Professor Nuhu Yaqub on his Stewardship as VC
Toyin Falola
Professor Yaqub asked me to circulate on his behalf
Ochonu's piece was referring to the Plenary Speech I gave at the 20th Texas Africa Conference held in Austin, Texas, under the leadership of Professor Toyin
Falola. I am not responding to his opinion, which he is entitled to, but to put matters in proper perspective.
He had asked a similar question to me, which he prefaced as his premise to his current jaundiced analysis and reference, as contained in this forwarded piece, to my tenure in the University of Abuja. I replied him when he tried to relate my submission as well
as the reply to his observation about the politicians' usual resort to and the usual retort about their infrastructural achievements. In my paper, I gave a detailed analysis of the state of infrastructural development of the University upon my appointment
in 2004 June, that is, after the University had existed for 16 years in a setting meant for a primary school. One of my challenges as a visionary leader was not to leave for my successor such an eyesore, considering that the University was the premier tertiary
institution in the Federal Capital. I was able to move it out of the eyesore setting to the Permanent Site by May 5th, 2009 - just three weeks from the end of my tenure. Ochonu should come and see the difference between the Permanent Site (PS) that boasted
of, among other infrastructures, the first phase of the Senate Building; a network of roads of not less than 14 kilometres; functional reticulated water service (with the assistance of Nassir el-Rufai, as the Hon. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory
then); Faculty Buildings housing Faculties of Art; Agriculture; Engineering; Veterinary Medicine; and Management. I also put in place a printing press at the PS for the promotion of academic purposes. I embarked on the building of the University Library,
which today stands a testimonial to my vision of having an edifice to the promotion also of scholarship on the Campus. It is one of the biggest in the country, too. If a scholar of the calibre of Ochonu would not consider all these as conducive to scholarly
pursuit, he should tell us whether universities in the US where he is based, in their developmental strides, neglected infrastructures to promote only the publication of articles in impactful journals. If their pattern of development followed this trajectory
that combined both promotion of infrastructural development and the introduction of academic programmes (see below), then, he has turned logic upside down on how young universities have developed in history. Seriously speaking, is Ochonu saying that the universities
in the US did not combine the development of infrastructure with academic programmes SIMULTANEOUSLY? He should, furthermore, tell us whether or not he shares an office with another professor in the university where he is teaching. Among the wisdom in infrastructural
development was my foresight that when academics shared offices, there would be a natural negative impact on scholarship and even space for contacts with students for their intellectual development as well. Indeed, when I went to the Wake Forest University
as a Fulbright Scholar in the USA in the 2010/2011 academic session, I was given a room for my use alone; I didn't share with any professor despite the fact that I was just there for a session, a short period at that. The University also thought it wise to
give me accommodation on the Campus for the one-year sojourn. He should tell the world what would have been my feeling if, on my arrival for the program of teaching and research, I was asked to go and squat in a students' hostel. Wouldn't such treatment resonate
as discrimination because I was a black Fulbright Scholar?
On the issue of paying much attention to academic and scholarly activities, I informed my audience that I set up the following NEW PROGRAMMES in my five-year tenure: Medicine; Veterinary Medicine; Agriculture; and Engineering. He deliberately refused to acknowledge
these programmes that have, one way or the other, added to the academic tone in the Campus. These most important programmes were introduced to redress the ratios government has assigned to Science (60%) Arts (40%) in the case of "Conventional Universities)
in both admission and and academic programmes of all federally-owned universities. The University of Abuja is a conventional university whose ratios were 28% (Science) and 82% (Arts) on my arrival. Although when I was leaving in 2009, the ratio marginally
was redressed to 40% for Science and 60% for Arts, the University was already set on a trajectory that was on its way to meeting Government stipulations.
