University Education

By Mohammed Ishaq

Many Nigerians on social media have expressed mixed reactions to the award for Researcher of the Year (2024/2025 session) given to Dr AbdulGafar Fahm of the Department of Religions, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).

According to a statement released on the university’s official X handle, the vice chancellor, Professor Wahab Egbewole, presented the car keys to the awardee on March 24, 2026, as part of the university’s tradition.

The award, which has generated commendations, has also been criticised by many Nigerians. As some have faulted the university for giving a used car, a few others have questioned the contribution of religious research to the university and Nigeria.

For instance, a Facebook user named Fisayo Ajala suggested research grants or sponsorship to attend International conferences instead of a “tokunbo Corolla car”. 

Also, an X user with the username @timakanni commented, “Nigeria !!! An academic in the Department of Religious Studies as the best researcher for the University of Ilorin !!! This is [a] very interesting and absurd priority in this technology age.”

However, Dr AbdulGafar Fahm, whose research focuses on cultural studies, interfaith relations and other topics, is just the latest recipient of the car gift. Other winners, such as Dr (now Professor) Akorede Mudathir of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Professor Adeyinka Tella of the Department of Library and Information Science, received cars in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

According to UNILORIN’s official staff profile, Dr Fahm earned a PhD in Islamic Spiritual Culture and Contemporary Society from the International Islamic University Malaysia and has over 50 publications, more than 1,000 citations and an h-index of 9. A search on Google Scholar by The Daily Reality revealed 1500+ citations, h-index 10 and i10-index 15.

By Muhammad Nasiru Yaya

Leadership in academia is often measured not only by policies and projects, but by stability, service, and the enduring footprints left behind. For Prof. Umaru A. Pate, the outgoing 3rd Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Kashere (FUK), the end of his tenure marks not just a transition but the close of a chapter defined by commitment, resilience, and purposeful leadership. As he bows out with the words, “I have served, I am happy to leave”, he does so as a fulfilled and happy man—having delivered on the responsibilities entrusted to him.

On the 18th December, 2020, Professor Pate was appointed the 3rd substantive Vice Chancellor of the University of Kashere by the Governing Council of the institution, under the leadership of Barrister Yakubu A.H Buba (SAN), in a seamless and transparent exercise. On Wednesday, 10th February, 2021, he took over the mantle of the Federal University of Kashere as the 3rd Vice Chancellor, with a solemn pledge to transform the University into one of the great fortresses of learning not only in Nigeria but also in Africa. 

In his first impression as VC he fully praises the Almighty Allah for choosing him to occupy the exalted seat- promised to make his dream of transforming the University a reality by adoption of six-points agenda which involves, physical and academic development, maintenance of standards and quality assurance in the system, provision of an excellent town and grown relationship, improved staff and students warfare as well as making investment on Information and Communication Technology. He believed these are essential for any serious institution yearning for academic excellence and development, to ensure global visibility and to reach out within and beyond for resource mobilisation. He promised to work with relevant stakeholders to ensure the institution has sufficient resources to execute and achieve its goals.

On the day of his arrival, he declared that he would do his utmost best to ensure that he didn’t disappoint the confidence reposed in him. He said, and I quote, “Mine will be to consolidate and further build on what the first and second Vice Chancellors were able to lay. This is the system that will outlive us. It never occurred to me that one day, I would also be part of the process. And today I am here, in Sha Allah, we shall do our best to make Federal University of Kashere a great institution.” 

He further added that “what you sow today may germinate in many, many years to come. If you sow evil, you will harvest evil. If you sow good, you will never tell the extent of the fruit you are going to benefit from; therefore, we are going to sow a seed that will be counting in us long after we must have left this place.” However, these are not just statements; they are a declaration of commitment, resilience, and purposeful leadership. 

Within just a year, the institution started to see changes across various faculties and research centres, as well as academic and non-academic standards.  Within a short time, he visually transformed the institution for the better in all aspects. Two years down the line, the Federal University of Kashere had become a hub of academic excellence. He also sponsored more than 45 people for International workshops, and proposal writing on Grand Menard and Management, and promoted multiple stand academic staff to professorial careers. 

In 2024, more than three years into his stewardship, the University had maintained its standards through innovative research and a conducive learning environment, which had garnered national recognition. Under his leadership, in the 2024 National University rankings in Nigeria, the institution secured the 29th spot among the country’s best universities, alongside Covenant University, the University of Ibadan, and the Federal University of Technology, Akure. In 2025, the University was placed as 28th overall in the country.

