Victor Ezeja
Ebonyi State Governor, Engr David Umahi has denied saying that university education is not for everybody in Nigeria.
The governor had recently been reported to have said that university education is not for everybody while reacting to the lingering industrial action embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). He was quoted to have said that it was unreasonable for Federal Government to borrow over N1 trillion to meet the demands of the union.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelUmahi was quoted as saying that Nigeria’s basic problems were security, healthcare and education and that, the education system in the country was not properly articulated.
“University education is not for everybody and that is the truth. The basic education every country strives to attain is secondary school and vocational schools. These are the basic schools, and when you have these qualifications, you will be able to use it either to start up something or to be able to use it to be employed.
“There is a need to review our educational system. It mustn’t be for everybody. I am not ashamed that I have a first degree and my deputy is a PhD holder; it doesn’t matter. It is what you bring on board. So, I cannot see how we cannot sit down with leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, and iron out this problem about the ASUU strike,” Umahi had said when he received a delegation from the Nigerian Police Trust Fund led by Dr Ben Akabueze, in Abakaliki, on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.
He concluded by urging ASUU to show some understanding in their agitation.
However, while appearing on Arise Tv on Friday, September, 2, 2022, as guest, the governor said he was quoted out of context, explaining that he simply meant to say that the country’s education system needs to prioritise basic and vocational education which would give the citizens opportunity to acquire vital skills and be valuable in the industry.
He further stated that his emphasis was on the need for the government to review their policy which currently accords more priority to university degree as a basis of employment, thereby creating bias between degree holders and others will lower educational qualification.
He said social media need to be properly regulated because they are used for misinterpreting issues and peddling falsehood, thereby causing harm in the country.
“I was trying to evaluate the educational system of developed countries and I said that Federal Government and all the employers of labour should review their strategies. I was trying to say that instead of all the time saying that the basis of employment should be university degree; we should make vocational education and secondary school education compulsory for every Nigerian and while advertising for job, such certificates should be given priorities and that some people may after working with such certificates, they will also be able to have choices of going to university. I never said that university education is not for everybody. I will not say so because I believe so much in education. As a matter of fact, it should be for everybody.”
On the six-month-old ASUU strike, Governor Umahi said the academic body’s demands are justified and for the good of the students, noting that when the education system is put on the right track, everything will be alright.
“ASUU’s demands are well justified; they are never self-serving, it is for the good of our children and when we get our education system right in this country, a lot of things will fall in place. Somebody who is well educated will not go and carry guns.”
He pleaded with ASUU members to review their strategies in the agitation for the sake of the students who are at home and take whatever the federal government has given and call off the strike, adding that the union should allow other stakeholders to participate in the negotiation and find a lasting solution to the problem.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
