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00:00 Welcome to another episode of Inside Stuff with me, Martins Olodja.
00:07 This episode is on restoration of universe to our universities.
00:13 That is, a time to restore universe to our universities.
00:17 We were asking, when did we lose the universe in our universities?
00:22 Actually, this context is from a convocation lecture I delivered at the Adekunle Adyasein University in Akumba last Thursday.
00:35 The universe in the university is being lost to poor funding, is being lost to poor administration, is being lost to unitary system of government.
00:46 Because, as I said, the University of Ife, for instance, was taken away from the regional government that set it up.
00:55 Amadou Belo University, Zaria, same thing. The oldest university, the UNA.
01:00 It may be surprising to young people, why do you say the UNA?
01:04 University of Ibadan was set up in 1948, really, as a university college in Ibadan, as part of University of London.
01:11 It did not become a full university until after University of Nigeria Nsukka was set up.
01:17 That's some form of history. But all these universities in the beginning had internationalization.
01:23 So when there was a universe in the university, as I concluded the lecture this way,
01:27 Cyril Agudi Onwume-Chili, who became the fourth vice-chancellor of University of Ife in those days,
01:35 and Emmi Njoku Anistana, who became the vice-chancellor of University of Lagos,
01:44 Professor Adamu Baike, a Christian from Kano, who was appointed, was tolerated as vice-chancellor of University of Benin.
01:53 And even Professor Kenneth Dike, as principal of University College Ibadan, who was accepted at that time,
02:04 was accepted as the first vice-chancellor of University of Ibadan, when it now became a full-fledged university.
02:13 Nobody cared. And Ayandele, who became the vice-chancellor of University of Jors.
02:21 And so on and so forth. People accepted all this. But what has happened to Nigerian university system?
02:28 We are talking about internationalization of university education at a time,
02:33 even host communities, lecturers and professors who benefited from when we had a universe in the universities.
02:41 Those old vice-chancellors are now saying, because University of Ife is in a particular community,
02:47 professors in Ife want to compete to be the vice-chancellor.
02:52 Same for University of Lagos, only Yoruba people who can be vice-chancellor.
02:57 University of Nigeria, Nsukka, nobody from outside the area, especially outside the eastern region,
03:04 can aspire to be vice-chancellor. University of Nigeria, Nsukka, it's so unfortunate that these things are happening
03:12 at a time we are talking about internationalization. Who cares about where professors who become administrators come from?
03:19 So the conclusion of the whole matter is that there is need for some restructuring of the minds of the people who administer all these things.
03:28 Because even in the lecture, I gave an instance of a professor I met at a university in Florida,
03:38 Miami, Florida in 2008. And as soon as I was introduced to the woman, the woman, as a journalist from Nigeria,
03:48 the woman just turned to me and said, "Okay, where is Godini Gabriel Dara?" Now Professor Gigi Dara.
03:54 She said to me, "He was my classmate at the University of Ibadan where I did my doctorate in English in the early 80s."
04:04 So the woman came all the way from the United States to read English at the University of Ibadan.
04:11 There was no internet, nothing. They had a great university. Internationalization was there at that time.
04:17 Values that would make people to say, "This is a universal city," were there. But now localizing everything, bastardizing everything,
04:28 even the diaspora issue, the con-leads at the National Investors Commission, they started in 2007, they have discontinued with it.
04:36 These are issues. So we suggested that there should be restoration that will lead to a framework that will bring our professors,
04:47 our lecturers from abroad to collaborate with people at home to teach some courses.
04:54 I even introduced the issue, I suggested the issue of professors of practice.
04:59 Like some of us even in journalism, we have practiced and practiced and practiced.
05:03 There is a way we can get back to the university to collaborate with people or institutions that have journalism or digital journalism,
05:12 public relations and some other things that are to teach. Same for people even in Mersin.
05:18 There are some of our people who read Mersin here and are doing well abroad.
05:22 We can bring them home from time to time to do some clinical studies or teaching on some subjects.
05:31 So it's very, very important to get National Investors Commission, committee of vice chancellors, among other stakeholders,
05:40 to be in charge of this so that we can have exchange programs in order to reach our faculties and internationalize operations.
05:52 That is the only way we can restore the universe that we have lost in our university system.
05:58 And I think we'll continue with this realization like that until something happens.
06:04 If you actually feel that you need to react to some of these things that I've said, get to the comments section until we meet again next week.
06:16 Thank you. It's bye for now.
06:18 (upbeat music)
06:20 (upbeat music)