DECAY
OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES AT UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE CHAIRMAN,
PRESIDENTIAL PANEL TO UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
BY:
MOVEMENTS
FOR SURVIVAL OF POST GRADUATE STUDENTS
UNIVERSITY
OF ABUJA
Motto: Unity, Progress and Result Oriented
Research
PRO: 0816-535-4062
Adeyemi Babalola (Secretary)
Musa Usman (Ag. President)
OPEN
LETTER TO THE CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENTIAL PANEL TO UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
Dear Sir,
DECAY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES AT
UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA
Post
graduate programs forms an integral part of national development through
extensive research activities, human development and a source of steady income
to any university that successfully offered such programs. The recent screening
involving PG students revealed that, PG programs, University of Abuja is the WORST
in Nigerian universities.
University
of Abuja, located at the centre of Nigeria, the University is also known as
“University of Corruption, the Centre of Blackberries”. In a case study, the
following findings have been revealed which deserves urgent attention.
1.
Long stay of PG students without graduation, PG diploma students
in some departments takes 3-4 years,
M.Sc/M.A 4-6 years and M.Phil / PhD 6-12 years
2.
Frustration
of students’ effort by their supervisors by not reviewing their
students’ thesis as at when due.
3. Majority of registered PG students leave to other universities where their
lecturers are more dedicated to duties. This is a case of collecting government
salaries without carrying out their primary responsibilities. This is totally
unacceptable if the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan
in the Educational sector is to be realistic.
To
Prove These Facts of Lack of Commitment of Lecturers:
i)
Let
all the lecturers submit the list of PG Students they have supervised for the past four years to the Chairman of the
panel or Honourable Minister of Education.
ii)
And
the list of their research publications in both Local and International
Journals for the last three
years.
4.
Long
list
of PG students without supervisors
5.
Bribery
and corruption to facilitate the process and those who
cannot afford, their thesis will be abandoned without concern by the HOD or the
supervisors.
6.
Lack
of research facilities for PG students especially in the
Faculty of Science (Physics, Chemistry,
Biology, Mathematics, Statistics and Computer).
7.
Students contribute money to finance the coming of external examiners so
that their thesis can be defended without delay
8.
In ability to send students results as
at when due to the senate for
approval.
9.
Lack of money to invite external supervisors for defence by
those who managed to get the attention of their supervisors since the VC complains
of no money and at times refused to
pay lecturers their entitlement or allowances. Hence, they are not interested
in supervision.
10. Payment
of accumulated fees for those years
that were delayed by the Students respective supervisors. Imagine a PG diploma
student paying for the school fees of four years before getting clearance to
collect statement of result.
11.
Lack
of viable and efficient post graduate
school
12.
Lack of PG
hostel to accommodate students from far places.
13.
Lack of admission of new post graduate students
14.
Inability
of the VC to approve the coming of new professors
on sabbatical
15.
The University has no PG Calendar is it
May/June, Sept/October?
16. Junior
HOD’s cannot talk to their senior colleagues on the long delay of his students even
if the concerned students complained formerly to the HOD.
FOCUSING ON THE FACULTY
OF SCIENCE
·
Departments of Physics, Chemistry,
Biology, Mathematics, Statistics and Computer suffered most.
·
They have no new structures, no
renovation and the Faculty is generally dirty like a primary school. The
facilities for staff are not adequate, they surfer in silence.
· The worst among them are Physics and Mathematics
Departments where PG programs takes 4-6
years for M.Sc and Ph.D 6-10 years due
poor attitudes of supervisors.
·
They lack sufficient manpower in all the
departments in the faculty of science and it affects their productivity and quality
of their PG Programs.
Physics
Department, where the VC Prof. James Adelabu came from
With
reference to the Physics Department, it is the most disorganized department and no attention to addressing the
issues. What a big administrative failure?
· Physics department is virtually empty no enough Professors in
all the area of Physics such as Solid State, Solar Energy, Geophysics, Theoretical
Physics, Nuclear and Atomic Physics etc
·
The HOD Dr. M.I Ajaeroh cannot control
the situation or suggest solutions even if he is aware (an eye service).
·
Physics Department is being hijacked by
the VC, other Professors who can lift the department were denied coming.
·
No appointment of new lecturers in other
fields in the name of no money.
Students who have been on
M.Sc for the past four years since 2007 and 2009 without attention all of them
finished their course in 2010
Those who started in 2009 are:
·
N.N AbdulRahman, Yusuf Kabir, Chioma
Agu, Joseph Omojola, Ogumola Ladimeji, Ogirima Sanni, Rufus Nwankwo, Ibrahim
Ohinoyi, Ayodele Adekwe, Medina Umar, Micheal Banjo, Ola Abodurin, Olifa
Esther, Agnes Ogunmola, Tijanni Bulama, Morgn Akpan etc
Those who started in 2008 are:
·
Daniel Agi, Haruna Ladan, Bashir
Mohammed, Joseph Jonah, Peter Akhator, Prince Emeka, Patrick Adah etc.
