UNIVERSITY SUCCESS, NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

 

Universities globally, are meant to be the custodians of education, academic thought, and research and should serve as think tanks for the various regions in which they are sited. They are ivory towers for the betterment of the human race.

For any university to progress, there are 3 broad areas to concentrate on, that I believe, pretty well cover all the bases.

1.     Faculty and Staff.

2.     Students.

3.     Infrastructure/ Facilities.

 

Let me explain further.

1.     Faculty and Staff

Universities should ensure that the quality of faculty and staff they hire is top-notch Faculty that have the requisite experience and are research-based. I remember one of the first set of hires at the American University of Nigeria included 2 Egyptian faculty for Petroleum Chemistry, who were international award winners and during their time, Petroleum Chemistry was one of the highest patronized courses. AUN also had a Political Science Prof who was an integral part of the Civil Rights movement in the US. There was also an American faculty who was one of the speech writers for Bill Clinton. They were also excellent faculty in Business and Entrepreneurship who did so well, that by extension they had an immediate impact on the host community.

We did the same for the start-up of BAZE University. The quality of faculty was paramount. The same applied to the quality of senior admin staff, from the President/ VC to the Directors. This ensured leadership by experience and adequate mentorship. Good faculty and staff help to maintain an adequate balance between culture, discipline, and social activities on campus while encouraging global academic thought.

Also important, is the provision of adequate tools and remuneration to ensure complete concentration on academics and administration. “Take care of your human resources and they should take care of you”. Get quality faculty and staff, give them the right tools, and remunerate them well. The quality of the faculty is also one of the fundamental reasons for increasing prominence and university rankings

I have been a witness to many institutions that have academically gone into the doldrums for their inability to replace outgoing faculty and staff with good and tested ones. Starting from those at the helm of affairs. Internal politics or self-induced fiscal crises have given birth to mediocre employees. This has dropped not only the educational quality but also the complete output of such institutions. The Babbagean theory of, “Garbage in. Garbage out", is what many of our institutions are battling with.

Almost always, internal politics comes into play. Top Administrators look more at folks who can massage their egos rather than getting the job done for institutional growth. This is something I have witnessed even in Institutions with international outlook. The high turnover of faculty and staff is unhealthy for the long-term growth of organizations. The ineffective use of the grapevine is also detrimental in many cases. A Top Administrator or a departmental head should be able to entertain contrary opinions and look at their merits. Very often contrary opinions, are seen as belittling the administrator, and a direct threat to his authority. I have met bosses who were excellent and would appreciate superior arguments and I have also met bosses who could take it not. I met bosses who preferred  “tell tales” and I've also met those who appreciated not. I have also seen ethnicity and religion play a part in who is deemed qualified and who is not.

 

2.     Students

Strict emphasis should be placed on the type of students being recruited. Many universities that charge higher than average tuition fees, may tend to bend some rules to make up for the targets given. But let's say, all rules are followed and all students admitted have met the minimum entry requirements, what then? Has the institution provided the basic level of comfort, and equipment for a conducive academic exercise? These are academic students, not soldiers. Is the hostel, security, feeding, sports, counseling, health facilities, etc., commensurate with the fee being charged? Is a certain level of discipline being enforced? What about the issue of gangs or drugs? I know several non-faith-based institutions that have quite a lax enforcement policy on drugs and gangs. All these, negatively affect the image of the institution.

Mentorship for students is also important as are academic and social clubs that tend to bring about the hidden talent in kids or guide them towards it. I have founded several clubs based on entrepreneurship and IT that have given students exposure and they have done wonders. Get the right students, with the right facilities and they will sell the school for you. Students are excellent at spreading the word about an institution. If it’s good, they will spread its goodness. If they feel cheated, they will spread its negativity.

The quality of students produced also does tremendous PR for an institution.

 

3.     Infrastructure/ Facilities

I wouldn’t recommend short-changing the educational infrastructure to be provided. Get fully equipped labs, IT facilities, a well-stocked Library, Sports facilities, Hostels, Staff housing, a Student Center, excellent catering services, etc. Start well from the onset.

It is often said, to expand and equip as you make money. Investment in Education is a long-term thing not immediate. Equipping or improving the facility as funds come in after student intake can be foolhardy. Initial bamboozling is important for the growth of a high-end institution. Maintain the facilities. Get a comparative advantage over your rivals. Once people know your worth, they will look for you. It doesn’t matter, where in the country you are located, folks will find you. Mercedes doesn’t advertise as much as some Asian brands. But folks still know its quality.

