1

REDEEMER’S , EDE

CHANGING TRENDS OF NIGERIA’S EDUCATIONAL SECTOR – MY ASSEMBLED COGNITION

A Valedictory Lecture

By

PROFESSOR LAWRENCE BABATOPE KOLAWOLE

B. Sc, PhD (Physics), PhD (Theology), FSAN , FNIP , HON . FNIST

VALEDICTORY LECTURE

No. 1

November 23, 2017

Educated men are as much superior to uneducated as the living are to the dead.- Aristotle is a sign of freedom. Only the educated are free. - Epictetus Education is a controlling grace to the young, consolation to the old, wealth to the poor and ornament to the rich. - Diogenes What sculpture is to a block of marble education is to the soul. - Addison. Without education, man is a splendid slave, reasoning savage. - Anonymous

The Chairman,

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council,

The Vice-Chancellor,

Eminent Members of the Governing Council,

Honourable Members of Senate, 2

HRM Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, Lamisa I, the Timi of Ede,

Other Principal Officers of the University,

Deans of ,

Directors of Units,

Heads of Department,

Members of the University Community,

Distinguished Guests,

Gentlemen of the Press,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My teaching career has turned out to be a full-circle marathon, the beginning and end of which is the serene town of Ede. I earned the first salary as a secondary teacher at Timi Agbale , Ede in June 1962 and I’ll, by the grace of God, earn the last as a professor at the Redeemer’s University, Ede in December 2017. I was a French teacher at Timi Agbale and a Physics teacher at the Redeemer’s University. I lived at Ojularede Street and I am ending up Akoda village. How times fly!

Mr. Chairman, I gave my Inaugural Lecture at the Federal University of Technology, Akure in March, 1988. I thank God for seeing me through to give a Valedictory Lecture at the Redeemer’s University in November 2017 as I bow out of active public service.

Before I quit the stage, I believe I owe it a duty to bequeath to the next generation the benefits of my experience in the system. For apart from my consummate belief in God, the only other thing I am passionate about is education. 3

Therefore, my most respected Chairman, a convenient point to start this discourse is to define education. Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and direct research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels or acts is considered educational. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy.

As we would see, Ladies and Gentlemen, education is a must for every human being. Our gathering here today has been made possible by no other thing than education. Education has been recognized as a basic human right since the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Education is a sine qua non for development. No nation can thrive beyond the educational level of her citizenry. Neither can an individual prosper beyond the level of his or her applied knowledge or wisdom. Even the law affirms that a person who has lost his or her mind is not fit to be counted as a citizen. Education is commonly divided formally into such stages as or , , and then , university, or apprenticeship.

For nearly seven decades I have been a passionate stakeholder in the Nigerian education system either as a pupil, student, lecturer, or professor. As I bow out of formal involvement in the system I see myself the same way Sir Isaac Newton, the father of classical physics, saw himself at old age – a person at the seaside, picking shells; as the water recedes , he kept on seeing bigger and prettier shells; even as he became tired, he was seeing bigger and more beautiful ones. He gave up and made 4 do with the ones garnered thus far. The process is not reversible. Even if life is re- livable, I can only go through it again through a completely different trajectory.

The quotations above by Aristotle and others , encapsulates the undeniable fact that at its most basic level, education is important because it gives people the baseline skills to survive as adults in the world. These skills include basic and numeracy, as well as the ability to communicate complete tasks and work with others. Education is essential for nearly every type of job or career, and in many cases, education makes the difference between being able to perform a job safely and accurately and being unable to perform a job at all.

However, many people believe that education is important in life for reasons beyond basic survival skills. Eleanor Roosevelt, a former president of the of America famously said that education is essential to good citizenship and that education is important to life because it enables people to contribute to their community and their country. Others believe education is important because it helps to answer life's big questions, including questions of how to live, work and love. Still others believe that education is important because it teaches people about the world around them.

In summary, I have no illusions at all that whatever way one looks at it, education is an enduring legacy that a parent must bequeath to his or her children.

Education in Nigeria is more of a public enterprise that has witnessed government complete and dynamic intervention and active participation. It is the view of the formulated education policy in Nigeria to use education as a vehicle for achieving national development. Education being an instrument of change, our education policy has been a product of evolution through series of historical developments. 5

The classification of Nigerian education as elementary, middle and higher is credited to Mr. E.H. J. Hussey who in 1930 made the three-level educational classification 1, although the higher level of education was referred to as “vocational training”. This was basically for professional assistants. This level of education had Yaba Higher College as its first institution. It was established by the then colonial government and her first intake was in 1932. The students were trained in different post-secondary courses leading to professions such as medical assistants, agricultural assistants, teachers, engineering assistants, administrators, etc. The National Policy on Education in Nigeria was launched in1977.The policy is geared towards self-realization, individual and national efficiency, national unity etc. aimed at achieving social, cultural, economic, political, scientific and technological development. In 1955, the objectives of the policy were broadened to include free among others. The policy has been reviewed from time to time. Until 1984, the structure of Nigeria’s educational system was six years for primary , five to seven years for post-primary or secondary schools. I was a prime beneficiary of the education that the missionaries made a major component of their enterprise in the late nineteenth century and for many decades in the twentieth century, before the unwelcomed take-over of schools by the enterprising landlords - state and federal governments. Teachers and pupils were comfortable; salaries were attractive and paid regularly. Primary school teachers were really dedicated. Our teachers had no commercial interest unlike nowadays when teachers hawk goods – food, drinks, cloths and some other goods in the classroom. Government takeover of schools brought in its train the irregular

1 Omuta, G.E.D. (2010). The Place of Private Participation in : A Periscope on Private in Nigeria. CPED monograph. (ED) Onokehoraye, Benin City. 6 payment of salaries and teachers had no choice but to find other means of making ends meet.

Primary school teachers underwent very rigorous training at two levels of teacher training – Grades III and II - before deployment to schools unlike the present situation whereby the primary and secondary schools are replete with “birds of passage” – young men and women, who got into teaching for the meantime, waiting on the wings for well-paid jobs outside the classroom. It is no gainsaying that there is a significant difference in the performance of trained and untrained teachers: the trained teachers do much better that their untrained counterparts. Products of teacher training colleges had sound education in school governance and curriculum management; this was obviously largely effective in improving the managerial performance of head teachers in primary schools.

Those days , the school system was perfectly organized. At the apex of the administrative structure was the District Supervisor who visited schools from time to time. The church vicar was also involved. The attendance register and ‘diary’ were submitted to him every weekend. Conspicuously pasted in every classroom was a template showing the statistics of enrolment – boys and girls, and attendance for each school day. The teacher was therefore able to diligently monitor not only the academic performance of the pupils but also their attendance in class. It was not unusual to find teachers visiting our homes whenever we were ill-disposed.

