Professor Rose Onah is a lecturer, Department of Public Administration and Local Government Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In this interview with BODE OLAGOKE, Onah, who is one of the delegates representing Enugu state at the ongoing National Conference, speaks on her growing up, disparity between BSc and HND and her experiences at the confab, among
How will you describe growing up?
Well, growing up was gradual. Not very much inhibited, except that by the time the Nigerian civil war started, I was in my secondary class one in 1967. Following that war, there was that break in education until 1970 when the war ended. So I found myself in secondary class two after three years. Then, of course, I continued, graduated in 1973, got married. After my graduation, then I left for the United Kingdom where my husband was studying. I spent two and a half years there so I could only do my A level. I came back in 1979. In 1980, I went for my degree programme, finished in 1984 and proceeded to the NYSC in 1985. In 1987 I did my Masters and in 1989 I enrolled for my Doctorate programme. While I was doing this, I was teaching in a secondary school. I joined the University in 1992 as an Assistant Lecturer, and then I rose fairly rapidly from 1992 to 1996. By 1996, I was already a Senior Lecturer and I got my professorship in 2005.
Why did you choose your preferred course of study and how?
As an adult, I was already married. My husband was a lecturer. It was quite clear to me what I wanted to do. One is that I wanted to be a lecturer and secondly, I thought of Nigerian situation, an emerging area. By the time I did my first degree which was political sciences, public administration was an integral aspect of political science. I had admission in geography and in political science. Then I felt I would have a better carrier in political science. It appears to me more versatile. After I finished my first degree, I branched into public administration which is a very viable and growing area.
You studied both in Nigeria and abroad. Is there any form of comparison?
My study in the UK was only for my advanced level because I did not stay long there. Well, there won’t be basis for comparism because the difference is obvious. The facilities were there and they are still there. Even the mode of teaching, the environment of learning in abroad is much more conducive.
As a don in the university, what measure can the federal government take to get out of the mess in the sector?
The mess in education is actually part of the general mess in the system. But very importantly is first and foremost, to ensure very stable academic calendar. It is crucial, because once you have disruptions emanating from strikes, you will find out that the whole programme is disrupted, the semesters are not completed as at when due. Sometimes, they are bridged in order to save time. So I think it is crucial that the federal government should ensure there is a stable academic calendar by playing its own role correctly. What do I mean by that? You know most of the strikes that disrupted academic programmes in higher institutions arise as a result of an unpass between the federal government and the academic staff union because the FG fails to honour its part of agreement with regard to welfare of union members and other issues concerning the academic programme and the universities that have been discussed with such union. So, if government can actually keep to its agreement, then the unions will have no reason to go on strike, which is actually a major source of disruption of academic career of students. Also, the issue of funding, it has been a recurring issue among the union both academic and senior staffs with the government. It’s an important issue because universities cannot function well without adequate resources but somehow, I must give credit to the government because steps are being taken towards that direction, that I think much still needs to be done in that respect. It is also important that as these funds are released, there must be a kind of control measures to ensure that as these funds are released, they are actua lly utilised for the people that they are meant for. Even right now, the universities and other tertiary institutions, we have a dearth of facilities. Some of the laboratories are not well equipped, even the class rooms are not well equipped. You have this modern Information Communications Technologies ICT, not installed. These are things that facilitate teaching and learning process. So that is also an important area attention should be given if we want to start thinking of improving the standard of education especially in tertiary institutions.
Nigeria still lay more emphasis on paper qualification and it’s been a contending issue between polytechnics and degree holders. How can this dichotomy be resolved?
I do not even think there is a dichotomy because the Higher National Diploma programme curriculum is different from the curriculum of universities and directed towards production of middle level technical manpower that should be more functional in our industries. In fact, HND programmes should be more practical than theoretical. Then if you think of the university, their own curriculum different from that of the HND because its more theoretical. Maybe, its research oriented but the most important thing is for the government to ensure that each of the programmes are well equipped so that they will achieve the purpose they were established. HND is not degree. I don’t think it is right to say there is a dichotomy. They are distinct and they pursue their different objectives and that is the most important thing about it.
What do you think has brought about superiority between the two?
I think it is a misunderstanding of the proper role of the two programmes in the development of the economy, because they should be complementary. The university graduate is there to provide principles that will guide some of the activities of the HND holder in the industries, factories among others. It is actually a misunderstanding of the proper roles of the two programmes in the development of the economy.
How did you get selected to the on-going national conference?
Well, I must say that my selection was act of God, honestly. It may be difficult to believe but that is what it is. I never lobbied anybody. I never dreamt….i knew that there was going to be a confab but I must tell you it never crossed my mind whether I will love to be a delegate. I was just somewhere in Lagos and I got an sms from my Phd student at Abakaliki, telling me prof. congratulation. I heard your name as one of the delegate. Just five minutes interval, I got a call from home reiterating the same thing. Then I hurriedly went to bought the newspaper and found my name there and that was how it happened. When it happened that way, I had to find out because somebody must have been instrumental to my name been there and I found the person but I won’t mention the person’s name.
