Loyola Jesuit University: Championing Quest for Value-driven Institution 

In pursuit of the dreams of Fr Joe Schuyler and Fr Joe Landi, both deceased, to establish a moral-driven institution that sets an agenda for society, solves problems that make for significant change while adding values to Nigerians and West Africans, the Loyola Jesuit University is soliciting $7.3m to erect the faculty building in Ewato, Edo State. In this interview with Rebecca Ejifoma, a member of the Society of Jesus, Jesuits, Rev Fr Jude Odiaka calls on lovers of education, alumni of Schuyler and Landi, Nigerians and Africans to help this course sail through

Could you walk us through what birthed the idea of a Jesuit University in Nigeria?

The Society of Jesus, known as ‘Jesuits’, was founded in 1540 by St Ignatius of Loyola from Spain. He had several companions from different parts of Europe with whom he studied at the University of Paris. Upon their graduation, they decided that they would go to Jerusalem and offer themselves to the church to be used however the church wanted. But when that trip did not work, they decided to go to Rome and present themselves to the Pope to serve. Keep in mind; these were very educated people with master’s degrees and doctoral degrees graduating from perhaps, or arguably the best university in the world, the University of Paris. They decided to put themselves in the service of the church and humanity. 

The Society of Jesus was founded eventually. And the head of this group of people was St Ignatius of Loyola. The society of Jesus, the Jesuit, was ultimately known as educators. Again, drawing from their backgrounds, they were highly-priced. And they used what they had – their knowledge and their intellect – to begin to help others by establishing schools. That’s how the Jesuits became very famous as educators. 

Today, we are also very much into giving retreats, helping people to gain some spiritual revival or if they want some spiritual rejuvenation. We are into running secondary schools and universities in different parts of the world. So, the Society of Jesus was founded in Nigeria in 1962, Ghana, and Liberia.

Rome sent words to the New York province of the Society of Jesus, asking them to please send some Jesuits to Nigeria to begin a university. They were represented by three priests, all of whom were university professors – Joe Schuyler, who taught at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Joe Schuh, and Joe McKenna, who taught Biology at UNILAG.

When they arrived in the mid-50s, they were here when the war broke out in the 60s. As a result of the war, they returned to the US; they couldn’t quite accomplish the task. But thank God they returned after the war. After the war, they also returned with another priest and a professor – Joseph Landi, who taught the English language at the University of Nigeria NSUKKA. Joseph Schuyler continued teaching Sociology at UNILAG. The idea at that time was that to start a university; they needed to embed themselves in Nigeria’s university system to understudy and afterwards have whatever knowledge they would need to begin a university of the Jesuit in Nigeria. 

But again, things didn’t work out as they had planned. Over the years, we lost track of the original intention of the Jesuits. With time, at least in the last 15 years, we’ve been very vigorous about returning to that original dream. It was while expressing that desire that one of the parents of our secondary school students in Abuja, Loyola Jesuit College, said, “Look, I know you guys have been saying you don’t have money, you don’t have land. This is almost like a project that is beyond you. I am going to go to my village and talk to my king. And ask for land for this very university that you desire. We, the parents, desire that you build for this very country and the West African region”. He went to his Onogie in Ewato in Esan South East, Edo State. That’s how we got about 250 hectares of land for this university project. 

What is the status of the project and its timeline?

We have the master plan of the university. We have the architectural design. We have the academic brief. We have a business plan. We are good to go, except that we do not have the financial wherewithal to embark on the project. 

We have decided to start small in realising this dream. The establishment of a university is a huge capital project. And we decided to take one building at a time. We just completed a 10-bedroom building in Ewato and two major conference halls with solar-powered electricity and an industrial solar-powered borehole. All these cost us about $500,000.

The next thing we want to embark on is the faculty building of the university, which is going for $7.3 million. The faculty building is going to serve a multiplicity of purposes. It’s going to serve as a classroom and as an administrative building. It will have some halls for major conferences and all of those. It’s quite a big building, but of course, it’s understandable since it serves a multiplicity of purposes.

There are about 170 universities in Nigeria, what stands Loyola Jesuit University out?

