Dino Melaye: Nigerian Institutions of Higher Learning, A Monumental Shame, by Tobenna Obiano.

It hurts to write on a topic of this nature, it truly does. I feel saddened that I have this caption for higher institutions back home, but my principle has always been to speak truth to power, damn the consequences and shame the enemies!

I am a product of a Nigerian university. I am grateful to my Institution for the privilege to have passed through her and on my own side also, allowing the school to pass through me.

I am not writing this because I want to shame Nigerian tertiary institutions, which I am a product of, but because it is an established fact that one has to firstly, identify that there is a problem, pin-point those problems, it is the sanest and surest way to solving such problems. I am honestly bothered, I want the rot in our educational system to be solved and rescued from the grip of impending danger before it deals ruthlesslessly with us all.

Things has gotten so bad with our higher institutions that one of Nigeria's best and brightest, our nation's sole Nobel Laureate Prize winner, Prof. Wole Soyinka once suggested that all the Nigerian Universities should be shut down and serious attention be channeled towards it to raise the fallen standard. If an intellectual and literary giant in Soyinka's height said so, why would we not take it very seriously?

You know, most of the electronics been produced in China are actually handwork of student-trainees. Those small radios, wrist-watches, phone chargers, rechargeable lanterns, headphones, sandals et al are works from students world over. Today, Nigeria doesn't produce as little as "toothpick". We have no stone crushers, we see people in Abakaliki to Calabar expressway using hammers to crush stones in this 21st century.

You want to know how bad it is, even with our over-bloated farming, not too long ago, the Nigerian Government shamelessly planned to import grass from Brazil.

Anambra State that is clearly incapable of feeding herself claims to be exporting rice, ugu and lately also yam abroad. One wonders, so, Anambra now produces more yam than Zaki Ibiam in Benue State or more rice than Abakaliki in Ebonyi State or more ugu than Maiduguri in Bornu State. Soon they would claim to also have a more productive poultry than Obasanjo's Ota farm in Ogun or those in Ikom, Akwa Ibom State or that they can export dried-fish, a product from Omabala river or River Niger.

In Nigeria, aside the fall in our educational standard, our leadership circle is a worse case scenario, where our political class aren't helping matters, they lie stupendously without shame and pride in those litanies of lies. Some unsuspecting and hapless few believe their fallacious lies. It's really saddening.

During my studentship years, I won a few laurels for which I am truly grateful. I also tried my very best towards my personal development, as a unionist also, towards the progress of my fellow students and the good of my institution. I was privileged to be tutored by a class of smart, intelligent and disciplined academias. I had majorly very smart young men and women as university mates during my time, those said, I stand now to confront the seemingly unspeakable.

Every now and then, the self-acclaimed and often glorious elite universities majorly University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria et al, particularly their students and graduates in a vainglorious style pride in what they believe remains the best amongst equal. They celebrate their institutions as a match to what is obtainable world over. I have got news for you, "wake up from your day-dreaming and come to terms with the uncommon reality that Nigerian universities are a big shame globally".

Now, it is important to note that am writing basically about the institutions per say, while their products or graduates vary in their reach or accomplishments. Most graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions making waves globally had put-in extra efforts on their own, and not any miracle from their lectures or the environment of their training.

It is only in Nigeria that a lecturer would be lecturing well over 250 students at thesame time in an enclosed hall without good ventilation, no public address system and ofcourse most students standing and some not seeing to the projector or white board. Nigerian universities teach in one of the world's most dirty, unventilated, noisy, and incomprehensible atmospheres world over.

I have visited many Nigerian universities and my first point of contact whenever I visit any university is the administrative block then straight to the library. Nomatter how we wish to deceive ourselves, no Nigerian university has a well organized, well coordinated, very clean and always functional library. Libraries in good universities remains open round the clock, infact, students even sleep in various libraries in their quest to learn more.

Infact, 80% of our Nigerian universities have no internet facilities, and even the remaining 20% that would wish to claim to have one, has what is equal to nothing as assessibility is not only a big trouble, the fluctuation in the internet assess would force one to give up. I visited University of Ghana in Accra and later the University of West Indies in Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean. At those separate visits, their internet were individually super active, infact the later was free to air right from driving through the institution's main gate.

How many Nigerian universities have a functional and up to date website running? I mean, a website detailed with the institutions every information including location, courses they offer, students' life, the campus activities, their achievements, alumni et al. Which Nigerian institution of higher learning, University, Polytechnic, Colleges of Education, public or private alike, which one can boost of this? None, I should think.

I had once engaged an European friend of mine on how I aimed at attracting an organization to donate books and other reading materials to some of Nigeria's institutions, I was shocked when on Google search engine, most of those institutions of choice didn't have any serious presence online in this 21st century. I went ahead to check even the perceived best amongst equals and it was thesame sad ending. Till date, I am still struggling to convince my friend that the books can still be donated especially as it would go a long way in improving reading culture amongst Nigerians.