How will you describe the entire deliberations?
I will describe the whole process as very satisfactory because initially, there appears to be a hitch where we are faced with the challenges of the mode of voting whether it is 70 or 75 per cent or 66 per cent but that was settlked and as soon as it was settled, that was stabilised. The committees actually did marvellous work from the reports. Incidentally, I served on the committee on devolution. My committee report is yet to be taken but so far it has been very good. There has been a consensus agreement virtually in all the decisions we have made. Even in the political structure that we thought will pose challenge. It posed challenges but at the end of the day, we were able to come out with consensus recommendations.
Specifically, what are your areas of interests, contributions and issues you agitated for?
I represented Enugu state and there were two main issues that would have created concerns to the people of my state. My governor specifically was interested in citizenship rights and I pursued that interest of my governor right from my comments on the precedency address and my contribution during the discussion of citizenship, committee report. I am happy to say that it scaled through. Then the other one is the interest of my own area and Nsukka. Since 1983, the people of Nsukka have been agitating for a state which is the Ada-ada state. So many submissions have been made to the national assembly and even 2005 and 2010 confab including the Belgore report. My people submitted report to each of the committees and conferences.
Of course, that of 2005 recommended the creation of Ada-ada state but today nothing has been done about it. It came up again and I pursued it with vigour and I want to smile and report that Ada-ada state is one of the states that were recommended for creation yesterday.
So that is it. The issue of federating units have been of interest to me having come from an area that one can regard as disadvantaged in structural setup, of Enugu state but more of when we were in Anambra state. But even at that, now that we are still part of Enugu state, we feel somehow short-changed. That is why I felt with the state creation, we will develop better and manage our resources better and channel our resources to area of interest if we are able to get a state of ours. That also I pursued with great vigour and we got that. Others are general concerns with issue of south east zone, the federating units will support the state and it scaled through. I have to show solidarity for the people of south east and other matters. We have that common interest. The state police was of interest to us and somehow we got it, even though, the federal police will still be there, there is provision for the state to also create their own state. Also the issue of pursuing true federal system of government have been of interest to virtually all zones because there is this consensus that even though, Nigeria with all its plurality and frugality in terms of culture language, distribution, that we are still govern with military system with much concentration of power at the centre. There is a consensus opinion that that could not make for fats development of the country so devolution of power is there on the drawing board. Its gradually being addressed in various reports of some of these committees. I think it will come out in full force on Monday under devolution of power to be reported by committee on devolution.
Any regret or bitter experience so far at the conference?
I had an encounter, it was not a personal encounter anyway but I think it was during the discussion on the report on education under Social Sector. There was a contribution by one of our colleagues from Kogi state, one Prof. Sam Egwu, that he lamented the growing tendency for the appointment of Vice Chancellor of universities to be made from within the state where federal universities are located and regretfully he mentioned my state, Enugu state as one of the states where the VCs are appointed only from Enugu state even though University of Nigeria is a federal university. And he also went further that there is also a growing tendency for only people from Nsukka to be considered for the position of the Vice Chancellor, and actually, I got irritated somehow, there was a spontaneous reaction from me and others who believed that what he was saying was not right, I wanted to debunk that assertion right there at the floor of the house but it was not possible, only one person got that opportunity and he mentioned that three Vice Chancellors from his own federal university were people from his own state. I actually want to reaffirm the submission of that young man that out of the fifteen Vice Chancellors that have been appointed for the University of Nigeria since its inception in 1960, only two have been indigene of Enugu state and very recently to, coming up after 42 years of existence of the UNN. And also, to debunk his assertion that only people from Nsukka that are now being consider, we had a new Vice Chancellor not quite one month ago, there were 29 contestants for the post and only four people came from nsukka and I want to tell you that new VC is not from Nsukka. I think it was wrong for that young man to make such assertion because it is capable of bringing discontent.
What if the recommendations of this conference are not implemented like other previous meetings of this nature?
Actually, delegate on idividual capacity have made their views known by sugesting that they will prefer the decision of the confab to go for a referendum I think that have been the general opinion of those that have address that issue but I like to tell you that conference has set out a full day to deliberate on the mode of implementation of the decisions and I hopefuly that might come up by Wednesday next week when we are through on the report of Devolution of Power committee and I believe that by the time this issue is adress by a number of delegates idea will come up and decision will also be recommended as regard how to handle the reports because it is crucial that decisions and recommendations be implemented because many Nigerians have actually be apprehensive as regard to the whole exercise because of antecedents where beautiful reports are released like the 2005 reports and Begore reports of 2012 were fantastic but most of them have not seen the light of the day. So, people have been wondering whether it will not the same thing but we have prayed fervently and we have very hopeful and we on our part will put every measure in place to ensure that these recommendations are implemented.
