Why Nigeria’s Current Educational State Requires an Urgent Fix By Musa Abubakar Adeiza

Martin Luther King graciously averred: ‘’Education is the passport to the future. For tomorrow belongs to those who prepared for it today’’. The recurring conundrum plaguing Nigeria’s educational sector has reached an alarmingly dangerous point, and if the required attention is not given, it may explode and innocently render other critical sectors tattered. Education is inherently cynosural and for the developed, developing and underdeveloped states, assumes a central place, in their advancement. The paralysis caused by strikes Strikes are simply referred to as the refusal to work organized by a body of employees as a form of protest typically to gain concession from the employer. Nigeria’s higher education history cannot be discussed without the inclusion of events and periods of strikes. Strikes of different lines have become normal phenomena in growing inconsiderate policy making relationships between the government and the academia. Though the position of our legal system holds that strike can serve as a forum of driving home certain demands, and expressing public opinions which can bring positive changes, yet institutions of higher learning are depleting despite strikes, human resources and policies that are put into it. Advancing further, it is no new thing, that the Nation’s higher institutions have been shut for the usually avoidable reasons. Just few weeks ago, the Academic Staff Union of Universities dropped a bombshell on accessible facilities and media outlets announcing her decision to forthwith commence her usual but always failing plot to get the Federal Government address her needs. Practically, the strike is running into its 6^th week since its commencement. Negotiations between striking members and FG have since yielded little or no results. The two unaffected parties are toying the future of Nigeria and dragging the Nation’s only intellectual resource to doom. Why comportment should be the watchword Undisputedly, Nigeria just like her contemporaries is operating a government premised on democratic doctrines. Thus, it is safer to, however, say ours is continuum, and successive governments must either honour or grow from successes, progresses and developments of previous governments. The agreement which has since continued to rob the Nation’s assets and standing has birthed nothing but drawbacks. The agreement became a major link between the government and the academia since 2009. No faithful attempt on its regeneracy has been  made ever since. While a side has continued to make promises towards the agreement, the other’s lethal weapon is mainly using students as its bait in winning or at least pushing its goal to the other end. As the saying goes ‘’ where two elephants fight, it is the grass that bears the brunt’’. The victims of these firm and determined forces whose hardness seems impenetrable are no less than the innocent students, parents among other stakes. A section of the divide has often apportioned a total and complete blame on the academia for its continual failure to see beyond its vision and proffer lasting alternatives to industrial actions. The government has often been hit over its selfish approach towards the development of the nation’s education; albeit the fact, that the sons or daughters of the holders of these leadership positions are sent out for academic sojourn. The place of Nigeria in Africa and by extension the World The Giant of Africa as we are often addressed is losing its place for its slow-moving evaluation of policies and options at its disposal. Often, the problem identified has always been underfunding of our institutions and mismanagement of little resources available. In South Africa, lies a positive and progressive lesson. South Africa’s institutes of learning are assuming stands in the world. The global outreach and audience have often attributed the progress over time to the outpouring of funds into their educational sector; which are often used in developing academic research centres, ICT facilities, and infrastructure. Nigeria’s major lag has been viable infrastructures and quality research reserves. The reason, simply put, poor funding and mismanagement of the available funds. It’s sickening that, the only Nigerian university in the world universities’ ranking index is University of Ibadan (UI). More appalling, is the fact, that our vision to compete with some of the best universities in the world may still be far from reach and feasible. Recommendation The discourse so far has been to demonstrate fairly that the present and the future for higher education in Nigeria will not look bright if strikes continue to be part of our educational system. If we are to grow and develop, intentional and practical steps are to be taken by stakeholders to make reforms in the sector by building on the outlined Nigeria educational principles and making policies that are dynamic and  long lasting Musa Abubakar Adeiza is a final year law student of Bayero University,Kano and can be reached@abubakaradeiza05@gmail.com ]]>