Those days there were no private schools in the country. With the sound education received at the primary level, students from the hinterlands competed favourably with their counterparts in urban areas to secure admission to the elitist institutions like the Government Colleges in Ibadan, Umahia, Ughelli, and the King’s and Queen Colleges in Lagos, Ede and Enugu. 7

It is noteworthy that the year 2017 marks the 62 nd year of the introduction of primary education in Nigeria. Before independence, the system was administered by different sets of managers including : the Christian missionaries (1843-1882) ; the colonial government (1882-1940's) and the regional governments (1950's). Since independence in 1960, the federal, state and local governments have played significant roles in the administration of primary education. Poor administration has been the bane of the education system since inception. It is displayed in different ugly forms including poor timing of policy inauguration and programme implementation and pupil population explosion with the attendant result of dearth of educational resources. Statistical constraint, financial constraint and political constraint have contributed to the problem of poor management. For the system to survive there is the need on the part of the nation to ensure political stability. It is only, when the polity is stable and all the tiers of government display the necessary political will that all the three constraints will be taken care of once and for all. The system will thus be invigorated and made fully prepared for the challenges in the future.

I will be quick in pointing out that the most serious limitation of the primary education in the yesteryears was the paucity of pupils. Some parents were ignorant of the importance of education, others simply had a phobia. It is also noteworthy that some pupils withdrew from school after a while because of the concomitant rigour – no thanks to those super-strict teachers who did not spare the rod to drive terror into the children. Girls were not generally encouraged to go to school as many parents; particularly fathers believed that the place of the woman is in the kitchen.

I am gratified to note that the educational sector, at elementary level, particularly at private schools, has gradually undergone many changes over the years. Many 8 reforms have taken place to help improve learning as well as teaching. Social and cultural issues have led to the dramatic changes in the leadership roles of teachers and headmasters. Teaching is now all about innovation, suitability, and is affected by many technological factors. The changing scenario of world economy and advancement in information and communication technology has resulted in the beginning of many new trends in education. Modern day education is all about innovation, accessibility, and suitability. From kindergarten to university, students are encouraged to learn through interactive and practical tools. Higher education is more career-oriented today than ever before. The barriers of time and age have also been removed, while geographical boundaries do not matter anymore. These revolutionary trends have benefitted those people who want to get practical knowledge for their personal and professional growth.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am a staunch believer in mass education. Education should no longer be the exclusive preserve or survival of the fittest. The present situation fits perfectly the normal distribution in Mathematics, whereby the geniuses are still at the narrow end of the distribution with a preponderance of the population trailing behind. I observe with interest that nowadays artisans, such as drivers, cleaners, and messengers have formal education.

I recall with nostalgia that through my thirteen-year (1974-1987) tenure at the University of Ife, (now Obafemi Awolowo University), I did not find any of our official drivers literate. The converse is the position at the Redeemer’s University where I am just completing a contract appointment of eleven years. There are in the system, official drivers with as much as the Higher National Diploma certificates. As far as I am concerned this is preferable to the cock-eyed education for a few. Of course, I am aware of the public outcry against what they describe as poor quality of education because of the low-level of oral and written expression in 9

English Language, and, in some cases, mathematical incompetence. Afterwards, who told us that a good education necessarily implies articulation in English language?

As a young lecturer on postdoctoral fellowship leave in Uppsala, in 1976, my first surprise was when I observed that the official driver in our department also doubled as the clerical officer, gardener and mail man. His greatest asset was that he was able to read and write fluently in Swedish. At his leisure, he sat at the reception to read newspapers. Mentally I compared and contrasted his situation with that of his counterparts in Nigeria. In a letter to a colleague in Nigeria I gave a testimony of my experience and expressed the unshaken belief that with time our country will attain mass education. It is particularly gratifying that Nigeria has now attained that status.

The aforesaid reminds me of a question I was always confronted with when I was in Sweden and Italy, countries where the official languages are the mother tongues. Whenever I had cause to discuss with the natives who spoke English, albeit poorly, they wondered how I spoke the language so fluently. The said to me, “Don’t you have your own language in your country?” It shamed me all the time to explain that it is a byproduct of colonization. So, from time to time, I ponder over this challenge and wonder what could be done to develop the “ Wasobia ”? Can we have in Nigeria people like the English Shakespeare and Dante Alighieri of Italy? Italian is a neo-Latino language, a lingua franca which evolved from the synthesis by Dante of regional languages spoken in Lombardy, Rome (Latin), Tuscany, Campania, Veneto, Piedmont, Sicilia, Liguria, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and so on.

On a journey by train from Uppsala to Stockholm on a bright summer afternoon, three of us Nigerians were discussing in English. I noticed that a Swede, a middle- 10 age gentlemen focused his eyes on us; apparently when he could no longer help it, he exploded, “What did you people pay to learn English?” My reaction was spontaneous: “One ore .” (The ore is the smallest denomination of Swedish currency.) He kept quiet.

With regard to , there has been a real explosion in quantity and quality. The course offerings are considerable – thanks to the expanded curricula with the introduction of such courses as economics, accounting, fine arts, computer science, statistics, agriculture, music, and so on. Those days subjects such as English Language, English Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo were the toasts of the Colleges and Grammar Schools. I remember how proud we were to study Additional Mathematics, Pure/General Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

The major aim of establishing tertiary institutions is to build high-level manpower for national development. It is a place where people acquire the needed tools; social, mental and intellectual skills, which will be required by the beneficiary to become self-reliant and resourceful member of the society.

I have been actively involved in education at the university level as a lecturer for over forty years. Frequently asked questions are ‘What is a university? Who is a lecturer? Who is a student?” Of course, I am squarely in position to answer those questions. Standard dictionaries define a university as an of the highest order, being a corporate body of teachers and students and providing facilities for teaching and researchers as well as offering undergraduate and graduate programs and bestowed degrees. A student is defined as a person who studies or investigates; and lecturer or academic staff is described as being related to branches of learning or the learned professions. Bok noted the important role of 11 the university: “Advanced training, specialized knowledge and scientific discovery are now essential to solving many urgent problems facing our civilization – problems of disease and health, of the environment, of economic progress, of human survival... Universities are better equipped than any other institution to produce the knowledge needed to arrive at effective solutions and to prepare highly educated people to carry them out...”

The universities established in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa after the Second World War were designed to produce graduates who would supply what were sometimes described as ‘the high-level manpower needs of new nations as they joined the community of independent sovereign states’. In Anglophone countries Oxbridge patterns were influential and the University of London was the degree- awarding institution for the newly-established ‘University Colleges’. Such high standards were insisted on that University College at Ibadan became known as ‘a failing factory’ whose rejects and ejects often succeeded in ‘winning the golden fleece’ of a degree from a university in the ‘mother country’ 2.