Establish a facility that takes care of general institutional investment. For instance, an Entrepreneurship/ Investment Center or a Research Center that looks for investors and carries out research in specific areas. Such centers should identify areas where investment, endowments, and partnerships can be created. Many areas of low-hanging fruits can be plucked as well as long-term investments that can serve later as cash cows. These centers can serve as areas of excellence and help reduce overheads by bringing in much-needed funds. Partnerships, also create visibility and serve as avenues for faculty/ staff exchange and capacity building.

I have always believed that Universities' MAIN concern should be providing quality education, and not being an NGO. There are developmental agencies that do the NGO work. It's NOT THE PRIMARY BUSINESS of a University to work as an NGO. I have seen universities lose focus this way. They have become more of USAID entities than citadels of learning and this has had disastrous consequences on the quality of education. And this has been quite unfortunate. This is hara-kiri at a continuous scale. Running a successful university is tough, and requires patience and focus, but it's not rocket science. Concentrate on the three major points above and you're pretty much there.

NOVEMBER 2023

The Boss of Bosses: KaaKaaKey I of Adamawa

 

It was in September of 2005, that I was called for an interview with Dr. Elspeth Smith the first Vice President, University Relations of the American University of Nigeria. After a quick talk and a brief interview, I was offered an appointment as an Admin Assistant to the VPUR, despite having a Master's and 8 years of work experience then. I was in charge of the newsletters and other communication including the internal Press Corps.

 

As I joined and was being put through my paces by the VP, A young man in his early 40’s walked in wearing a blue kaftan. I was introduced to him as Sameer, the guy who will be working on the Newsletters and other publications. He was introduced to me as Abba (Ehba as VPUR pronounced it) the Director of PR and Marketing and he asked me about my background, I told him my first degree was in Mass Communication from the University of Maiduguri and he told me his was too. He was friendly and had a whole lot of Knowledge and the good thing was, his office was right outside mine. He was also surprised that I too was a “Yola boy” with work experience in Lagos, same as him, though I was always in Sales and Marketing and never in Communications.

 

At that time the hierarchy at the University Relations Department was VPUR, Director of PR and Marketing, 2 Admin Assistants, and one Office Assistant. We were in charge of Visibility, Internal Communications (Newsletters, Informational Backs, etc.), Press Relations, Staff Relations, Assisting the Admissions Department in Student Recruitment, etc. In Short, we 5 were dynamic enough to assist with every unit at the University when the need arose. But while the 2 Admin Assistants were directly under  VPUR and had no compulsion to report to any other person in the unit, I refused. I looped Oga Abba into anything I was doing whether VPUR told him or not (She actually informed him of everything during our daily reports). While others called him by his first name of Abba (American Style), I refused. He was older and more experienced than me. We were not on the same level and could never be. He would always be ahead. He was Oga Abba or Sir and not Abba.

 

We were a very close-knit unit and we were more like family to the amazement of the others. I on my part would copy Oga Abba on all emails or correspondence I shared with VPUR because that was procedurally right. Oga Abba brought me close to him, he and VPUR laughed at my jokes, even when I cracked them during intense meetings to lighten up the mood. None of my bosses (Both Dr. Elspeth and Abba) ever stopped me from doing anything that I felt was beneficial for us. There was NO jealousy on the part of VPUR or DPRM as I made progress. I had excellent mentors in both of them. They always praised our good work, appreciated all good ideas, and never stopped us from achieving them. When VPUR was not on Seat, Oga Abba was in charge, when both the bosses were out, I was in Charge and so on.

 

Like family, if VPUR was traveling, we’d all see her off, together. When Oga Abba left for Washington for his AILA Fellowhip, we ALL (including VPUR) saw him off and also received him on his return. This was a norm. This was family.

 

When we moved to the permanent campus, mine and Oga Abba’s offices were next to each other, overlooking the main entrance of the Peter Okocha Building. Oga Abba always genuinely encouraged me to do better. I never did anything to disrespect him regardless of who I was reporting to. Eventually, I became the Coordinator of Special Projects working together with the AUN President for any project that we were doing. Of course, I still reported to VPUR but still looped in Oga Abba in all I was doing. My Office also had moved to a single office. Oga’s advice was always valuable.