In the same way, during his tenure, Pate upgraded the SIWES and General Studies Unit to a Directorate and its own, and he also granted approval for the commencement of part-time undergraduate degree programmes at the university. In the same vein, he also established the IJMB programme at the University. He also established a college of Medical Sciences. He is fully accredited for about ten undergraduate programs from the National University Commission (NUC), including Mass Communication. He also established three academic centres of excellence for Sugar Research and Development, Peace and Security Studies, and Environmental and Climate Studies.

In addition, the Federal University of Kashere has consistently recorded commendable achievements and projects under the leadership of Prof. U.A. Pate. The University, in collaboration with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the study of communication for social and behavioural change. 

However, Under the administration of Prof. Pate, Federal University, Kashere has become a beehive of construction activities, notable among these projects are, completion of Lectures Theater 3, 350 Capacity, completion of 30 number of professorial offices, completion of Lecture Room C, completion of the Other wing of the 250 Twin Lecture Theater, LT2, as well as completion of Prof. Jibrin Aminu College of Medical Sciences, he also secured multi-million FUK Guest house in Asokoro Abuja, the groundbreaking of FUK Christian Chapel, the ongoing new University Senate building and new 500 capacity Lecture Theater. 

On 12 December, 2022, Prof. Pate established the Broadcasting Complex, which contains both TV and Radio Studios, with the aim of supporting student learning. Within the last five years, Prof. Pate has signed a number of MoUs and collaborated with notable organisations and institutions, both locally, nationally, and globally, to reach out to prominent personalities in the state and beyond and attract funds to execute more projects on Campus.

Throughout his tenure as Vice Chancellor, Prof. Pate has maintained a cordial relationship with staff and students of the University; to say that, Prof. Pate has more than justified his appointment as leader of this great fortress of learning. Now that he leaves, FUK has been further repositioned as a great institution for higher learning.

As Prof. Umaru A. Pate steps away from office, he leaves behind more than records and reports—he leaves a university steadier than he met it, a community shaped by service, and a legacy anchored in duty fulfilled. His tenure as the 3rd Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Kashere will be remembered not for noise, but for substance; not for length, but for impact. Indeed, he came, he served, he delivered—and he left a happy man.

Muhammad Nasiru Yaya, a graduate of Mass Communication, writes from home.

Mohammadnasiryaya@gmail.com.

By Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu

The phrase can be read in two ways: the dangers within mentorship, and the danger that mentorship itself may be disappearing.

As one grows older and accumulates experience, visibility, and a measure of goodwill, public culture often expects a form of “payback.” One of the most valued ways to do this is by mentoring younger colleagues—especially those approaching exit points in their careers. Nowhere is this expectation more pronounced than in academic circles. Yet over the years, I have watched the mentorship process deteriorate from both mentors’ and mentees’ perspectives.

When I began my career, mentees were frequently exploited. They carried out the basic research for their mentors—data gathering, analysis, and preliminary drafting—while the senior scholar ultimately received the credit in subsequent publications. When some mentees later attempted to assert ownership of their intellectual labour by publishing from the same datasets, mentors simply stopped working with them. By then, however, the senior academics had already crossed the Rubicon: they had secured their place in the system and had little incentive to look back.

Being exploited intellectually is not a small matter. In academia, one’s ideas, labour, and reputation are the core of one’s identity. When these are appropriated or manipulated, it feels like a violation — not just of professional ethics, but of dignity. Watching others suffer the same fate, and then seeing the perpetrators continue to flourish without consequence, naturally intensifies the sense of injustice.

A later generation of mentors adopted a more tactical strategy. Mentees were still required to do most of the “dirty work,” often writing up results for papers or book chapters, after which mentors insisted on being listed as joint authors. I objected to this practice on several occasions, arguing that a mentor is institutionally remunerated to support the mentee’s development, not to appropriate the mentee’s intellectual rewards. Yet some mentees willingly entered into such parasitic arrangements, convinced that the mentor’s visibility would enhance their own prospects. Meanwhile, mentors leveraged the mentees’ labour to boost citation counts and online academic metrics—the modern equivalent of academic swagger.