The scenario depicted above , describes precisely the state of university education in the first-generation universities before the introduction of the Course Unit System in the Nigerian university system. Admission was highly selective and limited. For example, there were only 3,761 students in all the five universities in Nigeria during the 1962/63 academic session. 3 Course offerings were also restricted. For many years after its establishment, the University of Ibadan did not

2 Gender in the Making of the Nigerian University System. Charmaine Pereira, James Carrey, Oxford and Heinemann Educational Books (Plc), Ibadan, 2007. Pp.203. ISBN 978-0-85255-172-1

3Babs A. Fafunwa. 1974. A History of Nigerian Higher Education 1827-1969. Macmillan, Ibadan. p. 300 12 introduce courses in Engineering, Law and Management Sciences. The university prided itself on classical courses like Latin, Philosophy and Theology.

In 1948 the University College Ibadan was established as a campus of the University of London. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the first indigenous university in Nigeria was established in 1960, the year of Nigerian Independence. In quick succession, in 1962, two other universities were established - the University of Ife, Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) established by the Western Region government and the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria was established by the Northern Region government.

Following a report by the UNESCO Advisory Committee, the University of Lagos was established in 1962. The same year the University of Ibadan became a full- fledged university. Therefore, the two universities were the first federal universities in Nigeria while the three others were regional universities. These five universities are referred to as first generation universities.

Commencing from the establishment in 1970 of the University of Benin by the Mid-Western Region ; Nigeria has produced many generations of universities consisting of different state universities, the federal universities, the National Open University of Nigeria and the various private universities.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is of interest to note that the idea of private universities in Nigeria was conceived in the 1960’s. The idea fell through at the time as a result of government’s intolerance and rejection and the lack of adequate funds by the proponents. 4

4 Omomia O.A. et al., (2014), The history of private sector participation in university education in Nigeria (1989- 2012). Research on Humanities and Social Sciences 13

In1979 education was placed on the concurrent list in the nation’s constitution. By the provision of the constitution, individuals, private entrepreneurs and organization were empowered along with the state and federal governments to establish and fund such institution. Individuals later took steps to establish private universities, the first being Dr. Basil Nnnana Ukaegbu who established the Tandem University at Owerri in 1980. 5,6 The matter became a matter of judicial contest between the proprietor and the state government. This led the proprietor to seek legal redress, having lost his case at the Court of Appeal; he eventually got justice at the Supreme Court. It would appear Dr. Ukeagbu’s victory opened a floodgate for private individuals and organizations to take the initiative to establish private universities. All told, twenty-six private universities were established at that time, with most of them in the Southern part of the country. 7 Within a period of four years, 24 private universities were established without due regard to proper planning and implementation. The dream was short-lived. As soon as the military took over in December 1983, General Mohammed Buhari, the then head of state promulgated Decree Number 19 of June 1984, abolishing and prohibiting private universities. That spelt the doom of the 26 private universities which seized to function with military precision.

It is noteworthy that the visit of the visionary, Pastor Enoch Adeboye to the Timi of Ede was about that time. No wonder his request to the Royal Highness for a land

5 Adeogun, A.A. et al., (2009). Deregulation of University Education in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects. Florida Journal of Educational Administration and Policy. Winter 2009, vol. 3 Issue I

6 Gabriel, A. O. I. and German, I.O. (2006) Revitalizing University Education in Nigeria: The Private Sector Perspective (1999-2005), African Journal of Historical Science in Education, pp.55-64

7 Osagie, A.U. (2009). Private Universities: Born out of crises in Nigeria in Osagie A.U. (ed .) Changes and Choice: The Development of Private universities in Nigeria. Benin City; Rawrtune Resources, Pp. 1-8. 14 to establish a university that has culminated in the founding of the Redeemer’s University, Ede.

The vexed issue of private sector participation in higher education came alive again in 1991 , with the inauguration of the Commission on the Review of Higher Education by the then Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida. Based on the recommendation by the Gray Longe Commission, the former decree on private universities was repealed. The federal government did not only repeal the private universities (Abolition and Prohibition) Decree of 1984 but also outlined the criteria to be satisfied by prospective proprietors of such universities in the country. The act stipulated the conditions that must be met to enable the National Universities Commission (NUC) assess the adequacy or otherwise of the applications and processes before approval and licensing.

This meant that private individuals and organizations were again allowed to run private universities provided they met the guidelines and obtained government’s approval. 8 The National Universities Commission, in May 1993 established the “Standing Committee on the establishment of Private Universities (SCOPU). They are to thoroughly evaluate the process of establishing private universities. 9 With the coast now clear, there arose an upsurge of private universities in Nigeria. Among the first set of private universities that were screened in 1999, three were

8 Okojie, J.A. (2008). Licensing, Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Nigerian Universities: Achievement and Challenges. Paper presented at a session of the 2008 Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Summer Workshop.

9Okojie, J. A. (200) loc. cita 15 approved and licensed. These are: Igbinedion University, Okada, Babcock University, Ilisan Remo and Madonna University, Okija 10 .

There arose a tremendous increase in the number of private universities in Nigeria after this time, bringing the present number of private universities to seventy (70). 11 Apart from private universities, there are, as at March 2017, forty (40) federal and forty-four (44) state universities, making a total of 154 universities in the country.

In line with my belief in mass education, I believe there is every merit in the ever- increasing number of private universities in Nigeria, creating more choices for the teeming university degree seekers. In the same vein it does not take any effort for those of us that have been in the system for decades to appreciate that the development has brought in its trail, a considerable measure of stability to the educational sector. The bright student does not have to stay extra years for his or her degree programmes as a result of incessant strike actions by campus unions that have characterized under-funded government owned universities. This is definitely an eloquent testimony to the discipline of its staff and students, the serenity of the environment and the unperturbed focus on the university’s vision and mission.

Furthermore, the rationale behind the establishment and rapid growth of private universities includes the need to overcome the problem of access to university education as the population of applicants continues to outstrip admission vacancies

10 Omuta, G.E.D. (2010). The Place of Private Participation in Higher Education: A Periscope on Private Universities in Nigeria. CPED Monograph. Onokehoraye, Benin City.

11 Ministry of Education (Nigeria). Retrieved 2010-03-17. 16 and the carrying capacity of the public universities. Studies have shown that about 1.5 million candidates participate in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Examination (JME) annually, and less than 25 percent of this actually gains admission into the universities. It is obvious that the available public universities cannot absorb them. With the advent of private universities, this problem is gradually being checked, as some of the eligible candidates are now been absorbed by the private universities.

Another factor is limitation on funding on the part of the federal and state governments. This makes the repair and expansion of public universities impossible, not to speak of the establishment of new ones. The result is the decay of infrastructure and learning facilities – libraries, laboratories and teaching aids – thus locking many public universities to analog teaching and learning, in an increasingly digital age. The aspect of adequate funding has put some of the private universities at a vantage position. They are thus able to provide adequate facilities for learning and development.