Perhaps, one of my greatest moments of happiness in regards to the creation of the above-mentioned science-based programmes included the courtesy call on me by the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) - Engineering Kashim - who came to congratulate
me "for the foresight that came from a social scientist VC, who was preceded in office by two scientist VCs, who thought that having one science faculty was the maximal frontier of science for a university in the 21st century." The NSE President also remarked
that the Society tried all the means, at their disposal then, to convince the pioneer VC of the University of Abuja to, at least, start the engineering leg of the programme that I created, so as to enable the engineering students to integrate the development
of the Federal Capital with their engineering programmes, but to no avail. This is what is seamlessly taking place now, to the benefit of all and sundry.
The other achievement of my tenure in the academic development of the University of Abuja that has been brought to a very bold relief came about during this COVID-19 PANDEMIC. The introduction of medical studies in the institution is one wisdom I shall unabashedly
align myself with. First, because its existence and the Very Special Grace of God, the Teaching Hospital of the College of Health Sciences saved my life when I tested positive for the deadly disease towards the end of the year 2020. It has also been so useful
to hundreds of other souls that have been successfully treated there. Aside from this, a number of academics I brought in to start the programme and others who came after my departure have come with value additions to the College, with a number of them winning
academic laurels and other recognitions in scholarship, teaching and community services. I don't know if Ochonu realises that community service by institutions of higher learning and the teaching staff that work there could also be on the basis of infrastructures
provided!!! The medical programme has also been enhanced by the facilities - both academic and non-academic - which are potentially going to raise the rating of the University in the years ahead. I would not fail to mention at this juncture that Dr. Nasiru
Gwarzo a serving Federal Permanent Secretary in Buhari's Government - reliably informed a conference some years ago in Kaduna, that an agency visited the Federal Ministry of Health from the USA and disclosed that a sum of $70 million was to be given to a medical
school in either Nigeria or Ghana. The officials in the Ministry urged the visitors to go to the University of Abuja that has a budding College of Medicine for discussion and the feasibility of endowing the University with the grant. It was the terrible lukewarm
attitude of the VC that succeeded me that made both the College and the University to miss out (on the grant). The idiot - without apologies - who succeeded me behaved that way because the grant would come to enhance my reputation as the founder of the programme!!!
Have people ever heard of such stupidity and crass lilliputian and self-incriminating chief academic head of a higher institution? A Centre of Excellence would have emerged from such grant and the medical programmes made more excellent by the grant!!!
Well, some people do not know that Rome was never built in one day. I am however happy that the small mustard seeds planted from the time of my tenure in the University of Abuja have all germinated very nicely; and they are fruiting at the moment. I learnt
the current VC of the University is planning to introduce additional programmes in the Engineering Faculty that will teach Railway Engineering. Mr. Ochonu should be asked whether it was only infrastructural development that was my only focus as the VC of the
University; an institution that I wished and continue to wish for the highest accolade. If he is in doubt about my academic achievements at the helm, he should ask for the full paper I deliveted from Professor Toyin Falola. In it, there is a tribute for me
from one of the academics not known for frivolities, when I celebrated both my 7th Birthday and retirement from university service recently. The tribute pointedly celebrated me for one achievements beyond infrastructural development.
The forwarder of Ochonu's write up should show equity, please, by forwarding this reply to his source who, in turn, should forward it to Ochonu, to impress on him that as a scholar that he thinks he is, he should avoid selective and biased write-ups if he
wants to be taken seriously. I shall also forward this reply to Professor Falola for his reading and comment on the proceedings of last Saturday of the highly successful 20th Texas Africa Conference.
Finally, Ochonu is fond of grotesque commentaries about scholarship in Nigeria/Africa. Yes, Nigerian scholarship generally may have shortcomings, here answer there, let him come home and rectify the areas that need salvaging. That is the time those of us not
lecturing out there can appreciate the higher stuff he thinks he is made of as much as his patriotism!!! He should remember that he was trained in Bayero University, the very basis of his currently advertised superior scholarship. But, as it is often stated,
a house with a weak foundation cannot stand. If the standard in the Bayero University was that low when he went there to study, his current Olympian Height in scholarship could not have endured this far. Bayero University's standard; in the paper I presented
last Saturday, April 3rd, his Alma Mater is still among the first 200 leading universities in Africa. This also includes the University of Abuja!!!