Mentees themselves have not been entirely blameless. Whether within formal institutional settings or in the more fluid spaces of public culture, mentorship ideally enables individuals to reach their potential. Increasingly, however, the relationship is being instrumentalised for economic gain or opportunistic advantage. Recent distressing experiences involving well-known academics [on Facebook and a young man named Ismail Sani] illustrate how goodwill and a willingness to assist can be exploited by outright scams. Such incidents inevitably make potential mentors more cautious, and sometimes less willing, to extend help in the future.

What we are witnessing, therefore, is a shift in expectations from intellectual mentorship to personal patronage. In many of our social environments, the two easily get conflated. Respect for elders, the culture of assistance, and the visibility that comes with academic success can combine to create the assumption that a mentor is also a benefactor. When repeated often enough, the requests begin to feel less like genuine emergencies and more like a pattern of dependence. That can make even a generous person start to withdraw.

Another troubling dimension is the subtle guilt-tripping employed by some would-be mentees. I have received numerous requests to serve as a referee for individuals I scarcely know. We may have met briefly at an event, or they may simply have encountered something I wrote. To them, I appear as a convenient “low-hanging fruit.” Basic courtesy would require prior contact—at the very least, a reminder of the context in which we met. I usually decline such requests. After all, referees are expected to have genuine knowledge of a candidate’s work and character. How can one write an honest assessment based on nothing more than fleeting acquaintance or social-media followership?

Social media has radically transformed access to public figures, rendering them perpetually available. Once a mentoring relationship is established, some mentees interpret access as entitlement. The boundary between guidance and material obligation becomes blurred. Social media makes this worse because it creates intimacy without context — people feel they “know” you, and therefore feel justified in making personal demands. Over time, the mentor begins to anticipate the next request, and the original intellectual purpose of the relationship is quietly eroded.

In the physical, offline world, proximity often enables one to gauge the sincerity of requests for guidance or assistance. The anonymity and immediacy of online interaction, however, have produced what might be called a form of “closed distance”: a space stripped of emotional grammar and contextual obligation. In such a space, panhandling can easily be reframed as a moral claim upon those perceived as accessible or influential.

The cumulative effect is worrying. Mentorship, as a meaningful intellectual and moral relationship, may itself be in danger.

What have your own experiences been?

By Asma’u Sa’adu Waziri

For many students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), academic life extends beyond lecture halls and classrooms. While lectures form the core of university education, a growing number of students now engage in side hustles to support themselves and cope with the realities of campus life.

Across the university and its surrounding communities, students can be seen involved in small-scale trading, tutoring, and other income-generating activities. These engagements are often carried out after lectures, on weekends, or during free periods. For many students, such activities are not driven by choice but by necessity.

Rising living expenses, transportation costs, and the need for basic learning materials have made it increasingly difficult for some students to rely solely on home allowances. As a result, combining academics with part-time work has become common among many undergraduates.

A student reads on campus, reflecting the academic demands students balance alongside other responsibilities.

Balancing academic responsibilities with side hustles, however, comes with its challenges. Managing time effectively remains a major concern, as students must attend lectures, complete assignments, and still find time to work. During test and examination periods, pressure increases, with students striving to meet academic expectations while maintaining their sources of income.

Despite these challenges, some students view their experiences as part of personal development. Engaging in side hustles has helped many students develop discipline, responsibility, and basic financial management skills. It has also exposed them to real-life experiences beyond academic learning.

University life is often perceived as a period solely dedicated to education, but for many UDUS students, it also involves navigating economic realities. Between lectures and side hustles, students continue to adapt, balancing academic goals with the practical demands of everyday life.

By Muhammad Sulaiman

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano Zonal Directorate, on Thursday, February 5, 2026, arraigned a former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA), Professor Armaya’u Hamisu Bichi, before the Katsina State High Court over an alleged N19.7 million bribery scheme.

Bichi was docked before Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar alongside two others—Lawal Tukur Mani and Aliyu Lawal Jari—on a five-count charge bordering on bribery.

According to the EFCC, Bichi, while serving as Vice-Chancellor, allegedly received kickbacks from contractors through the two co-defendants in exchange for the award of contracts at the university. One of the charges alleged that he obtained N5 million in July 2023 from a contractor as gratification for contracts involving the supply of medical equipment and laboratory furnishing, with the funds paid into a bank account belonging to one of the co-defendants.

All three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following their pleas, prosecuting counsel, Salihu Sani, requested a trial date, while defence counsel moved applications for bail. Justice Abubakar granted each defendant bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum and adjourned the case to March 12, 2026, for the commencement of trial.