The establishment of private universities is further warranted by calendar instability in the public universities due to union strikes, student activism, cultic activities and other campus vices. The lecturers in public universities under the auspices of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) could also be blamed for the bastardization in that system. Members of the union, in their efforts to register their grievances against inadequate funding from the government take some actions that are inimical to the progress and development of their poor students. In recent times , there had been cases of strike actions warranting the closure of Nigerian universities for as long as nine months. 17

On the seemingly unending and periodic ASUU-Government embroilment, I am reminded of the Yoruba saying, “ Onile ni s’owo, alejo di s’eru.” (Both the landlord and the tenant are culpable.) I am not aware of any time in our history that the government of this country had ever thought it fit to address the of workers without the latter slugging it out with government. On the side of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the entire labour force in Nigeria and elsewhere, what comes across to me is this anonymous quotation which I found in my journal:

No condition in the society will change unless it is confronted through applied pressure and organized righteousness. Resistance is the greatest agent of change; therefore, change agents must learn how to apply pressure and coercion by creating pressure groups, keeping in mind that every action generates equal and opposite reaction which can either be positive or negative. Positive reactions include blessings, network, profit, etc. Negative reactions include opposition, persecution, and spiritual warfare.

The very unfortunate implication of the incessant boycott of lectures by campus unions is the untold damage it has on students and their parents, both of whom are always kept in suspense, hoping against hope, not knowing when the strike would be called off. More often than not, by the time the universities resume work after so many weeks or months, the affected students are at a loss of what they learnt before the commencement of the strike.

This is further complicated by indiscipline in the public universities, manifested in various ways. Many lecturers do not teach or teach well and fail to grade assignments and examination scripts. Some are not available to supervise students’ projects and often demand financial or sexual gratification for the services they are 18 paid to provide. Students are not exempted from this wave of indiscipline. The vices range from : indecent dressing, rape and sexual harassment s, to cultism, the consumption of hard drugs and wanton destruction of university property.

I also observe that the establishment of private universities is in line with the government’s drive for private sector participation, evident in the rise of various projects involving Public Private Partnerships. Besides, the establishment of private universities in Nigeria comes as a late acknowledgement of accepted practices in advanced countries where, in some cases, private universities preceded the emergence of public ones.

Fortunately, the NUC has come up with innovative programmes in the bid to make private universities globally competitive. These include: resource verification by the NUC to ensure the availability of human and material resources for new programmes; the mounting of curriculum development and review exercises to meet national needs and global competitiveness; and the organization of workshops on the deployment of information and communication technology in teaching and learning practices.

Realizing that the future of higher education in Nigeria belongs to the private universities, the NUC has adopted a facilitating model, rather than mere control, in its posture to the private universities. Thus, “rather than stop the establishment of a programme or a proposed programme, because of the absence of Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards, it works with the university concerned to develop the BMAS”.

Indeed, the NUC has gone all out to encourage private universities to further distinguish themselves from the public universities by developing innovative 19 programmes that existing facilities in the public universities could not support. The NUC may have adopted this policy in realization of the modest gains that private universities in the country have made, including the continued stabilization of their academic calendars and the training of high performing graduates.

While it is undisputable that private universities in Nigeria have been able to overcome the traditional challenges facing public universities, they are not immune to other challenges. First and foremost, private universities suffer from low student enrolment, with many of their programmes being grossly under-populated. While small class sizes may be advantageous in terms of teacher-student ratios, the problem of generating enough funds from tuition continues to affect their hiring capacity.

Like public universities, private universities are also faced with staffing difficulties, especially with regard to qualified academic staff. As a result, they have fewer permanent academic staff than required, relying, instead, on part-time and moonlighting staff. This practice could have negative effects on programmes and curricular instability.

Beyond the initial impetus of their establishment, some private universities are also facing funding gaps due to low Internally Generated Revenue and the deployment of the proprietor’s resources to the provision of basic infrastructure that the government should have provided. There are also governance problems, with many proprietors intervening in university governance, partly to protect their investment and partly to take control of university discipline.

The fact remains that private universities constitute a special group of higher institutions in Nigeria as they have come in different shapes and sizes with 20 distinguishing characteristics and practices depending on whether they are established by individuals or religious groups. The governance structure is rather complex largely subject to the whims and caprices of the proprietors, some of whom interfere considerably with the running of the universities. It is a case of he who plays the piper dictates the tune. For example, while the tenure of Vice- Chancellors in the federal and state universities is a term of five years only, some private universities still operate the old system of two-term tenure of either four years each or a first term of four years and a second term of three years. There is a significant difference in job satisfaction in private universities on such staff welfare schemes like competitive salary packages, satisfactory working environment, promotion, fringe benefits, and contingent rewards. There is no doubt that employees are motivated by fringe benefits such as health insurance, retirement benefits, pension plan, and life insurance.

Central to the realization of university goals and objectives are the academic staff whose role is crucial and their number, quality and effectiveness make the difference in university education production function and the wider society. Unfortunately, my discovery is that some private universities do not employ qualified academic staff, not to talk about training while on the job. In some private universities the numbers of academic staff are insufficient. Much to my chagrin I have observed in recent times that some graduates of private universities did not have the privilege of being taught by a professor throughout their undergraduate study. The most valuable asset available to an organization is its people, thus retaining staff in their jobs is essential for any organization. Indeed there has been a paradigm shift from human resource to human capital, which consists of knowledge, skills and abilities of the people employed in organization which is 21 indicative of their value. When employees leave their jobs, it is often a sign that something is going wrong. The costs of academic staff turnover, such as subsequent recruiting expenses, disruptions of course offerings, discontinuities in departmental and student planning, and loss of student graduate advisers are borne at individual, departmental and institutional levels and impact negatively on the image of the institution. Furthermore, academic staff turnover has several disadvantages such as costs related to reduce organizational loyalty, the loss of knowledge and experience regarding the institution, and the increase in time and cost in training novice academics. It is against this backdrop that the practice by some private universities which recruit academic staff temporarily for purposes of NUC accreditation only to remove them after the exercise should be discouraged.

It is not uncommon to find proprietors who double as Visitors to the universities having their offices near those of the Vice-Chancellors and run the universities on daily basis. They hire and fire indiscriminately without reference to the Appointments and Promotions Committees of the universities. On the other hand, some allow the Principal Officers of the universities to run the system without let or hindrance. The Visitor to the Redeemer’s University, Pastor Adeboye belongs to the latter category, making RUN a paradigm of 21 st Century University.

