hither the Nigerian University System? III By Prof MK Othman

hither the Nigerian University System? III

By Prof MK Othman

As I was concluding this article last week, news broke of a significant milestone in the ASUU-FGN impasse: FGN and ASUU had signed a comprehensive agreement signaling the end of the 8-year ASUU industrial action. It was an impasse that cost billions of Naira in lost person-hours, unquantifiable economic losses, and, in some cases, the supreme price.

The tragic case of a professor who was neck-deep in debt due to the imposed “no-work, no-pay” policy, watching the news on TV when it was announced that the “no-work, no-pay” policy would be sustained even after suspending the 2022 ASUU industrial action, resulting in the professor’s fatal cardiac arrest.

There were a few reported and unreported cases of hardship stemming from the perennial ASUU strikes, which are now history, owing to the determination of President Tinubu’s administration to end them.

I salute Mr. President Tinubu, Education Minister, Dr. M. O. Alausa, and ASUU leadership for the amicable resolution of the impasse, may it be a long-lasting one. As stated in this article, the system is tired of perennial strikes, and the government has a key to preventing future strikes by genuinely engaging with ASUU to find a lasting solution, which it is now using. All stakeholders – members of the National Assembly, civil servants, university administrators, staff unions, staff, and students – must commit to supporting the government in sustaining the gains of reaching this milestone and in enabling our university system to face the Herculean tasks of teaching, research, and community service. Technology is rapidly evolving, and the world is moving at supersonic speed. The Nigerian university system cannot be left behind.

It needs tremendous support from primary stakeholders – the government, university workers, and the general public – to be on par with its peers in other countries.

The signing of the agreement by the FGN and ASUU signals the consolidation of the needed support for the system. Indeed, Nigeria will benefit from it. The agreement’s contents offer hope that Nigeria will achieve technological advancement sooner rather than later, as the university remains a central pillar supporting sectoral development across society.

The agreement focuses on conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, and academic freedom, as well as other systemic reforms aimed at reversing decay, curbing brain drain, and repositioning universities for national development. The key agreement under Conditions of Service includes a 40% upward review of academic staff emoluments. It reaffirms pension provisions under existing laws, granting professors a pension equal to their annual salary upon retirement at age 70, subject to defined service requirements and recognition of approved service periods.
A major highlight is the proposed National Research Council (NRC), which would fund research at a minimum of 1% of GDP, strengthen innovation, and support research universities and centers of excellence.

The agreement strongly affirms university autonomy and academic freedom, emphasizing merit-based governance, elected academic leadership (Deans/Provosts). The Provosts/Deans of Postgraduate Schools) will now be elected, with only Professors eligible to contest.

The establishment of NRC can enable Nigeria to produce a series of innovations that can shape the future of global technological initiatives in health, communication, agriculture, and other related developmental sectors.

We must recall that, in the 21st century, Universities have been central to several of the most impactful breakthroughs, particularly in biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and fundamental physics. Discoveries like CRISPR gene editing and the rapid development of mRNA vaccines have had a profound global impact. Key breakthroughs in university research in the 21st century include the CRISPR Gene-Editing technique, pioneered by researchers including Jennifer Doudna at the University of California, Berkeley, and Emmanuelle Charpentier, which enables precise editing of DNA in any living organism. This has “unleashed a whole new era in biotechnology” with potential treatments for inherited diseases and improved crops.

Another significant breakthrough is that decades of academic research on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology at institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania culminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These vaccines were developed in a fraction of the time of traditional methods and are estimated to have saved nearly 20 million lives in their first year of use.

The next is the AI technological revolution: Deep Learning and AI Algorithms, developed in Academic research labs, particularly at the University of Toronto and MIT.

The university and the research centers were crucial in developing the deep learning algorithms and “transformer architecture” that form the basis of modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models like ChatGPT. This foundational work has led to the current AI revolution.

Again and again, there is also the Human Genome Project: The first working draft and subsequent complete sequencing of the human genome were made publicly available in 2001, primarily due to the work of scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and other global institutions. This has revolutionized biomedical science, accelerating the diagnosis and treatment of genetic diseases.

Can the Nigerian university system make a similar breakthrough? Quoting the famous Hausa singer, Alhaji Mamman Shata of blessed memory, “mutane sune kasuwa kara bani dunbin runfuna” – apology to my non-Hausa speaking readers.

Human resources, both qualitative and quantitative, are the primary constituents of the university system, followed by adequate teaching and research facilities and willing students who seek to acquire new knowledge.
Nigeria is endowed with high-quality human and natural resources, widely regarded as among the best in the world. Its high population density creates a formidable market for all products and services, and the average Nigerian’s intellectual capacity and captivating talent make the population highly resourceful.

You will be proud to be Nigerian when you encounter Nigerian talent in Europe, Asia, and America. Ironically, you may also have to hide your face when you meet the few rotten eggs tarnishing the country’s image. Some talented Nigerians are endowed with creative capacity and innovative thinking, thereby positively impacting the nation’s image at home and abroad.

Nigerian-American scientists are making significant impacts, with breakthroughs from Philip Emeagwali in parallel computing, Samuel Achilefu in cancer-detecting goggles, John Dabiri in bio-inspired wind turbines, and Robert Okojie in NASA’s high-temperature electronics, plus innovations in batteries, vaccines, and Parkinson’s research, showcasing leadership in tech, medicine, and energy. What of Nigerian-American physicians and surgeons who have made significant breakthroughs in the US?

Most notable were Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye in fetal surgery and Dr. Uchechi Iweala in robotic spinal surgery. What of my fellow ABU Zaria alumnus, Dr. Sarki Abba Abdulkadir? A genius who obtained eight A-1 in the nine WASCE subjects he sat for in 1984, which made WAEC officials doubt and brought him to their Headquarters in Lagos to retake the same exams, which he did and made nine A-1, improving the one subject he earlier scored A-2 to A-1. He graduated as the top student at ABU Zaria, earned a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, and became a celebrated Nigerian-American medical professor, pathologist, and urologic researcher at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, known for his groundbreaking prostate cancer research and record-breaking academic achievements.

Most of these high-ranking global personalities, Nigerians by birth, who are creating waves in science, art, humanity, and even politics abroad, have passed through the university system. Yes, even in politics, as of 2019, nine prominent Nigerians were elected as mayors or British Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom alone. Names such as Chuka Umunna, Helen Grant, Abimbola Afolami, Kate Osamor, and Kemi Badenoch, were featured. Others were Ernest Ezeajughi, Chinyelu Susan Onwurah, and Olugbenga   Babatola, among several Nigerians.
While the light is blinking at the end of the tunnel, ASUU members and other unions must persevere, and the Federal and state governments (executive, legislative, and judiciary) should vigorously implement the agreement to reclaim the rightful exalted position of the university system, enabling it to function effectively and make Nigeria great.

• May God of Heaven and Earth make our lofty dream of a vibrant university system a reality, amen.