I wrote a few days ago, noting that the indigenization of key positions in federal universities in Nigeria is the new order. Yes, being a Yoruba man is not enough in UI; it has to be an Ibadan man. Being an Igbo man does not cut it in UNN, he must be an Nsukka man. And being an Hausa Fulani cannot qualify unless the man is from Zaria for ABU. Too bad that I am using “man” because yes, in nearly 99% of these races, our female professors are overly marginalized.
The University of Ibadan Vice Chancellorship race comes to Tekedia as one of the professors drops a comment, after Mutiu Iyanda has reviewed his top contenders. But looking at the players, you will weep for Nigeria: federal university VC selection is now a tribal matter. So, UI will certainly have a professor from Southwest to lead it. That may even be better as a few years ago, the Nsukka community insisted that UNN’s VC must come from the community. Why not…when best graduating students are refused the usual graduate teaching assistantship jobs purely based on their tribes. Nigeria used to be built on excellence and merit but now we are all local tribal elements. Give us two more decades, local vernacular would be the key test; Nsukka Igbo for UNN, Zaria Hausa for ABU and Ibadan Yoruba for UI.
Moving forward, the news right now is that Ibadan has gone Nsukka: “Indigenes of Ibadan in Oyo state have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint one of the four of them vying for the position of Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan. They also want an indigene appointed the next Chief Medical Director of the University Teaching Hospital, (UCH) Ibadan.” The Nsukka community played exactly the same playbook a few years ago.
Indigenes of Ibadan in Oyo state have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint one of the four of them vying for the position of Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan.
They also want an indigene appointed the next Chief Medical Director of the University Teaching Hospital, (UCH) Ibadan.
The indigenes under the auspices of Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) made the demands on Sunday at a press conference in Ibadan. They said they had been marginalised in past appointments to the position. CCII is the apex socio-cultural group in Ibadan.
A new vice chancellor is due to take office on December 1 when the tenure of the incumbent, Abel Olayinka, runs out.
Speaking for the CCII, its president, Adeyemi Soladoye, said it is time an Ibadan indigene also became the Chief Medical Director of UCH
Sure, there are many benefits which local communities should get from having federal properties in their domains. But making academic appointments based on indigenization is something Nigeria does not need now. Like I have noted, Nigerians are no more competing nationally these days. Rather, competition is localized which means it is harder to compete globally.
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Graduating top of your class does not give you the automatic graduate assistantship job if there is somebody from the favoured tribe coming second. So, magically, the dean and Head of Department (HOD) will pass their best student for somebody else purely due to tribe. Unfortunately, there is no leadership from Abuja as the politics of the tribe is reigning everywhere. But it does not need to be that way!
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“But making academic appointments based on indigenization is something Nigeria does not need now.” When you say ‘now’ it makes it look as though it would be needed in the future; there’s really no need at all.
The Ibadan indigenes appealed, which is not a crime or abomination anyway, people are allowed to ask for something, even when they know they can’t get it; let alone when there’s even a prospect of getting it…
The problem is Nigeria, because it never explained anything to the host communities of federal properties or institutions, so you continue to see this kind of thing across the land. If we made it clear from the beginning that the largest benefit you get is to have the property in your community, that all the top jobs may never come from the community, that would make things simpler; you can now choose whether to be a host or compete for top jobs in another community.
Again, how we constitute the council members matter, the original NYSC Scheme should have given us a great template there, where not even more than one council member should come from the zone hosting the institution. We rigged the process from the beginning, that’s why it’s difficult for a Nigerian to become a VC outside his/her region.
But this so untrue! None of the UNN VC’s in the past few years have been from Nsukka.
Please stop misleading people.
All I will say is that, leadership post should not be base on indigenization but should be base on quality to attain her goals globally not restrict to nationally. Since those universities are federal ones, VC”s should come from any state in as much as the mode of operandi is embedded in the contestant vying for the position, “because it will not be good you brought in a corrupt person into a good working system”
and because UNN as done so, should not be a repetition for all. I think president buhari should be base on who posses the quality of leadership in the election as a winner not indigent of the state as a winner. Thank you all.
The man used UNN as ex but, all nigerian universities, federal or state do the same. Y? It is how nigeria is now. For many year, yes, all other tribes ganged up against the location indigenes, so with time, they too with nos, now insist it must be them or nobody. It happened in Uniben, NIFOR where since 1930s when the Oba gave the land only Igbos have been DGs, the Binis are always posted out to other Agencies soon b4 the retirement of the serving DG who arranges to post in his Igbo assistant. What about the Anglican church that only makes yoruba bishops in Benin until the binis revolted and install their own by force and ultimately force Adetiloye the Archbishop to resign, what about Methodist church that has Benin, a state capital since 1963 under Ilesha, a LG hq from 1978, and so even in Benin, Methodist church leaders, songs msgs are laced with yoruba, no wonder the church has not grown in Bendel.
Have you gone to look for top position jobs in the private sector in Nigeria? Bring top class qualifications and experience from overseas it means nothing if you are not from the tribe of the main ppl running the interview or owners. This is the reality in Nigeria.
So fix that first.
“The man used UNN as ex but, all nigerian universities, federal or state do the same. ” Thank you Uwa. I was so surprised reading people writing if Nsukka people had produced VC at UNN as though that is relevant in my premise.
The writer is misleading people. The present VC UNN Professor Igwe is from Awka, Anambra state. His predecessor Professor Ozumba is from Abba, Anambra state. Before Professor Ozumba was Professor Bartho Okolo from Udi Enugu state. Before Professor Okolo was Professor Chinedu Nebo from Enugu state, though not Nssuka and he later became Minister of Power under President Jonathan.
In Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka the VC is from Imo state.
Please let the writer and publisher do basic search before publishing stuff.
Fix the problem, don’t add to it.Your observation are candid but ……
Fix the problem, don’t add to it.Your observation are candid but ……
You quoted Nsukka’s demand for an indigene to become VC, you did not tell us if their request was acceded to. I know for sure that the last VC before the current one is not from Enugu state, let alone being from Nsukka.
Has an Nsukka man ever been UNN lecturer. Say what you know
Is he talking of UNN lecturer or VC ? Learn to be rational and objective before you jump to conclusions and begin to abuse a writer of a well constructed article on the failure of our university.
We are going too far, the roll call of VCs at UI will reveal different tribes including Igbo. Has any non Igbo extraction ever been VC at UNN?If so, mention names I don’t think it is bad thought for Ibadan people to ask for preference if they have competent and qualifed candidates what is the benefit of Host Community?
4 persons have been pre-qualified.
The lobby has just began for each of them.
Cases will be made in support of why it should be this person or that person.
If the people of Ibadan choose to lend a voice in support one of their own, is any thing wrong with that? At least he’s been pre-qualified. Would it have made better sense if the CCII make case for another other than theirs?
If tribalism and nepotism have been the tide against which have not been able to swim since 1960,is it not wise to structure everything in tune with the tide? Maybe we should localise excellence and grow from there. This idea of picking the best man for the job will definitely never make Nigeria great as that may probably never happen! ‘But making academic appointments based on indigenization is something Nigeria does not need now’ maybe, but it’s our reality. So let a Yoruba man head Ibadan and an Igbo man head UNN. Fighting against that is shooting your area in the foot!
“So let a Yoruba man head Ibadan and an Igbo man head UNN.” – You did not read this piece well. Maybe it is my fault. We already know a Yoruba will run UI. Igbo man will run UNN. That is given by our “constitution” of way of living here. The issue is if only Ibadan man should lead UI and if only an Nsukka man should take care of UNN. Read it again. You are missing the point.