Discipline and morality constitute a necessity of social life. Discipline is a way of ensuring conformity to rules and regulations in relation to obedience to set standards by the authority. Far from being a curb on personal freedom, discipline is indeed a necessary means for the preservation of social life as well as for the development of genuine freedom. In most cases, the purpose of discipline is to instruct and correct rather than to punish. Cognizant of the devastating effects of indiscipline in public universities the proprietors of private universities have plugged as much as possible most of those dangerous loopholes that create 22 instability in the federal and state universities where indiscipline and lack of adequate inspection and close monitoring on the campuses by relevant authorities have caused some students to engage in cultism, drug addiction, gang rape, and other criminalities. The situation becomes worrisome whenever there are strikes, when some idle students engage in prostitution, robbery and kidnapping to earn a living and to occupy their times.

Thus , private universities have zero tolerance for such condemnable actions mindlessly orchestrated by staff and students. To begin with, the system does not recognize campus unions, which as we have seen gives rise to unwarranted disruptions to academic activities in public universities. Experience has shown that once the university management pays attention to staff welfare such as regular payment of salaries, health facilities, enabling environment for teaching and research, access to loans and so on, strike actions are completely uncalled for. The funny aspect is the contagious nature of strikes in public universities. That is the issue of solidarity actions. In other words even if a university is operating without a hitch, once a sister university union elsewhere in the country is at it, the strike becomes infectious.

As to the rules and regulations guiding student’s movement in and out of campus, dress code, attendance at lectures and church services, and leadership courses, it must be appreciated that those factors make for the much-needed stability in private universities. Whatever may be the negative effects it must be emphasized that the positive effects are overwhelming. Indeed, discipline is one of the strongest pillars sustaining the private university system.

It takes an insider to understand that in the private universities each student has the right and ability to make decisions about their conduct, and the responsibility to 23 accept the consequences of their decisions. However, in the event of misconduct, the university has the authority to take disciplinary action. Every member of the university community has a responsibility to report misconduct.

The private university system is effectively a community of scholars dedicated to research, academic excellence, the pursuit and cultivation of new knowledge, and the robust intellectual exchange among faculty and students. In support of this mission, every member of the university - student, faculty, other academic appointees, and staff - makes a commitment to strive for personal and academic integrity; to treat others with dignity and respect; to honour the rights and property of others; to take responsibility for individual and group behaviour; and to act as a responsible citizens in a free academic community and in the larger society.

The major aim of establishing tertiary institutions is to build high-level manpower for national development. It is a place where people acquire the needed tools; social, mental and intellectual skills, which will be required by the beneficiary to become self-reliant and resourceful member of the society.

Any conduct, on or off campus, of individuals or groups that threatens or violates this commitment may become a matter for action within the University's system of student discipline.

The University believes that students must take responsibility for their own conduct. Under some circumstances, students also must take responsibility for the conduct of a group, or individual members of the group of which they are part. The group may be informal, such as a study group, or formal, such as a student organization. 24

Groups are often bound by shared interests, values, and a mutual trust. Trust is also a critical underpinning of our community—trust between and among peers as well as trust between and among individuals of different rank or status.

Every student bears responsibility for their misconduct, regardless of whether the misconduct takes place in a group setting or as a member or a group. However, individual misconduct may also be, at least in part, the responsibility of other members of the group and the group leadership. Misconduct by individual members of a group thus may become a matter for disciplinary action against the individual, the group, and the group leadership. The goal of the student disciplinary systems is to ensure a fair and orderly proceeding on questions of possible student misconduct.

I once came across the following statement in a national newspaper:

Like regimented garrisons where all forms of feudal measures are taken, the universities do not treat their students as adult and matured persons but like boarding schools’ boys and girls. For instance, one of these universities is reported to have strict wake-up time and bedtime light-out to be observed by the students. In another instance, a university is reported to conduct virginity tests on students upon resumption.

Let us for a moment forget about the inherent exaggeration and hyperboles in the statement, in a way , the author is only emphasizing the need for discipline which makes private universities tick. The public universities are continuing to degenerate in the perpetration of atrocities that we are witnessing today because of the laisser-faire attitude of public universities. University students are treated as adults when actually they are adolescents. Some enter the university at the age of fourteen or fifteen. These are the students people think should be “ let loose ” to 25 enjoy the so-called freedom in the university . They should be allowed to leave the campus without exea t even with all the existing security challenges in the public space. There is also the very important issue that private universities are fees paying. Parents invest at least half a million naira on a child per annum. How then can management and lecturers who are in loco parentis close their eyes and block their ears at the idiosyncrasies and misdemeanour of students entrusted in their care. Of course, it is commonly said that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, private universities should be commended for taking proactive measures to make for seamless operation of the system.

Those days there were two necessary and sufficient conditions to be admitted to the University of Ibadan – sound academic qualification and attainment of the minimum age of seventeen years. I recall the case of a bright student from the Government College, Ibadan who was admitted to the medical school of the university in the mid-sixties of the last century. Unfortunately, he was only 16 years old. The then principal of the college wrote to draw the attention of the Registrar to the issue of age. The university reacted by asking the student to leave the university and return as soon as he clocked 17 years while retaining his admission. This is a case of maturity par excellence – a phenomenon that no longer obtains even at the premier university .

It may not be known to the general public that discipline in private universities is not limited to students. Members of staff, academic and non-teaching, are disciplined. Otherwise it would be impossible to discipline students if the lecturer himself or herself is not disciplined. For example, at the Redeemer’s University, lecturers and students are expected to dress corporately. How then can a lecturer who is not well dressed , correct a student who is shabbily dressed. Students are expelled if they engage in fighting each other ; regardless of who is right or wrong. 26

The golden rule is ‘don’t fight’. Ditto members of staff who fight each other are shown the way out of the system.

The fact remains that when it becomes necessary to discipline an employee, two principles apply:

• first, the employee must be clearly informed by the supervisor as to the source of dissatisfaction; • second, except in limited circumstances, the employee should be given the opportunity to correct the problem.

In most cases, the purpose of discipline is to instruct and correct rather than to punish. It is your responsibility as a supervisor to explain to the employee those areas in which he or she is expected to improve, to make suggestions about how to improve, and to allow time for the employee to make improvements.

It is usually only in instances such as theft, physical violence or other serious misconduct that immediate termination may be the proper action.