Moses Ebe Ochonu
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Oluwatoyin Adepoju
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OLAYINKA AGBETUYI
Emeagwali, Gloria (History)
Prof. of History/African Studies, CCSU
africahistory.net; vimeo.com/ gloriaemeagwali
Recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Research
Excellence Award, Univ. of Texas at Austin;
2019 Distinguished Africanist Award
New York African Studies Association
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To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Nuhu Yaqub <nuhuome...@gmail.com>
Subject: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Professor Nuhu Yaqub on his Stewardship as VC
Please be cautious: **External Email**
Mobolaji Aluko
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Assensoh, Akwasi B.
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Subject: [External] Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Professor Nuhu Yaqub on his Stewardship as VC
Farooq A. Kperogi
Kennesaw State University
Cell: (+1) 404-573-9697
Personal website: www.farooqkperogi.com
"The nice thing about pessimism is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised." G. F. Will
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Oluwatoyin Adepoju
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Cornelius Hamelberg
This is meant as more of a frontal and less of an oblique aside, for which I am to he held completely responsible as an out-sider but not as a stange-r
From the Sermon of the Mount it’s “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God!”
The ball is now in Professor Falola’s court, the valiant Professor Falola who started the ball rolling by magnanimously posting Professor Yaqub’s response to Crown Prince Professor Ochonu’s critique of former Vice-chancellor Professor Yaqub.
There ‘s the African proverb that “when elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers” – which means that this is not the right time for the weak, the non-committal, the innocent neutral bystanders or the overtly cowardly. Later this evening I’ll be phoning Baba Kadiri and requesting that he please coin a Yoruba proverb about what happens when professors fight, and who or what gets hurt, actually suffers or shuffers. Since Cornelius Ignoramus knows Baba Kadiri better than he knows anyone else in this forum (apart from Femi Segun who I know in a very special way and for who I also have a very high regard ) I can anticipate – reliably, what Baba Kadiri is going to say, he’s going to start off with “Menahem, what we need is professors who can provide Nigerians with constant electricity and clean potable water...”
This is probably a case of “fools rush in where angles fear to tread”, but please excuse the preamble, my intentions are honourable. I’m hoping that perchance, I’ll be the one who can generate this part of the song:
“It
took
a stranger to teach me, to look into justice’s beautiful face
And
to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
“(I
and I)...
There’s the New Testament episode (Luke 19: 30 – 40) of Jesus riding into Jerusalem and in response to the Pharisees scolding the crowd that was cheering Jesus’ triumphal entry into the City of David, Jesus said that if they (the crowd) did not jubilate then the very stones would cry out (in praise). Be that as it may, the true Muslim knows that “All praise is due to Allah” - “All praise belongs to Allah” and some of the truly excellent men and women of Islam have usually, very humbly described themselves as “Allah’s weakest slave” - which does not mean to say that even as “Allah’s weakest slave“, we should not acknowledge the achievements of Professor Nuhu Yaqub and all that he has accomplished as Vice-chancellor of the University of Abuja. In the general holy, generous spirit of “Give praise where praise is due” even some of the iconoclasts and atheists who don’t believe in the devil grudging say, “Give the devil his due”, not to mention the Bible-thumbing Christians who are well advised to love even their enemies, but, hopefully, do not count their enemy the devil as one to be loved.
For some time now, this paradigm has emerged and is still slowly emerging, as we all can see, or perhaps not see so clearly, as was the case of the blind men and the elephant. However, what I see so clearly is this: a couple of distinguished (and maybe some not so distinguished) diaspora Nigerians, either shining bright from afar or twinkling like little super stars in the diaspora night, forever grumbling from aboard that things are not going quite right at home, (Nigeria), in other words to my chagrin, washing their dirty linen abroad and sighing
“Ah,
but who would want to listen to you
Kissing
his existence good night?”
