How do you view your appointment as the Pro-chancellor of the University of Abuja?
I was in the hospital in the United Kingdom when the announcement was made and when the information reached me that the Federal Government in its infinite wisdom appointed me as the Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Abuja. It was with mixed feelings that I received the information. I had thought after nursing the University of Benin and spending some of my time at Ambrose Ali University, that I have had a clean break with university administration. But I saw this as a serious challenge. A challenge that I have accepted and I am determined to make a success of, and make the University of Abuja a reference point. It is going to be the best in knowledge , the best in facilities and the best in environment.
There have been series of crisis at the University of Abuja, were you able to find out from the stakeholders especially the academic staff and students what these crisis are?
I presided over the first council meeting on the 25th of April 2013, and just about two hours on the seat, news came to me that the Academic Staff Union of the Universities [ASUU] of the university was going on a two weeks warning strike. I immediately suspended the council meeting and invited the ASUU executives for discussion. We spoke for about three hours at the end of which they maintained that the decision was not theirs but from the National Secretariat of ASUU and that what they wanted was for the federal government to release the white paper on the Presidential Visitation Panel set up by the President or government last year. I have not seen the white paper and I have not seen the report itself, but that notwithstanding I visited the National Universities Commission [NUC] they too said they had not got it but they promised to help.
A team of the council was to see the Minister of Education but unfortunately the minister had travelled so the paper was not available and they also promised to help. Efforts was made to reach the Secretary of the Government of the Federation , we were also told that the paper was not ready. They are still on strike but I believe that after the two weeks and after some time the paper will be ready for them. On the issue of the embattled Vice Chancellor , ASUU said I should have sacked the Vice Chancellor as soon as I entered the place , but there must be a reason for sacking the chief executive of an institution like the University of Abuja. We are waiting for the report, whatever government says in the white paper we will implement it to the letter, but until then and the situation arises we cannot do what the people want us to do in respect of the chief executive. So far we have been working with him, he has cooperated with the council and so we wait for the white paper.
Are you overwhelmed by the crisis in the university?
I must say that the enormity of the problems or challenges of Abuja university is quite high and that notwithstanding we are grateful to Mr. President for finding us worthy of this appointment and we not going to let him down.
You have been involved in university administration in the country for a long time now but no Nigerian university is among the top hundred universities in the world. What would you attribute to that and how can people like you do something about it?
There are many reasons why no Nigerian university is among the top hundred universities in the world and it is for that reason we are trying to implement some of the things at the University of Abuja so that it can take its rightful place among universities in the world. I must say that for a university to attract the attention of the world it must be found to have done sufficient research work and gathered knowledge that others will want to benefit from. The environment in Nigerian universities is not conducive enough and I think that there is need for the government of Nigeria to pay more attention to research work in the universities.
How can we improve on the standard of education generally in the country?
I think the experts on education should be able to tell us, but as an observer I noticed that our education from the primary level is not properly organized. The teachers are not properly trained and the students are not been looked after in the proper way and the parents are not also helping the teachers. So there is need for the parents and the teachers to meet to work out the modalities for an improved educational system and the federal government should take interest in it, although one cannot blame the federal government because it is states that are responsible for primary and secondary education among other things.
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