What does it cost to hook or mount an air conditioner, a ceiling fan, a wall fan or even a common standing fan in our lecture halls. A visit to lecture halls would clearly bear credence to the fact that our Nigerian institutions isn't fit for human tutelage, from the cologne or scent of those different choices of perfumes worn by students, to those who may have body odor or those who due to the usual harsh sunlight followed by sweat all over their faces and dripping down to their armpits, you can imagine what one would be perceiving.

Even the environment, how neat are the lecture halls? Most students eat and drink their coke in the hall and drop the plastic bottle on the floor, maybe because these schools can't afford to provide as common as dustbins. The way that paper and other writing materials liter all over the place is only but usual.

How many Nigerian universities have well equipped Science laboratories, yet every year we graduate scientists. How many institutions of higher learning in Nigeria have constant power supply even if it meant using power generating sets? Your guess is as good as mine. How many institutions have good security system? Those means a lot.

We are very conversant to the very bad and age-long rot in many of our tertiary institutions as regards students paying kick-backs or bribing their lecturers, which they code-named "sorting" to be awarded higher marks or passed a course or subject they fail. Some shameless maniac lecturers go as far as forcefully demanding for amorous relationships, yet even after engaging in the usually marathon sexcapades with their mostly female students, they fail these young girls. One of those lecturers was the other time lured by his student lover to her hostel, shamed by the student, and the clip went viral online.

Some of the universities do not have as common as white board, and a projector which has for long now been a medium of teaching worldover. Most students do not own a computer or have assess to computer rooms. The almighty UNN has a gigantic library with supposed digital facilities, but it's a joke of its own. I have read students from thesame institution complain of how they have to wait for long hours before it gets to their turns to write their exams which may be slated for 8.00am in the morning, while they might have to endure and wait until 7.00pm before writing.

In 2007, I had applied to write a Post-UME with Imo State University, Owerri. We had arrived quite early and had been cleared at the institution's main gate, when we got in, we were surprised to learn that there was no hall for us. I couldn't believe it. We later were allotted a hall at about 7.30pm and we had to write that very exam with the light reflection from our handsets with ofcourse, in a market-like posture where we were jam-packed almost nine to each sit role. This was an exam that was to hold by 8.00am and most students didn't make provision to stay back in Owerri after the examination, but because of the unpreparedness of the university, many got stranded and to make matters worse, it rained heavily that day. Anytime I remember that experience, I feel sad.

The rot is everywhere, have you heard of Federal Polytechnic Oko in Anambra State, a graduate of the institution that has gone for the compulsory one year of National Service shamed her school when she said on National TV, when asked where she was returning from, walking out from towards the bush one evening which was a crime, she responded, "I go shit ..."

I had once visited Kogi State University, Anymgba, where a student murdered the Queen's English. I had to ask her to stop when it was obvious that the so-called undergraduate can't make two sentences in good English language without committing blunders.

What of the University of Abuja, where I met a young girl under the pretense to showcase how good she is during lunch called cutleries we all know as fork, madam called it "faerk" or whatsoever that sound meant. I am yet to recover from her phonetics.

What of UNIZIK? Someone once joked that every female student of the institution as a "slay-Queen" runs a Makeover outfit, and also that anyone who lives around the axis popularly known as Temp-site and isn't into studentship-prostitution otherwise baptized "Runs-babes" is obviously living with either her strict parents or mean siblings.

Who is even free, most UNILAG students, mainly the young ladies dress so well, yet having less or absolutely nothing upstairs. They can speak all the English in the world, yet can't pen them down. Someone couldn't spell as little as "photosynthesis".

I think I saw worst in Ekiti State, how on earth can we pardon the fact that an undergraduate who is studying and passing her exams can't read what is clearly typed down on a test book. I mean, it's not a case of written down so that we get worried with the handwriting, but computer-typed boldly. I almost gave up.

I actually served in the University of Benin and not-minding the large expanse of land the institution sits on with other two campus attached to it, it has one of the most unhygienic eateries I have ever visited. As a Corp member, I complained about the environment several times to the food vendors, but no, what does this young corper know about making money.

Nearly all other Universities in the South South is a haven of student cultists torturing, looting and in extreme cases, during inter-cult wars, killing themselves.

University of Port Harcourt students can't seize amazing me, I met a young man who knows exactly the cost of all the wonder on wheels, and super cars, whichever one talked about, he calls the millions it's been sold, yet when I only jokingly asked him how many zeros that make two million, I was shocked to the marrows that he doesn't know. The ladies carry all the costliest phones on earth and are into all the social media known to man, yet they don't know as little as the founder of FaceBook. Give me a name? She mops at you like a Christmas fowl.

Anambra State University where I graduated from isn't any better, the student hostels like that of other institutions is not healthy for human habitation. Even some of the students, I mean the undergraduates don't even dress properly to school. Our cadaver room back then in my days was always very smelly, infact, many might have caught one ailment there unknowingly. Hygiene was a big problem and am not sure if it has improved.