(Walking
Man)
Reporting back to base all I can say is that this seems to me to be remarkable : As far as Nigeria and the Nigerian diaspora intelligentsia is concerned it’s probably cultural – I mean the parameters of this dialogue/ conversation and what’s to be said, can be said and had better be left out, unsaid, with respect to public decorum. I guess that from the eminent Naira point of view, it’s cultural – and that “it’s cultural” includes respect and not disrespect for elders, for seniors, for the meritocracy, the most elevated professors (the custodians of all kinds of knowledge) the Archbishop of Abuja and other custodians of the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Gas, Obas, Emirs of Kano, the Sultans, the Sardaunas of Sokoto – respect for all these great and not so great fellow human beings, that too is cultural, but from the point of view of this by no means intellectual bystander, that much misused, abused, overused and misunderstood term” intellectual” being such a dirty word and a dirty card to play, it’s unfortunate, tragic that what ostensibly set out to be an analysis hopefully to be followed by recommendations as to what is to be done to improve the quality of teaching and research in Nigeria's premiere universities has now degenerated into a disgusting public scolding and mud-slinging on a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, a University that he developed from scratch, from its rudimentary origins, from “the University had existed for 16 years in a setting meant for a primary school” to what can be objectively boasted about as the legacy he left behind and has since passed the baton on to his successor in this relay race for that successor and others to build on as a more solid foundation.
When Professor Ochonu expresses his appreciation for Vice Chancellor Professor Yaqub “employing First Class and high 2:1 graduates”, what is not clear is if these graduates that he’s referring to are locally produced or produced in the more advanced citadels of learning to be found abroad, where some of Nigeria’s most eminent academics are now stationed, imparting knowledge to their students…
Professor Yaqub’s Parthian shot to Professor Ochonu (“let him come home and rectify the areas that need salvaging. That is the time those of us not lecturing out there can appreciate the higher stuff he thinks he is made of as much as his patriotism!!! “) should be regarded less as a rebuke and more as the throwing down of the gauntlet and a serious challenge to taking on the problem of reversing the on-going brain drain…
About the pecuniary scene in the United States, these lines keep on ringing like a bell:
“While
preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers
teach that knowledge waits
Can
lead to hundred-dollar plates”
( It’s
alright Ma)
I know a couple of professors here in Sweden in the 30 – 75 age range, but don’t know, have never known the names of the Vice Chancellor of the University of any of the Swedish Universities Stockholm, Lund, Uppsala,, etc., but from year to year have known the names of the minister of finance, foreign affairs, education, culture, military chief, director of some of the banks, the prime minister ...
Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM
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Cornelius Hamelberg
A few corrections.
At 100 m.p.h. should read:
“...for which I am to be held completely responsible as an out-sider but not as a stranger”
“Femi Segun who I know in a very special way and for whom I also have great respect “
“This is probably a case of “fools rush in where angels fear to tread”
“...and atheists who don’t believe in the devil grudgingly say, “Give the devil his due”, not to mention the Bible-thumping Christians who are well advised to love even their enemies, but, hopefully, do not count their enemy Satan the accursed, as one of the enemies that should be loved. “
“but don’t know and have never known the names of the Vice-Chancellors of of any of the Swedish Universities "
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OLAYINKA AGBETUYI
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More info A few corrections.
At 100 m.p.h. should read:
“...for which I am to be held completely responsible as an out-sider but not as a stranger”
“Femi Segun who I know in a very special way and for whom I also have great respect “
“This is probably a case of “fools rush in where angels fear to tread”
“...and atheists who don’t believe in the devil grudgingly say, “Give the devil his due”, not to mention the Bible-thumping Christians who are well advised to love even their enemies, but, hopefully, do not count their enemy Satan the accursed, as one of the enemies that should be loved. “
“but don’t know and have never known the names of the Vice-Chancellors of of any of the Swedish Universities "
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ugwuanyi Lawrence
A lot of comment have been made on the former Vice Chancellor, Prof .Nuhu Yacub's account of his stewardship, which some of us were active observers of and can attest to.