 

I learned a lot from Oga Abba, he was a mentor. He was the MC during my wedding and he was excited that it was a cross-cultural wedding when Sonia was born, he was just as excited, as Dr. Elspeth was. Because of Elspeth Smith and Abba Tahir, the UR Department was judged the best department at AUN, as we could overlap very easily, be in logistics, events, visibility, etc. In fact when Prof. Piyush Mather came to my office to ask me if I knew any journalist who could take one of his courses as he wanted someone with industry experience, without thinking I led him to Dr. Abba and that was his first entry into becoming an adjunct faculty at AUN.

 

However, my responsibilities were increasing, but my salary wasn’t, despite my experience. With a growing family, it was becoming unsustainable, so I decided to look for other opportunities outside and I got a fantastic offer in Abuja in 2008. I sat the VPUR down and said that I had a job offer in Abuja and would like to explore it and get more experience doing other things as well. There was  deafening silence, and her face fell. Sometime later she called me and said, “ Sameer I'm going to promote you to Associate Director of Special Projects as you have the capacity and experience to do this job. I have already told HR to affect that change and your salary has been increased……” The salary that was being offered to me was higher than that of Oga Abba, a Director with more than 15 years of experience (as of then), and the ONLY person who had joined AUN from being the CEO of a Government Parastatal. This guy had occupied positions that one joining AUN had as of then. This was unacceptable to me. I would not be equal to my boss or even surpass him. His experience was way beyond mine. I humbly told VPUR, that while I accepted that promotion, I could accept a salary higher than Oga Abba. For one, I was not equal to Oga Abba. The only way was, to either increase his salary so that my conscience would accept the new salary or kindly allow me to go. Well, I left. But the recommendation I got from the President of AUN, Dr. Michael Smith was still one of the best recommendations I had received. I was also assured of getting my job back at AUN if Abuja didn’t work out.

 

I think Oga Abba must have found out what happened cause his love for me only increased, so much so that in 2010, under the presidency of a different AUN President, he facilitated my return. And when the chips were down and there was a lot of pressure on him from a lot of misinformation about me, Oga Abba was the rock who shielded me.

 

He was also responsible for my 3^rd sojourn at AUN, when he as Vice President of University Relations, put his foot down and said he wanted the best candidate amongst the 30 applicants for the position of Director of Development, not someone appointed on the basis of ethnicity, religion or who he knew. He wanted capacity for AUN, and when they checked for the best candidate, it still was me. So, lo and behold, I got back to AUN for the 3^rd time till the Covid issue forced us out of AUN.

 

Over the years, I have always been in touch with Oga Abba, almost daily. I was part of his train when he was made the Kaakaakey I of Fombina. This was one of my most memorable days. No matter my other experiences, I have never tried to be above the KaaKaakey in any way. He made me who I am professionally. My CV is rich today, largely because of the mentorship I received from Oga Abba and Dr. Elspeth Smith. Oga Abba definitely for a longer period and still to date. No doubt that he has been up there when it comes to bosses I have worked for. But then, the word boss doesn’t apply to him. The KaaKaaKey is a leader.

 

I too, have tried to shield him from people I believe only want to use his goodness and stab him and he knows this. He also knows that anything I have said has come to pass. It broke my heart to see the KaaKaaKey leave AUN, But I also believe that the Almighty was preparing him for another role. Yes, as humans, we all have erred before.  But to trust is not to err.

 

Today, Prof Abba Tahir, PhD the KaaKaaKey I of Fombina (Adamawa Emirate) has been appointed the Registrar of Prime University in Abuja. One thing I can say is that the American work ethic will be enforced at Prime. Expect world-class rebranding. Expect a world-class vision and focus. Expect experienced Faculty and Staff. Expect excellent mentorship of ALL Nigerians and others, for one thing, the KaaKaaKay is not an ethnic crusader. He doesn’t care if you’re Lanre, Usoh, Ben, Amina, Umma or even Sameer. Just get the job done. He is our Boss of the Bosses.

 

The KaaKaakey duk dunya. The SilverTongue of AUN, now of Prime. The bamboozeler of the bamboozees. The Adam with the apple and the pineapple. A gentleman par excellence and my Boss of Life.

Fombina, Sokoto Caliphate and Nigeria

Fombina (Adamawa Emirate) was the largest Emirate within the Sokoto Caliphate that encompassed most of Northern Nigeria? Fombina, stretched from Yola (North Eastern Nigeria) to the fringes of the Central African Republic, encompassing Northern Cameroon, Southern Tchad. The Emirate is still Headquartered in Yola, a town where I grew up and a town where 3 of my 4 kids were born. 