By Usman M. Shehu

One of the most unsettling realities for any corps member post-NYSC is the harshness of the Nigerian labour market. I know this firsthand—we had our Passing Out Parade (POP) on 18th December 2025. 

Finishing NYSC brings not just doubt, but real anxiety and fear: fear of losing the monthly allowance, and the daunting task of distributing your curriculum vitae (CV)—via email or in person—to companies, agencies, and contacts.

The dynamics of the job market have shifted dramatically. It’s no longer just about what you know (your skill set), but increasingly about who you know (your connections). This is driven in part by the sheer volume of graduates entering the market each year. 

Take my field, geology, for example: it’s not one of the most competitive courses, yet about 80 students graduated from my class alone, with degrees ranging from first class to second class (upper and lower), and third class. This pattern repeats across faculties, from the sciences and engineering to the humanities. When you do the math, thousands of graduates flood the market annually, far exceeding the combined absorption capacity of the public and private sectors.

This oversupply is a major reason why many graduates and even their guardians rely on connections to secure jobs. It’s an affront to the merit-based ideals of our educational system and a key factor behind the public sector’s declining efficiency. When nepotism and connections trump competence, institutions suffer. The civil service is already crumbling under this weight, as we see today. Fixing it remains a hot topic in public discourse, but the goal should be clear: employment, public or private, must prioritise what you know over who you know.

Another major challenge is the age barrier. Since 2009, the NYSC certificate prominently displays your date of birth to prevent age falsification. This makes it harder for anyone over 28, whether due to late entry to university or academic delays, to secure interviews or even apply. Most job portals and advertisements specify strict requirements: age limits, degree class, skills, and years of experience. Often, if you’re above the age threshold, you can’t even access the application portal. These restrictions hit hardest in white collar jobs.

The Way Forward: Despite these systemic hurdles, individual agency matters. To move forward, we must be enterprising and proactive: work hard, strategically build in-demand skills (like digital marketing, data analysis, coding, or entrepreneurship), and stay humble while relentlessly pursuing opportunities, whether through networking, job hunting, or starting your own business.

That said, this moment isn’t entirely bleak. We’re excited about the transition and earning our certificates. It opens doors to jobs that require completion of the NYSC. And if we take these steps seriously, upskilling, staying resilient, and thinking creatively, we won’t just be employable; we’ll become highly sought-after prospects.

Happy POP to my fellow ex-corps members, Batch C Stream 2 2025! Let’s step into this next chapter ready. For by failing to plan, we are planning to fail.

Usman M. Shehu wrote from Kano via usmanmujtabashehu@gmail.com.

By Abbas Datti

The Federal University Dutse (FUD) has ushered in a new era of purposeful leadership with the election of Professor Ahmad Muhammad Gumel as its 4th substantive Vice Chancellor, a development widely welcomed across the academic community as a well-deserved victory for merit, experience and vision.

Gumel’s emergence followed a competitive and transparent selection process that drew seasoned academics from across the country. Muhammed Gumel’s victory reflects the confidence of the University’s Governing Council in his proven capacity to lead, innovate and consolidate the gains recorded since the institution’s establishment.

A scholar of high repute, Gumel is widely respected for his intellectual depth, administrative acumen and unwavering commitment to academic excellence. Over the years, he has distinguished himself as a disciplined researcher, an inspiring teacher, and a consensus builder who understands the complexities of managing a growing federal university in a dynamic educational environment.

Colleagues describe him as a visionary leader with a clear understanding of the mandate of Federal University Dutse—to serve as a centre of learning, research and community development. Gumel’s leadership style, marked by inclusiveness, transparency and firm decision-making, is expected to strengthen institutional stability and staff morale while enhancing students’ academic experience.

As the 4th substantive Vice-Chancellor, Gumel is expected to build on the solid foundation laid by his predecessors, with a strong focus on academic quality, research output, infrastructural development, global partnerships and community engagement. Gumel’s background in university governance and strategic planning positions him well to navigate contemporary challenges, including funding constraints, staff development, and the drive for international relevance.

In accepting responsibility, Gumel reaffirmed his commitment to service, pledging to work collaboratively with staff, students, alumni, and stakeholders to advance the university’s vision. He emphasised that leadership is a collective task and expressed readiness to harness the vast human resources within FUD to move the institution to greater heights.

