THE FATE OF THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SYSTEM UNDER BOLA TINUBU

By: Bibi Agarah

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023, INEC declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu the winner of the February 25 Presidential election. Bola Ahmed Tinubu served as the governor of Lagos State for two terms from May 1999 to May 2007. He remained involved in politics and was the brain behind the merging of several political parties to create one of the biggest political parties in Africa; the All Progressive Party (APC).

During his campaign, the President-elect made promises to students in tertiary institutions especially public universities under the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) who have suffered long periods of strike action that have often wreaked havoc on the academic calendar of the universities. The longest periods of strike action ever experienced in the country occurred during the administration of the current President, Mohammadu Buhari – the 2020 strike that lasted nine months and the 2022 strike that lasted eight months. 

The president-elect promised Nigerian university students an end to the incessant strike actions and also promised to grant Nigerian universities full autonomy to encourage improved welfare and revitalization of public universities among others. An autonomous university can choose its requirement for the admission of students and make decisions on its areas of research. Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated in a presidential rally that students will no longer spend more than their allotted time in universities and in his acceptance speech after the INEC declaration; he announced that students will benefit from student loans to help them settle their fees.

However, Tinubu’s promises to students have made some students wary. Some have doubts because of the state of the tertiary institutions under the current administration. Others found the decision to make Nigerian universities autonomous disturbing. A 200-level student of industrial chemistry told a correspondent, 

“It’s all just politics. Isn’t that what Buhari said? Personally, I do not believe it is possible. Even student politicians make promises and fail to keep them once they have entered office.” 

“It has become the norm for politicians to make promises, especially promises that are of interest to the populace, however, when elected they do almost nothing at all. Sometimes they even make the situation worse. I mean look at the dollar rate and fuel price.”

Ivy League Schools?

While granting the universities autonomy might seem appealing, the suggestion has brought about the fear of a possible hike in the tuition of these universities. This fear is the result of the lack of trust in the governing personnel of these universities. Autonomy means each university gets to decide how and by what means they are going to raise funds for the operation and management of the school. 

Tolu, a student from the department of Industrial Chemistry expressed her doubts about the president-elect’s decision to give universities autonomy. 

“Tinubu offering autonomy to universities has advantages and disadvantages. If Nigerian universities are given autonomy, there will be a hike in school fees. University of Ibadan will be similar to Harvard in the United States. What happens if people cannot afford to go to school anymore?”

Truly granting autonomy to Nigerian universities might not favour the general public. Federal universities were established to make education available to the children of the average citizens in the nation. Tolu further expressed her concerns by saying;

“Although he said there will be provision for student loans, if there is autonomy, not everyone will be able to go to school. However, it also means that universities can choose the means of accreditation which is good news for those seeking admission. Instead of studying for three examinations, JAMB, WAEC and post-UTME, students can focus on whatever exam the university is setting for them.”

These promises might mean nothing

Chief of all concerns is that these good promises might just be another fable to add to the endless list of fables constantly told by politicians. Damilola and Pipeoluwa, 200-level students from the department of Geology both agree that the promises usually mean nothing once an elected official steps into office. They expressed their doubts that the president-elect could bring much-needed changes to the education sector. Pipeloluwa however added that if Tinubu’s administration could eradicate strikes completely, it would be best.

The die has been cast and a new dispensation is here, we do not know what to expect because seers have not spoken and even seers see in part. We cannot tell if Tinubu's campaign promises are more than strategies until we embark on that journey with him after May 29. However, it would only be a thing of joy if the President-elect can put an end to the incessant strike action while ensuring that the average family can afford to send their children to school.