HONORS FOR SALE (H.C.)

Over the years, friends and some senior colleagues have travelled all over the world in search of knowledge in order to increase their worth in the labour market. The results of their performance raise my hope, yet it is still worrisome. The question that keeps coming to mind is: “why will Nigerians who have attended colleges in Nigeria further their studies in some world class institutions and keep very excellent records?” One of the notable reasons is that apart from the systemic issue, there is also an individual side to each person’s story. As some will always say that they had to prove their worth in any world class university they found themselves. While I say that the system of education in many world class universities is still the best compared to what is obtainable in most African (especially Nigerian) universities, I’ve met with some scholars who are graduates of some world class universities whose performance are low compared with some Nigerian scholars (kudos to those whose personal efforts have distinguished them.) Just to draw our minds to one of the salient issues that downplays our educational system in Nigeria.

In 1985, Oxford University refused Margaret Thatcher the award of honorary doctorate in protest against her cuts in funding education. In 2001, George W. Bush received honorary degree from Yale University and in protest to such event, some students and faculty evaded the occasion before it could commence. Also, in 2007, Andrew Card, the chief of staff to President Bush was awarded honorary degree by the University of Massachusetts, while students and some staff protested in the midst of the occasion. In 2007, protesters demanded that the University of Edinburgh revoked honorary degree awarded to Zimbabwean ruler Robert Mugabe in 1984 and their demand was granted. And in 2008, protesters asked that same be revoked from Mugabe by the University of Massachusetts.

In 2009, Arizona State University refused honors to President Barack Obama for his perceived lack of qualification. There has also been controversy in Notre Dame and St. Joseph University for awarding honors to President Obama and Chris Matthew respectively since both persons maintain a pro-choice stand on abortion. In 2012, Mansor (wife of Malaysian Prime Minister) was controversially awarded honorary doctorate by Curtin University for her contribution to childhood education and protesters have since been calling for the revocation of that honor since the purpose for which she was honored was financed by taxpayers’ money in which case she cannot take the credit.

An honorary degree is awarded for the sake of the honor due to one’s contribution to the development of the society or inputs in one’s field of study. But certain considerations must also be observed: the recipient should be free from human rights abuse and from political/economic corruption. With this in mind, the reason for the denial of honors to some persons, the protests against some political figures and the revocation of honors in some instances becomes clear.

Every articulate Nigerian knows where my story leads. Going through the criteria for the award of honors, it becomes pertinent for every reasonable Nigerian to sail through the records of our political history in this republic with the litany of persons that have been awarded and will still be awarded doctoral honors. Probably, some notable figures begin to ring in our memory: Drs. Tafa Balogun, Abiola Ajimobi, George Akume, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Peter Odili, Ahmed Makarfi, Abdullahi Adamu, Ibrahim Idris, Bamanga Tukur, Patience Jonathan, to mention but a few. All these persons have been offered honoris causa based on their contribution to society and dedication to humanity. True to their cause, many Nigerian politicians have earned honors, however it was actually honorary doctorate in corruption.

We are glad to hear that the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities has banned the award of honors to politicians even though the University of Nigeria Nsukka intends to violate the agreement by awarding honors to Anyim Pius Anyim. With all these comic events, what does one expect from international bodies? In every university there ought to be an awarding committee to review such process, but I strongly believe that it does not exist in our system. But going by the criteria which has been stated above, we will conclude that most Nigerian politicians are not qualified. Well to the best of my knowledge, the award of unmeritorious honors to politicians recklessly rather than shows the greatness of the figures who are being honored, brings out clearly the inferiority of such institutions of learning that embark on the auctioning of these honors. Some persons around the globe had been awarded posthumously and it is also proper for universities in Nigeria to bring sanity to such practice by revoking some honors even if it means posthumously.       

  

ASUU versus PDP?

Over a decade ago, when the People’s Democratic Party appealed to our emotions to be voted into power, the slogan of the party was: P!D!!P!!! Power to the People. With time it became clear to those in power that it wasn’t necessary that power belonged to the people and so the slogan was redefined. As a replacement, it was PDP… and the response was POWER (to the people was removed). I am quite aware that many Nigerians are not aware of that redefinition and it still remains the statusquo till date. It is along this line of thought that I couched the theme to read: ASUU V PDP (instead of Federal Government). While most Nigerians know of the recent development between the federal government of Nigeria, sorry I mean PDP and ASUU, I wish to draw our attention to some salient issues. Bear in mind as you read through this piece that the reform that was meant to bring stability to our system of education was thrown into the waste bin some few years ago by few Nigerian bureaucrats who felt that it was improper for the generality of the Nigerian populace to have the same standard of education that they (the bureaucrats and their children) have, for the simple reason of widening the gap of inequality that has long existed. Thus, while the wealth of the rich shoots up, that of the poor melts down. One of the key issues responsible for this shift is the fact that the vision of the ‘leaders’ to involve technocrats in matters of technicality was relegated; hence, the emergence of the likes of Wike, who knows nothing about basic principles in educational policies. With over four ministers of education for the past thirteen years, with different ideologies and policies, we have come to the conclusion that the ministry of education like the NFF, think per game (without continuity). I have carefully followed the rise of Nyesom Wike who accidently is the supervising minister of education, from being a local council chairman to chief of staff of Rivers state, to minister of state for education and then to the supervising minister of education and I have noticed that his speedy rise in government is simultaneous with the level of his corruption. Before you give him kudos, study his antecedents. Being a guy who is on bail charged for Stealing N4.7 Billion of Rivers State Government funds by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in October 2008, all that comes to mind are words of Nasir El Rufai and Oby Ezekwesili; in government it is only the bad that gets promoted. Quite interestingly too has been his recent statements about ASUU which seems to represent the interest of the government. His recent approach to the resolution of ASUU strike is a replay of his war with Amaechi and a rehearsal of how he intends to ‘rule’ Rivers state under the platform of PDP. The recent threat on the striking lecturers is the height of executive recklessness and could only have been an act of a refined militant. It is quite good that power comes to play at this time but in the right direction. Well, let me not dwell much on the person of Wike since he is a mere tool in the hands of the presidency. While we thank Mr President for this amiable choice of his, we also remind him that you cannot choose above your wisdom. Well that is not to say that I also believe in the ideology, if any, of other political parties since the characters that come on scene are not too different. Back to my take on ASUU. Most Nigerians know the members of the leadership of ASUU from a distance probably as a result of the lingering strike, but I speak as one who not only knows their ideology but have sat at table closely with them to discuss topical issues. Like every system of leadership that comes and passes with time, so is the management of ASUU. It is so unfortunate for us at this time of our history that the current leadership of ASUU at the national level are unionists, activists and conservative in their struggle. When you have a single soul in different bodies controlling the Nigerian Labour Congress, Joint Action Front, Nigerian Trade Union and at the same time leading the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the desired and expected outcome is but a disturbance of the old democratic equilibrium, which appears not to be favourable to the citizenry. It is quite true that the masses suffer the consequences, but let me assure you that the ‘government’ is not disturbed because it is concerned but concerned because it is disturbed. At the moment, the citizens bear the burden, but the long-term benefit still belongs to the citizens. Let me assure my fellow students that over 60% of those who are at the forefront of this struggle will only be remembered as historically patriotic figures and I think that is what democratic struggle in its truest sense should entail. Though I am as worried as every Nigerian (student) since I am also one, yet the glories of the struggle in the future encourages me with or without my presence. My advice to all Nigerian students is to be strong even in the midst of what appears to be a hopeless situation because I quite hopeful that most of you, if not all, will be beneficiaries of this revolutionary cum socio/political ‘codicil’.