…Urges Federal Government to halt brain drain in Nigerian Universities.
By Igbotako Nowinta
Vice Chancellors of the ivory towers in Nigeria have been advised to stop playing politics with their jobs and concentrate on the well beings of students and lecturers.
This view was made over the weekend by a professor of ethics, social, cultural and political philosophy, Cyrille Ngamen Kouassi, in a chat with journalists in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Prof. Cyrille Ngamen Kouassi, who is the Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Glorious Vision University, Ogwa, Edo State of Nigeria, said Vice Chancellors should stay away from politicking and concentrate wholly on bringing Nigerian universities on a scale in which they can compete favorably with their counterparts in Europe and America.
According to the erudite university Don: “Vice Chancellors are professors who know how the universities should function optimally. They should constantly make case to the Federal Government of Nigeria through the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“The position of Vice Chancellors is a high one, but regrettably some use it for individual benefits which shouldn’t be. In a nutshell Vice Chancellors should make sure that students are well catered for, in terms of learning environment, functional library and robust academic undertakings; lecturers should be taken care of uncompromisingly in terms of payments, staff development, conferences etc.
“Vice Chancellors should just stay away from politics, they should create enabling environment for students first; ensure they have good classrooms, good hostels and lectures should be able to function as it is expected of human beings in an environment absolutely conducive for learning”.
On the issue of brain drain that is presently hitting the universities in Nigeria, Prof. Kouassi, who delivered an inaugural lecture on Thursday July 7th, 2022, with the Topic: “Western Fallacies and the Monkeyism Theory: A Philosophical Enquiry Into Why Some Men Are Not Humans,” emphasized that Lecturers are not being taken care of in Nigeria that is why the issue of brain drain persists; condition of service is terrible; Nigerian lecturers should be significantly encouraged to delve into research activities like their counterparts in civilized climes to bring real development to the country.
“The Federal Government should fund education without any reservations; they should increase budget allocations to the universities just like how the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been canvasing.
“We know the whole world is facing economic crisis, but that shouldn’t mean that Nigeria should be exceptional because Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa; a leading African economy for that matter. Lecturers are not asking for too much in Nigeria, go to Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Cameroon, Rwanda, Eritrea, etc, what lecturers get there is far far above what Nigerian lecturers are getting here.
“I passionately urge the current Federal Government to take a clean break from the past administrations in the country, to halt the disturbing case of brain drain, by making the environment in the universities absolutely attractive in terms of renumeration of lecturers and provisions of modern infrastructural facilities. Nigerian students should be made happy to be taught too”.
Prof. Kouassi, who is published extensively in reputable local and international academic journals, is also a resource person and course writer/developer with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), where he has published ‘Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking, and Nigerian Peoples and Cultures.”
