09/09/2020
ON THE MATTER OF THE 11TH VICE CHANCELLOR OF UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR: THE 3RD CLASS AND THE STUDENT-DEAN
The reactions that trailed Asehappen's most recent editorials on the issue of the selection and subsequent appointment of the 11th Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Calabar is revealing, and deserving of a rejoinder.
The one article is titled 'The University of Calabar Deserves the Best not a Third Class Vice Chancellor' https://www.facebook.com/1781194605431541/posts/2622810801269913/ , while the other is titled 'Exposed: the Dean and his Shenanigans on the Road to becoming Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar 'https://www.facebook.com/1781194605431541/posts/2622926251258368/ ; it is sad that our numerous readers, though honest and well-intentioned, failed to address themselves to the basic arguments raised in those short notes. Asehappen is compelled to give her thousands of readers the benefit of the doubt through this third editorial.
To begin with, it must be admitted that a Third Class degree doesn't immediately translate that the holder of the certificate will eventually fail in life, neither does it imply that a First Class degree is automatic ticket to success in life's endeavour. Besides, we have seen successful 3rd class graduates and failed 1st class candidates. For instance, one of our readers reeled out a litany of successful 3rd class graduates/ university drop outs across the world: Chief Gani Fewehinmi the Nigerian legal luminary, Williams Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy the author, Alexander Pope, who authored classics like "Essay On Man", "Essay On Criticism" etc. Asehappen is aware of the Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerbergs, Dangotes, Warren Buffets, Jeff Bezos etc of this world. But, there is something our reader failed to mention which must be highlighted —did this 3rd class materials go ahead to want to head or head an academic institution anywhere in the world? The response is in the negative.
Obviously, the point to be made is that the University of Calabar is an academic institution, not a market place or political arena and is therefore deserving of the best materials both in character and learning. The role of Vice-Chancellor carries much responsibility and weight. Even within the political arena, such negative mindset about qualifications have placed the country where it is today. Nigeria is known as a place where people are placed in position of authority not by their antecedents and qualifications but by who-know-man, a thinking which perfectly fits into the description of corruption. We should be reminded that the current president of the country was elected because of the perception that he can deliver against the qualification of the former, today we can see the difference. If certifications are not important why do we still send our children to school? Why are Western institutions who insist on qualification doing better than Nigeria? Nigeria is one country where a taxi man can argue that lecturers are overpaid and he can do better if he heads to classroom, even without the qualification. A country where a farmer can think that people in offices are lazy and doing nothing, but farm work is the ultimate work. Such myopic thinking is one of the major reason for our backwardness as a country.
Thinking of such have placed Nigerian Universities lowly ranked among other institutions of the world. Let’s think for a second, what character does the phrase '3rd class professor' invoke in the reader and the general public? Again, if you say (like some are already saying) 'but the affected professor has remedied his 3rd class status by evolving through the rank and file to being a professor', the corollary will be what's his/her academic achievements? What quality of citations does this said 3rd class professor have on Google Scholar? What's the Impact Factor of this 3rd class professor? Is this professor's journal articles published in journals that are indexed in Scopus, Thompson Reuters etc databases recommended by the University authority? You can conduct the research yourself (visit: https://scholar.google.com/, and https://www.scopus.com/freelookup/form/author.uri?zone=TopNavBar&origin=sbrowse), search for the name of different candidates. This is the standard used in any institutions of the world. Currently, many Federal Universities in Nigeria have adopted this system and currently uses it to judge and promote its academic, an attempt to improve the both quality of lecturers and student produced in the Nigeria universities. Due to this, the last academic appraisal conducted in the University of Calabar placed a minimum of five academic papers in an impact factor journal to academics who are due to be promoted to the position of Professorship. It is disheartening to note that, the said ‘third class professor’, if s/he is to be reassessed with currently promotion realities, won’t even attain the position of a senior lecturer in the University of Calabar. Let’s argue that the tag ‘Third Class’ is not deserving of the said professor, probably due to unseen reasons during the course of the degree, however, what are his antecedents now that he is a professor? Let’s point out that the University of Calabar is currently ranked Thirty-three (33) in Nigeria and Seven thousand, eight hundred and thirty-four (7834) worldwide (see https://edurank.org/uni/university-of-calabar/). How can the University of Calabar rank among the best schools in Africa with a professor in a third class pedigree? Ultimately, with what moral burden of pain and conscience will this 3rd class professor superintend over a citadel of learning and demand excellence?
Come to think of it: amongst the about 14 candidates jostling for the top job, we also have what has been referred to as a 'student-dean': he was a Dean of his faculty but was also a student in the same faculty. And Asehappen is asking: did he endorse his certification papers as Dean and student at the same time? At what point was (s)he a student or at what point did s/he reliqunish his/her Deanship?
These are profound moral questions that bother on the character of an anticipated Vice Chancellor who should lead an apex citadel of education like the University of Calabar in both character and learning.
Asehappen is compelled to arguably believe that majority of the thousands of comments/reactions that have advocated for a certain '3rd class professor' to be Vice Chancellor of UNICAL are themselves third class graduates; for it is difficult to believe that we have First Class and Second Class graduates among these lots who will logically sue for a 3rd Class graduate to head University of Calabar.
Asehappen insist that change is imminent and we must take personal responsibility for midwifing this change no matter what because that is the right thing to do. Accordingly, this editorial is calling on the Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Governing Council of the University of Calabar, distinguished Senator Nkechi Nwogu and her colleagues to ensure that the integrity of the University of Calabar is intact by selecting the best candidate. University of Calabar doesn't deserve neither a 3rd Class graduate/professor nor a student-dean.
