minister, as they are familiar with issues bedevilling education, thus:
   1. I have an assurance that things will improve, ASUU is a conglomeration of intellectuals who have refused to be dwarfed by the unjust oppression.It should be strongly noted, ASUU remains formidable. I don’t want to go into the agent provocateur’s antics of breaking the ranks and files of ASUU with the splinter group or the breakaway members.
   1. It should be known that these splinter members remain our colleagues and the variances shall soon be put behind us and we come back together as brothers and sisters of the same family, and to jointly key into the vision of this coming government and standout higher education in the country.
6. On the appointment of minister for the control of education, ASUU and other tertiary institutions-based unions should join in the plea for a Minister of Education from among the university professors, serving or retired.
7. Exclusively independent Ministry of Tertiary education be created with its own minister. This is even a practice in some of the Nigerian states and countries, as highlighted in the foregoing. Many of the Nigerian States’ Governors have recognized the need for this. It can never work at this period of ‘developing’, lumping the issues concerning tertiary education together and put a non-specialist professional at the helm.
8. Education policy development and analysis should be included in the programme of the Nigerian Institute for Policies and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).
9. Officers/Staff of the Federal/State Ministries of Education should be availed the opportunities to attend education conferences, workshops on policy development and analysis. With this, when there is need for review, they will know it and be at work.

Again, congratulations sir. I wish you a hitch-free inauguration on the 29^th May 2023 and pray that Nigeria will experience the best under your administration as the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. While I also wish that you will accord education priority attention, as a commitment.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Abdulrahman Yusuf Maigida

Professor, Comparative, History and

Policy of Education

University of Port Harcourt– Nigeria.

yusuf.abdulrahman@uniport.edu.ng

+234 (0) 803 234 5719