Notwithstanding the invaluable roles of private universities in Nigeria, the social media, both print and electronic have been agog with the accusation of profiteering. The public outcry is that private universities are set up as profit- making ventures. Writing in the Premium Times of July 16, 2017, Tope Fasua described the continued establishment of private universities as “the rush for lucre”. The truth is that most private universities were licensed as “not-for-profit” institutions. The proprietors are motivated by service rather than profit. However in order to guarantee their sustainability, the criteria for granting their licenses to operation includes a “security deposit” of 200 million naira. The security deposit is 27 collateral of sorts, to guarantee that in the event of financial challenges, private universities will not suddenly go under. The traditional sources of funding private universities are: subventions from proprietors, internally generated revenue (IGR) and external linkages. The fact remains that universities, public and private, can hardly be run as businesses. How, for example, do we fund research with a profit mentality? In reality, most private universities depend overwhelmingly on tuition fees and other charges for their funding. While funds from proprietors are considered to be very critical by the National Universities Commission, these sources have in most cases proved to be grossly inadequate to run private universities, if they are to justify and confirm general expectations. Consequently, private universities have resorted to fees and sundry charges as the major sources of their funding. In the case of private faith-based universities such as the Redeemer’s University, Covenant University and Babcock University people, including members of the church denominations which established the universities, complain that they are unable to afford the payment of the high fees paid in the universities. I admit that the proprietors and managements of those universities could evolve some means (scholarships, bursary, etc.) of assisting the children and wards of their congregation to benefit from the quality education in the universities. However, having worked and functioned at the management level in a private faith-based university for the last eleven years, I can say categorically that private universities are, indeed, non-profit institutions. I say this with confidence given the fact that during the period I have had the privilege of serving at different levels of management ranging from headship of department, Dean of College, to the membership of Senate and the Governing Council of the university. In all those years , the highest percentage constituted by tuition fees has always hovered around thirty per cent. But for the deliberate and concerted effort made by the proprietor 28 and some other stakeholders the university would have been unable to survive. It is of interest to know that members of staff, academic and non-teaching alike had been benevolent enough to make financial contribution to assist indigent students. Some members of staff donate on monthly basis sums of money as much as ten thousand naira. In effect, the amount of money accruing to the university through tuition fees is a far cry from what is needed to run the system. Therefore, to talk of profit is a manifestation of extreme ignorance. I have deliberately used the word ignorance because not many members of the public know that the private universities do not receive a dime from the Federal Government. I was shocked to read in the Nigerian Tribune sometimes in October 2011 a story by Yushau A. Shaib stating as follows:

The private universities should remain private for the very rich who could afford them but without government’s financial interventions, since they are established for maximization of profit on investment. They could utilize other avenues of revenue generation through charity organizations as well as private entities that are willing to provide endowments and sponsorships as parts of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes.

All such funds like the Education Trust Fund (ETF), Petroleum Development Fund are deliberately denied to the private universities apparently for political reasons. Let me cite an example, the Education Trust Fund (ETF), which was established under Education Tax Act No. 7 of 1993 and amended by Act No. 40 of 1998 with the objective of using funds that accrue to it to improve the quality of education in Nigeria. Companies are mandated by law to pay two percent of their profit before tax to ETF. 50% of ETF is earmarked for capital projects, research and the library. The body has been managing the fund for development projects only in universities established by state and federal governments. 29

There is every justification for the inclusion of private universities among the beneficiaries of the ETF and other subsidies provided by the Federal Government for the public universities. Afterwards , the universities produce students for the same labour markets as their counterparts from public universities. Moreover, many of the parents of children who attend private universities also contribute to Education Trust Fund. The students are children and wards of Nigerians for whom the ETF is a common resource. The bitter truth is that so long as privately universities owned, financed and managed by either individuals or organizations do not benefit from government funds tuition fees will remain high.

The Achilles heel of Nigerian system is without doubt the incessant conflicts on campus, conflicts that continues to growing in number, kind, and complexity; with each context more challenging than the preceding one. The range of conflicts and the forums available for their management are much more far-reaching than ever before.

It has been shown that there are basically four forms of conflict – intrapersonal, interpersonal, intergroup or intra-group. 12 Conflicts become interpersonal or inter-group when they take the form of open actions such as hostile reactions, strike actions, etc. against another person or groups but until the hostile feelings are acted upon, it remains at the level of intrapersonal problem only. In an organization, a person’s role can be in conflict with another person’s, individuals or groups emanating from the responsibilities entrusted to them in an organization. Roles conflicts arise as a result of role ambiguity where people are not clear about what they expect of each other or of

12 Olutade, A. (2005). Journal of Educational and Social Research, MCSER Publishing, Rome-Italy, vol.3 No.8.Octobe 2013. ISSN 2239-978X 30 one another, where roles are not properly spelt out and individuals’ or groups’ responsibilities are not clearly stated, workers may not be able to build up expectations of one another because of role ambiguity.

In the university system, potentials for conflicts are multifarious. These include continuous competition for scarce resources: Research, teaching, student amenities, staff salaries and other welfare services - all have their claims on the limited resources at the disposal of the university. Hence, there is deprivation (relative or absolute) of the needs of all the groups within the system. The consequences of inadequate provision of financial resources to the university system are the decay of structures and the decline in services and functions. Obviously, there is direct connection between deprivation which leads to frustration, and aggression. The conflicts which result from the frustrated are often directed against the defined aggressors or perpetrators of the undesirable state of affairs. Gross mismanagement of available resources could also result in conflicts. These conflicts could take the form of strikes, demonstration, boycott of lectures and violent riots. Records show that the first open agitation for better conditions of service in the Nigerian university system occurred in Ibadan in 1951 13 . The agitation arose as a result of indiscriminate working conditions whereby expatriate staff was paid far higher than their Nigerian counterparts, whose number had by then become quite substantial in the university. The protest led to a revision of the salaries paid to Africans. Eventually, the conditions of service of the African staff were improved, thus bringing to an end the differences between their remuneration and those of their European counter-parts.

13 Philip H. Combs, 1989. La crise mondiale de l'éducation. Editions Universitaires, Bruxelles p.3 31

Another nationwide strike in 1964 facilitated the implementation of improved working conditions for teachers. In 1967 and later in 1970, the Association of University Teachers of the University of Lagos proposed a new remuneration scale which was agreed upon, almost in its entirety, by the University Council. The university administration reneged on the agreement , when it could not obtain financial backing from government for the implementation of the new salary scale.

Matters again came to a head in 1973 when the Association of University Teachers (AUT) presented to the Gowon administration a number of demands aimed at improving the working conditions of its members and revitalizing the university system. Considering the fact that university salaries had not been revised upwards since 1959, lecturers had become so uncompetitive that the University of Lagos, for example, could attract even the best of its own graduates to accept sponsorship for postgraduate training in order to take up academic appointments, because immediately upon graduation, they were able to obtain elsewhere, much better salaries 14 .

However, in a swift reaction to the move by the university lecturers, the Yakubu Gowon administration asked all university staff to vacate university houses unless they were prepared to apologize to the Government and withdraw their threat of strike action. The lecturers had to give up and resume work immediately. Unfortunately, the effect of Gowon's high-handedness is still being felt today, as many senior academics, realizing their vulnerability and in a bid to avoid such humiliation in the future, resigned and sought greener pastures.

