By: PROF. YEMI OKE, Ph.D, FCTI, FCArb.
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*Background:*
Next month’s presidential elections is getting more interesting as the three leading aspirants, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi of APC, PDP and LP have respectively been rolling out critical contents to influence the electorates, particularly the youth and academic communities. Among crucial issues that have dominated their campaigning and related electioneering engagements are issues of tertiary education, student welfare, student loan schemes, access to sustained quality of tertiary education, incessant strikes by ASUU and other unions in our universities, including polytechnics and colleges of education.
Understandably, this is a needful imperative as it involves a critical mass being the constituency of the Nigerian youth. Thus, whatever approaches, issues, concerns or policies deployed, done or left undone therein will directly affect the future of this special species of Nigerians- the Youth.
Close observers and stakeholders in academia and issues affecting tertiary education are of the considered view that, every point to the fact that only Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu seems to have put structures, actions and strategies in place to deal effectively and most proactively with this vital issue, beyond rhetorics.
The establishment of a special office for Academic Affairs to be manned by a *National Academic Adviser (NAA)* is one of the policy options being considered by the thinkers of the soon-to-be Asiwaju Bola Tinubu presidency. This is in addition to soft loans for students among other schemes. The idea of an office of *National Academic Adviser* is reasonably justified, and stands-out Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the following reasons:
(1) *Peculiarities of Academic Issues and Challenges*: The issue of academic activities in our tertiary institutions is not one that could be addressed only under the existing bureaucratic structures of the Ministry of Education. Any attempt to subject the issue of tertiary education, sustained quality of tertiary education, welfare of academic and non-teaching staff of tertiary institutions, incessant strikes by ASUU and other unions in our universities, including polytechnics and colleges of education and sundry challenges under the existing bureaucracy might undermine the efficiency of policy measures aimed at dealing with these challenges. This is one of the reasons why the foresight of Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the possibility of the office of *National Academic Adviser* is heartwarming.
(2) *Tertiary Education as a “National security” issue*: Globally, a strategic way to ensure effective management of a crucial national issue is to extricate it from bureaucratic bottlenecks of day-to-day activities of government. The existence of the office of *National Security Adviser* (NSA) for example, is strategic and without prejudice to the existence of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Police Affairs and others. The anticipated office of a *National Academic Adviser (NAA)* must therefore not to be seen as a duplication of existing structures like Ministry of Education, NUC and others, but to give deserving attention to crucial issues affecting the interest and future of the Nigerian youth and their handlers.
(3) *When Ministry or Minister of Education May be a Hindrance*: Research findings indicate that in Nigeria, a not-so-educated person, anti-academic, educated but anti-academic and/or needlessly overzealous maneuverers who indulge in over-politicisation of issues may be and had been appointed Ministers of Education. When this happens, it negatively affects the peace on our tertiary institutions and may also be directly or indirectly responsible for how labour disputes involving unions in our higher institutions are resolved to avoid shutting-down the future of our youths due to avoidable strikes. An Academic worth the appellation, sitting as a *National Academic Adviser (NAA)* to guide and advise a President would certainly have been able to better manage this sensitive issue as it directly involves the youth as the future of this country. This further makes the consideration of an office of *National Academic Adviser (NAA)* under a BAT presidency vital and laudable.
(4) *Tertiary Institutions Unions, SUGs and Student Loans as Homogeneous Academic Exigencies*: Some have argued that the existing National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) and other bureaucracies may be saddled with additional responsibilities, as regulators, to deal with issues of tertiary education and undergraduates in Nigeria. The fact is that at no time did NUC, NBTE, and others speak for or defend the interests of ASUU, NASU, SUGs and other unions on campuses. At best, they are regulators without powers to fix and determine welfare of Staff and Students. An office of *National Academic Adviser (NAA)* is the best platform for articulating, aggregating and dealing promptly and effectively with sundry issues involving higher institution unions, staff and student-like issues such as student loans and others. This is only possible under a BAT government, and is a major plus for BAT, his thinkers and strategists.
(5) *The BAT’23 Academic Group:* This appears to have spurred crucial, strategic and critical thinking for the campaign structures of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Early in his electioneering activities, *South-West Agenda (SWAGA)* – arguably the first among the advocacy groups pushing for BAT presidency saw the need for academic contents in its activities. At every of *SWAGA’s* activities, a notable academic figure is invited to give a Key-Note Lecture. The group subsequently conveyed the directive of BAT to set an Academic Group. “BAT’23 Academic Group” was thus set up as a body of intellectuals and intellectually-minded professionals volunteering for BAT. The Group generates, stimulates and disseminates crucial intellectual and academic contents in all fields of human endevaours in support of the emergence of BAT Presidency. This critical group is pushing several laudable, critical initiatives like the establishment of an office of *National Academic Adviser (NAA)* under BAT Presidency. This clearly distinguishes BAT campaign model from those of his other two contenders.