I just don't want to discuss what we have up in the Northern part of Nigeria called institutions of higher learning. Theirs is a case nearly beyond redemption. This Dino-case is an eye-opener to what is obtainable in the North. Well, no one expects any less especially when an "Okafor" from Anambra would score 350 in an exam and would fail that very exam yet a "Musa" from one part of Yola scores only but "4" in thesame exam yet the later is passed. How then would one be surprised with the rot in their tertiary institutions.

Please, let me spare you the burden of the brazenly sad standard obtainable in our privately run institutions, they are like when Politicians pride of granting "free education" to schools under their watch, it may be truly free education, free of no tuition or less but also, mostly free of sound education and free of quality learning also. Our private universities are glorified secondary schools, case closed.

One can go on and on...

Nigeria isn't alone in this failing education standard. We hear of many of our so-called international students who are schooling abroad and paying tuition in dollars, yet when they return to Nigeria, with their bogus international degrees, they fail woefully even in our supposed local-standard exams. One gets worried how then that they gained their certificates. Ofcourse, some of those institutions abroad aren't even accredited.

In the foregoing, when next you are making a good, decent, detailed, informed or sound contribution and someone interrupts you to remind the world that he is an undergraduate or an alumni of the, as they prefer to always address it, "prestigious" university of, be it UNILAG, UNN, UI, ABU or such other past glories of self-appraisal universities, smartly ignore him or her or simply slap him or her in the mouth. I tell you so!

Sometime ago, there is this funny joke that made rounds, that a selected Nigerian Professors where to embark on a trip by air, they were to use an aeroplane produced by Nigerian Engineers here in Nigerian and the plane would be flown by a Nigerian trained pilot, before they could unhook the stairs to shut the door of the plane, a Professor who actually thought the Engineers that manufactured the plane, asked to be permitted to go down, he then walked round the plane after which he asked that he isn't very willing to continue with the trip. Obviously, he does not trust himself and our own.

Less I forget, how much is even the salary of a Nigerian Professor? How much is the salary of a Nigerian Medical Doctor? What range does a Nigerian trained Lawyer charge to defend a case and how much does Nigerian Engineers make from their works? I am somehow facing only the supposed professionals. Take your time and check how much their counterparts world-over makes as well. Now, how much does a Nigerian legislator make, take a Senator for instance. If a subtle comparison is made, you would weep for Nigeria.

Unapologetically, this is a classical representation of the failed state of our nation's education system in its truest form. It doesn't matter if you agree or not, atleast even if we lie to others, we obviously won't also lie to ourselves, that would be disastrous!

Don't mistake these many failures in our education system as the making of the young willing student populace, it's beyond them, the insincerity, careless attitude and nonchallancy of the political class is to be held wholly accountable. Those dirty, disorganized and often noisy places we call institutions are unfit for one to learn anything meaningful and yes, no one produces his or her best in those state of backwardness and recklessness.

Many, particularly amongst the high and mighty feel somewhat bad whenever I proudly profess my love for Mr. Peter Obi, the immediate past Governor of Anambra State. It is on record that Mr. Obi who is first in somany fronts remains the best known Nigerian politician who understands quite clearly the place of education in nation building. His dedication, focus and seriousness to educating the young, beginning from Anambra State stands him out, where he invested heavily in that all-important aspect of our development.

Obi, inorder to encourage competition and seriousness amongst students began gifting monies to first class graduates of Anambra indigene. Any Anambrarian that ever makes a first class in any discipline from any university in the world was gifted the sum of 1million naira by the Obi-led Government. This motivated many and the monies impacted on the lives of many as well. Even after he left office, he has continued to donate monies to improving the standard of education in Nigeria and lately also, even outside our shores. I often say that in Nigeria, in our political leadership, it is divided into two classes, Peter Obi on one side and the others.

As for Dino Malaye, a former student unionist, a serving Nigerian Senator and his educational qualification together with the ivy-league tower brouhaha, borrowing words from my friend and brother, Emmanuel Abagolu, hear it loud and clear, "if I were to attend even as short as a two weeks certificate program in Harvard, Oxford, Yale or any of those Ivy League towers, I tell you what, it would first feature with pride on my Resume before any other institution whatsoever that I graduated from. There is absolutely no match for comparison between those and what is obtainable back home, infact, ours is sadly, a shame and a disaster!"

Lastly, the dilapidation and backwardness goes beyond our universities, the entire education system is a sham and perhaps most shameful.

Let us not even dare go into other facets of our society, including infrastructural decay, monumental failure of leadership, maladministration, pride of corruption, tribal indifferences, various ranges of criminality, religious insensitivity, moral decadence and other such negatives. Nigeria needs true leadership, we have remained unlucky with our class of "misleaders"

Take it to the bank, Nigeria remains on the reverse gear with a rocket speed, while the world keeps matching forward with the speed of light.

This is an insider account. I said it, come and beat me, Nonsense!

Tobenna Obiano