The Jesuits are known to have an educational philosophy that, in many ways, has made a difference in various parts of the world. Today, for instance, you cannot talk about the history of the US without alluding to the educational contributions of the Jesuits. They brought an educational philosophy that is innovative and targeted at educating the entire human person. It is not meant to develop your intellect. No! It is intended to develop you intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and otherwise. It is meant to help you know your place in society, in the world, and with the values you have to engage in that very world you live in.

Jesuits’ education forms men and women of character, competence, conscience, commitment and compassion. These five elements are essential, especially in our context. It is not enough for you to say that you are intelligent. No human person can claim to have created themselves. Everything that we are is a gift from God.

Nigeria is the way it is today, not because God has not blessed us with enough resources. God has blessed us with so much, but corruption has stolen the gifts that God has endowed us with, although we have so many brilliant people. Jesuit education does not focus on just developing your intelligence. It teaches you how to be a man or woman of conscience. You cannot be a man or woman of conscience and be given $10 billion, for instance as retirement money meant for elderly men and women who have served this very country for years, and you siphon it into your private pocket. That is not a man or a woman of conscience.

Jesuit education prepares you for entry into the workforce. It does not prepare you to sit at home for the next five years or 10 years, or 15 years to get a job after graduation. It prepares you to get a job. It prepares you even to create a job for yourself if you can’t get one. That’s what it does. And that’s what is going to be new in terms of this very university that we are trying to make a reality in Nigeria. 

That is why we are beginning with the Social Sciences, Computer, Engineering, Civil Engineering and Law. However, with time, we will move into other areas. In the social sciences, we are beginning with art. Our specialisation is usually in the liberal arts; we are very good at the liberal arts. But of course, our universities are usually full-fledged; we do everything that a regular university does.

There are speculations that religious-owned universities are usually designed for the affluent. What will Loyola Jesuit University’s tuition fee be? 

I can’t determine that for now. What will determine the fee eventually will be, you know, the circumstances, the cost of living. Nigeria has a very high inflation rate. We cannot sit in January of 2023 and be setting the cost of this same university for any given amount.

Very conscious of the point that you’re making that some of these private universities or institutions are usually very expensive. Why I admit that I want to also say that look at the ones that are not expensive and see the quality of education they are offering.

Our brothers and sisters were just home for eight months, going to nine. Even now that they are back, the situation is still very precarious. I think it’s high time Nigeria woke up to the reality that if you want to give people quality education, you know you have got to pay for it, except the government has all the money to subsidise. 

I believe it is high time we woke up to the reality that if you want to get a quality education you’ve got to pay for it. It is based on what I said. I want to say that the recent approval by the senate to allow the government to give students loans is wonderful, because if I have money to go to the university, however expensive it might be, at least I have the assurance of receiving a quality education. 

Many countries, including the US and even Ghana, have student loans. I think it’s very important that it takes off the burden of whatever amount of money that parents would have to cough out to be able to send their children to school. And the beauty of it is that over the years you can pay off your student loan but it gives you a quality education.

It does make sense that we who own schools are conscious of those who are from families of slender means, families that are struggling. That’s why our founder, St Ignatius of Loyola, told us that if our schools cannot help the poor, there’s no need to start that very school. If the school cannot uplift the lives of the poor, then it’s not worth embarking on. That is why if you go to our secondary school, Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja, you will find all kinds of scholarships that we offer to students, especially poor ones. You go there and you find somebody who cannot afford N200,000 for school fees attending LJC, a school that demands N3m or over yearly. This is because we offer scholarships.

What is the appeal by Loyola Jesuit? Oo

And that’s why, we’re trying to reach out to well-meaning Nigerians, lovers of education, especially tertiary education. Who might be able to come to our aid in helping us get the dream of Joe Schuyler who taught at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) for years and years and years?  Joe Landi taught at the University of Nigeria (NSUKKA) for years and years and years. They’re late now, but their dreams continue in us who have become the indigenous members of the society of Jesus otherwise known as the Jesuit.

All donations can be made to its Zenith Bank account on 1014346971 Jesuit Fathers of Nigeria (Ewatto University). It can also be sent to Jesuit Fathers of Nigeria (Ewatto Uni P.J) Globus Bank Limited 1000069220. You can also reach out to them on 08023690425 or via e-mail at rodiaka@hotmail.com. 

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That’s why our founder, St Ignatius of Loyola, told us that if our schools cannot help the poor, there’s no need to start that very school. If the school cannot uplift the lives of the poor, then it’s not worth embarking on