Baze University: The bigger picture, by Tonnie Iredia

In emerging societies such as Nigeria, universities and other tertiary institutions have generally done about the same thing in the last half a century.  Those interested in establishing such higher schools always began by looking out for huge hectares of land to erect imposing structures and facilities. It is indeed, part of the requirements for getting a licence to run courses making the trend appear to be the big picture.

The implication of this is that it is no longer possible to find the required space for universities in built-up locations. Do we go for forest universities? Put differently, are universities supposed to be stand-alone entities separated from the people they are meant to serve? The answer to this question suggests that universities that are expected to solve societal problems can easily become part of the problem.

Bearing in mind that everyone has had to follow the same process to put up what looks like a befitting institution, not much effort has been made for a long time to search for a few who are willing to think outside the box. Part of what is needed is to get a Vice Chancellor (VC) who must be a professor – what he professed or professes is probably irrelevant. Yet, many people who are great in executing a project are not necessarily good at leading the execution of the same project because leadership is a different ball game. It has been said now and again that whereas universities have a mandate to create enduring values for their external environment by producing high quality graduates to reshape society, the same universities are hardly able to retain the same products to reform their own internal environment.

What we have said so far establishes beyond reasonable doubt that the university as a big picture has become insufficient. It is therefore time to search for the bigger picture. I imagine that this was what the famous Baze University seemed to have conveyed when it recently appointed a new VC to run its affairs. The new appointee, Professor Abiodun Adeniyi, stepped into the role after serving as Registrar of the University. Those who may have wondered why a university should pick its Registrar to become its new VC may not have known that Adeniyi has been a distinguished scholar of Communication and Media Epistemology in the same institution. One is therefore left to feel that when Adeniyi was earlier picked as Registrar the wisdom of the authorities was to familiarize a visibly rising academic star with administrative dexterity.

Baze has thus opened a new vista of thinking outside the box by ignoring stereotyped decision making in which things are done the way they have always been done instead of doing them the best way in a given circumstance. We commend the authorities of Baze University for such a strategic innovation which has capacity to assist the institution to survive and excel over time.  On his part, Professor Abiodun Adeniyi has cut for himself a viable path to greatness. From his background as a professional journalist before going to the academia, Adeniyi has no option than to modernize Baze University by synthesizing theoretical principles with his field experience. Media and communication graduates are particularly lucky to have a new VC who belongs to the two major divides of media architecture.

Adeniyi and other VCs of Nigerian universities must recognize that the greatest university leaders are not those who best manage their institutions but those who best use their universities to reshape society. This can best be done if they endeavour to reposition their research focus towards addressing national development challenges and driving economic growth.

To start with, university leaders need to move fast against obsolete curricula. It is honestly unfair that many institutions have continued to teach old theoretical courses that are not in tune with global realities or the specific economic challenges that have confronted Nigeria. For so long, such outdated courses have been allowed to subsist. Why is it so difficult to update the courses taught in our universities?

In addition, there is palpable disconnect between universities and industries in Nigeria. There is little or no interaction and collaboration between the universities and the nation’s private sector. A few courses which have some space for students’ industrial attachments are neither supervised nor coordinated. Almost every research conducted in a Nigerian university is essentially for career progression and academic journals. They are never designed to achieve solutions or to redress local problems in society. Under the circumstance, rather than creating entrepreneurs and skilled manpower, Nigerian universities are tilted towards mass production of certificate holders who can hardly add any value to society. Due to poor remuneration of academic staff, the few gifted among them take-off to other climes leaving our universities virtually static. 

Little wonder that those who should know have continued to emphasize the need to move universities beyond research conducted primarily for academic recognition, to urgently arrive at outcomes that directly impact society and the economy. In the words of Professor, Idowu Olayinka a former VC of the University of Ibadan, “for too long, universities have celebrated research that ends only in journals and conference proceedings while industries struggle and the nation imports solutions that could have been developed locally.” Olayinka who spoke at the 4th Biennial International Conference of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Ajayi Crowther University was perceptibly concerned about how science and technology innovation can accelerate sustainable development in society.

We can only hope that Nigerian leaders are listening to analysts who think many of our societal problems are due to the politicisation of public policies. One problem that has remained unresolved is the unavailability of electricity metres which impose huge estimated bills on consumers. Is it really hard for engineering departments in Nigerian universities to pick up the challenge of manufacturing metres for our people? The gains would be monumental. Our universities will become busier and more productive. The prohibitive costs on government will reduce and most importantly, the universities will attract so much of internally generated revenue that can up lift their funding. This will encourage other projects to be so handled to the advantage of our country.

But if universities are unable to solve societal problems which derogate largely from their image, the same universities should not in addition create more problems for society. It is a matter for regret that many senior personnel of Nigerian universities play active roles in the convoluted processes responsible for failed elections in the country. It is irritating that the universities to which convicts of election malpractices belong have done nothing to scare their personnel from further engaging in such acts which substantially damage the reputation of the institutions concerned. We therefore call on VCs of Nigerian universities to formally dismiss such convicts and publicise their dismissal with a view to dissuading others from the same behaviour. 

The era of the big picture is virtually over. To move to the bigger picture, our universities must take giant steps to comprehend global realities and domestic the processes so as to convert their institutions to real citadels of learning. In today’s world, the bigger picture is governed by technology and Artificial Intelligence AI. Nigeria cannot compete favourably while remaining in the analogue realm. The bigger picture is not a reflection of huge structures but great ideas that emerge from blended curricula. We are in a changing world that has little room for no movement. The new media with all its digital features are better positioned to direct the course of progress making it obvious that smart universities must come on stream just as political leaders who are unable to adjust to changing times may be overtaken by events.

Universities must continue to be harbingers; they must teach and engage in meaningful research that impact on current issues. For their students to be industry ready, the curricula must go beyond theoretical knowledge, they must also seek to offer self-reliance that could end in self-employment. We look forward to universities such as Baze to hold the beacon for all others to drop the stereotypes and embrace what appears forbidden today – a good example being the use of interdisciplinary research methods. If we follow this new scheme of things, we shall begin to see references to our universities across the globe which has not happened for a long time. Here is wishing our own Abiodun Adeniyi a successful tenure as the new VC of Baze University Abuja while hoping he will provide adequate manpower for tomorrow’s universities.

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