Prof. Osodiake urged Nigerians to insist that the leaders who succeed them at home and abroad bring their children back to Nigerian tertiary institutions for studies.
He said the presidential election in 2023 gives Nigerians a chance to elect leaders who believe in their country and not those who have looted “our commonwealth.”
Prof Osodoke stated this at the 14th Ralph Opara Memorial Lecture organized by the National Association of Seadogs( Pyrates Confraternity) with its theme of: ‘State of Tertiary Education in Nigeria: Identifying Historical Issues and Misconceptions; Contemplating Solutions’ at the Akin Deko Auditorium, University of Benin , listed six challenges facing education.
According to him, these problems include poor funding, poor recruitment policies and interference from various groups—proliferation of universities; inferiority complex that leads lecturers to send their children abroad.
Osodeke, who examined history and noted the World Bank's Structural Adjustment Program as well as International Monetary Fund policies that forced sweeping changes in his country, criticized how politics seemed to play a role in academic hiring decisions.
“Members of Councils including the Pro-Chancellors are supposed to be people who can contribute in terms of knowledge and ability to source funds for the University. Appointment into Governing Council is now based on politics and the creation of jobs for jobless politicians. Today, members of the Governing Councils are more interested in honoraria, jobs for relatives and friends, and the award of contracts.
“It is sad and shameful that the appointment of Vice-Chancellors has become political appointments. The process is now influenced by sentiments, politics, religion, ethnicity, and “son-of-the-soil” syndrome, godfatherism, and regionalism. In the 1970s and 1980s, Vice-Chancellors were appointed without political and tribal considerations; hence Professor Kenneth Dike could be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. Today, the appointment of Vice-Chancellors is ethnic-based and in most cases with political Godfather who dictates how the university fund should be managed to the detriment of the Nigerian people.”
However, he advocated for fresh thinking in terms of funding and governance—so that the University could function optimally without interference from political groups or vested interests.
In his welcome address, the NAS Capoon (president), Mr Abiola Owoaje, said that over the years the Ralph Opara Memorial Lecture had become a rallying point for deep introspection on national and international issues.
He explained that the theme was chosen because it reflects “our deep concern for the decadence that tertiary education has become in Nigeria”.
"Many of us were schooled in Nigeria when our tertiary institutions were indeed citadels of learning, intellectual fervour flamed, and ideological orientations were anchored on learning and making Nigeria progressively great.
"Now the situation is pathetic. Our citadels of learning have become breeding grounds for gangsterism, extremist elements and festering criminality. Worse, successive Nigerian Governments have paid lip service to the development of education.