(6) *BAT and ASUU Issues:* In specific terms, BAT had shown keen interest in intervening in the regrettable outcome of ASUU-FGN face-off. The academic body of BAT campaign advised on the need to intervene but without directly handling such intervention or mediation. Few days later, it was in the media that President Buhari had given BAT the go-ahead to intervene in ASUU-FGN disputes. Subsequently, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (one of the foremost allies of BAT) took-up the task of mediation. Recently, one of the presidential candidates (Atiku) attempted to make payment of the withheld salaries of ASUU and other unions a campaign issue. He was promptly reminded that, while they were unconcerned, BAT had promised to and indeed intervened. Further assurances, based on facts and structures on ground (including the office of *National Academic Adviser (NAA)* being contemplated) all point to the fact that ASUU, SSANU, NAT, COHESU, ASUP, SUG and all related issues, including withheld salaries and general welfare of staff would receive prompt, accelerated and much more dignifying attention under a BAT presidency.
(7) *BAT and Student Loans:* Student loans in a crucial imperative. While other candidates have made general, sweeping and non-categorical statements about the plights of Nigerian students, BAT is frontally determined to ensure sustained quality of tertiary education including standard and affordable tertiary education for all youths of Nigeria. The office of a *National Academic Adviser (NAA)* in collaboration with all relevant agencies and bodies would ensure a seamless coordination of student loans and related schemes to address academic challenges of staff and students in our higher institutions of learning.
(8) *BAT’s Antecedents on Higher Education:* Beyond the thoughts of considering the establishment of an office of *National Academic Adviser (NAA)*, compared to the other two presidential candidates, only BAT has shown the most significant commitment to tertiary education. His approach to funding of *Lagos State University,* all two or three *Lagos State Polytechnics* and *Lagos State Colleges of Education* while in Government was unique, with payment of salaries higher than that of Federal Government. He sustained LASU established by his predecessor and till date *LASU* continues to rank as the best State University in Nigeria. While Atiku prefers to establish a huge-fee-paying private university in Yola; Obi is a known capitalist (who never pretends to be a Progressive) and prefers harsh economic models and approaches to academic and student-related issues. Like Obi, his running mate, Datti-Ahmed owns two private universities in Abuja and Kano. Arguably though, Obi and his running-mate Datti-Ahmed have no known records of endowments in any public higher institution in Nigeria.
(9) *BAT and Other Bureaucracies of Tertiary Education:* The firm position of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is that the existing agencies for handling tertiary institutions in Nigeria such as *Tertiary Education Trust Fund-TETFUND*, *National Universities Commission (NUC)*, *National Board of Technical Education (NBTE)* and other bureaucracies need to be extensively over-hauled. They may be saddled with additional crucial responsibilities, as regulators and agencies to ensue efficiency in quality delivery in our tertiary institutions in terms of staff welfare, research funding, infrastructure, and student welfare in collaboration with other relevant ministries, agencies including the anticipated office of *National Academic Adviser (NAA)*. This makes BAT’s approach to tertiary institutions and higher education uniquely different from the other two contenders who have made no categorical statements or commitments on this subject and related issues.
(10) *Interest-Driven Youth Participation in National Politics:* In terms of interest-driven engagement, BAT and structures under his party, APC have shown better commitments to issues involving students in our tertiary institutions. Aside from BAT’s mentoring of a young Nigerian youth who later became the National Youth Leader of APC (Dayo Israel), the other two contenders appointed or elected “grandfathers-images” as youth leaders. Out of the National Youth Leaders of APC, PDP and LP, only APC’s NYL, being a youth himself, took-up the plight of the Nigerian students in public universities to President Buhari, BAT, Minister of Education and others during the prolonged ASUU strike, and tabled this and other youth-related concerns. Similarly, compared to others, only APC has shown appreciable levels of “Interest-Driven Participation” in the on-going electioneering. While BAT/APC’s youths and youth strictures and groups are physically on campaign fields, those of Obi/LP’s are “busy on-line” while those of Atiku/PDP’s are virtually non-existing.
*Concluding Remarks:*
In the final analyses, next month’s presidential elections on the subject is tilted widely in favour of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC. This is largely because BAT’s approach to tertiary institutions and higher education is uniquely different from those of the other two contenders who prefer lip-service of rhetorics. Well ahead of time, and in a manner typical of a futuristic leader, BAT and his campaign structures saw the need for academic contents in all their activities but the other two contenders took issues of staff, students and other key higher institutions-related subjects for granted. BAT had shown keen and the most significant commitment to tertiary education by way of Student loans schemes as well as a special office of *National Academic Adviser (NAA)* to holistically engage and deal with issues involving welfare of ASUU, SSANU, NAT, COHESU, ASUP, SUG/students’ unions issues and subventions as well as other related issues. This includes the withheld salaries of university unions, general welfare of staff, soft-loans to students of tertiary institutions and others. All these and others listed are sure to receive prompt, accelerated and much more dignifying attentions under a BAT presidency. This further makes a BAT presidency preferable to that of any of his other two contenders.
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*PROF. YEMI OKE, PhD, FCArb, FCTI*
• National Coordinator BAT’23 Academic Group
• Member, Policy, Research & Strategy, Presidential Campaign Council of APC
*January 8, 2023*
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