The election of Gumel has been widely celebrated as a triumph of competence and integrity. Many within and outside the university community view his emergence as Vice-Chancellor as timely and reassuring—a signal that Federal University Dutse is firmly on the path of sustainable growth, academic distinction and national relevance.

With Gumel at the helm, expectations are high that FUD will consolidate its reputation as one of Nigeria’s fast-rising federal universities, driven by purposeful leadership and an unrelenting pursuit of excellence.

Abbas Datti writes from Dutse, Jigawa State, via comradeabbasdatti@gmail.com.

By Musa Kalim Gambo

The atmosphere at the Red Lecture Theatre in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, on Saturday, December 6, 2025, was a poignant mix of celebration and profound loss. It was the valedictory event for Professor Sadiq Muhammad, who has just concluded a distinguished 45-year-long career at the institution, teaching in the Language Arts section in the Department of Arts and Social Science Education. But this was more than a retirement party; it was a powerful, two-pronged call to action for the future of Nigerian education: celebrating the professor’s unparalleled commitment to mentorship while simultaneously articulating the country’s urgent need to institutionalise this practice.

A Legacy of Selfless Service

The proceedings, themed “Celebrating a Legacy of Scholarship, Mentoring, and Academic Leadership”, quickly established the magnitude of Professor Muhammad’s impact. Prof. Abdullahi Dalhatu, the Chairman of the occasion and Dean of the Faculty of Education, characterised the event as one of “mixed feelings”, acknowledging the joy of celebrating a career “without being found guilty in one thing or the other”, but lamenting the vacuum his departure creates.

The tributes that followed were the heart of the day, painting a vivid portrait of a man who transcended the role of an academic. Prof. Ramlat Jibir Daura, affectionately known as “the mother of language arts education”, captured the sense of loss, describing Prof. Muhammad as the section’s father figure, who supervised an extraordinary over 300 PhD students. His humility and generosity were recurring themes. Prof. Sani Adamu described him as “one of the poorest professors” because of his immense generosity in using his personal funds to aid students’ education. In a touching testament to his hands-on mentorship, Dr S. A. Abdulmumin recalled an anecdote from the 1990s where the professor, on his humble Yamaha 80 motorcycle, took junior colleagues to the market to buy provisions for their families.

His daughter, Fauziyya Sadiq Muhammad, spoke for the family, describing him as a “teacher, a guide, a protector”, acknowledging the quiet sacrifices he made to balance his professional commitments with his role as a dedicated father and a community pillar who adopted and educated many non-blood-related children.

The Academic Imperative: Institutionalizing Mentorship

Crucially, the honoree insisted that the event maintain a substantive academic core, thereby turning the celebration into a discussion of national educational policy. The formal lecture, delivered by Professor Abdullahi Dada on behalf of Prof. Hanna Onyi Yusuf, was titled “Institutionalising Mentoring in Teacher Education in Nigeria: Challenges, Prospects, and Implications for Curriculum Review”.

The paper, a qualitative, analytical study, proposed a reflective clinical mentorship framework and a national mentoring policy to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and classroom realities in teacher preparation. It highlighted significant barriers in the Nigerian context, including resource and funding constraints, the absence of a national framework, and cultural or institutional resistance. The recommendations were concrete: policy formulation, strategic capacity-building for mentors, and the formal integration of mentoring into university curricula.

Reinforcing this, Professor J.A. Gwani defined the ideal mentor’s role: “you as a mentor you are a facilitator… a facilitator does not know everything; he facilitates. He provides the environment democratic enough for people to be able to make contribution…”.

A Forward-Looking Valedictory

In his valedictory response, delivered by Professor Alti Kasim, Prof. Muhammad expressed profound gratitude and reflected on his students’ curiosity as his “compass”. More importantly, he used his final official platform to deliver a decisive call for strategic investment in the future of Language Arts: expanding teaching staff, procuring a dedicated language laboratory, and providing robust professional development for faculty.

The final remarks served as a capstone to the theme of mentorship. Dr Lawal Hamisu, a former director under the professor, credited Professor Muhammad’s direct intervention for facilitating his own appointment at the university. This final, firsthand testimonial powerfully reinforced the day’s central lesson.