·
Those who started in 2007 are:
Mr.
Taju, Mr. Alex, Mall. Yusuf etc
·
And host of others who have over
stayed doing M.Sc or PhD in
Physics Department some left due to long
delay and frustrations by their
supervisors.
·
The
HOD Physics has a complete list of his students due to
the last screening that was conducted.
SUMMARY:
1. SOLID STATE PHYSICS (Supervised by VC Prof. Adelabu, Dr.
Ajaeroh, Dr. A. Buba) the VC has not graduated any student since the last three
years whether M.Sc or PhD. If he had, where are the lists?
·
Alex, Medina, Steven, Francis, Kabir,
Ayodele, Peace, Raji etc.
2. SOLAR ENERGY PHYSICS
(Supervised by Director CDL, Prof. E. O. Ajala)
Prof. Ajala has not graduated the two M.Sc students he has been supervising for
over two years now.
·
Daniel, Haruna and others from the 2009
list
3. GEOPHYSICS (Supervised by Prof. E.A Emenike
and Dr. A. Mallam)
·
Isah, Bashir, Ema, Joseph, Jonah, Taju,
Nura, Grace Etc
Others Lecturers at
Physics Department
·
At
the time of writing this report, Geophysics Unit under Professor Emenike and
Dr. Abu Mallam had conducted internal defence on 9th and 10th July, 2012 while their external
defence comes up in August, 2012 to
release students who have been held for the past four years
·
The VC Prof. JSA Adelabu, Dr. M.I Ajaeroh,
Prof. E. O. Ajala, Dr. A. Buba have no time for their students and have abandoned their primary
responsibilities without concern even Undergraduate students are suffering.
·
Prof. S.B Elegba former DG of NNRA (Nuclear and
Atomic Physics) has no portfolio for PG
students and did not have an office.
·
In
inability of the HOD to approach his seniors to put things right calls for questioning of his level of administrative
competency
CONCLUSION:
1.
The general
situation using a case study of Physics Department is similar in all the departments of University of Abuja as PG students were maltreated.
2.
If you talk, you will not graduate or get your thesis approved.
3.
Physics and Mathematics departments are the
most disorganized units
4.
If lecturers are to abandon their responsibilities,
how many papers will they publish
per year, either independently or as joint effort with their PG students?
REQUEST:
This
paper calls for cancellation of all PG
courses of the entire University of Abuja for lack of credibility or re-organize
the process.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
·
The suspension of the VC Prof. James
Adelabu, pending when the results of Panel will be made public to access his
continuity in office to complete his tenure or be removed.
·
Replacement of the Dean PG School, Prof
AbdulRahman
·
Replacement of the Director CDL, Prof.
Ajala
·
All the principal officers are doing eye service to the VC, they should be
removed. They never tell him the truth since he is under pressure as a leader.
·
Replacement of the Registrar, DVC (Both
Academic and Admin)
·
Replacement of the HOD’s that have long
list of PG Students in their departments. It shows they are afraid of talking
to the supervisors on delay from them.
·
All PG students who have finished their
course work should be released by organizing massive external defence to clear
these students.
·
Suspension of Lecturers who frustrates
their students
·
Removal of lecturers who have no PG
supervision, it shows they are not efficient.
·
A team of experts from other Universities
like University of Ibadan or past VC who had achieved tremendously during their
last administration should be employed to re-structure the system of the
University of Abuja also known by critics as “University of Corruption, the
Centre of Blackberries”.
CAUTION / ADVICE:
·
If the transformation agenda of President
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in the Educational sector is to be realistic with
reference to the only University at the Centre of Nigeria, the Chairman of the
Panel should implement all the recommendations
submitted.
·
The Panel must be ready to resist bribery temptations by any
officers of the University to protect their image.
·
PG Students are warming to start their
demonstration at the end of the Panel if no positive outcome.
·
Let
all the Departments of University of
Abuja compile the list of PG students (PGD,
M.Sc/M.A
and PhD) they have graduated for the past Six Years from 2005 to date if they have appreciable list and
their respective supervisors. This is to verify
the issues stated in this letter and those without any supervision should be
removed.
Thanks
Yours faithfully,
Adeyami
Babalola Musa Usman Yusuf
Secretary: President (Ag)
Movements for Survival of
Post Graduate Students
Cc: Senate President, Mr. David Mark
The Hon. Minister of Education
Office of Secretary to Government of the
Federation
Executive Secretary, NUC Prof. Julius
Okojie
VC Office, UniAbuja
Director CDL
HOD Physics