It is difficult to understand the problems of Nigerian education without a determined connection to its recent history, in particular how SAP played an infamous role in crippling the efforts at state building though education, etc. and the long military rule in Nigeria not to talk of how state politics also affect the university. Does it not strike anyone that someone once functioned as VC of two universities in Nigeria at the same time and/or that a Nigerian university was once headed by a Military General? Can anyone not shiver at this given that functioning as a devoted and determined Head of Department or Dean of a Faculty may just be a huge big load? What notion of university would have led to this in a country with thousands of Professors and what could be the predictable outcome of this scenario? Assuming that one is to inherit such a university as a successor- proximately or remotely is it fair to overlook all these and disregard all these in analyzing such a person’s performance? The implication of these is that a good devoted VC in this context must be an academic hero and must be commended and Prof.Yaqub is undoubtedly a hero!
Cornelius Hamelberg
Lord Agbetuyi,
Indeed, “When beggars die there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” It’s a sad, sad day for all of us, especially for Her Majesty and the Royal family…
And in these very trying times for her and the Royal Family , this should not surprise us:
I read your message fast forward (260 mph as usual), slipped over what looked like you in a bad mood, because before the rewind I thought that I had read “There actually have always been two Clown Princes on the forum neither of which is a traditional prince of the blood such as yours truly “,
at which point I agreed with you completely and groaned (under my breath) Lord Agbetuyi is signifying about those pretentious monkeys, “pretenders to the throne”, continuously under the control of their sycophantic nafs, and they don’t like music, they prefer the sound of their own babble – think they are being profound, “Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall” – the wall in question being either the one in Jerusalem or the one usually fortified by a girdle, the hijab that protects the wearer from all unholy intentions down under over yonder.
True : Blood’s thicker than mud...
My impression is that Americans (including John Amos acting in Coming to America) don’t like hearing about real princes like Lord Agbetuyi, they (especially the Republicans) think “Prince” is a quaint title – offend them just a little, and, no good Yoruba home training, no good breeding, you’ll hear the hoodlums threatening to kick “your royal ass” and on top of that, tell you, “This is America, Jack!” As the Last Poets tell us, “The first thing they say when they're mad: 'Fuck it'”
After princes, among Nigerians it would seem that the next title that aspires to upward social mobility is “Professor” - and then you have the example of the non and un-Nigerian Hugh Trevor-Roper who combines intellect and elements of British aristocracy as manifested to yours truly in his exhilarating & exuberant “Letters from Oxford” reading which ought to redeem some aspirants from the pervasive influence of Wole Soyinka in the realm of letters – it would seem that he and only he is the role model of quite a few wannabes who aspire to rise from lowly professor somewhere in the liberal arts to Nobel Laureate in Literature (like Dylan and Louise Gluck) or Poet Laureate of the United States (now that would be something to write home about)
Well, there are crown princes like Teju Cole (I like him, admire him, and crediting myself as a good judge, I think highly of him. Then there’s the crown princess and her Americanah
Back in the day - up to the early 70s in Sweden everybody was listed in the telephone directory according to profession: Engineer Svensson, Brain Surgeon Harrison etc. And Sweden’s Royal Family - especially the Crown Princess Victoria is loved. As always, Swedes love to boast, not about how much they earn or how many factories, houses, horses, yachts, but how much tax they pay; it’s a humble way of boasting (always complaining about heavy taxes and as for us the poor fellows, where would we be if some of those taxes didn't go to maintaining good public libraries?
But back to the main issue - or what I think is on its way as evolving as main issue in this thread is
Lord Agbetuyi, when you said ( to me) “ You sound like the Natural Mystic already.” I found myself thinking about what you said and also about our Ifa friend, when I followed this discussion;
Neuroscientist David Eagleman with Sadhguru – In Conversation with the Mystic
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Cornelius Hamelberg
Lord Agbetuyi,
It’s second thoughts.
