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.
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