14 Babs A. Fafunwa. 1974. A History of Nigerian Higher Education 1827-1969. Macmillan, Ibadan. p.300. 32

Hitherto, lecturers enjoyed the comfort and luxury of fully-furnished and exquisite staff quarters. So comfortable were they that they became oblivious of the need to have personal properties outside the ivory tower. The Gowon’s order was too bitter a pill for the dons to swallow. Although as a result of the humiliation, the lecturers buckled under pressure and capitulated, it would appear that, that singular order marked the end of total dedication to their work by university lecturers ; who prior to that incident were married to their work. I remember one of my lecturers at the University of Ibadan. He was born and raised in Ibadan. He had his primary education in the University Staff School, attended the Government College, Ibadan, and graduated from the University of Ibadan. He only knew his parents were from the east; he had never visited the town. The only town he knew very well was Ibadan, not even Lagos. He was a dedicated lecturer. He used his own money to prepare handouts which he distributed to us without charge. To avoid a repeat of ‘Gowon’s embarrassment” University of Ibadan lecturers started purchasing land at Agbowo village in front of the university gate and elsewhere in the city and even in their towns and villages; places they rarely visited before then.

All told, there is a lot to write home about developments in education at all levels of education in Nigeria. Modern trends in teaching encompass a wide range of multimedia techniques. Role-playing, case studies, projects, presentations and several other tools are used to make the education process interactive and productive. Teachers and instructors are increasingly assuming a role that is changing from that of an authority in knowledge to a facilitator , for students who promotes seminar-like environment in the classroom. New educational trends have had various positive effects on the degree. Now students can learn a lot more conveniently and can retain information for a longer time. Various learning activities not only help students to acquire knowledge but enhance their skills as 33 well. New developments have also made education more accessible and cost effective for students.

I am particularly enamoured of the career-oriented approach , whereby educational institutes prepare their students for the job market. Until quite recently, the main role of public universities was to train members of small elite to become civil servants. As a matter of fact, many private institutions, still saddled with that legacy, struggle to produce graduates who will fit into today’s labour market. In contrast, private institutions of higher education offer practical, job-oriented programs, designed to facilitate the student’s entry into the labour market upon graduation. Many of the four-year undergraduate programs being offered at the universities include business administration, commercial design, hotel management and tourism and secretarial studies. In fact, I observed recently, that most students prefer universities that offer some specific programmes like law, medicine, computer science and accounting.

There is no doubt that in the current climate of market-oriented globalization, private institutions of higher education that enhance the employability of their graduates will attract students, despite the higher tuition. As the unemployment rate among traditional arts and sciences graduates continues to climb, private universities that promise jobs will become increasingly popular.

The Federal Government had introduced the Students’ Industrial Work Experience (SIWES) for students of engineering and pure sciences like Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology. Over the years it has been observed that after the exposure to the real-live situation in the industry where students are more or less synthesized with the environment of the chosen fields, they return to the university more 34 confident and passionate about their particular courses, having seen the applications of the theoretical studies in the classroom.

There are business schools for people who want to make it big in the corporate world and fine arts colleges for people who want to explore new dimensions through the medium of art. A lot of emphasis is placed to prepare the curriculum according to the demands and practices of the selected field, and students are guided according to a well-defined career pathway . I have read about a course titled “Social Impact of Business”, which is designed to provide students with strong understanding of the ethical, social as well as the technological trends that are affecting the operations of businesses.

There is the activity-based learning whereby students are encouraged to contribute to the learning process through participation in different activities. Be it a second grade classroom, where knowledge is discovered through a sport or fun quiz, or mock trials organized in law schools as part of the curriculum where students can get real life experience of court proceedings. Role-playing, case studies, projects, presentations and several other tools are used to make the education process interactive and productive. In higher level studies, the role of instructor is also changing from that of an authority in knowledge to a facilitator for students who promotes seminar-like environment in the classroom.

There has been a tremendous change in the mode of student assessment and evaluation. Many new trends are introduced for assessing the performance of students and evaluating their level of knowledge and skill attainment. From classroom assessment to grading system for exams, everything has become more transparent and error-free because of the use of technology. Computer-based assessment is encouraged in most parts of the world, which saves a lot of time and 35 effort. Students also appreciate new patterns of evaluation, as they guarantee them fool-proof results.

Of particular significance is the introduction of Computer Science and Technology with its welcome impact on the growing trend of online learning. For example, the World Wide Web has redefined the practices and procedures in almost every area of life; it has certainly brought revolutionary changes in the field of education. The success story of online education is a significant example as it is serving the people from various different backgrounds. Today , because of the online trends, education is more accessible to all. Sitting at home one can prepare for any degree course from any online institute. Many courses have emerged related to computer technology and other subjects changing the study approaches. Everyone from mid- career professionals to housewives can earn degrees and diplomas in their selected fields through online schools and colleges. Online education is preferred because of its extendibility and expediency. It allows learners to set their own study time and duration without compromising on their present commitments.

Online programs make use of some of the latest learning resources. These learning resources include video lectures, lecture discussion threads, online practice exercises, case studies, eBooks, and online exams. New technological trends not only make education convenient, but a lot more effective as well, as students can access online educational material at any time.

The integration of IT professional certifications and entrepreneurial skills into the curriculum of private universities has attracted parents who can afford the fees. These skills are now key requirements for job-seekers in both the public and private sectors of Nigeria's economy, but are not readily available in private universities. Even where they are available, the culture of 'free education' has 36 encouraged students to resist the introduction of these skills in public universities, as they are made available by companies in partnership with university authorities.

In private universities, however, students have willingly accepted being taught such skills because of the professional advantages. They are registered and taught for online international certification examinations in ORACLE, CISCO and MICROSOFT. This generation is IT knowledge-driven. Any graduate without IT training cannot get a good job. It is largely because of the need for an IT education that teachers in public universities are rushing to send their children to private universities. If these trends continue, employers might prefer to recruit graduates from private universities where hard work, discipline and academic rigour are inculcated into students.

It is noteworthy that traditional methods of teaching and learning still carry great importance; it is only their integration with new technology and strategies that have introduced many new trends in education. It is of interest to take note of the fact that current trends in education are constantly evolving, portending the emergence of more directions in the immediate future.

Now that private universities have come to stay in Nigeria I believe there is the need to define their own philosophies and long-term objectives within the framework of a developing society. Such a philosophy must include the application of knowledge for practical use within a given society, and the acceptance of diversity aimed at the promotion of mutual understanding, human rights and respect within and among nations. The education of young adults plays a vital role in the process of nation building. Private universities, in particular, will be crucial to this process, so governments must pass legislation that will facilitate the creation 37 of such institutions and should offer them whatever support they can provide within their means.