The Sokoto Caliphate's ( of which Fombina was a part off) had an administrative structure, that was left intact even after the British invasion, which helped to preserve the culture and norms of the Caliphate. However, this also meant that Western education didn't penetrate the North in time, creating a deficit in the sense that Northerners were an absolute minority in terms of being part of the administration of colonial Nigeria. 

Before the Caliphate succumbed to the British guns, it had Hausa and this was written in the Arabic script (Ajamai). This was the script used for administration, commerce, keep records and as mentioned, the Caliphate's administrative structure was so efficient that that the British saw NO point in doing away with a tested structure.

Today, more than 65% of Nigeria's landmass is considered the North, and its impact on the political terrain of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Politically astute, even a gateman or a trolley pusher of Northern origin has a better grasp of political discourse than many highly educated people from other parts of the country. This is because the Caliphate was largely able to Marshall the people's collective destiny with unity of purpose. This was embodied by Ahmadu Bello ( A descendant of the Founder of the Sokoto Caliphate) and the Northern Regional Government 

It's important to change the narrative and misconceptions of Northern Nigeria and its Caliphate and the impact it has had on other African nations who were hitherto, a part of Nigeria. The youth nowadays, know more about what's happening in Europe and the US, than what is happening in their backyard. They rather watch Big Brother than explore their own cultures. The inability to distinguish between fact and fake news has not helped either.

Nigeria today is an amalgamation of 3 regions, each with its different speed of development. It is a NATION that despite its challenges, is better UNITED. It therefore becomes imperative that Government promotes knowledge and understanding of the various empires, kingdoms, cultures, and peoples that have made and still make Nigeria a powerful political entity in Africa and the most populous black nation on Earth.

#Fombina

#SokotoCaliphate

THE COLLAPSE OF PAX AREWA

 

Africa must choose a type of governance, that would enhance its potential and the freedoms of its citizens WITHIN its laws. It doesn't need to copy the West.

Africa is blessed, but unfortunately, the forced amalgamation of many societies into a unit without a singular history or pace of development has only increased ethnic mistrust.

Often, elders have misinterpreted history to support their causes. This too hasn't helped with the collective national cause.

Western concepts of democracy cannot work in multi-ethic or Multi-tribal societies like ours. Regional system, actually assisted in focusing on a collective destiny of people with similar history. A region like the North was able to grant and be a united voice for 240 tribes, but the fragmentation of the regions into smaller units (States), has only created divisions, as every group desires a state. The rise of militant interpretations of religions has not helped either.

Christian Pentecostal religion largely came from the South to the North, and they were representations of Western-style evangelicals that eroded the Northern culture that was hitherto the responsibility of Orthodox Christianity that had adapted the language and customs of the North into their worship style, without changing the message of Christianity. 

Slowly over time, the Christian youth became more and more drawn towards these southern church branches for whatever reason, but ultimately imbibing these concepts that were detrimental to the North and its culture.

On the other side, the growing spate of blatant rise and loudness of this interpretation of Christianity started to be seen as an irritant and even a threat to Islam, as did the leadership disconnect and poverty in the North.

Reactionary groups feeding on the doctrines of local religious leaders who exploited and echoed the exaggerated threat of such enemies were also creating militancy in Islam. People like Ahmed Deedat, who while trying to protect his religion often went overboard in his zeal to protect his own. His literature (though South African) was vastly distributed all over and became a rallying point for zealots. The youth on both sides of the religious divide started becoming polarized and society started becoming segregated. The days of Christians joining the Muslims to celebrate Eid and Muslims doing the same for Christian festivals started becoming history. Groups such as Maitasine and Bokko Haram had a field day, building up on people's insecurity.

The vacuum in governance and insecurity also didn't help matters. All these culminated into an ugly quagmire for the quest for resources and the killings thus, were seen only from a religious and ethnic point of view, further fragmenting an already fragmented ethno-religious tapestry of the North.

All these culminated in the 2023 General Elections whereby a Monolithic North thus divided, voted along religious lines rather than on the lines of capacity, thereby shooting itself in the foot.

The largest region that makes up Nigeria, caved in on itself. The hydra heads of religion, politics, bad leadership, and poverty brought the North to a standstill. The Northern peace (Pax Arewa) that had made the North the most peaceful region in Nigeria for decades, collapsed.