The Brain in the Nigerian Economic space – Dr. N.C. Abamara
It is obvious that Nigeria has transcended into a grave economic recession. We can no longer survive on a mono economy. Current researches have shown that the bye products of crude oil are gradually loosing their essential values globally. Scientists and inventors are succeeding in land breaking discoveries in finding alternatives to our traditional sources of energy.
Solar energy is no longer a new discovery, many companies, factories, organizations and families in Nigeria are currently using solar panels as their alternative source of energy aside electricity and generator. It is no longer a novel news that the western world such as America, Japan, Germany, South Korea and even China are currently designing and inventing rechargeable cars. Some of these cars are already in use in Nigeria, and few of them are available in places like Abuja, Lagos State and Rivers State. In the nearest future, our petroleum or gasoline vehicles will gradually go into extinction. It is also on record that some advanced countries like Germany and France have discovered vehicles that could use water (H2o) as it’s source of energy.Currently, the oil rich United Arab Emirates have also discovered an alternative source of energy, a total deviation from petroleum or oil energy. It may be surprising to note that the United Arab Emirates, though categorized as oil rich Emirates, but still among the developing countries of the world, could come up with such an innovative research, and this is an indication that Science and Technology are evenly distributed irrespective of our cultures and countries of origin.
The question before us is; what is happening to Africa and Nigeria in particular? Nigeria is a country blessed with abundant human and natural resources, but corruption, greed, avarice impunity and nepotistic tendencies has eaten deep into the fabrics of our national conscience. This no doubt, has beclouded our judgement in aspiring for a fulfilled nation. I believe that radical issues demands radical approach. Let us shun money politics, god fatherism and give honour to our votes in elections. We should get it right by electing only technocrats, people that have interest of the masses at heart in our various political offices, and defend our collective sovereignty and monumental heritage.
Through our holistic and concerted efforts, we can have a Nigeria of our dream. Going back to the main stream, and looking at the global work force, it is categorically clear that the invented electronic robots are boldly occupying the work vacancies that was previously occupied by humans. Soon or later, robots will completely take up human jobs in our factories, companies, Banking industries, Hospitals, leisure industries, law enforcement agencies, the military, the transport industries, academic institutions, etc.
The consequences therein, are that many people will loose their jobs and there will be complete disruption of jobs ecosystem globally. It is a tested fact that these electronic robots are executing these specialized jobs effectively, efficiently and faster than human work force. Very few humans that have acquired the current advanced technological competence may be employed to operate these robots. Before the current global Covid-19 pandemic, Nigeria had been witnessing a grave economic downturn. Our economy is currently very epileptic to the extent that Nigerians are losing their hard earned jobs. Greater population of Nigerians are either unemployed or underemployed. It is not a hearsay that the professional work force in Nigeria are currently experiencing a high degree of excruciating brain drain.
The brain drain emanating from under utilization of Nigerian professionals and poor rumeneration of the work force. In the view of the above narratives, I wish to recount from the annals of history that Nigeria as a nation witnessed a brain drain, and mass exodus of Nigerian academics from our Universities ( the Ivory towers) in the middle 80’s to late 90’s. A greater number of University Lecturers left the shores of Nigeria to the western world and other African countries in the periods under review, looking for greener pastures. I can foresee another brain drain about to invade our Nigerian economic space, and most especially our public Universities. The Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) have been trying to salvage the drowning Nigerian public University education from the hands of the current draconian and autocratic political gladiators in our dear Nation. Our leaders prefer to chase shadows and frivolities than to fund education, which is the bedrock for expected meaningful development of any country. The Federal Government need to fund and revitalize Nigerian public Universities that will spearhead the most needed breakthrough in the science and technological advancements of the country.
The recent navigation of the members of Academic Staff Union of Universities into Integrated payroll and personnel Information System (IPPIS) is uncalled for and highly unprecedented. Such lopsided payroll system is a mere distraction in our already shrinked economy, governmental businesses and embattled public University education. As it stands now, the Nigerian public University educational system is highly uncoordinated and grossly lacking behind, compared to other Universities in the developed nations and in Africa. We have a Federal Government that have refused over the years to fund public Universities the way it should be.
It may be disheartening to let Nigerians know that the percentage given to education in our yearly budget is not up to 15%, and this is a negation to the minimum 26% approved by United Nation for education in any country’s budget. In other hand, our Government cannot pay professors and Lecturers peanuts and at the same time over taxed them and expert them to perform maximally.
It is therefore highly disgraceful and appalling that the Academic Staff Union of Universities are still on strike for nearly half of the year, and the Federal Government are not forth coming in granting their various demands. The industrial action embarked upon by Lecturers are basically as a result of the inability of the Federal Government to honour agreements entered with the ASUU, from 2009 till date as documented in their various Memorandum of understanding (MOU) of 2009, 2012 and 2013.
And the updated Memorandum of action (MOA) of 2017 and 2019. The vital issues of this imbroglio between the Federal Government and ASUU are highlighted in these MOU’s and MOA’s which ranged from funding to revitalization of Nigerian public Universities; and it entails equipping the Universities with modern infrastructures, science laboratories, visual Libraries, ultramodern equipments for virtual learning, modern basic office equipments and other social amenities. Others are granting full University autonomy that will guarantee the academic freedom in our Nigerian Universities.
Payment of consolidated academic earned allowances, visitation panel to various Nigerian public Universities, among others. Just like I posited abinitio, IPPIS is a mere distraction or a misnomer to the current Universities status quo. I wish to say unequivocally that introduction of IPPIS by the World Bank through the Federal ministry of Finance is a calculated attempt to scuttle the vested University tradition.
The Nigerian Universities autonomy such as the appointment of the Vice – Chancellors, adjunct lectureship, or visiting lectureship, and sabbatical leave should be sacrosanct, and in accordance to global Universities practices or tradition, and our Government should endeavour to uphold them. As the result of current industrial action in Nigerian public Universities, I wish to say in affirmative that our children and students are pining away in misery.
The mental health of many Nigerian students are in doubt. Some of them have developed different types of personality disorders brought about by academic frustration, arising from unending strike actions in Nigerian public Universities. Some others have dabbled into different manners of social vices, such as arm robbery, kidnapping, cultism, financial cyber crimes in order to make a living. Statistics have shown that most of them have lost their lives in the process or are languishing in the police net, and various correction centres in the country. There should be uninterrupted time table for every academic programme in Nigerian public Universities.
But looking at the unpredicted academic climate, no Nigerian student knows when he or she will graduate from the Nigerian public Universities. My dear Compatriots, let us arise and save our nation from these nauseating brain drain, and at the same time save Nigerian public University education from total collapse.
May God bless Nigeria.
Dr NC Abamara
The Libero.
Psychology Dept , Unizik
