The president, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Abiodun Ogunyemi, and Emeritus Professor, Prof. Ikenna Oynyido of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Unizik), Awka, Anambra State, have described some universities as just false impression of real universities.
According to them, mediocrity has taken over the nation’s university system with many who have no business being in the system.
The duo, who spoke at a valedictory lecture and book presentation by Prof Ikenna Oynyido, at Unizik, said university education has fallen greatly compared to what obtainable in 60s, and 70s.
Prof. Oynyido, while delivering his lecture on “The Anti-thesis of a Rolling Stone that Gathered Moss’, said university education had so degenerated, that many professors could do no serious academic works.
Oynyido, who is a former Vice Chancellor of University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, said most universities in the country existed as caricatures.
“Nigeria is the only country in the world where any person and every person can teach in the university. University should be a repository of knowledge where philosophers and theologians should occupy positions. To be academic, you must have some temperament,” he said
According to him, there are lecturers “who got their PhDs in hotel rooms,” but are teaching in universities.
“We produce ill-equipped graduates and they go to one political heavyweight, who gives them a letter and they are employed as teachers in the universities. We need to decide on what we need as university,” he said.
Also, Prof Ogunyemi, while speaking to journalists, said the quality of university education was falling because politicians refused to pay adequate attention to education.
He said university education has become an all comers’ affair because of neglect by government over the years, adding that since the return of democracy, education has not received desired attention.
“Because we are not giving university education the needed attention, we started getting all manner of people into the system. We are not enforcing the rules and regulations guiding university education because the political class made it impossible.
“We have people who have no business in the universities as lectures or administrators but they are occupying positions. Nobody can give what he does not have,” he said.