It is particularly heartwarming that there has been considerable improvement in the education of women in Nigeria in recent times. The situation , some decades ago was at best woeful. Those days, women’s participation in national educational systems was heavily biased to the socio-cultural and economic environments. Faced with debilitating economic challenges, poor families preferred to invest their limited resources in the education of boys rather than provide what is considered as 'prestigious' education for girls who would eventually marry and abandon their professions anyway. There was also a lack of genuine political will to ensure that girls were given equal access to education. It was largely assumed that educating women would make them too independent; in other words, they would not do what they are expected to do ; look after the house, bring up children, and cater to their husband's needs. It is noteworthy that girls are increasingly getting some limited education, and the focus of concern is gradually shifting to providing access to the same range of educational opportunities open to boys. The national policy climate today is more supportive of measures designed to expand the educational horizons of girls than it was thirty years ago. Women are no longer regarded as inferior to men and are now expected to aspire as high as men, especially in what are considered as 'male' fields (engineering, computing, architecture, medicine, etc.).

A study by the United States Embassy in Nigeria has shown that the average enrollment into Nigerian universities was 37.6% for women, compared to 62.4% for men, in the years 2008-2010 15 . Although the Embassy believes that the major

15 Economic Section, Nigeria Education Fact Sheet, United States Embassy in Nigeria, January, 2012 . 38 achievement of national policies on education in Nigeria is the unprecedented increase in enrolment since independence, it remarks that the achievement is at the same time accompanied by wide gender, regional, and socioeconomic inequalities. While one would agree there is room for improvement, the percentage quoted for women education is impressively significant. The study also demonstrates convincingly that since the 1980’s , Nigeria’s education policy has evolved towards a gender focus, highlighting as shown in the Table 1, some of the key policy initiatives embarked on by the Nigerian government to show policy commitment on education equality.

Table 1: Key Policy Initiatives with a Gender Focus in Nigeria

Policy Initiatives 1. Blueprint on Women's Education - 1986 2. Nomadic Education Programme - 1986 3. National Commission for Mass Literacy and Non-formal Education - 1991 4. Family Support Basic Education Programme - 1994 5. Universal Basic Education - 1999 6. National Policy on Women - 2001 7. - Fast track Initiative - 2002 8. Strategy for Acceleration of Girls' Education in Nigeria - 2003 9. National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) - 2004 10. Universal Basic Education Act - 2004 11. Gender in Nigeria Report - 2012

Akin to the findings by the Economic Section of the United States Embassy is the observation that in some of the private universities in Nigeria , women do not only 39 constitute a higher percentage of students’ population than men, they also perform much better academically than their male counterparts.

It is no gainsaying that at any time and in any context, women are critical actors in the education process. The roles of women in schools are often defined in terms of their ‘natural’ affinities with children and their innate love for teaching and nurturing, as well as their ability to do it. Studies in education have confirmed that a positive correlation exists between the enrolment of girls in primary schools and the gross national product and life expectancy 16 . Because of this correlation, enrolment in schools represents the largest component of societal investment into human capital. It has also been observed that the rapid socioeconomic development of a nation depends on the caliber of women and their education in that country.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased to let you know that I am leaving the Redeemer’s University with a wealth of knowledge I will always treasure. Working here has been a fantastic learning experience and I am thankful for the skills I've acquired. Being here with you all each day has made me a more complete and well-rounded person. I have learned how to take criticism, and compliments, to be open-minded, to value other people’s opinions and to consider other ideas along with mine, to end up with a great final result.

I've come to realize that being a part of a team is a lot more than just sharing credit. A team effort takes compromise. When you are on a team you have to at times lead, follow, and more often than not, meet in the middle.

16 Nussbaum, Martha (2003) Women's Education: A Global Challenge, Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 29, no. 2 Pp 325 – 355 40

In all honesty, if I could stay here forever, I would. But the Book of Ecclesiastes has taught me that to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven 17 . Therefore, for me, there was a time to start work at Ede and a time to stop.

My wish for everyone here is that you all continue to experience success, to feel fulfilled in all you do, and to have nothing but pleasant results with each completed project.

It's been a pleasure working here and I will truly miss it. I take with me fond memories, valuable skills, and I hope to one day leave an impression on others similar to the one you have left on me. I thank you very much for this farewell gathering.

With your permission, Mr. Chairman, I will now digress and indulge in some name-dropping and vicarious pride. My Masters’ Degree Dissertation was titled ‘The Pen, the Palm, and the Pulpit of Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye ”. Thus apart from my direct and indirect contacts with this man of God, I was able to have some insight to his spiritual life. The long and short of the story is that I have been humbled by his humility.

For four years, I have served on the Governing Council of the Redeemer’s University with Pastor Tokunbo Adesanya as Chairman. I have developed a deep sense of someone who is a very balanced person, someone who has great convictions about his responsibilities and deep concerns for others. I have personally benefited from his calm approach to issues and good listening ears. I appreciate the cordiality and camaraderie that pervaded the atmosphere at the

17 Eccl. 3:1 41

Council Chambers as well as the matured and selfless contributions by the committed and passionate members of Council.

I have worked with two Vice-Chancellors at the Redeemer’s University – Professors Wale Tomori and Debo Adeyewa. The former laid a solid foundation for the university while the latter has been preoccupied with erecting the superstructure. I pray that the Almighty God will reward your labour of love. I am grateful to you for the high regard you have for my person.

My interactions with other Principal Officers of the University have been particularly stimulating. I thank you for your unalloyed cooperation.

To all my colleagues, erudite scholars and members of Senate, I will miss your company and the usual controversies that’s the hallmark of scholarship. Senate meetings are where we agree to disagree and disagree only to agree, regardless of whose ox is gored. I am thanking you once again for the respect you all have for me and for elevating me to the status of emeritus professor earlier this year. Of course, I am mindful of the fact that the emeritus professorship has conferred on me a life-membership of the Redeemer’s University. So, if you find my sauntering to the meeting of Senate, I believe I’ll be welcome.

In all this, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an intimate friend, a sister, and, indeed, a wife who believes in me and a darling that I trust. In my life and in my ways she is ubiquitous; a virtuous woman who understands not only my words but also my silence. Like the virtuous Ruth, anywhere I go, she goes with me. I am very grateful to her for tolerating a husband who writes more at night than in the daytime. My children have been wonderful. Since I joined the Redeemer’s University, I have not bought any office apparel - shirt, tie, or suit, not even a belt. 42

Our children have ensured that I dress corporately all the time by purchasing all the beautiful dresses I don to work.

My fervent prayer is that the Redeemer’s University will continue to wax stronger in the pursuit of her lofty mission to continuously impact the society through commitment to excellence in education, research, - - - and raising global leaders as changing agents imbued with God-fearing attributes.

Finally, I thank the University for giving me the College of Law as a parting gift to quench my seemingly insatiable thirst for the expansion of our programmes.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you all for listening.