Chairman, Executive Trainers Ltd, explains why he wants recent probe extended by the Federal Ministry of Education to other institutions of higher learning in Nigeria
By Chika Abanobi
The recent setting up, by the Federal Ministry of Education, of investigative panels to probe allegations of corruption against heads of institutions of higher learning like the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Kastina State; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Umuahia, Abia State; University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State; University of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State; University of Calabar, Cross River State; Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State; Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State and Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos State, has been praised by Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, Chairman, Executive Trainers Ltd (the training outfit which has, since its establishment in 2008, been engaged in the hosting of international higher education executive programmes and training of higher institutions executives).
Ogunsan who spoke on the issue while briefing education correspondents, recently, on the goals, activities and programmes of the training outfit, apart from welcoming the probe (whose reports had since been submitted by the various probing committees), also called for its extension to virtually all Nigerian institutions of higher learning – monotechnics, polytechnics, colleges of education and universities – whether there are petitions hanging over the heads of the institutions or not.
“Some of the schools mentioned in the probe reports are known to me,” he said. “In fact, about 80 per cent of them are my customers. When I got the details from newspapers, I placed a call to every one of them (the heads) to chat with them.”
Though in total support of the probe, he nonetheless called for caution over what he sees as spurious allegations flying about in some of the institutions concerned. “Some of them I have been following their stories,” he revealed. “I will say in some of these institutions, naturally some people are mischievous. Nigeria is a country where petition is rated high. A little disaffection from a younger staff to a senior staff, maybe on personal ground, can make people to go out of their way to write petition to anywhere and by the time those things are investigated, you would discover that some of these things are personal. Now, that the report has been concluded and submitted to the honourable Minister, I am sure 60 per cent of the outcome will be things that could have been resolved internally. But I also want to agree that maybe about 40 per cent of that report may indict some of those institutions.
“My counsel is: Mr. President should extend the net to virtually all the institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. He should cleanse the system. There should be no sacred cow in our education system. It is my desire and plea that he should cleanse the system and where the system is clean, he should still clean it the more. I am saying it on this platform that chief executives of institutions of higher learning should, please, manage the resources of their institutions judiciously. Some of them I have had opportunity of raising IGR (internally generated revenue) for them. We know how difficult it is. We are with Mr. President on this area and we will support him all the way to make sure all the institutions are cleansed.
“Everybody talks about the change mantra and that’s exactly what we are doing. ETL has plugged into that and we are doing a lot to sanitize the higher education system in Nigeria. People ask us, why don’t you go into other areas of training? We tell them, no, we have identified this sector, higher education, and we are passionate in taking higher education to the next level, here and in Africa.
“Our education should be run professionally, should be run with little or no government help or support. It should be run profitably and competitively to global standards and we have been able to partner up to 13 notable higher institutions across the globe, in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Dubai, Africa, Singapore, Zambia, Ghana, South Africa and several other countries, to compare notes with some important institutions, so that they can interface with them, learn from their success stories and then see a way of imbibing what they have and replicate them here. We’ve been able to achieve a lot.
“I can boldly tell you today that there is no institution in Nigeria that has not been trained by Executive Trainers. I don’t think there’s any head of higher institutions in Nigeria that has not participated in our conferences and workshops both locally and abroad. The testimonies that we’ve been hearing have been very, very fantastic. Through our links, we’ve been able to establish a student-student transfer, lecturer-lecturer transfer, and transfer of technology. We’ve been able to help institutions procure what they need. We’ve been able to help them in taking their lecturers abroad for both short time and long-time training. Our training touches every sphere of higher institution.”