Prof. Sadiq Muhammad’s retirement is not merely the end of a career but an architectural blueprint for the Nigerian educational system. His legacy demonstrates that transformative academic leadership is not solely about publishing papers or holding titles, but about the grassroots, personal investment in the next generation. As the country grapples with staffing shortages and quality control in tertiary education, the true challenge left behind is not simply replacing a professor, but answering his call to make selfless mentorship the institutionalised norm, ensuring that his 45-year compass continues to guide Nigeria’s future scholars.

–Gambo writes from Zaria.

By Lawan Bukar Maigana 

In Nigeria, university strikes have become an all-too-familiar story, a recurring wound that never seems to heal. Each time ASUU announces an industrial action, lectures stop, campuses grow silent, and dreams are placed on hold. Politicians continue with their schedules, lecturers retreat to side jobs, but the students —the very heart of the education system —are left stranded. They lose time, motivation, and opportunities that they can never fully recover. Yet, as the cycle repeats, one cannot help but ask: who truly bears the weight of these strikes, and who should take responsibility for the damage they cause?

For decades, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has justified its strikes as a means of pressuring the government to honour agreements on better funding, fair wages, and improved infrastructure. These demands are valid. Anyone who has walked through the corridors of a public university in Nigeria would agree that poor facilities, overcrowded lecture halls, and unpaid salaries reflect a deep neglect of education by successive governments.

But while the union’s grievances are understandable, the methods have become controversial. The government, on the other hand, often accuses ASUU of holding the system hostage. It argues that the union’s insistence on strikes as the only bargaining tool cripples progress and punishes innocent students who have no hand in the dispute. In the end, both parties trade blame while the students, the most powerless group in the equation, pay the ultimate price.

A four-year course can easily stretch to six or seven years because of strike interruptions. Many students find their enthusiasm fading over time. Some lose focus entirely and drop out of school. For those who persevere, the delay spills into their plans. By the time they graduate, they are already approaching 28, 29, or even 30, before the one-year NYSC service.

The real tragedy becomes apparent when they start searching for jobs. Most government and private organisations in Nigeria set an age limit of 26 to 30 for entry-level positions. By the time many graduates are done with university and service, they have crossed the threshold. Their only crime is being caught in a system that values bureaucracy over merit and punishes them for something beyond their control.

This is why it is not just an academic crisis; it is an economic one. Each prolonged strike increases youth unemployment and deepens poverty. Parents who struggled to pay tuition watch their investments stagnate, and the nation loses years of productivity from its young minds. How can a country move forward when its brightest are trapped in uncertainty?

Yet, every time negotiations collapse, the conversation focuses on who blinked first, ASUU or the government, not on who bleeds most from the outcome. It is as though the welfare of students matters less than the politics of power and payment. That is the heart of the problem.

Let us be honest. Both parties are culpable. The government’s insensitivity and failure to prioritise education are unacceptable. Budgetary allocations to education consistently fall below UNESCO’s recommended 26 per cent. Lecturers, too, must reflect on whether indefinite strikes remain the most effective way to demand change. It is one thing to fight for rights; it is another to destroy the bridge that connects those rights to the future.

If universities had better funding, research grants, and prompt salaries, ASUU would have no reason to down tools. But if the union continues to rely solely on strikes without exploring alternative forms of advocacy, such as strategic legal action, citizen engagement, or performance-based protests, then students will remain collateral damage in every industrial action.

The solution lies in sincerity from both sides. Government officials must stop making empty promises and start implementing lasting reforms. ASUU must adopt modern negotiation strategies that prioritise students’ interests first. The students themselves must also rise, through constructive activism, to demand accountability from all sides.

Education is not a privilege; it is a right. Every time it is disrupted, a generation loses part of its potential. The government and ASUU must remember that time is not renewable. Every month lost to a strike is a wound that never fully heals for a student.

Some will argue that strikes have brought partial victories such as improved salaries, better agreements, and occasional funding. But these victories often come at too great a cost. Students spend longer years on campus, graduate later, and face tighter job markets. Many lose scholarships or opportunities abroad because their transcripts are delayed or their academic calendars are unpredictable.

A society that allows this cycle to persist undervalues its youth. The damage is not immediately visible, but it later manifests in the frustration of jobless graduates, the rise of social vices, and the erosion of hope. When young people start believing that hard work no longer pays, the nation begins to decay silently.

The truth is simple: when universities are on strike, everyone loses, but students lose the most. They lose time, morale, and faith. And no compensation can restore that lost time.

