NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES AND THE BRAIN-DRAIN CHALLENGE

When Lucio Tan, the Chinese-born Filipino business magnate, investor and philanthropist stated that: “We cannot as a country, improve economically, socially and culturally without quality education,” he might not have had Nigeria in mind. But the sad scenario that has been playing out in the critical education sector over the decades justifies his position.

With the news media raising genuine concern on the crisis looming in Nigerian public universities, caused of course, by the massive exit of several lecturers seeking greener pastures in foreign land, some urgent actions should be embarked upon by the federal government to reverse the trend.

As recently made public, about 50 per cent of lecturers in our public universities have already resigned.  In specific details, at the University ofIbadan, the figure is 75 per cent; at the University of Ilorin,  it is about 40 per cent, and about 50 per cent at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, etc.

 Indeed, recent data gathered by the media pointed to the fear that as much as 80 per cent of the remaining lecturers are preparing to leave. That is, if the current situation remains as it is. This is worrisome. Factors so far identified as responsible for the lecturers’ exodus, include “the desire for better working conditions, career fulfillment, insecurity, poor salaries and inadequate funding”. But that is not all. Other pertinent reasons adduced include the non-payment of outstanding salaries of university teachers, as earlier agreed by the federal government. Not left out also is the current harsh economy, triggered by the removal of fuel subsidy leading to the unprecedented hike in the pump price of petrol, diesel and cooking gas. This has had a spin-off effect on the costs of transportation and sundry consumables. The movement of lecturers to seek their fortunes beyond our shores has continued despite the efforts of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government giving approval for the implementation of 35 per cent and 23 per cent salary increment for staff of all federal tertiary institutions. To members of ASUU the government’s offer was far from what the university lecturers had been negotiating for over the recent years.

Looked at from a broader perspective, the obvious disregard of the important role the lecturers play in our children’s educational development by the powers that be at the federal level throws up some significant questions. For instance, why is the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC always ready to approve jumbo pay packages for the already rich politicians and defend such while the lecturers are left in agony for months to get paid their peanuts?

Similarly, why should the Tinubu-led government ever think of increasing tuition fees in public tertiary institutions at this perilous time of an economic downturn with inflation rate jumping over 25%? And why should our policymakers wait for issues and demands from the workers to escalate before addressing such with the knee-jerk approach; of throwing money at them for short-term, instead of long-lasting solutions?

Besides, why should we, as a country, be more interested in giving out crude oil, agricultural products such as yam, cassava, cocoa, coffee and even solid minerals like lithium, iron ore, gold to other countries for processing? And now,  we are ignoring our best brains’ demands for better working conditions,  allowing them to move to other lands where they wil become great inventors, innovators and critical thinkers. That is, with the products of their creative ingenuity benefitting other countries instead of Nigeria?  In all honesty, we cannot keep running the country this way.

Ayo Oyoze Baje, Lagos