Congratulations to Nigerians, especially millions of students who have been forced to stay at home in the last 8 months. ASUU has suspended its strike.
I think it is high time the Nigerian university system is properly restructured - some level of autonomy that allows significant internally generated revenue (IGR), and private sector audit coordinated by the stakeholders are critical. It is time to introduce tuition and scholarship. The latter is for brilliant students whose parents cannot afford part or full tuition. There are more than a million students (2.1 million as of 2021) in public universities in Nigeria, a tuition of N100k/student translates to N2 trillion in revenue per annum; N50k tuition will create over N1 trillion in revenue. There are several university ventures that can generate revenue - press, guest house, license to private taxi owners and companies, rent from lecturers and staff, etc. Sports could be a means to generate funds if properly managed - soccer, basketball, swimming, etc. The university can generate tons of money from entertainment - theatrical shows, music concerts, etc.
Minimum and base salary may be set the same but lecturers do not have to be paid the same salary. Negotiated salary based on the profile and what a lecturer/prof. is able to deliver should be the driver of remuneration. Annual increase should be based on performance in a transparent annual review process. This drives competition and increases innovation.
If the university can generate 25 - 50% of its revenue internally, the rest can be augmented by the governments and the private sectors who hire the highly qualified personnel produced by these institutions - Federal and State. In the form of competitive and non-competitive grants. A sound and multilayer accountability process will help plug the channel of siphoning IGR by administrators.
The truth is that a lot of the money generated internally is not accounted for..... when corruption is endemic in the nation and you have toothless anti-corruption bodies, EFCC and ICPC, and a judiciary process that is also corrupt and slower than the snail, how can anything work? This is where Nigeria needs to grow up, otherwise, any modernization approach to solve the perennial labor unrest problem in the country's higher institutions will be a waste of time. And, unfortunately, we will continue to slip into the abyss of self-destruction. However, if we get it right, we are just a few years from emerging as a power block in the global arena. A strong higher education system often translates to a STRONG nation. There is no better NATURAL resource than human capital. The human mind can create seemingly impossible stuff (mind-blowing innovations) when the environment is right.... no such could happen in a truncated educational process and system.....
Ise ni ogun ise (Work is the panacea to poverty) mura si ise ore mi (Be conscientious my friend in your work) ise ni a fi n di eni giga (Through hard work can we excel) ti a ko ba ri eni feyintin (If there is none to create a pathway to the top for you) bi ole la n ri (It is as if we are lazy) ti a ko ba ri eni gbekele (If there is no one to be your mentor and godfather) a tera mo ise eni, (Work harder then, don't give up, innovate, there is dignity in labor, a way will open up for you soon) Iya re le l'owo (Your mom may be super rich) Baba re le l’esin lekan (You dad could have real estate in choice places) T’oba gbo’ju le won o te tan ni mo so fun oh (If you trust in their riches, your shame is around the corner) Ohun aho j’iya fun kii t’ojo (What you did not labor often does not last, because you might not value them) Ohun ta ba s’ise fun nii pe l’owo eni (It is what you work for that becomes a treasure) Apa lara, Igunpa niye kan (Arms are your f...
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