By Nsikak Essien
First it was the politicians
They collected the instruments of Independence but copied the wrong things. By 1966 our polity exploded. The Nigerian society collapsed.
Next it was the military
The symbol of unity of our nation for many decades, the military took over governance in 1966 to save our society from total collapse. Within six months Nigerian society imploded. By mid 1967 civil war erupted.
The military thoroughly messed up our society, or what was left of it. In 1999 the military was driven out of government, disgraced with its tail between its legs.
General Gowon said that they turned to the Ivory Tower, our universities to help them shape a good government. We are all witnesses to the result.
Now it’s the Ivory Tower.
Inec turned to our universities for help to evolve a solution to our corruption in the electoral process. Now see the result. A whole Professor took sides with our wayward politicians to falsify elections because of peanuts gratification.
This is just a judicial confirmation of what we all know that the price to buy our academics is pretty low.
Until late 1970s many academics declined appointment as Vice Chancellors. Now Professors reportedly spend as much as N50m to buy an appointment as Vice Chancellors. They sell marks for sex or collect money from male students for high grades.
Who do we now turn to to repair our leadership crisis?
Most societies turn to the academia when they are in crisis. But in our country our academia have become either part of the problem or the main problem.