Considering what happened after King David departed to the Hereafter, it is good that a King appoints his successor, but even then, envy, competition, unbridled ambition, upstarts, dreamers, 419ers, so many problems!
Just for the record, so that you don’t get me wrong; in this case the critics are not the overly cowardly or the faint-hearted, sticking their heads out as they have just done, to criticize what they deem to be shortcomings even among the over-achievers, in the belief that criticism aims at correction and correction leads to positive growth. Education being the foundation stone of any great future developments in Nigeria, I’d also like to express deep sympathy for the concerns expressed about this by Professor Moses Ochonu (King Falola’s crown prince of the mind, not of the flesh) and it is usually the reigning King that chooses his successor before he himself goes into early retirement or ascends to join his father in heaven, a place which he himself has described in his enthralling Counting The Tiger’s Teeth as “a place of no return”, the exception to that of course being Jesus who is eternally on his way back from sitting at the right hand side of his Heavenly Father just to felicitate with us down here on mother earth, first of all the fortunate ones to join him up in the air at the Rapture, before the great tribulation and eschatologically speaking later on when he commences his 1,000 years reign from Jerusalem as his capital. As he himself reportedly told Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world.”...
“And the princess and the prince discussed, what's real and what is not, it doesn’t matter inside the Gates of Eden “
Hopefully, you the university teachers will help impact policy on the purpose of universities in the case of Nigeria (“the sleeping giant”) with an emphasis on education to meet the manpower requirement needs in modern science and technology, some of the “mathematical rhythms” that Patrick Wilmot was dreaming about back then in 1981...
Ifa, cosmological and earthly matters: From some time ago, an interesting discussion about where science and “mysticism” meet in tranquillity, peace and harmony
Wishing you a beautiful shabbat shalom
Cornelius Agrippa
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Gloria Emeagwali
On Apr 10, 2021, at 09:38, Cornelius Hamelberg <Cornelius...@gmail.com> wrote:
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Cornelius Hamelberg
Gloria Emeagwali,
Many Thanks! That was some very enlightening background to the ongoing mayhem in Myanmar. I have just subscribed to The Conversation's daily newsletter; it should be interesting to see how they cover the soon to be more volatile Middle East, with Old Joe Biden riding easy in the saddle and China, yes, China jumping into the fray, it’s interesting times ahead. Let us pray that all the oilfields don’t eventually go up in holy smoke. Once religion becomes the dynamite or dynamic in politics it’s only going to be spontaneous combustion and a lot of hellfire. Although Communism/ the Communist Party of China is not a religion per se, it has all the paraphernalia of a religion has a “Supreme leader” / prophet, a central committee - like Jesus’ disciples gathering at the last supper, and a governing ideology just as the Mullahs in Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood wherever you find them ( cf. Bryan Magee in Conversation with Ninian Smart)
In sum total the word that is most closely associated with Buddhism is COMPASSION
Apart from an interest in some of the martial arts that sprung from that part of the world, I know little about Mahayana Buddhism, the Buddhism moistly practised in Asia and brought to the worlds attention by Vietnamese Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire in protest against the war
I’m only familiar with the Karma Kagyu, and attended a retreat with the then 16th Gyalwa Karmapa and Kalu Rinpoche in 1974. before the big palaver with China about who was to be his successor; was / am a fan of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics and practised a little Zen, composed a few haikus (Buddhism started to grow in the West, especially in the US, more as a literary movement, less as a spiritual monkish quest).
Honestly, I don’t think that just because of Hitler you should give up on Christianity which says that you should love your enemy – even if he happens to be me...and the Fulani herdsmen...
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Oluwatoyin Adepoju
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Gloria Emeagwali
On Apr 10, 2021, at 12:19, Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovde...@gmail.com> wrote:
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