A former Vice Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba, has urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities to bar its members from participating in election-related assignments for the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Nwajiuba said universities should not be used as tools for conducting elections, insisting that the core mandate of the university system is teaching, research and community service.
He spoke on Tuesday at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, during a valedictory lecture held in honour of the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe.
Delivering a lecture titled, “The Crimson’s Comb and the Contemporary Nigerian University,” Nwajiuba argued that the university is a universal institution and not a creation peculiar to Nigeria.
“Save Nigerian universities from participating in electoral duties. We don’t have any business in that. We don’t belong to that constituency. We should stay away from them. ASUU should stop us from election duties,” he said.
According to him, there was no justification for altering the traditional definition and role of the university.
“The university system exists for interaction between students and teachers for learning, and not for mediocrities,” he added.
The former vice chancellor also expressed concern over what he described as a steady decline in the quality of education, noting that some lecturers and students struggle to speak and write correct English.
He described the quality of some inaugural lectures as “suspect” and called for deliberate efforts to strengthen language teaching across universities.
“University graduates who cannot speak or write correct English need targeted Language Enhancement Programmes,” he said.
Nwajiuba further criticised aspects of the nation’s education policy, saying they disadvantage certain states, and called for an increase in merit-based admissions to at least 70 per cent.
He lamented what he termed the shifting value system in the country, questioning whether universities had become constituency projects.
Despite his concerns, he expressed optimism about the future of the Nigerian university system, saying it could still regain its lost prestige with the right reforms.