Until the day Nigeria treats education as a national emergency, not a political bargaining chip, these strikes will continue, and the nation will keep producing delayed graduates and disappointed dreams.

The next time a strike is declared, we should ask not just who is right or wrong, but who is hurting most. Because in the end, it is not the lecturers or the politicians who suffer, it is the students whose futures hang in the balance.

Lawan Bukar Maigana is a media consultant, humanitarian, storyteller, and inspiring diplomat. He can be reached via email at lawanbukarmaigana@gmail.com.

By Malam Ibrahym El-Caleel

A widely circulated video showed an altercation between a staff of the Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN) and a father to one of the students of the school.

It is a 33-second-long video that doesn’t allow for proper evaluation of the incident except for the audacious comment the student made at the tail-end of the video, in support of her father, saying, “Ba fa kyauta mu ke zuwa karatu makarantar ba. Kuɗi muke biya”. Meaning, “we aren’t studying in this school free. We pay money”.

The school has rightly issued a press release to say it has set up a committee to investigate what happened, and it demands to have the full video of what happened to ease its investigation since a 33-second video will barely help you take an informed position on this. Best wishes to them in their investigation, but let’s talk about the broader picture.

The girl’s raw comment about the money they pay to the school is a bitter lesson in business. The girl sees herself as a customer of MAAUN, not a student, and this is largely the philosophy of most private institutions of learning and their patronisers. It is an entrepreneurship first, then any other thing, like being a school or a university. And therefore, what we see in businesses would happen there since profit is the overall aim. Please, I am not tearing down private institutions. I am discussing business here.

“The customer is always right”

In the early 1900s, Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridges department store in London, popularized the saying that, “the customer is always right”. To be fair to Selfridge, he popularised this business philosophy to protect the buyer. Prior to this philosophy, what existed was the philosophy of “Caveat emptor”, which protects the seller and which means: “Let the buyer beware.”

“Caveat emptor” is simply saying that the buyer is fully responsible for checking product quality, condition, and suitability before purchase. Therefore, once the buyer pays for the product, they cannot hold the seller accountable even if they discovered the product to be defective. Even if you return the defective product to the seller, he’d simply say “Caveat emptor!”, meaning “you should have checked before paying!”.

This is where Selfridge popularised “the customer is always right” philosophy. The aim is to prioritise customer satisfaction even when the customer may be at fault. It is a philosophy aimed at keeping the customer happy or satisfied so as to have a sustainable business into the future. This builds trust and loyalty in business, and this is why it is widely practiced by businesses today.

Customers and some business leaders decided to abuse this nice philosophy. Customers saw it as an edge to abuse employees of the business they are patronising. Business leaders decided to make customers the “kings” and “queens” who are always right, placing them far below the employees who help them drive the business. This is why it is easy for the girl to make reference to how they are the thin line between that staff and joblessness. It is the reason why you, the reader, equally shouted at the bank staff you met at the customer service desk the other day. The bank as an institution with corporate headquarters somewhere in Lagos didn’t serve you well, but you are here in faraway Numan threatening, harassing and abusing an innocent 24-year-old girl you met at the bank’s help desk.

Customer is always right!

I was hungry in Barnawa some months back when I decided to walk into Market Square to get some food. A man, who should most likely be in his 50s, walked in after me. The attendant was serving the people who came ahead of him as per first come, first serve. Suddenly, this man took offence and began passing harsh comments on this lady. It was a whole lot of psychological abuse, making even s3xist comments. He wasn’t yelling at me, but I felt the pain. That young lady didn’t respond in kind, but coldly prepared his meal and handed it over. The customer is always right.

Only business leaders can reorient the customer on this. While you need customers to maintain your cash flow, you equally need your employees. And this is what the consumer goods giant, P&G, seems to be better at.

The P&G CEO between 1948-1959, Redwood Deupree, remarkably said: “If you leave us our money, our buildings and our brands, but take away our people, the Company will fail. But if you take away our money, our buildings and our brands, but leave us all our people, we can rebuild the whole thing in a decade.” This is a 187-year old company, teaching you the value of people in a business. Your people are your most important assets.

But unfortunately, most businesses today have thirst for short-term gains and barely have any interest in building a corporate culture that will sustain it into the future. When a company is overly thinking about finance, then it ‘worships’ everything that relates to the bottom line. It is ready to throw its most resourceful employees under the bus just to gain today’s profit. No plan for the business of the future.