Deep Thought

 Whither the Nigerian University System? III By Prof MK Othman   As I was concluding this article last week, news broke of a significant milestone in the ASUU-FGN impasse: FGN and ASUU had signed a comprehensive agreement signaling the end of the 8-year ASUU industrial action. It was an impasse that cost billions of Naira in lost person-hours, unquantifiable economic losses, and, in some cases, the supreme price. The tragic case of a professor who was neck-deep in debt due to the imposed "no-work, no-pay" policy, watching the news on TV when it was announced that the "no-work, no-pay" policy would be sustained even after suspending the 2022 ASUU industrial action, resulting in the professor's fatal cardiac arrest. There were a few reported and unreported cases of hardship stemming from the perennial ASUU strikes, which are now history, owing to the determination of President Tinubu's administration to end them. I salute Mr. President Tinubu, Education Minist...

 Whither the Nigerian University System? II By Prof MK Othman   As mentioned in the first part of this piece, government officials and others questioning the university's autonomy are either ignorant of the law or being mischievous. The university must be an autonomous system to fulfill its fundamental role in nation-building and to preserve the integrity of its certificates, which are awarded to deserving graduates for character and learning after passing through qualitative, quantitative, and temporal measures validated by internal and external assessors. Tamper with the autonomy, as allegedly done in Nigerian private universities, and the degrees may be awarded like “a gift of groundnuts.” What irony! Nation-building through innovation, good governance, infrastructure development, effective foreign policy, increased productivity, and virtually all aspects of human progress are achieved through a university system. The system produces high-quality leaders of society who can ...

 Gen Musa – Minister of Defense: A round Peg in a round Hole? By Prof M. K. Othman Last week, the appointment of General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR (Rtd) as the Minister of Defence by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following the resignation of Alhaji Badaru, the former Defence Minister, was a crucial, honourable, and meritorious appointment based on demonstrated competence. President Tinubu deserves praise for his swift action in making the appointment at a critical time when the national security situation worsened and threatened the nation’s unity. There was no better time than now when the American president, Mr. Trump, had coloured Nigeria’s insecurity with religious inclination, thereby worsening the fragility of Nigerian unity. Thank you, President Tinubu, for rising to the occasion.  On Wednesday, November 26th, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a nationwide state of emergency on security issues and approved the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers. ...

 Whither the Nigerian University System? By Prof MK Othman Relative peace is gradually returning to university campuses after over a decade of unrest and agitation by ASUU and other university unions. Thanks to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu's attentive listening and the union leaders’ willingness to resolve contentious issues through a give–and–take approach. All man-made problems can be solved through man-made innovative solutions. Over the years, some Nigerians have blamed ASUU for advocating increased funding while advocating university autonomy and academic freedom. It is therefore vital for Nigerians to understand the university system, which is universal and subject to global benchmarking and standardization, especially now that many stakeholders are serving as council members, in adult education, and in university-oriented entrepreneurship. I am therefore paraphrasing my article, which I wrote four years ago (April 2021).  What is the university system?   The univers...

 Notes on Visit to Saudi Arabia By Prof MK Othman To date, I have visited Saudi Arabia four times, beginning with my first trip in 2010 and twice this year, in March and November 2025. During each of my last three visits, I was consistently amazed and stunned by the incredible and supersonic level of infrastructural development.  I believe the Saudi Arabian authorities are fully aware of the enormous spiritual responsibilities placed on the country, being the world center for Muslims. Every Muslim around the world wishes to perform one of the five required acts of the Islamic faith. For a Muslim, performing Hajj, which is performed only in Makkah and Medina, is not just a personal choice but an obligatory duty for those who are able. The nostalgia of being in front of the Holy Ka’aba, the divine house of the Almighty Allah, is so powerful that one can't help but raise their hands in prayer for the return of that moment. Yes, whenever you're saying goodbye to Saudi Arabia, one ...